The Pitch:

LiquidID is a unique and innovative extension to single sign on (SSO) systems (such as OpenID) that provide guaranteed email protection. OpenID allows a user with a single identity to logon to any OpenID enabled sites ("consumers"). LiquidID is an extension to OpenID which seamlessly distributes unique email aliases to OpenID consumers. The LiquidID server forwards received emails to the real user. If however it is determined that the alias has been compromised then the LiquidID server will reject the email.

Since LiquidID is a portal for each and every login, significant revenue can be generated by presented targeted advertisements specific to the users interests and the sites they are logging into.

This concept is protected by provisional patents but requires investment to fund full filing. Furthermore, additional provisional patents have been submitted for an alternative but similar idea in which email aliasing is applied to any outgoing email message from a standard email client or web based service to provide absolute unsolicited email protection. More information can be found online at http://liquidid.net and a business plan is available upon request.

Accomplishments to date:

• Patents filed
• Site developed and launched

Development plans:

To further the provisional IP protection with a PCT patent and market the service using online media. Extensions and refinement to the service are planned.

Key Challenges:

The main obstacle for LiquidID will be mainstream adoption of SSO (OpenID) by the general public. However assuming OpenID becomes mainstream, the primary challenge for LiquidID is ensuring people are aware of it and how it is differentiated from other OpenID providers. Alternatively if the IP is to be licensed then appropriate parties need to be made aware of the benefit and understand it's value proposition.

Principals & Previous Experience:

LiquidID has been developed solely by Jeremy Wyn-Harris, under the privately owned entity of Epic Digital.

Jeremy has 10 years experience with start-ups. In 1998 he co-founded Epic Digital which developed an intelligent standalone Internet camera for low end security applications that was mass produced (10K units) in Australia and Singapore. Joint ventures with Hills Industries (forming Epic World Australia and SingTel (forming Epic World Singapore) were established. This was accomplished in all within 4 years and began on a shoestring budget from a garage setup. Since 2003 Jeremy has established three other significant ventures, namely The OpenSauce, Builderscrack, and UpStartGo. Builderscrack is a commercial venture that has rapidly become a profitable business, whereas The OpenSauce is a non-profit venture that has received international media attention from BBC World.

Jeremy has three published patents and one recently submitted PCT application and holds a Bachelor (Hons) and a Master degree in Electrical Engineering.

What they want from an investor:

NZD 25K is required to in the near future to further intellectual property protection. Overall a total investment of NZ$100K is being sought.

Dave's Commentary:

If you're keen on this kind of technology, $25K is a low buy-in price to take part in a company that has protected IP, an up-and-running product, and an entrepreneur with a track record. Jeremy seems a personable chap with a good mix of technical and business skills. From my conversations with him, he seems focussed on the desired outcomes, not afraid of hard slog, and willing to take risks.

Contact details:

JeremyWyn-Harris
Email: investment@liquidid.net
Mob: 021 0479528

Note: If you plan to act on any information on this site, please be sure to read the disclaimer.

Plans for a $25 million revamp of Auckland's Aotea Square have been unveiled.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10520730

Auckland City Council planners have been schemeing away for years on this, and have finely crafted arguments for wasting $25 million (it'll inevitably cost far more than that) of Auckland rate payers money on something they don't need.

The word 'precinct' should always ring alarm bells, this is one of those flash words planners chuck in to make things sound like they of benefit to the community.

What do they actually mean when they say it will become an "arts, cultural and recreational hub" there are already plenty of those, and I thought that was what Aotea square already was so how's this going to change that?

Ooooh, It will be able to cater to concerts for up to 20,000 people, obviously these guys don't get out much, there a brand new facility downtown that already does this and it's didn't cost ratepayers $25 million!

I was thinking that perhaps this plan had died a natural death and Banksie had killed it off. John, use a wooden stake next time! This project is like the undead.

I see that they want it finished for the world cup, I just can't see the rugby pitch anywhere so am mystified what the connection is, but I'm sure some monument builder will have one no matter how tenuous. I expect it has more to do with creating a sense of urgency which will enable cheerleaders to by pass objections.

Every few years with tedious monotony planners and statist monument builders present some new un-needed and over priced project to foist on Auckland ratepayers, this is clearly 2008's one.

Aucklanders now have sufficient venues for conferences and I'm sure Auckland ratepayers have more basic pressing needs for the $25 million, and if they don't then how about a rates cut?

Auckland ratepayers feeling deprived are welcome to print and cut out the white elephant and create their own personal monument for future generations (sorry this was the biggest one I could find, we're on a budget).

"His (Peter Low) ideas of doing things is not the New Zealand way, and it certainly is not the Chinese way.

"He does not represent us or the Asian community."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10520648

Well it wasn't like we didn't see this coming!

Having had some first hande experience of working with Chinese in political groups, and there always seems to be one person pushing their own personal agenda who has a little clique around them talking them up - one minute they "speak for the whole community" next you find they'd be lucky to speak for their mates!

