The Weekender 19/10/2008

Hey, how are you all!

Sport

Starting this week with a draw from last week, the Wellington Phoenix snatched themselves a respectable draw against the defending champs the Newcastle Jets last weekend. This weekend they downed the Mariners 1-0.

In the longest farewell in history, Ruben Wiki has finally retired after the "shadow Kiwi's" - the All Golds played against the NZ Maori in New Plymouth last weekend. The 44-10 win was also part of the build up to the rugby league world cup. And in the final warm up game the Kiwis beat Tonga 56-8 led by Benji Marshall who has finally played (& played well!) for the Kiwis for the first time in ages.

Unlike most other sports, netball series' can be all over in one week. This week the English were in town. The first game saw the Silver Ferns cruise to a 65-26 victory in Auckland, comfortably winning every quarter. No one predicted what would happen next. NZ made a few starting line up changes and England came out firing in the mid week game in Dunedin and the end result was England winning 40-38 - only the third time they've beaten us. So the final game in Wanganui started & it was fairly close with NZ leading after the first quarter. And then England stopped scoring with NZ running out 61-22 victors. The English coach (an Australian) blamed the umpires.

With the one day series hanging in the balance, NZ needed a decent win in the last game and they got it. NZ posted 249 for seven from their 50 over and then won by 79 runs. The test matched have now started with NZ 74 runs behind after the first innings!

The Black Ferns (NZ's women's rugby) continue to be strong thrashing the Australian Wallaroos 37-3.

The NZ Breakers struggled and got a few 3 pointers in the last few minutes to beat the Gold Coast Blaze 120-108. They now head over to Aussie for a bit of a tour and it will be interesting to see how they go.

In the Air NZ Cup semi finals, Wellington had to come from behind near the end of the match but won 28-19 against Southland, and Canterbury eventually overcame a spirited Hawkes' Bay fight 31-21.
So it wasn't all as convincing as expected, but the two best teams of the season are in the final, Wellington vs Canterbury.

NZ News

John Key has pledged a $47m/yr boost for literacy & numeracy in schools and National have extended a hand to Labour and offered to work on a plan with them to ease the impact of the international financial crisis.

Carter Holt Harvey announced this week that they would be closing their sawmills in Putaruru and Mount Maunganui. While the decision could devastate Putaruru the Mayor has pledged that the town will survive having their biggest employer leave the town, saying "the mill created us but it isn't going to kill us."

Although the police managed to recover the war medals stolen from Waiouru Army Museum, they didn't stop searching for the culprits and this week arrested two men.

The Numbers Game

1: # all rounder in cricket honors for Jacob Oram in the lastest rankings
6: c drop in diesel price to be 141.9c per litre
8: c drop in petrol prices (181.9) but prices were 30c higher than when oil was last at this price
460: $ in parking fines for retired a Dunedin man - all in Auckland which he hasn't visited in 30 years, a result of a wave of fake number plates
10m: $ worth of insurance claims expected after a tornado in Cambridge on Friday
33m: $ spent on Lotto tickets this weekend for the 'must go' $30m Lotto Powerball draw

Finance NZ Dollar

GBP 0.3537 (+0.0059)
EUR 0.4560 (+0.0136)
USD 0.6119 (+0.0187)
AUD 0.8875 (-0.0336)

The Weekender NZer of the week

   
Ernest Rutherford
ATOM MAN
The creator of modern atomic physics and forerunner of the nuclear age, one of the greatest scientists of the twentieth century. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1908. The man who "tunnelled into the very material of God": inventor, experimenter and Nelson farm boy.
http://www.nzedge.co.nz/heroes/rutherford.html

Joke of the Weekender

Understanding Law
During a Law course class, the 'Audi Alteram Partem' rule was explained. Translated it means "To hear the other party."
After discussing the subject at great length, the lecturer asked if anyone didn't understand the rule.
Responded one woman, "My husband."

Weekender Photos

Check out my photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/dunwich42

Darren Harrison: darren@harrison.gen.nz
The Weekender: mailed weekly (Sunday nightish)
Website: www.dunwich.co.nz/weekender/
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