Articles from ‘elocal magazine’

At Wharehunga Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, 10 men serving under Tobias Furneaux on the sister vessel to James Cook’s Resolution died at the hands of Ngāti Kuia and Rangitāne led by the chief Kahura on December 17th 1773. · Cook and the Resolution had left the Sounds six days before the Adventure arrived. (The two ships had become separated several weeks earlier during a fierce storm; Ship Cove was the prearranged rendezvous in such an event.) On…

The skin — once thought to be a mainly passive barrier — can produce its own antibodies that fight off infections, a pair of studies reports in Nature this week1,2. The findings could pave the way for the development of needle-free vaccines that can be applied to the skin. · Although scientists have previously seen immune responses in the skin during infections, finding similar reactions in healthy skin is “a surprise”, says Daniel Kaplan, a…

England is no longer a free society. The old country is descending into authoritarianism. · Following the brutal murder of three young girls in Southport this summer, people were sent to prison for what they wrote online. · Some are now serving long sentences not because there was any causal link between what they wrote and any public disorder, but because they wrote it. · Last month, Allison Pearson, a Telegraph journalist, was harassed by her…

Recent polls suggest a significant portion of New Zealanders favour direct input via referendum over decisions made by Parliament, the courts, or other institutions. · This is despite divided opinions on the Treaty Principles Bill itself. · An ACT-commissioned Curia poll found 39% supported the bill, 36% opposed, and 25% were unsure. The poll asked respondents whether they supported “Parliament passing the Treaty Principles Bill that would…

Whether a medication is taken orally or intravenously, it ends up traveling throughout the body instead of going solely to the one place where it's needed. Such could soon no longer be the case, however, thanks to a newly developed microparticle that looks like a flower. · Over the past several years we've seen multiple types of particles designed for targeted drug delivery. · In pretty much all cases, the microscopic objects are designed to…

Christmas Entertaining doesn’t always have to be about lots of fuss and bother. This easy to put together, delicious Cheese board looks amazing as a table centrepiece and can be adapted for all your favourites! You can use anything you like really, add in Cocktail onions, cocktail pickles, nuts, dried fruits, salami, deli ham, pate, fresh fruit, berries, whatever takes your fancy. · Ingredients · - 4 ounces Red Hard Cheese , I use Red …

On 16 December a great rugby rivalry was born when a try by All Black Bob Deans was disallowed, resulting in the only loss of the ‘Originals’ tour (see 16 September). The incident is still debated. · The only score in the match played before a crowd of 47,000 at Cardiff Arms Park was a try scored by Welsh wing Teddy Morgan 10 minutes before halftime. · When the All Blacks counter-attacked late in the second half, Deans was sure he grounded the…

Historian Paul Moon has cancelled his upcoming lecture at New Zealand’s National Library after a staff member relayed a request from the director to remove historian John Seeley’s quote describing the British Empire as being “acquired in a fit of absence of mind,” citing fears it could appear supportive of colonial conquest. · “Everything can be read as political,” they added. · The lecture, set for February, focused on British policies leading…

On December 6, 2024, a federal judge ordered the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release documents related to the emergency use authorisation of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. These documents had been hidden from public view. · The legal battle traces back to September 2021, when attorney Aaron Siri filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on behalf of the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency. The…

Widespread vaccination has helped decrease or virtually eliminate many dangerous and deadly diseases in the United States. Yet because vaccines have been so effective at removing threats, it’s sometimes difficult to appreciate just how significant they have been to public health. · “We’re very bad at measuring risk,” says epidemiologist René Najera, editor of The History of Vaccines, an online resource by The College of Physicians of…