I'll say it again ( because there's been some comments claiming I am bagging 'Asians') The objectives on the web site were laudable, there are already groups within the community doing great work, and I think anything that invloves recent immigrants in working with fellow NZders to reduce crime is fantastic and to be encouraged. Triads and vigilantes on the other hand, are plain stupid, and Mr Low having lived here for 20 odd years should have known this would back fire.

It's super-rad to see the Tiger Tones and Bang! Bang! Eche! doing so well on 95bFM, our sister station in Auckland! Good stuff guys and gals!

Peace and mush,
Dr H

You might remember that when I landed in Auckland that gas was 150.9/L.

This is me mailing in a post because I spent the weekend working and tonight packing.  I'm going to be idle for a few days while I'm getting back to Canada, but I will definitely keep blogging about New Zealand until the end of July.  Then I need to figure out what to do next...

It is rare to have a sunny day in winter. I wonder how long can this last before the squally rain comes again.

At the time I thought that perhaps the media was using the term vigilante, and that they were hyping things up when the group appeared to be about education and lobbying - nothing wrong with either although replication of efforts already underway. I wasn't alone and I see Rabon Kan ( http://www.stuff.co.nz/4609463a1861.html ) also thought the same thing.

Unfortunately I was wrong. I see the groups organiser, Peter Low, has described the group as...

"We are a vigilante group and are training now"

"I want this group to be legalised. If they (the police) don't allow it, that's when we might have to employ Triads to protect our community"

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10520221

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4609478a11.html

As this appears in both the Herald and Stuff.co.nz, it isn't miss-interpretation. Peter Low is apparently from Singapore, and as English is essentially a first language there this hasn't been 'lost in translation'.

He comes across as a bit of a ranter (actually sounds a bit like an NZ First member, but that's highly unlikely). The groups motives seemed worthy, but if they think somehow replacing local criminals with triads is a solution they have really lost the plot. Triads, if they even could be bothered operating here, would make the locals look like amateurs, so that doesn't sound like a very well thought out solution. It's possible all the attention is going to Mr Low's head and he's getting a bit carried away. Although if he gets really carried away the sight of Asians dressed in brightly coloured tights with funny helmets roaming South Auckland fighting crime would be a wondrous thing!

As I said last week, people would be far better off throwing their weight behind an existing group, ideally with their fellow New Zealanders.

Mr Low also says "This is non-profit, non-religion, non-politics and non-racist, It is open to all to become a member"- however if he was really serious about reaching out to all sections of New Zealand society then he wouldn't have called it an Asian group.

I am guessing this group won't be around in six months, sensible people Asian or otherwise, will likely gravitate towards existing groups, or someone claiming to be a member will do something silly that will isolate the group from the mainstream.

A pity, this is a wasted opportunity.

The scene: early afternoon at Bethell's Beach. Stately clouds roam the sky. Seagulls wheel overhead. A fine mist drifts inland from the exploding waves. Clotted volcanic sand huddles close, freshly black with rain. Swatches of surf-froth shiver in the gusting wind.

Fitz crouches to photograph the froth. He ponders the exigency of flash, searches for the best angle, manually focusses the lens, adjusts the settings, takes numerous test shots.

Meanwhile Andrew gallops across the beach kicking up froth, going: "Hee hee hee!"

Brr it's COLD!

AND WINDY

Andrew pulls faces from behind a camera. You've got to wonder what's the point?

Smile or wind-frisked grimace? Hard to tell

Belle takes a moment

http://www.thewaterfrontcafe.co.nz

Sometimes, we'd break our  trip in Rotorua; other times we'd go through Taupo, a wonderful place to stop for fish 'n' chips. Never have I tasted better. Bought from any of a number of uninspiring takeaway shops along the lakefront, the fish and chips would emerge steaming from the deep fat frier, wrapped first in paper, then in a layer of the previous day's New Zealand Herald, which could make for catch-up reading if you'd missed that particular edition. Then we'd hurry to find a picnic bench by the lake. There we'd eat the succulent fish as it fell away from its batter, looking across at the three peaks of Tongariro National Park: Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, sometimes snow-capped and other times hidden by mist. Mum and Dad would repeat for us the legends of the lake: that it was a volcano itself once, but so large that when it erupted in AD 186, the ancient Romans, all the way across the world, wrote about strange skies and falling ash. That was quite a story for our young heads to absorb as we sat watching the bottomless lake in front of us, its hot water beaches bubbling away with the local thermal activity. There was always a slightly unnerving aspect to Taupo's size and beauty. Crime writers, take note: this would be a great place for a character to disappear.

