New Zealand Listener Issue 5 2018

The Government must not replicate the ludicrous kick for touch that happened with water fluoridation. At the artesian drinking-water fountain in Petone, there’s often a small queue of people waiting to fill big bottles with the famously crisp Wellington water. The district’s town water supply has long been chlorinated: hence the Petone fountain’s attraction. We value water purity and taste and will go out of our way to get the natural, untreated product. So it is no surprise that officials’ suggestion that all drinking water be chlorinated has caused some apprehension. It’s one of the recommendations in the report on the 2016 contamination of Havelock North’s water supply with sheep excrement, which hospitalised 45 people and made 5000 ill with gastroenteritis. It is also believed to have been a factor in three…

I have tried to adopt a dog both from the SPCA and Huha in the past 12 months (“Gone to the dogs”, January 13). They are both worthy organisations, but I found them difficult to deal with. Despite having had rehomed dogs for years, being recognised as a responsible owner by Porirua City Council and being told by a vet I could get a reference, I was unsuccessful – in each instance after believing I had been matched with a suitable dog. It is hard to contemplate going through the whole process again, especially in the expectation of failing once more. I can understand why people go to less-than-scrupulous breeders. I will keep trying to adopt a dog, but wonder if others have had similar experiences. Elizabeth Gregory (Pukerua Bay, Porirua) The state of dog…

WINNING CAPTION Johnny Turner, Gisborne FINALISTS Rupert: “Make it look like I’m standing all by myself.” – Merrin Cameron, Christchurch Jerry: “You can’t always get what you want.” – Edith Macklin, Hastings Jerry: “I can’t get no satisfaction!” – Petrus van der Schaaf Deck the Hall with boughs of lolly. – Trish Martin, Waikanae Jerry: “From Rolling Stone to strolling bone.” – Helen Carver, Takapau Jerry and the pacemaker. – Michael Williams, Queenstown Rupert: “Okay, you’re a classic model but don’t try to palm me off as a Mark II Jagger.” – Kath Jones, Waikanae Rupert: “Wild divorces couldn’t drag me away.” – Johnny Turner, Gisborne Caption Competition {caption@listener.co.nz} TO ENTER Send your captions for the photo above to caption@listener.co.nz, with “Caption Competition No 265” in the subject line. Alternatively, entries can be posted to “Caption Competition No 265”, NZ Listener, Private…

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”– Dalai Lama“While eating as a guest at other people’s homes, I’m thinking their dogs are genetically obligated to convince you they’ve never, ever been fed.”– astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson“I finally finished a Chapstick without losing it or putting it through the wash. Time to die.”– US comedian Conan O’Brien“Some people are buying the wrong Fire and Fury, instead picking up Fire and Fury: The Allied Bombing of Germany, 1942-1945. An easy mistake – one’s about taking down a fascist regime, and the other is about World War II.”– The Late Show on Twitter“Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.”– Mark Twain“You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.”–…

Burglar caught on camera going to rehab Press, 4/11/17 Head to Otahuhu Pool and Leisure, Mason Ave every Tuesday from 10.30-11.30am for Park Yoga. Bring a mat and water. Manukau Courier, 2/11/17 Airport to city ferry swell idea Dominion Post, 9/12/17 “There’s a little bit of bitter sweat as the programme is finishing at the end of the year.” Weekend Herald, 11/11/17 “… I haven’t used toilet paper since. It’s the best thing since sliced bread!” NZ Grey Power Magazine, November 2017 “You’re always going somewhere new, and sometimes you’ve never been there before,” he said. Nelson Mail, 13/10/17 She says she’s certain that’s when conception occurred, as she had stopped taking the pill due to a calf problem. NZ Herald, 24/8/17 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND: Entries must describe New Zealand events. The first sender of those…

1. Where would you find the landmark Flatiron Building? ❑ Canberra ❑ Hong Kong ❑ Singapore ❑ New York 2. True or false? Daddy longlegs have the most potent venom of all spiders. ❑ True ❑ False 3. Which of these words best defines a factotum? ❑ Handyman ❑ Official ❑ Soldier ❑ Priest 4. True or false? A person’s ability to roll their tongue is determined solely by genetics. ❑ True ❑ False 5. The song Hungry Eyes was written for the soundtrack to which film? ❑ Dirty Dancing ❑ The Big Chill ❑ Footloose ❑ The Graduate 6. In 2010, who won both the Golden Raspberry for Worst Actress and the Oscar for Best Actress? ❑ Anne Hathaway ❑ Sandra Bullock ❑ Meryl Streep ❑ Jennifer Lawrence 7. For which disease did Jonas Salk famously develop a vaccine in the 1950s? ❑ Polio ❑ Rabies ❑ Typhoid ❑ Malaria 8. Which American president is credited with inventing the swivel…