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On Jamuary 14th, 1948, a 14-year-old Nelson schoolboy discovered the oldest fossils ever found in New Zealand. Malcolm Simpson was a member of the party that accompanied University of Otago geologist Noel Benson on an expedition to the Cobb Valley, near Motueka. · During the trip, Simpson hammered off some fresh limestone containing indistinct fossils and passed it to Professor Benson, who initially thought the fossils were indistinguishable…

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has spent years manipulating algorithms to suppress dissent and inconvenient truths. Now, Zuckerberg wants us to believe he’s turned over a new leaf. “Community notes” is his supposed act of contrition—replacing Meta’s infamous “fact-checkers” with what he’s touting as a democratic approach to truth. · The changes will affect Facebook, Instagram and Threads - social media platforms with more than 3 billion users globally.…

Daesh’s influence and capabilities have been severely degraded in the past few years. In the Iraqi and Syrian contexts, the group is a shadow of its former self, particularly when compared with its apex between 2014 and 2017. · Yet, despite the coordinated efforts of the Global Coalition against Daesh and the sacrifices endured by the Iraqi and Syrian peoples, the organisation known as Islamic State (IS) continues to pose a significant…

In 2024, Antarctica’s sea ice extent returned to near the 1981–2010 average, according to the US-based National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC). · In 2023, the BBC described the ice loss as “mind-blowing,” quoting Dr Walter Meier of the NSIDC. Mainstream media is now silent on the supposed “crisis” having fizzled out. · Chris Morrison, writing for The Daily Sceptic, argues that journalists and scientists alike hyped the short-term anomaly of…

Moses wasn't the first to climb a mountain to meet his god. For at least 10,000 years people in the Negev and Sinai deserts were climbing skyward, leaving silent hints at purpose beyond functionality in the shape of standing stones and altars on the hilltops. · Whether Moses was a historic figure or where Mount Sinai might be – we do not know. We can say that Israel's southern deserts feature sites that whisper of a "mountain cult" that…

Professor Elizabeth Rata argues that the Treaty Principles Bill essentially poses a choice about the kind of society New Zealand wants to be: a democratic nation controlled by elected representatives, or dominated by rent-seeking elites leveraging historical grievances. · Rata critiques the judiciary’s reliance on what she describes as an “ahistorical” view, where the Treaty and tikanga practices are treated as immutable mandates, filled with…

Centuries before the arrival of Europeans, Indigenous people in the Western United States learned how to live with fire. They knew the recipe for catastrophic seasonal wildfires—bone-dry grasses, fallen logs and other forest debris, and high winds—and took measures to protect old-growth stands of trees. · In many cases, those methods involved using fire to prevent fire. In the late winter and spring, when conditions were cooler and wetter,…

When the weather gets warm, there’s nothing like corn cooked on the barbecue. Sweet and juicy, with just a hint of smokey char – it’s the perfect side to any meal. The only way to make it better is to add one of these delicious flavoured butters! · Ingredients · - 6 corn on the cob, with husks on - 125g  Butter, softened · Soy, chilli & sesame butter: · - 2 tablespoons soy sauce - ½ teaspoon chilli flakes - 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds…

In the world of ugly shoes, we've had some real bangers. · First was the Croc, a rubber one-piece shoe best suited as a doorstop – that is until you tried one on and realized it might be the most comfortable thing you've ever put on your foot, despite the scornful looks from your peers. Then came the Kanye/Adidas collaboration-abomination called the Yeezy, with a history so tumultuous we hesitate to even bring it up. · Cue the new Syntilay,…

By defeating Irishman Ike Weir at San Francisco, Murphy became the first New Zealander to win a world professional boxing title on Jamurary 13th, 1890. Until Joseph Parker won the World Boxing Organization’s version of the heavyweight title in 2016, Murphy was the only New Zealand-born boxer to have held a recognised world professional title. · Born in Auckland in 1862, Thomas William Murphy (‘Torpedo Billy’) began boxing as a teenager before…