As we left the nauseatingly windy Taupo road behind us, wine country began. Vineyards flank the thoroughfare in row upon row of grape-heavy vines on the approach to Napier. On we'd go, past the airport and flat farmland that used to lie beneath water until the devastating quake of 1931 which changed the face of this town forever. Soon we'd arrive at my grandmother's house and head straight for the living room, off which her galley kitchen stood. We'd sit and talk to her as she cooked her old-fashioned meals. Most of the time it would be a classic meat and two veg, but I remember her tomato scallop with fond nostalgia. A metal pan would be lined with white bread, butter side down, then filled with a tomato and onion mixture before being closed with more slices of white bread, butter side up. In the oven, the bread turned crispy gold and the filling steamed as we ladled it onto our plates. There was never enough. I could have eaten the whole panful myself.

Napier being a seaside town, summertime picnics on the beach of baking black pebbles were great fun. Sometimes we'd have fish and chips up there on the Norfolk pine-lined Marine Parade, perhaps washed down with a bottle of Gilberd's 'pop', lemonade or flavoured sodas that arrived in a mixed crate. On outings with my great aunt and great uncle I learned to love toasted cheese and onion sandwiches, still one of my top comfort cravings. Back at their flat we'd make ice cream sodas with a scoop of ice cream topped by lemonade and stirred with long orange swizzle sticks in the shape of a giraffe. Then I'd sit with my great uncle and play card games with him for 2 or 1 cent stakes. He must have let me win because I always left with pockets full of change.

The same great uncle kept a vegetable patch hidden from wind and prying eyes behind the garage. He taught me how to pull up carrots and that pop each time one was released from the earth was a huge thrill for a city child. Suddenly, carrots in plastic bags on supermarket shelves seemed incredibly boring. It's strange how such simple memories glue themselves to people we know, becoming intertwined with their personalities in our heads. At my great uncle's funeral, many years later, all I could think about was carrots.

As my grandmother and her sisters sat talking about the neighbourhood, the people, the houses and what colour to paint the fence this year or whose roses were growing well, occasional pieces of information raised my interest like someone offering to make a mock chicken. What on earth was that? How could it be possible to make anything that's not chicken taste like chicken, I wondered. It tasted perfectly good and even a bit like chicken, which was peculiar to my small head as no chicken or meat made it into the mixture. Here is a recipe for mock chicken that I found on abc.net.au Apparently it was very popular in war times when meat and chicken were rationed so that's how it found its way into our family's cooking history.

Click here to go to Kiwi Cuisine 1

Conveniently, the Polynesian community is being singled out for the violence!

WELLINGTON, July 5 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 10,000 people marched on Saturday in New Zealand's largest city of Auckland in protest against violence crime against Asians.

Police said the demonstration, in the suburb of Botany Downs, extended 2.5 km, Radio New Zealand reported.

The march was organized by the Asian Anti-Crime Group. It began at 11:30 am on Saturday (23:30 GMT Friday) in protest over recent killings in south Auckland.

The chairman of the group, Peter Low, hoped it will alert politicians to how people feel.

Low said most marchers had direct experience of crime and live in fear, adding that they want tougher laws and more police.

Low said politicians have ignored the feelings of people, especially the Asian population, for too long but the numbers protesting on Saturday means they have to listen.

Amid heavy rain, the march moved to the sounds of drums. Some people bore black coffins and placards with the names of those killed. Others carried their pictures.

Three people of Asian descent have died in homicides in Manukau City [South Auckland] over the past month. Liquor store owner Navtej Singh, 30, was fatally shot at his shop on June 7.

A week later, Yan Ping Yang, 80, died after having been attacked by an intruder in her home.

On June 16, Joanne Wang, 39, was knocked down by a stolen vehicle in a shopping mall car park after her handbag was snatched. She died in hospital.

The opposition National Party believed Auckland's Asian community has proven itself a force to be reckoned with, after turnout at Saturday's demonstration against crime doubled organizers' estimates.

Pansy Wong, a member of the parliament of the National Party, said many Asian people are fed up with out-of-control violence and tired of inaction. She said people feel the issue is being swept under the carpet. Wong said the Asian community is organizing a petition to take to Wellington, demanding a tougher line on violent crime.

Related News Links:

• Huge crowd defies weather to protest against crime
• 10,000 protest over violence against Asians in New Zealand

Related Links:

• Woman’s nose broken for a dare by teen
• Another Open Letter to New Zealand PM
  
• Forget terrorists - it’s the secret police the public needs to fear
  

• You Want to Work in New Zealand?
• NZ Post Colonial? Yeah Right!

• Index of Human Rights Abuses in New Zealand
• True Face of Racist NZ Police

• Third Asian Murdered in New Zealand in One Week!
• New Zealand Racist Storm Worse Than China Quake

• New Zealand: A Cesspool of Spies, Assassins, Genocidal Murderers
• New Zealand or North Korea?

