New Zealand Notes

New Zealand has a lot going for it. The nation of 5 million had zero COVID cases over a recent month due to a strict shutdown when the pandemic began and a vaccination rate exceeding 95%. When a wacko Australian shot up a New Zealand mosque a couple of years ago, the Prime Minister apologized to NZ Muslims and a strict gun control law was enacted. Meanwhile, the USA leads the world in COVID deaths, we experience mass shootings on a regular basis, and not only do we have more guns than people but the Supreme Court is hearing a case to allow “concealed carry” everywhere.

New Zealand has a lot going for it alright.

On the other hand, there was some zany news from NZ last week. New Zealanders chose the bat as their National Bird. Perhaps it was the effect of the Halloween Spirit. Perhaps those folks failed to realize that bats lack feathers, egg-laying, and all the other things that make a bird a bird. Perhaps New Zealand McDonald’s offered Bat McNuggets and people liked them. Perhaps New Zealanders were tired of being referred to as “Kiwis”. “Bats” is much cooler.

Other than a world champion National Rugby Team, New Zealand is best known as the setting for “The Lord of the Rings” films. To promote tourism, Christchurch, NZ paid Ian Brackenbury Channell nearly $12 K per year over the past decade to provide “acts of wizardry” in public. Christchurch terminated Ian’s contract this month claiming that “he no longer fits the city’s new image”.

They’ll be sorry if Sauron returns and the orcs attack. Actually, I would travel to NZ to see “acts of wizardry”.