What’s on

Howick Orchid Society

Next meeting Sunday, March 12, 1.30pm. Fencible Lounge, 25 Uxbridge Road, Howick. Guest speaker Allan Benson will talk about Miltoniopsis. Visitors $2. New members welcome.

WANT TO TRY BELLRINGING?

Rainbow Ringers, a handbellplaying group based in Howick, are looking to recruit several new players to their bellringing ‘choir’. If you can read music, even at a basic level, they are happy to coach people. They practice from 1pm-3pm on Tuesdays and are holding an open day on March 14 and March 21 to try your hand at bellringing. No charge and annual fees are modest. Phone Ann on 021434758 or email annday06@gmail.com.

Seniors Exercise

The Virtual Village East Safe & Strong exercise classes are free and available to all seniors living in the local area. Starting on Tuesday, March 14, the classes are held weekly at the HBH Physio Gym, 139 Union Road, Howick from 1.30pm2.15pm. To join or find out more email Ninwa at co-ordinator@ virtual-village-east.org.nz.

Art Gallery

Green Gables Cottage art gallery, Hawthornden Reserve, 66 Cook Street, Howick, will exhibit art works by local artist Malcolm Booth until Friday, March 31 at very affordable prices. Open Friday and Saturday, 10am-3pm, Sunday 10am-12pm.

Celebrating Cultures

Come and hear Meng Foon, NZ Race Relations Commissioner, speak at Pakuranga Library, Saturday, March 25, 1pm-2pm. All welcome. Pakuranga. library@aucklandcouncil.govt. nz, phone 377 0209.

Genealogists

The next meeting of the Howick branch of the NZSG will be held on Saturday, March 11, at St Andrew’s Church Centre, Vincent Street, Howick at 1.30pm. Pam White will be speaking on how to research land records in New Zealand. Door charge $5. Visitors welcome. Further information phone 576-4715 or 576-5400.

Intercultural Club

Topic in March ‘Celebrating

Cultures: World Poetry Day’, Tuesday, March 21, 3pm-5pm. Celebrate cultures. Experience the diversity and similarity of our community through the sharing of poetry read aloud in more than 10 different languages such as English, Māori, Chinese, etc. Refreshments provided. This event is multilingual. Organised by Highland Park Library, Howick Historical Village, New Zealand Poem and Art Association, Art One

The same could be said of China and its belligerence toward Taiwan in the South China Sea. All this is profoundly evil and this evil influence is now worldwide.

The question for us now is how do we stop this evil? Passing laws in Parliament is of no use, evil forces do not obey civil laws.

The Putin war has not stopped Putin. He has broken many of the UN Human Rights Laws with impunity. The evil continues. What can we do? Pray.

Ian George Howick

IT’S LOOKING SCRUFFY

HOWICK

I am an ex-Howick resident and current visitor [as at February 27].

Over the last week while driving and walking around Howick, I am surprised how scruffy the streets look. Weeds growing in the gutters and in cracks on footpaths.

The area around the Howick

International, Highland Park Library, 16 Highland Park Drive, phone 377 0209.

AVIAN MARATHON

Have a thought for the Godwits who leave Miranda in March and fly 10,000km non-stop over 11 days before they reach the coast of China. On Monday, March 13, Keith Woodley of the Miranda Shorebirds Centre will tell us about this amazing avian marathon. Do feel free to join Howick U3A at the Howick Bowling Club, 33 Selwyn Road at 9.30am. U3A have around 30 interest groups which meet monthly. Phone Jan 027 220 3777.

SIMILARITIES

BETWEEN MAORI AND CHINESE CULTURES

An illustrated presentation by Song Lam QSM which includes the story of the SS Ventnor and the unique relationship that has flourished between Maori and Chinese as a result, Wednesday, March 22, 11am at Pakuranga Library. All welcome. Pakuranga.library@ aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, phone 377 0209.

What’s On is a free community noticeboard for non-profit groups. Send notices to whatson@times.co.nz or drop into our office at 10 Central Terrace, Howick. Notices must be received by the Wednesday before publication. While every effort is made to run the notices, space restrictions may mean notices may not run. Keep notices to less than 50 words. There is no guarantee your notice will run. Where publication of a notice is time-critical, groups should consider placing a classified advertisement to ensure placement.

Domain is particularly bad with leaves blown from the trees and cut grass that has not been collected. These all wash down into the stormwater at some point.

Maybe the Council could give some rate relief to residents in return for keeping part of their street tidy.

Peter Williamson Hamilton

Alarming Conclusions

Dennis Horne, in “Our children need a miracle” (Times, February 15), jumps to some odd conclusions and, once again, misses the point.

He previously claimed that the late Richard Feynman must have believed in the CO2 theory of the greenhouse effect, because: “why did he not say so”?

I responded by highlighting that Feynman validated the competing theory in 1963.

Mr Horne fails to even acknowledge Feynman’s lecture.

Instead, like a politician, he goes off on a tangent, deflecting with a bold, unsubstantiated, and wholly incorrect claim about what “Ryan Price believes…”.

I made no claims about what I believe. I highlighted the work of Feynman.

They are not the same thing.

And while accusing me of not understanding the nature of science, his incoherent ramblings about oxygen, nitrogen,

Lord Kelvin and Becquerel make no sense at all in the context of Feynman’s lecture and suggest to me that Mr Horne has not even read it.

Then, as for: “Mr Price must explain why adding more CO2 to the atmosphere would not cause warming”. It is quite absurd to expect me to defend a claim I have never made.

And as for “oil billionaires”many of the biggest investors in “green” solar, wind, and wave energy are those same “oil” billionaires. But sure, let’s perpetuate the myth that “green energy” billionaires are the “good guys” only interested in saving the planet and not-at-all interested in lining their pockets with taxpayer subsidies.

Ryan Price Half Moon Bay

Use Of Rates Money

Being involved in a project funded by Auckland Council through the Howick Local Board grants scheme, I think Mr Moore (Times, February 8) needs to look at the recipients of this funding before making his comments.

In our project we have saved Auckland Council a considerable amount of money in providing free labour in making our community a better place to live .

The results we are achieving will not only benefit the environment but the community as a whole.

Barry Wood Cockle Bay