• Let Me Define Your Rights
• Human Wrongs

About the only sensible response was to drink plenty of alcohol, which we duly did. Andrew is presently lying in bed moaning, and I'm trying to remain optimistic that Fitz and Belle are still alive. The only noises I can hear are multiple plops and small drowning mammals. And the occasional chilling moan.

We will probably aim for the same effect for the remaining days of Fitz and Belle's visit - although we will be trying to minimise the moaning

This intrepid little Possum, made its way into the central city, and wandered up Gore St (with a security guard in tow) blissfully unaware of the fuss he was causing among the latte set!

The full story can be read here, or see the photos of his big adventure here.

AND, just when you thought it couldn't get any better – we've got a follow-up story!

According to our sources, he was last seen disappearing into a paddock in rural Ponsonby!

Today I had to endure 5 hours of horn-beeping all around our house, as 100s of truckies descended on Auckland CBD to protest the rising cost of road use, principally driven by escalating petrol costs.

On radio phone-ins, anyone who rang in to suggest that perhaps they are wrong got gunned down.

But I think the truckies are wrong, and I think the mass populace that agrees with them are also wrong.

Sorry.  And here's why:

1.  The sub-text to all this protest is actually a felt affront to perceived rights.  But we have no rights when it comes to fuel, travel, independence.  Only opportunities and costs.  These truckies claim it is wrong that they cannot afford to run their haulage businesses, but they do not have a right to do so.  They do not have a right to cheap(er) fuel.  None of us ultimately have any real rights to anything.

2.  Petrol prices must rise to deal with the problems of sustainability (or lack thereof), environmental pollution and peak oil (see this link here).

3.  Until petrol prices rise higher and stay high none of us will really change how we live.  And remember, our way of life is not a right we are entitled to. We have been living on borrowed time for too long, denying the reality of what experts have been telling us for 20 years, and now we're all in a fuss because it's suddenly here, biting us where it hurts.

Oh, I feel better now.

10:21AM Friday July 04, 2008
By Edward Gay

Commuters on Auckland's Queen St largely supported the truckies' protest this morning, despite some having to get up an hour earlier and travel times into town taking up to three times as long.

Members of the public stood on the road side taking photographs on their cell phones and calling out. Truckies responded by sounding their air horns, creating a cacophony of noise that rebounded off the high rise buildings.

Alan Lightbody came into town from Glenfield this morning and "got up a bit earlier".

"I got on a very loaded bus. Onewa Rd was chocka," Mr Lightbody said.

He said he supported the protest. "You only have to look at the trucks. Enough is enough, get rid of the government," he said.

Standing next to him was Samantha Alexander. Ms Alexander said the protest should go on everyday until the government backtracked.

She interrupted her comments to wave and cheer as a stream of trucks sounded their horns.

Ms ALexander said the Government should have given truckies more notice of the increase in Road User Charges.

Murray Heap came from Wellsford drove down to Auckland with his wife this morning.

"We've got a meeting so we just left an hour earlier," Mr Heap said.

He said he supported the truckies' right to protest and that costs had gone up for everyone.

Richard Hart walked to work from Mt Eden.

"To tell you the truth, it didn't affect me at all," Mr Hart said.

He said he did not know enough about Road User Charges to comment on the reason for the protest but strongly supported the truckies' right to protest.

"I think it's great what they're doing, it's not illegal," Mr Hart said.

Mary-Jane Richards said walking to work had been like taking part in a festival.

"I always walk to work but it's just made it a bit more interesting. I think good on them and I'm surprised they were able to get away with it. I think it's brilliant," Ms Richards said.

She said businesses could suffer a set-back in productivity with workers running late "but that's the point, to give the Government a wake-up call".

Lee Tyson came from Taranaki yesterday and was going to stop in Hamilton last night but after hearing of the protest, decided to drive the full distance.

"I think it's good, the Government did wrong by increasing prices," Mr Tyson said.

Geoff Holland was the only person nzherald.co.nz spoke to on Queen St who did not support the protest.

"I think it's a bit silly really. There's tons of trucks on the road and they make a hell of a mess. They can pass on the costs to the consumer," Mr Holland said.

He said everyone paid huge taxes and if the truckies couldn't pass their costs on then that was their problem.

NZPA

If your'e squemish, don't check out this link, but this shows rather graphically what happens when people get really pissed about crime and take matters into their own hands... http://pakistaniat.com/2008/05/16/vigilante-justice-burnt-alive-karachi/comment-page-7/

It may well be that the Asians (mainly Chinese) who have got together to protect themselves are really just trying to help their fellow citizens avoid becoming victims, and clearly there's nothing at all wrong with this. The website (curiously in English) http://www.aag.org.nz/faq.php seems reasonable enough, a pity the interviewees on radio and TV have sometimes verged on the slightly hysterical. I question why they feel that Asians (a pretty broad ethic generalisation) have specifically different requirements from any other ethnic group when it comes to dealing with the effects of crime. I can't think of any, but I can sure think of some habits that ethnic Chinese immigrants have brought with them that would make them a target of crime - like the weakness for carrying large amounts of cash around with them.

