Rod Emmerson’s view
Nectar of the gods inspires fruity label writing
Somewhere there is a hut, perhaps windowless and candle- lit, with six pallid individuals hunched over a ream of paper.
In the centre of the room is a receptacle containing adjectival phrases and the names of fruits and condiments. At intervals they take out a random number of the pieces of paper. Their task: to invent labels for bottles of wine.
How else would anyone be able to concoct, and I quote from Canvas last weekend, wines with a taste or is it a nose ( smell) of local botanicals, musk, lychees combined with luxurious, nutty nougat, lemon, exotic citrus ( is this different to citrus in my back garden?) and spices undefined? Binyon was pointing out that those young people who had run their last races on the battlefields of the Great War would never again age by so much as a moment. Man Kaur is doing remarkably well for her 101 years, but it is clear age has wearied her and the years have condemned her to a much slower pace.
While admitting to wine- tasting peasantry. I have always considered a wine is judged by one’s mood of the time, one’s company, , the food at the table and the ambience of the surroundings. Hence the same wine can have various appeals.
Am I missing something or does the hut require daylight and air? is irresponsible. How can it make sense to raise money for education by selling confectionary?
Coleman typifies the Government’s short- term thinking that costs us more in the long run. Other examples include the housing backlog increasing building prices, untreated mental health issues increasing crime and prison numbers, and unmanaged water wrecking our clean green brand. If I am to believe the reporting about immigrant workers it seems the majority of applicants are for service industry jobs as waiters, cooks and cleaners. They seem to be the only occupations they qualify for and they are often exploited by employers from their countries of origin.
Nearly every new eatery or fastfood outlet is Korean, Chinese or South- east Asian. So much for bringing in qualified professionals. Somebody is benefiting from this and it is not the people of this country. If Bryan Gould wants to be taken seriously he needs to demonstrate at least an elementary knowledge of how the New Zealand banking system works. The Reserve Bank exercises extremely onerous prudential supervision over the banking and financial sector. Gould’s assertion that banks can create their own money effectively by the stroke of a pen is the kind of myth that you would expect from the Flat Earth Society.
Sea monsters unwelcome
The Business reports that if we don’t build wharf extensions, Royal Caribbean will take their ships elsewhere. Good. Tell them we don’t like bullies. They can go, or build smaller, neater ships than their Monstrosities of the Seas that block up our beautiful harbour. We read, “Grandmother Targets Marathon”. What does her fertility status have to do with her running? Very seldom in news items is the word “grandfather” used. The top 10 happy nations poll may have caught many people on their sugar high. A poll of happy as well as healthy people is needed and a supermarket should not conduct it. Why is there this fantasy that New Zealanders returning home are the reason the government can’t reduce immigration? The statistics clearly state that in the last year, 1341 more New Zealanders departed than returned. The tut- tutting over the Uber driver’s decision to drive to Wellington brings to mind the adage about rules being for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools. I was dismayed by the drastic downsizing of Auckland City’s library staffing and service. But now I realise all the other council departments and positions must be similarly about to be drastically pruned. Your editorial comments on Mark Mitchell, the new Defence Minister, and his qualifications for the job — dog- handler, private security overseas and grandson of Frank Gill. Are you serious or are you having a laugh? The Heaphy Track is being blitzed with 1080 but is it working? The bike brigade get more funding than native birds. Tourists are asking, “where are the birds?” In keeping with the logic displayed by the antismacking brigade, and in view of the fact that 80 murders were committed in New Zealand last year, it’s time the punishment for murder was taken off the books as it is not preventing that crime. The Herald is up in righteous arms about Winston Peters and plays the race card itself by latching onto his statement about two Asian reporters. His views reflect the views of most Kiwis and it would be a pleasant change if the Herald presented a more balanced attitude towards its readers.