New Zealand Legends.

The Maori people have a myth called "The Story of Kupe and Te Wheke". It is about a battle between a warrior and an evil giant octopus. It is said that when the warrior, Kupe, defeated the octopus, it's eyes became two island like rocks in the ocean near the Arapawa Island in the Tori Channel. These rocks are not geologically compatable with the rest of the region.

More Brett and Jemaine

Famous New Zealanders

My two favorite Kiwis are Brett McKenzie and Jermaine Clement. They are comedians and musicians. They had their own show called "Flight of the Concords". It is one of my favorite shows ever. Also Brett recently won an Oscar for his song "Man or a Muppet" for the Muppet film. Also, he was an elf on both the Fellowship of the Ring andd the Hobbit.

Mount Cook

Putangirua Pinnacles

Another set of LOTR.

Milford Sound

Tongariro Crossing

Mount Ruapehu, North Island, New Zealand

Mount Doom

This is the volcano used as mount doom in the LOTR trilogy. Meet Mount Ruapehu, Tongariro National Park, Central Plateau, New Zealand.

Hobbiton, New Zealand

Taranaki New Zealand

Amazing places

Minimum Wage-NZ

The minimum wage for New Zealand workers is 13.50 an hour for workers 16 and older. The median income per week is about $800.

I'm Moving.

This is one of the most expensive homes in New Zealand with a value of almost 9,000,000 dollars. The house is equipped with 9 bed

rooms, 6 bathrooms, a swimming pool,1 master kitchen and four half kitchens (!!!!!), as well as a sauna, and tropical gardens. And that isn't even all. It is located in Auckland. I will be moving. Bye, everyone.

The People of New Zealand

A fun fact about the people of New Zealand is that there are two main ethnic groups. The Maori people, who were originally from Polynesia but moved to New Zealand between 800 and 1300 AD, and the Western Europeans, who didn't arrive until the 1640s. Another piece of New Zealander trivia is that the first man to reach the top of Mount Everest was from New Zealand, and he is on their 5 dollar bill.

New Zealand Cuisine

New Zealand has several different cuisine influences including British, South Asian, and of course, Australian. However, the Maori people, who are considered the indigenous people of New Zealand, were originally from Polynesia, so that has also had a large effect on the cuisine. The Maori people call food "Kai". The major components of their diet are fish and birds, supplemented by herbs and roots. One example of a Maori staple is a bread, called Rewena paraoa, which they make out of a deep purple skinned potato.

New Zealand Holidays

In New Zealand, there is a celebration

the day after Christmas called "Boxing Day". This is very similar to black Friday in America, and stores often have dramatic price reductions. In addition to shopping, there are often huge sports events that day. in New Zealand, Christmas falls in the summer. The traditional customs of a tree and Christmas dinner with family, are joined by trips to the beach and barbeque. Interesting!

On a Happier Note...

The first bisexual congresswoman was elected in Arizona. I hope she can do some good there.

Another View...

Here is a link to another opinion on the JONAH trial case. They argue that the defendants were just trying to help the plaintiffs be free of "unwanted" sexual desires. Perhaps if these young men had not been verbally and sexually abused, as they claim to have been, by these "counselors", I would be more open to this argument.

JONAH

Counselors for a website called JONAH, "Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing", are being sued for claiming to make gay teens straight. The plaintiffs are claiming that not only did the therapy not work, it made them more depressed and anxious. Also the defendants claimed that homosexuality was a "mental disorder" which is a notion that has been rejected by the American Psychiatric Association for decades now. These people are horrible scam artists and this case will hopefully show them and others like them that they can be held accountable for their actions.

Holiday Travel

As someone who is traveling over the Christmas holidays, I am paying close attention to air travel news. The airlines are looking forward to good weather for the week and are ready to fly even though flights are down 3% this week. This is due to higher prices and less flights. Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather on the 20th of December, when i have to fly to Indiana.

Most people now know that the head of the CIA, David Petraeus, recently resigned due to an affair with a woman named Paula Broadwell. While there are varying opinions, most sources seem to blame Broadwell for the affair. They seem to take pity on Petraeus, treating him like a victim, while they treat Paula Broadwell like a home wrecker. i think this is completely unfair. The media has some serious double standards.

Super Earth

Scientists have discovered a planet

that could be the next earth! It is the first planet we have discovered to be in the "sweet spot" for life. I think we can all agree we should just move half the earth's population over there and see what happens.

South Korea is going to build a crazy city and is is going to cost billions. It is supposedly to attract tourists but we'll see. Even if it is a waste it still looks awesome.

Stanford scientists have discovered a form a solar energy made completely of carbon. Its not very efficient yet but still, coolness.

Current!!

Flash Games and Embed Code

Flash Games and Embed Code