The 'rest of us' (the group has introduced the distinction, so for this post I'll stick with it) don't walk around carrying (often) tens of thousands of dollars in cash, I personally very rarely carry cash at all. There is really no need to, you can comfortably get by using electronic transactions whether they be card or web based without needing to use cash at all. If any other ethnic group displayed a predilection for carrying and hoarding cash then without doubt it would be the target of crime. The reasons why people persist in using cash when it is not really required could be debated, lets just say, electronic transactions are traceable by agencies like the IRD, and that may be one reason.

This sort of crime is nothing new, it isn't recent or unique to New Zealand. In parts of Asia you need to be pretty careful about what you do and when, with the exception being Singapore - but even they have crime. In every situation it requires you to do as the locals do and exercise common sense.

That's not to say we should just accept crime, clearly we shouldn't, but equally no one should put themselves in position where they attract the attention of criminals.

The events of the last few weeks have been appalling and its good that the 'Asian' community has become active in the law and order debate. What I saw when Yin Ping Yang and Joanne Wang were murdered, was not a crime against Asians or Chinese, but a crime against a fellow New Zealander.

It would be better for NZders of Asian ethnicity to join the groups established by their fellow New Zealanders rather than form their own thus perpetuating what seems to be a social isolation from other New Zealanders. This way they could have added their voices to the debate about law and order issues, and learned from the experiences of the rest of us. One of the best ways of dealing with this problem is for all New Zealanders to work together as a common group, not a disparate ethnic groups. We are all victims of crime.

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest"

Confucius

Even so, if this thing does in fact hit critical mass (and the police sure think it will), the bulk of the central city will be gummed up, as will the motorways (especially the Harbour Bridge).  The original route I forecasted is two posts down.

It'll be a futile effort driving tomorrow morning.  You can join me on the Devonport Ferry on (hopefully) one of the 7:00, 7:15 or 7:30 sailings (I'll be the one with a chocolate pastry and Phoenix juice) if you like.  And I will definitely be bringing a camera along.

NZ Herald coverage of the Auckland truckers strike.

• K Road,
• Albert Street,
• Customs/Quay Street,
• Anzac/Symonds Street.

I am quite glad I'm doing my part to reduce road dependancy by riding the ferry again as usual (circumstance)...along a non-major arterial (lucky).  So if you happen to live in Auckland and you're reading this, plan ahead accordingly for this Friday (4 July).

“Desalination plants will ring the world’s oceans, many of them run by nuclear power; corporate nanotechnology will clean up sewage water and sell it to private utilities who will sell it back to us at a huge profit; the rich will drink only bottled water found in the few remote parts of the world left or sucked from the clouds by machines, while the poor die in increasing numbers. This is not science fiction. This is where the world is headed unless we change course.”

— Maude Barlow

I live in Auckland, New Zealand and while I was away, there was a pretty major storm that blew over part of my fence and left my swimming pool overflowing. At the same time that this was happening, the lakes in the South Island which are used for generation of Hydro Electric Power are running close to critically low levels. The latest news is that they have risen to 58% of normal levels.

Many towns around New Zealand are facing potential drought conditions which has major significance for agriculture and these changes seem to be long term. I suspect that most people like me have been blissfully unaware of it. Sure I knew there were problems in Australia including rice crops being down by 90% and parts of Africa, but I had no idea how serious it is.

In China, there are water crises in many locations such as the Shandong Province where people are only allowed access to water for 7 hours a day, and people around Beijing will have limited access to water during the period of the Olympic Games to ensure that visitors do not go thirsty.

The Worldwide Fund For Nature WFF is not only concerned about lack of water for much of Europe and Great Britain, but also that dams and solutions designed to collect and manage water for some areas may harm water retention and the ecology for other areas. According to the UN "climate change means that creeping deserts may eventually drive 135 million people off their land.

The USA doesn't get let off either. Sure America has endured many droughts over the centuries, but they were just rare events. Now in California there are battles over whether water should be used for the needs of the city or for crops and many farms are struggling for their survival.

While we have grown used to conflict in the Middle East over oil, could the future conflicts be focussed on something far more critical for human survival?

So what should we be doing about it? I don't know, I guess the first thing is to take notice. You could invest in water companies to hedge your bets, you should be more aware of what is going on around you. It wouldn't hurt to invest in solar desalination products and buy one for yourself. Whilst they may be designed for purifying salt water, you could use them on any water source. Several recent inventions look like a great device for areas where water is scarce or contaminated by chemicals, bug larvae etc.

