From onegreenplanet.org Shaped like a boomerang and coming in at a mere three pounds, your liver works hard for you every day, possibly more than you could imagine. It’s the second-largest organ in your body and yet, probably not one you give much thought to until something goes wrong. Your liver keeps things going, and […]

10 Plant-Based Foods to Cleanse and Care For Your Liver — Rangitikei Environmental Health Watch

No one should wear these. Surgeons wear properly fitted surgical masks while performing procedures. These things are not filters for microscopic virus particles, and they are made from synthetic fibres: kids will be ingesting these microfibres — the chances are that by comparison it will make asbestos look harmless in the future. Further, children learn from facial expressions. It’s how compassion, empathy and a myriad of other emotions are read and interpreted. The social and emotional impact of children wearing these will be immeasurable and any education system or educator that endorsed it should hang their heads in shame. Unless the community stands up and says ‘no’ this nonsense will just continue! Toddlers next?

For our Jacindanista readers, here is a peer reviewed study on the dangers of these things on the American Government NIH website.

On 30 January 1972 in the Northern Ireland town of Derry a Civil Rights protest march led by activist Ivan Cooper was fired upon by British troops, killing 13 protesters and wounding 14 more, one of whom subsequently died.

It was a major incident and unsurprisingly marked an escalation in the conflict with the ranks of the IRA being swelled as Irish citizens responded in horror and anger.

The event was made into a reenactment 107-minute docudrama in 2002, Bloody Sunday.

Fortunately, today things have much changed for the better.

Here is a video published on Friday by political party Sinn Fein.

Every intercepted enemy message … all these encrypted communications, jumbled up into seemingly random letters in groups of four or five, and transmitted by radio, were gathered in the many listening posts around the British coastline.

Shortening World War Two

By Roger Childs

The name Bletchley Park is synonymous with code breaking. It was here during the war that some of the greatest British minds in a generation cracked the Enigma codes and other encryption systems used by the enemy and, in General Eisenhower’s view, probably shortened the war by two years. 

The Enigma machines – compact beautifully designed devices looking a little like typewriters with lights – were used by all the German military forces; these portable machines generated the countless millions of different letter combinations in which most coded German communications were sent. 

Decrypting Enigma meant that the military commanders could be advised in advance of the enemies plans for bombing raids, U-boat movements, moving troops and ships, and invasion plans. However, the success of the Bletchley gurus created a dilemma for the government and military authorities — how to prevent the enemy working out that their secret codes had been uncovered, and subsequently changing their systems.

If the Germans got wind of a city’s defences knowing that a particular raid was coming, the BP code breakers could be back to square one. The government knew that Coventry was going to be attacked in November 1940, but decided not to warn the authorities in the West Midlands city that the bombers were coming. This decision created huge controversy after the war.

The story behind the code crackers

… a portrait of one of the most remarkable brain factories the world has ever seen. Military historian, –Max Hastings

Sinclair McKay’s The Secret Life of Bletchley Park is a superb account of what the thousands of people working at the Buckinghamshire intelligence hub actually achieved. The personnel included, high society women, students out of high school and university, factory workers, typists, Wrens, scientists, mathematicians and inventors. They were all billeted around the towns and villages of the area and were sworn to secrecy.

It was work of unrelenting intensity and carried out in three eight hour shifts per day for over five years in huts that were specially built in the grounds. (All these were demolished after the war.) Teams specialized in the different codes used by the Wehrmacht, German navy, air force and government.  

Among the great minds at Bletchley were: 

• Alan Turing a pioneer in the development of electronics and the construction of the code breaking “bombe” machines
•  cryptologist Dilly Knox who had worked on codes in World War One
• Tom Flowers the inventor of the computer
• teenage Wren Jean Valentine who was such a success she was sent to Ceylon in 1942 to unravel Japanese codes.

There were also scores of highly talented languages and mathematics professors and students.

Leisure pursuits

In their time off the Bletchley Park personnel were involved in a range of cultural and sporting pursuits – music groups, dancing, play performances, revues, tennis, cycling and skating in winter. The authorities also arranged for musicians, and ballet and theatre groups to perform at Bletchley. 

Not surprisingly, there were romances and relationships often sealed down quiet country roads. In a number of instances relationships led to marriage.

An excellent book

Sinclair McKay has done justice to the heroes of Bletchley Park who were long denied recognition as they were sworn to secrecy for decades after the war ended in 1945. He has tapped into the memoirs of the BP veterans and interviewed scores of people were worked there. An interesting section near the end of the book looks at where many of the personnel ended up in the post-war years.

On the last page he sums up just what the decoders achieved in the early 1940s. Equipped with little more than intelligence, enthusiasm and determination, they got stuck right into the job, persisting until they succeeded.

It will never happen again.

According to an article on Post Millenial, Elon Musk has thrown his support behind the Canadian truck convoy, which some estimate at 35,000 and 50,000 vehicles, who are heading to Ottawa to protest Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s covid mandate. Canadian truckers rule — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 27, […]

Elon Musk throws his support behind Canadian truck convoy protesting COVID mandates — OpentheWord.org

When are Bloomfield, Hipkins and Dear Leader going to admit that the Pfizer substance is neither safe nor ‘effective’ and has been an expensive waste of time? They can’t maintain their bullshit for too much longer.

