Miraz Jordan

Not exactly "news", but something everyone should know about. This will be going on in every single country in the world (that even allows women in government). Research finds rape threats against female MPs common | RNZ News:

A new research paper has found misogyny and racism are pervasive in the harassment of female politicians, their staff and their families. …

University of Otago researchers interviewed 11 MPs across the political divide in 2023, who reported being assaulted with weapons, threatened with rape and subjected to death threats.

One MP said she received "deeply, deeply vile" abuse, including a threat to cut her throat

Covid JN.1 variant:

The Comirnaty (JN.1) vaccine targets the JN.1 variant of COVID-19 and is expected to provide better protection against currently circulating strains of the virus.

Flu 2025 egg-based vaccine strains (PDF) (Influvac Tetra, Fluad Quad, Fluquadri, Afluria Quad), Flucelvax Quad:

• A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
• A/Croatia/10136RV/2023 (H3N2)-like virus
• B/Austria/1359417/2021 -like virus
• B/Phuket/3073/2013 -like virus

Well, we just had a torrential downpour: 10 mm in 30 minutes, with a bit of thunder and a blip of a power cut. Someone nearby lost a shed roof and an empty 25,000 litre water tank to a mini tornado. 💦

I'm going out soon to get my flu and Covid jabs. I hope there isn't another surge of wild weather.

LOL — Mystery of the missing minutes: Why are TV shows shorter in New Zealand?  | The Spinoff:

White Lotus S3E01 is one hour and one minute long on HBO Max. Here on Neon, it’s just 58 minutes. Severance also appears slightly severed: S2E01 is 50 minutes in the US, but a positively fleeting 48 minutes on AppleTV+ in Aotearoa.

… "The duration difference is due to the differing frame rates between the US and the rest of the world,” they wrote. “It’s an accepted industry practice to slightly speed up playback to match local standards, which can result in shorter runtimes without losing any content."

… HBO shows like The White Lotus, Succession and Game of Thrones are typically mastered at 23.98 frames per second – or fps – whereas the standard in New Zealand is 25 frames per second.

The world seems dark and grim. These 5 links are about bringing a little light. 💡

1. Turtle release in Northland stirs emotions - 'You can't ask for better' | RNZ News:

   Five endangered [green] turtles have been returned to the wild at a Northland beach after being rescued near death and nursed back to health. …

   According to DOC, another 15 were currently recovering at Kelly Tarlton's. Most had been rescued from Northland beaches during the past summer.

2. Horowhenua Star April 4 2025 (PDF):

   It's a good day to be a lizard.

   And an even better day to be part of the Horowhenua community. Native lizards are to get a purpose-built 4-hectare predator proof enclosure at the intersection of Arapaepae Road and Queen Street East. They’re getting the new pad as part of the Ō2NL expressway construction kicking off.

3. An Art Form That Makes Silent Voices Heard:

   With gestures and mime rolled into one, this little-known art form, called Visual Vernacular (VV), is proudly used by the Deaf community for artistic expression. In VV, visual storytelling replaces formal signs, enabling people from both the Deaf and hearing communities to connect, understand each other and communicate without words.

4. Do watch the video — it's quite amazing. Daytime kiwi fight in Kerikeri garden surprises locals, reveals rare territorial clash:

   In a remarkable scene captured in Northland, two kiwi birds engaged in a fight during daylight hours, offering a rare glimpse into the territorial behaviour of the elusive, nocturnal birds.

5. A population of rare native parrots in a Whangārei man's backyard continues to grow. Ethan Benney, who spent years predator-proofing some historic bush on his family's rural property at Glenbervie, first noticed an adult pair of kākāriki (green parrots) in the area early last year. About six months later, he discovered the duo were raising a clutch of chicks in a hollow tree.

   Via: Northern Advocate, 07 April 2025 (PDF), Page 3.

Here’s the iPhone. Here’s the iPhone With Tariffs. - WSJ (via John Gruber):

This is what Apple pays for components inside its bestselling phone, and how [the] China tariffs could raise the bill

Heh, when I buy a new Apple product it ships direct from China. Presumably ditto for anyone else not in the US. I guess the tariffs will only affect Americans.

This looks like so much fun. Excited! Season Three Trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Deb made delicious pikelets for lunch.

I really enjoy such timeline adjacencies. Puppets!

Sigh. Things don't change. My emphasis:

A local woman’s phone call to Switzerland 20 years ago led to the Manawatū River Estuary becoming an internationally recognised wetland/bird sanctuary. …

“We printed leaflets and delivered them to households in Foxton Beach explaining what we were intending to do.”

This was followed by a public meeting where some young men heckled her, saying they wanted to continue running their 4-wheel drives through the dunes and the estuary.

Via: Passion for estuary led to Ramsar status.

The good news started sometime in the night — I heard rain in the gutter. 💦

The forecast suggests we'll get rain over the next few days too.

Aargh! I'm at the point in my morning where I go to run the Keyboard Maestro macro I spent ages tuning up yesterday evening, with date and time calculations, and it's just not there!

Did I somehow delete it accidentally? It must be that, because KM is rock solid. Back to the drawing board …

The world seems dark and grim. These 5 links are about bringing a little light. 💡

1. Wellington philanthropist couple to fund new charity hospital | RNZ News:

   A Wellington philanthropist couple have agreed to fund the build of a new charity hospital in the capital. …

   to deliver surgical day services on a referral basis for people who don't meet the criteria for admission to the public system and who can't afford medical insurance and private treatment.

   The hospital would support those who could not afford medical insurance and private treatment.

2. Wild horses help prevent wildfires in Spain | Al Jazeera:

   A 2021 study … found that wild horse grazing was the most effective method for preventing wildfires, promoting plant biodiversity and capturing carbon. The study compared this method with other land uses, including planting long-term pine forests, short-term eucalyptus plantations and grazing by domesticated animals.

3. Geckos first found in Canterbury in the 1960s could be world's oldest | RNZ News:

   The two Waitaha geckos were first discovered and marked in 1967 and 1969 … The geckos were [again] found during a recent visit to the island. … The oldest gecko was named 'Antoinette' …

   The second gecko was estimated to be aged 60 and was named 'Brucie-Baby'

4. Kea population booms in Aoraki | RNZ News:

   The number of Kea - New Zealand's nationally endangered mountain parrot - is growing in numbers in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park.

   The average flock size in the Malte Brun area in 2024 was twice that seen two years before.

   Work in the area to get rid of possums, stoats and other pests over thousands of hectares has been done by Te Manahuna Aoraki Project - part of Zero Invasive Predators.

5. Presumed Extinct: World's Smallest Otter Found in Busy Nepal River After 186 Years without a Sighting.

   Via: odd@social.lol.

I occasionally spot a hedgehog on our property, and with mixed feelings. They are quite cute, but:

Hedgehogs cannot coexist with our endangered species. Removing them from the environment is an essential step to saving what makes Aotearoa unique.

Via: Hedgehogs: Animal pests.

Apparently it's not a good sign for a hedgehog to be roaming around during the day. The one I spotted today seemed reasonably fit and well.