With 97% of the planet's water being salty, I hope this planet doesn't become a case of 'water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.' This is not science fiction folks, it is fact. My thoughts:

• It will effect you in your lifetime.
• Find out if the water from your roof is suitable for drinking, or at least your garden.
• Invest in water collection for your garden and other uses.
• Make sure your local council is investing in sustainable, good quality water for the future.
• An investment in a water production/bottling company would make good business sense.
• Places that are likely to suffer water shortages might not be the best places to live in the future, property values will reduce and eventually collapse.
• Property values in areas such as West Auckland will increase in the long term, although some areas also risk sliding down the bank as the ground gets waterlogged.
• Water ownership should stay in the public domain.
• PPP (Public Private Partnership) companies will end up owning and controlling a lot of water production and supply around the world.

As a footnote, ancient pure water that has been under the ground for centuries must be a finite resource, just as are fossil fuels. Have you ever wondered what will happen to the planet when we have brought it all to the surface? Does the mass of the water help hold the superstructure of our planet together? We are sucking thousands of cubic kilometers of liquid out of the planet every year. Are there concequences we have yet to face along with global warming?

As I have pointed out before, our generation is one of major change. Science Fiction is becoming reality at a pace far greater than we expected and the authors are proving to have been prophetic. We haven't seen any aliens that I'm aware of, but the dust bowls of Mad Max and the desserts of Dune could become reality on Earth, or at least of sorts. At the rate we are going our descendants could be wearing the stillsuits that Frank Herbert wrote about. I don't think I'm being over the top here. I still feel grateful to live in this era of rapid change and exciting technology and to live in a country of relative peace, a friendly climate and low poverty, but I am starting to wonder what sort of a world my grand children will live in and asking whether they will pay in the future for the excesses of today.

It's worth paying a little extra to guarantee your safety, says an Auckland woman targeted by a sleazy taxi driver.

Annette Brothers, who works in women's magazine sales, said that a driver picked her up from the central city in late May after a night out with friends.

The man called her cellphone the following day to advise her she had dropped her wallet in his car.

He offered to drop it off at her home, but his good deed was quickly undone by a text message sent shortly before he arrived.

It said: "It has always been my fantasy to be with a white woman. Please tell me you will be the one."

"I felt violated," said Brothers. "They are meant to be professional."

Brothers said it was her first experience of inappropriate behaviour by a taxi driver, and she called the Taxi Federation to complain when she couldn't find a listing for the firm.

She said she would be happy to pay a different company $2 more to get home safely.

Land Transport New Zealand spokesman Andy Knackstedt said such incidents should be brought to the attention of the taxi company in the first instance.

Complaints could also be made to LTNZ and police.

The LTNZ's taxi enforcement team has had 84 complaints in Auckland and Wellington since being launched a year ago.

First, we are lucky to welcome 12 visitors from Japan who will practice with us and share their knowledge:

Inoue Yoshihiku Sensei Hanshi 8^th Dan (the sensei’s 7^th trip to NZ )

Oda Katsu Sensei Iaido 8^th dan Kendo 7^th dan

Noritsuki Masayuki sensei 7^th dan

Nakazawa Nobuya sensei 7^th dan (some people will remember him from last year )

Omura Mitsuyoshi sensei 7^th dan

Chihara Kenichi sensei  7^th dan

Shibayama Kiyoshi sensei 7^th dan

Nishi Yoshihisa sensei 7^th dan

Suzuki Masato sensei 6^th dan

Inoue Mitsuko sensei (Mrs) 6^th dan

Yamanashi Masaaki 5^th dan

Murakumo san 3^rd dan

Full Program

FRIDAY 11^TH July

10am ~ 3pm National squad kihon and training (any person that has signed up for the
national camp may indirectly take part *)

l One third of the dojo will be sectioned off for people wishing to follow the training taking part by listening to what is being taught, partnering up with other non squad members and doing the work !

3pm The arrival of the Japanese and New Zealand Sensei group ……Advice and
instruction in regard to shiai by Inoue Sensei , possible shiai geiko

4.30pm Goudo geiko with our Japanese guest and all seminar attendees

5.30pm Finish

Free night

SATURDAY 12^TH JULY

8.30 am Arrive at dojo. Seminar to start at 9am sharp, everyone expected to be in and
changed by 8.30am.

A full day of Inoue Sensei at his best; with assistance from the 7^th dans in
attendance.

If you not have experienced an Inoue Sensei seminar then you better bring an
open mind because your idea of what Kendo actually is could change for life

5.00 pm Finishing at 5pm (the last hour will be Goudo geik)

6.45pm Sharp Arrival of attendees, partners and friends
7.15 pm   Arrival of special guests:
                     Consulate General Of Japan
                     President and Vice President of the Japan Society Inc
                    Other martial arts Leaders from the Auckland area
               Friends of Auckland Kendo Club
 
