New Zealand Listener Issue 7 2019

Justice’s blindfold appears to have slipped. The discounted sentence handed down to Massey University associate professor Grant Hannis for a despicable crime – partly in recognition of his standing in society – risks sending the wrong message. Hannis indecently assaulted a defenceless 82-year-old dementia patient, in what should have been the sanctuary of her rest-home bedroom, and was sentenced to eight months’ home detention and 100 hours of community work and ordered to pay $3000 in emotional-harm reparation. The suspicion lingers in the public mind that had he been a plumber, sales executive or factory hand, he’d have faced a stiffer penalty. Any sniff of systemic favouritism to prominent people damages public respect for our justice system. Judge Stephen Harrop said Hannis, 55, had suffered a “very substantial fall from grace”, and was getting…

It was encouraging to read the February 2 cover story that “a lifelong fitness regime can shave decades off your biological age” (“Young at heart”). I have always run short distances, nowadays at the beach or on the treadmill at the gym, and someone will always be telling me, “Don’t run, don’t run!” Being white-haired and old doesn’t mean I’m not capable of knowing what I can safely do. Playing tennis into my late-eighties kept me running on the court. If someone older is running, it is because they have always done it – age is just a number. So, please, don’t tell me not to run. Rae Edgar (Mt Albert, Auckland) Why do all the fitness articles I read talk about exercise as running or gym time or other boring activities? I am…

WINNING CAPTION Peter Scanlan, Lower Hutt FINALISTS Shinzō Abe: “Your four, and I’ll raise you one.” — PM Lynch, Upper Hutt Theresa May: “What would you swap for Ireland? How about Toyota?” — Mark Bradley, St Clair, Dunedin May: “May the best hand win.” — Edith Macklin, Hastings Abe: “No free-trade agreement for English cooking.” — Steve Cox, St Albans, Christchurch Abe: “If you can’t do a high five, no wonder there’s no deal.” — Hans Zindel, Palmerston North May: “Your support is something I can’t put a value on.” Abe: “It’s nothing.” — Kath Jones, Waikanae…

“A prolix barrister, on being told by the judge that what he’d been saying for the past 10 minutes had merely gone in one ear and out the other, retorted: ‘Nothing to stop it, m’lud”. – London’s Times“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.” – Mahatma Gandhi“According to the White House press pool, President Trump spent approximately two minutes at the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial today before returning to the White House. It’s not a good look when you give Martin Luther King the same amount of time you gave Stormy Daniels.” – US comedian Seth Meyers“President Trump tweeted this morning that crime will go down by record numbers if the border wall is built – but only if we build it with…

… the climate-change hour-glass is ticking … NZ Herald, 4/1/19 Working group’s make-up criticised Otago Daily Times, 29/11/18 Water restrictions in pipeline Press, 24/10/18 “Someone must know this woman!!! She took it upon her-self to do a drive off with $80 petrol covering her number plates,” a Facebook post said. Timaru Herald, 4/9/18 Community boards meet every two weeks, but take a recess from January to December.Star, 25/10/18 Combing beauty and brawn in a motor vehicle is what some manufacturers do very well … Style Fashion, September 2018 Used in an opening role by the hosts, Nicholls made 89 off 11 balls as Canterbury reached 243 before being dismissed in the final over.Dominion Post, 1/11/18 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND: Entries must describe New Zealand events. The first sender of those accepted will receive a $5 Booksellers voucher.…

1. True or false? Mammoths were still alive when the Great Pyramid of Giza was being built. ❑ True ❑ False 2. Which British auto marque produced a small sports car called the Spitfire? ❑ Austin ❑ Morris ❑ Triumph ❑ Hillman 3. True or false? To determine whether an egg is hard-boiled or raw, you must crack its shell. ❑ True ❑ False 4. The word “growler” can refer to a small … what? ❑ Sand dune ❑ Crocodile ❑ Iceberg❑ Thundercloud 5. Which group’s members burned a million pounds in cash as a stunt (and later regretted it)? ❑ INXS ❑ The Who❑ The Carpenters ❑ The KLF 6. Which movie directed by a New Zealander was promoted with the tagline: “There is no gene for the human spirit”? ❑ The Piano ❑ Gattaca❑ The Frighteners ❑ Whale Rider 7.…