THERE'S been a lot written about the so-called unexpected result of this year's United States presidential election. The ruminations

Bye, blowflies Denise Lockett and others who are bothered by flies in their homes can get rid of them very easily. For 12 years

millisphere, n. a discrete region populated by roughly one-thousandth of the total world population; a bit over seven million people

SHOULD there be a fireworks season? I think so. Consider Helen from Whanganui East. It's Sunday. She has had a big weekend, spent

Universal income "The main political task for the next generation ... will be to ensure that those without work have an income they

I WROTE of the disappointing headline that "Fish and Game felt blindsided" it had not known the Government was going to overhaul the

FOOTPATHS ... maybe not the most inspirational topic to write about, so bear with me as I endeavour to turn a sometimes dangerous

IN AN ANNOUNCEMENT sure to cause widespread grief verging on hysteria, 2017 will be my final year writing the Secret Diary. It's

Time to save planet Very few people will heed Professor Guy McPherson's warning that a total collapse of our environment is in the

WHEN A Fox News reporter asked Donald Trump about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange back in 2010, just after Assange had released a

QUAKES have made us stronger, but are we any wiser? It's around two months since the Kaikoura Earthquake, magnitude 7.8, hit. Strong

THE main message of 2016 was that we are entering a period of economic and political upheaval comparable to the Industrial Revolution

My world has been taken over by rocks. Painted bloody rocks. Over the holidays my kids discovered Wanganui Rocks -- a Facebook-based

Colonial history Mike Lally (letters, February 6) comments on "the commemoration of the land wars" as a commercial operation. But

Millisphere, n. a discrete region populated by roughly one-thousandth of the total world population; a bit over seven million people

Ta-daaaa! Who wouldn't love the ability to predict the future? These days you don't need crystal balls, tea leaves or Tarot cards

Across all media and around the world, the role of authenticity is being strength-tested. In politics, the arts and social media

The year 2017 started in something of a zen-like zone for me - returning from a blissful five-day yoga retreat in the Coromandel had

MICHELLE Obama's last speech as United States First Lady showed the optimist she has always been. While the role of Flotus is often

Airport cafe It is time to practise what we preach and, of course, charge our ratepayers for -- with a $2 million-plus and growing

"WE have imagined how things would have been at that time if there was an internet and people were using social media," said Mikhail

SO FAR the end-game in Syria has played out in an entirely predictable way. All of Aleppo is back in the Syrian government's hands

One in a million It is with shock and sadness we read of the passing of Dr Chris Cresswell. Chris was a doctor in a million! A

ONE notable achievement of Helen Clark's government was to consign the more anachronistic relics of the honours system, with its feudalistic

Failed strategy The proposal by Consumer magazine for New Zealand poultry processors to follow recent UK initiatives requiring processors

AS President Obama's term ends, it is fair to ask what were his accomplishments and his shortcomings. I'm focusing mainly on foreign

I've been asked to reflect on the year that was in this column, and what a year it was! When I named Donald Trump "Person of the Year"

Sorting out a photo to go with the front page story on Chris Cresswell's death we were spoilt for choice. A personal favourite was

Being a practising non-monotheist means that I try not to get caught up in monotheist festivals, but to take it in good grace when

Sucker punches Mayor McDouall has come out swinging against councillors who wanted to call a special meeting about the sewerage scheme