7.20pm   Welcome by MC , Ken Wells
7.30 pm  Speeches (President NZKF, Inoue Sensei , Consul General of Japan)
7.35 pm  Chinese Lion Dance performed prior to opening
7.55 pm  Ribbon cutting
8.00 pm  Taisho Koto performance (this group have come especially from Japan for this evening)
8.40pm     Enbu Kendo matches;
·         Tachiai - Inoue sensei Hanshi 8th dan
·         Shibayama sensei 7th dan Vs Wells sensei 6th dan
·         Norizuki sensei 7th dan Vs Sayer Sensei 6th dan
 
8.50pm    Kendo Kata by 2008 national kata champions
    Stephenson sensei 6th dan (Uchidachi )
    Brent Hansen 5th dan (Shidachi )
 
9.05pm    Iaido demonstration
·               Oda sensei Iaido 8th dan
 
Formal part of evening compete- it will be on with the party
·         Finger food and hors d’oeuvres to be served from 9pm
·         There will be a bar service
(Food is supplied along with one complimentary drink however the bar service is a charge bar)
·         Expected finish time midnight

Sunday 13^TH JULY

6.30am ~ 8am Asa geiko (do not miss this chance )

Yep all our guests will be here and the older NZers (they find it hard to sleep
these days)

9am ~ 11 am Kendo seminar surprises from Inoue Sensei

Early lunch 11am ~ 11.30am

11.30 ~1 pm

After lunch the seminar will be broken into 3 groups

· People going for dan grades in Kendo (your instructor will depend on the dan you are attempting)

· People going for dan grades in Iaido (Oda Sensei )

· All others (Inoue Sensei )

1 pm ~ 2.30pm Kendo grading

· 1^st dan ~ 5^th dan Kendo and iaido court one

· 3^rd Kyu ~ 1^st Kyu Kendo and Iaido court two

(Grading results will be displayed in the dojo straight after the finish of the event ,not announced)

2.30 pm ~ 3 pm :

Sensei comments , gift presentation

Bus leaves dojo for airport for bulk of Japanese guests at 3.45pm

Main Japanese guests group leaves for the South Island on 17.30 pm flight .

Kendo and free practice to continue until 5pm

Evening Free

Monday 14^th July

9am ~ 12.30pm Iaido seminar taken by Oda Sensei, this is a seminar geared at an understanding of iaido for all levels including complete beginners. We suggest if you are considering giving Iaido a serious go then this is your chance! Inoue Sensei who also has a 5^th dan Iaido will also be present to instruct.

Midday Official closing of the Auckland leg of the national seminar

Oda sensei and Inoue sensei will then fly to join the rest of the group in CHCH

Flight leaves

The Japanese group will hold a special practice at the Seitokenyukai dojo (Canterbury) This will be a continuation of the seminar theme and all attendees are welcome to this practice. Time to be announced.(Inoue Sensei and Oda sensei do not arrive in CHCH until 6.30pm so I imagine keiko to be from 7.30 ish )

Evening Party time again …it this case CHCH style (surprise)

* You may be asked to contribute a few dollars toward the CHCH catering for the party

And now the very good news!!!....Total cost per head for whole event is only $110 *

I entered university with the great expectation that it would be far more intellectually stimulating than college and high school. After all, when the last six years were so exam-driven, we hardly had time to discuss the things that matter. The teachers were all rushing to complete the appointed syllabus before the year ended and the examination period loomed, such that the only things I associated education with were nothing but a chore and studying.

I took a six month break after completing my A levels, which was very welcome, though much to the dismay of my parents, who wanted me to complete my education as soon as possible. I spent those six months learning French and it totally changed my perspective on education. I met great friends and had such a good laugh with the things that we learnt (like asking the professeur how to swear in French). I enjoyed learning so much that I even volunteered to take the language assessment exams at the end of the semester.

It was definitely disappointing to be in the education system again where the lecturers were just trying to cram the whole syllabus in the whole semester of 12 weeks. Thankfully, I had a more enjoyable experience in my tutorials as the tutors were friendly, open to questions when a concept was challenged and of course, to finally get to talk with some familiar faces from the tutorials in the lecture halls. Some friendships were forged pretty well, while others remained as mere acquaintances, which I will talk about later on.

One thing I really appreciated the university for was the coursework-exams grading system. I am a jitterbug when it comes to facing the exams; hence, I welcomed the given opportunity to do well in my assignments. Coming from a stringent education system, I had more than my fair share of failures and the lousy feeling of being mediocre. As such, when I was studying Auckland, having doing well in my coursework, naturally, it boosted my ego and encouraged me to do even better for exams.

Another thing is that the classes I was taking were foundation classes, hence the class sizes were huge and all that information seemed to be sweeping by- massive concepts, fancy jargon… Nothing is very specialised in a merely introductory course to advance levels. Fortunately for me, I have never done any of my first year subjects before, so all were new and fresh to me. However, I have heard from friends who had to learn the same things again, such as microeconomics and accounting courses which they had already learnt in pre-university level. Definitely, for anyone who thinks that university is about furthering whatever you have learnt, hold your horses! It only happens after the first semester.

