New Zealand Listener Issue 41, 2022

Humans have always been suspicious of diversity. Historically, we burnt witches at the stake. Even today, we struggle to fully embrace racial diversity. We still have some way to go to fully include the LGBTQI+ community, although tremendous strides have been made. It seems that such neurodiverse conditions as dyslexia languish at the back of the queue. Evidence of the Cinderella status of neurodiversity is everywhere. New Zealand’s human rights provisions are largely silent about dyslexia and, unlike in the United Kingdom, for example, we have no legal framework to provide for neurodiversity/dyslexia. Stats NZ gathers no figures about dyslexia and related conditions, so we rely on international figures to gauge the size of New Zealand’s affected population. Dyslexia is best considered a condition in which intelligent people struggle with text. They…

WINNING CAPTION Paul Kelly, Palmerston North FINALISTS Camilla: “My husband and I – oh, I love saying that – thought it was a teabag.” – Dean Donoghue, Papamoa Beach Caption: Antiques on display during royal roadshow. – Marie Curran, Dunedin Camilla: “I got it in a Kinder Surprise when I was a little girl.” – Bob Richardson, Christchurch Camilla: “We kept this in case Charles ever lost a crown jewel.” – Joe Baker, Dunedin Fiona Bruce: “Must have been a whale of a party if this is what’s left of the chandelier.” – Ann Love, Nelson Camilla: “Can you tell me if my first corgi will be a boy or a girl?” – Janice Gill, Nelson Caption Competition {listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz} TO ENTER Send your captions for the photo at right to listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz, with “Caption Competition No 481” in the subject line. Alternatively,…

I congratulate Lisa Wills on coming out from behind the placards to argue her case (“What has happened to us?” (October 1). However, the misuse of science and the “didn’t happen to me and my friends, so it won’t hurt you” attitude from a teacher leaves me in despair. Some people did get very ill, some died, and some survived. Some suffer from long Covid. And yes, some had symptoms so mild that they were not aware they had been infected. Denying these experiences by relying on a small number of selected cases rather than the evidence of the New Zealand scientific community is far from a reasoned expression of science. Nor is it a reasoned argument for individual freedom and rights. I am glad unvaccinated teachers were excluded from the profession.…

“What does it say about America that it takes a podcast to help free a man from prison? Because what I think it says is that either America needs to reform its justice system or podcasts need to become part of the justice system.”– Trevor Noah on the surprise release of Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit true-crime podcast Serial“Never underestimate how many times your husband can do the exact same thing wrong.”– Seen on Twitter“It’s really sad to feel like you’re shit at being Chinese because you don’t speak the ‘right’ language.”– Chris Tse on the many emotions and frustrations felt among non-Mandarin-speaking Chinese during New Zealand Chinese Language Week.“The principle of true art is not to portray but to evoke.”– Jerzy Kosinski“You cannot control your own population…

1. The mythological creature called the griffin has the body of a lion and the head of a … what? ❑ Goat❑ Human❑ Eagle❑ Snake 2. In 1980, which mountain was reduced in height by about 400m? ❑ Mt St Helens❑ Mt Pinatubo❑ Mt Everest❑ K2 3. The YMCA was instrumental in spreading which of these sports in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? ❑ Boxing❑ Badminton❑ Squash❑ Basketball 4. In 1924, the Computing- Tabulating-Recording Company, led by Thomas J Watson, changed its name to … what? ❑ IBM❑ Olivetti❑ Intel❑ Xerox 5. Which of these is a name for a type of light, two-wheeled carriage pulled by one horse? ❑ Gig❑ Pomp❑ Jam❑ Flick 6. Which of these ingredients is a known part of the recipe for Drambuie, a Scottish liqueur? ❑ Coffee❑ Blackcurrants❑ Honey❑ Almonds 7. Which sci-fi TV…

I was chatting with a neighbour the other day about a visit to our 25-year-old son in Colorado. It was an emotional trip, as my favourite young man is playing David to the Goliath of gentrification in a working-class neighbour-hood in a developer-devoted city. I teared up as I related the story, especially because the neighbour in question lost his 25-year-old son 18 months ago — another in the seemingly endless list of tragedies that befall the kindest and gentlest among us. Being an American male, my first reaction to the welling up of tears in my eyes was to stifle, block, and/or cause them to retreat to the deep hole I’ve spent much of my life digging just for them. But I’m not good at it any more, and neither…