Oh, for Christ's sake!

Oh boy, have a bunch of Catholics and Family first NZ got their collective knickers in a twist over this bill board.

In a country where in shops otherwise amply supplied with Christmas decorations it is near impossible to buy a Nativity set, the secretary managed to find just 2 after looking through 3 shopping centres and 2 malls, both missing shepherds.

You would think that they would be happy that this is causing so much comment while reminding the ignorant who Christ is.

To add to the irony that bill board was put up by and outside St Matthew's-in-the-City, a large Anglican church in central Auckland.

As for the Atheists and Agnostics - some people really do need to research some of "non-religious" Christmas customs that many of them hold dear.

I dear say some will lose their fondness of Santa Claus aka the fourth century Bishop of Myra, candy canes, decorated trees, wreaths etc as a result.

At long, bloody, last.

The subject of one of the most bitter planning rows in the 20-year history of North Shore City opens for business today.
But its decade in the making brings benefits to users of the new Birkenhead library and civic centre.

After 6 years (5 years longer than predicted) the library is back in the centre of Highbury and finally open.

Why the heck is a library still important or even necessary in the age of the internet? Particularly in a area where computer ownership and internet access is high?

... because when the old library closed, the foot traffic in the CBD fell and shopowners could not wait for us to come back to the centre," said Mr Chamberlain.
"Also, we have positioned our libraries to be the heart of the community - a focal point to meet and greet. It used to be the post office, but now that's gone there is hardly anywhere like that. People go to libraries for reasons not all to do with books."


That says it all.