I think I speak for most students studying in universities when I say that it is a very lonely environment. In high school/ college, we have a homeroom, a class that we are assigned to, a certain group of people we’re certain to spend most of our school hours with. You wouldn’t be sitting alone in a boring lecture trying to keep your eyes wide awake as the lecturer goes on and on, in the cafeteria munching away at your sandwich while staring into space. In university, you would be fortunate to have a friend who shared the same faculty as you. You would be even more fortunate if you took the same subject as him/her, and both of you might as well be soul mates if you had managed to share just half of the same lecture/tutorial slots together.

That said, it is not a battle lost. Attending the first lecture may be intimidating because you wouldn’t know anyone among the sea of people entering the same lecture hall, however, as long as you wear a bright smile and friendly disposition, you will be able to find friends somehow, somewhere. My first semester in university was full of uncertainties. Firstly, I went to Auckland alone, not knowing anyone until later on. Secondly, although I stayed in a hall, I was one of the only two people in the group that I hung out with who was a first year arts student. I entered my first psychology lecture as a lone ranger. However, at the end of the lecture, I was fortunate to meet this student whom I sat next to while waiting for the lecture halls to be opened (but not during the lecture) and we have been good friends ever since. The thing was, while we didn’t speak during the waiting period, it just didn’t seem right to have walk out the lecture hall without having to catch each other’s name. Lesson learnt- be open to meet new people. She is my first Samoan friend who is a mature student, studying part-time at the university.

I think that first year in university was not as fantastic as the time I spent in college; I spent most of the time adjusting to my living environment, the academic environment, and the social life… Adjusting all of my expectations of what university life should be. As my friend puts it, I caught the ‘freshman bug’.

So, where to from now? I’m glad that the semester has officially ended, with exams all done and over with. I am officially a year 2 next semester, (YES!) enrolling myself into two level 2 subjects in marketing. I already have in mind some activities to be involved in- volunteering at the children’s hospital, finding a job. Hopefully, next semester onwards, it will all be more fruitful and productive. Cheryl says that as long as I pass through first year, subsequent years would be much better.

Lastly, the grass is always, always, greener on the other side. I had to learn it the long hard way...

Food is one thing that is never far from our thoughts, we Indians love to eat good food and I would put more emphasizes on good food. Weather it be Indian, thai, malay, Chinese etc etc and the most important thing is it be vegetarian. Being her in Auckland away from home and having a busy life has some how killed my cooking ability I feel, thanks to take away following in foreign country. I still remember there were days I would love to experiment with new food each and every day and mostly all being vegetarian. I have now started thinking being a veggie in a foreign country is like and sign and I am torturing myself. I still remember the day in my induction we were asked to say a unusual thing and I said I am a veggie and they were like so you must be loving to eat salad and I was like I am a veggie who hates salad J. Just today my husband bought this book “Auckland’s 50 best restaurants” being a foodie I was all excited the first thing I wanted to see if there was a Indian restaurant and what there was none. I should be shocked there were none but only if there were any good.

In these years i have become a very good food critic tasting all the rubbish food, to top it all I have liked tried all the Indian restaurants you could say in north and the south island in nz to find a feeling of home but never did. We Indians till we do not have roti and our Indian veges and dal tadka, biryani etc etc we will feel hungry J and above all going to these Indian restaurants’ is like whooping $100 between 2 people very high compared to having a pizza,burger etc. Even on my trip to south island which lasted like for 8 days I tried all the Indian restaurants from Christchurch, Dunedin, queenstown, greymouth etc etc and living in Auckland tried all of them here. The best Indian food I had till today is at “Punjabi Dhabha, manukau” seems the chef there has not forgotten his roots he sure has changed and does not cook the same as Indian but is good better than others like Oh Calcutta seems they have too much sugar so they food is sweet I do not think Kolkata cuisine is sweet. My friends had told me go to tagore the food there is mind blowing and it being in the city was convenient, so me and my hubby dear thought should celebrate our house purchase there so I ordered my veg paneer dish I never ever tasted anything bad than that the left over was like I had not even touched my veg after a bite he was should I pack it for you and I was no how can I eat this crap at home when I could not even eat It here. Even my hubby dear who ordered some fish dish could not eat hisJ. After trying all this crap at diff places I feel I am better off eating my veg pita and veg burger at nandos with the extra hot peri peri sauce just love it J or veg patty sub at subway. I feel Indian restaurants really need to get going and lift there standards do something really good and make our taste buds click to come among on of “The Auckland’s 50 best restaurants” . I wish there were some places like India where I can just go and eat a very spicy and tasty samosa, kachori (itz been ages not had one L)wada pau. These showy and loud Indian restaurants have good interiors but food naah. Oh ya we do have bikanerwala now but when you tell them can you please make my samosa hot they will be like yeh toh factory se bankar aaya hai (this has been made in the factory no changes can be made to them) L.