Being able to experience it [pressure] multiple times has been incredible, but Saturday’s going to be a new experience for me. So I go out there and embrace it, smile, try and do the best that I can and whatever happens, happens. –Home town favourite, Ashleigh Barty

Barty should come through

By Roger Childs

After two weeks of highly competitive, exciting and sometimes controversial tennis it comes down to top two in the women’s and men’s singles. 

Number one seed Australian Ash Barty has been untroubled in winning her matches in the previous six rounds without losing a set, much to the delight of the partisan Melbourne crowd. She is the top seed and the odds-on favourite to take out the women’s singles title which no Australian has won in over forty years.

Her opponent, 28 year old American Danielle Collins is a surprise finalist. She has nevertheless earned her place after two close three setters in rounds three and four. In the semi-finals she swept away Pole seventh seed Iga Świątek 6-4 6-1. Collins has powerful ground strokes and is able to place her shots to stretch her opponents . However in Barty she is up against a very consistent player who has a reliable serve, a high level on fitness and impressive forehand, backhand and volleying skills. 

Barty should give the supportive crowd the result they want.

Nadal is the on the brink of tennis history

The popular, modest Spaniard will pick up a record-breaking 21^st grand slam if he wins on Sunday night. Currently he is in the 20 group with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, so he will not be lacking in motivation in the men’s final. He has always played with great commitment and determination, and has strong ground strokes which he invariably places deep and wide. Nadal does not have a 200km + serve of the younger male players but it is reliable and hard to read, and although he does not often come to the net, his volleying skills are impressive.

His opponent Daniil Medvedev is much younger and has one of the quickest serves in the game. He won the last grand slam in New York and has been untroubled to qualify for the final in Melbourne. Very quick around the court the Russian is one of the great retrievers and his ground strokes, overhead and volleying are strong.

Rafael Nadal is the sentimental favourite, but with the advantage of a much stronger serve and youth on his side, Medvedev is my pick to win on Sunday evening.

28 January 2022

Dear CEO

Re: Gateway Project

I write on behalf of Kapiti Improvement Society concerning Uruhi. This project KCDC assured the Government was ‘shovel ready’ nearly 2 years ago, is it now shovel ready? 

The Society has been made aware that you have let contracts for the internal layout of the visitor section of Uruhi and you have appointed a head contractor to build a reconfigured building. Concerning the contract for the internals, please advise the following: Is this work within the current budget?  The Price Waterhouse Report cites this as the budget:

You have announced the re-design makes the predominant purpose now a museum/culture centre and to this end the museum space has been increased and the biosecurity are reduced. 

Your website says “In November 2021, we’ve reviewed the layout of the building pods with our architect and other stakeholders. While the overall footprint of the pods remains the same, the modified design sees more space dedicated to the visitor discovery pod, and the size of the biosecurity pod has been reduced.” The original figures as stated by PW: “The biosecurity pod will be 160m², including 44m² of toilets. What is the new size? 

KCDC says it has let a tender for a total re-design of the building including a contract for a sophisticated cultural centre. The NZ Government site gets.govt.nz says —

Overview

We’re looking for: An indoor and outdoor Visitor Discovery experience as part of Te Uruhi development in Maclean Park, Paraparaumu that provides:
* story-telling (using a variety of methods to engage, inform and educate visitors) to locals and people visiting the Kāpiti region, in particular Kāpiti Island;
* methods that are interactive, informative, innovative, accessible, ie to people with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments, sustainable, creative, fun;
* collaboration with our iwi partners and other stakeholders, e.g., the Department of Conservation, to determine which stories to tell, their content, and how to tell them. 

Costings/budget projections:

With a change in dominant use will the ticket cost surcharges to visitors and concessioners be adjusted? Has Council considered how will that impact on the Council subsidy to operate the building? PW indicates income of the biosecurity pod will be through biosecurity concession fees, a 10% surcharge on ticket fees, a weekly rental of $100 per week and a biosecurity fee of up to $10.

With less space for the concessionaires, will KCDC still impose the costs on them as recommended by PW? 

What costings were done to ensure that the changes fall within the PW Budget set out above?

When did Council vote on these major changes? 

Who won the tender? 

Has a budget  been set for doing this internal design work? 

If so what is it?

Does it fall within the PW Budget set out above?

The major contract

The major contract, (“a ECI contract that reduces costs because construction feedback is incorporated design before it’s finalised ” Sean Mellon announced in September. The above mentioned GETS webite says of the contract: “Kāpiti Coast District Council is seeking a main building contractor for Te Uruhi — the contractor will first need to provide constructability input into the detailed design.  The successful tenderer was “Focus Projects Limited, Plimmerton $30,000.”

• When will Focus finalise their constructability input?

• When will it perform its other obligations-? Please list. Can we be supplied with a copy of the tender documents please. (They are not accessable on GETs despite your website indicating the contrary). The only info we have is in footnote (2) . 

• Focus is described as the main contractor. Will it be doing the build?

• How many other tenderers were there?

Thanking you in anticipation of your reply.

Christopher Ruthe

President, Kapiti Improvement Society