CityBeat - Te Waha Nui Online

by Eloise Gibson

An Invercargill man is skateboarding across North America to raise awareness of a rare disease.

Rob Thomson will attempt the 6,500km journey next month to raise awareness of Lowe Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes physical and mental handicaps in boys.

The adventure will be nothing new for Mr Thomson, who has spent much of the past year cycling from Japan to Switzerland. Read more

by Niko Kloeten

The fights are scripted, the acting is cheesy and the lycra speedos are vomit-inducing.

But millions of people worldwide still tune in to watch WWE, the world’s largest professional wrestling brand.

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is a billion-dollar corporation that owns the Raw and Smackdown television franchises, as well as ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling). Read more

by Matt Samra

What do Jessica Alba, Nicole Scherzinger and Keanu Reeves have in common?

They’re all half-casts. And they’re taking over fashion catwalks around the globe.

Eurasians in particular are becoming highly sought after in the modelling and entertainment world for their good looks and exotic charm. It’s a scientific fact. Read more

by Jane Sissons

“I love you, bubsie wubsie, sugar pie.”

Many would think this was the vocabulary of a two-year-old, but, unfortunately, it’s what many people in relationships call one another.

Why do we need to express our feelings for someone by inventing horrendously childish and embarrassing nicknames? Read more

by Grace Honney

Ever wondered why car insurance companies drop their exorbitant rates from the age of 25?

Obviously younger drivers have far less driving experience and this may attribute to their involvement in more crashes.

However, it could also be to do with the fact that your frontal lobe isn’t fully developed until you’re 25. Read more

by Becky Tappin

As my University days are numbered,  like many others I begin to wonder what we will do with our newfound freedom.

There are many paths that we can tread, but the big O.E has to be one of the most well travelled.

But despite the attraction, the O.E is a bit more complicated that simply jumping on a plane and jet-setting around the world footloose and fancy-free. Read more

by Vaughan Lovell

I am a smoker.

Yep, a dirty, filthy, reviled creature who lurks in wind-less corners in the winter, puffing on cigarettes which contain more harmful ingredients than a molotov cocktail.

So I tried to quit just recently, and it went absolutely great - that is if you make money from tobacco sales. Read more

 by Beth Allan

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but some say they’re the windows to the body.

Iridology is the practice of reading the iris – the coloured part of your eye – to gain insights into your body’s condition.

I recently had a reading done at Chancery Nature’s Health and found it to be very accurate Read more

by Carmen Stella

You often see them touting for business in shopping malls, or pleading for your cash on television.

And how do we respond? Most of us give them a wide birth or switch the channel.

World Vision, Oxfam, Save The Children, UNICEF - the list of humanitarian organisations is endless, but so is the suffering, and I don’t think it should be ignored.

Every day there are entire communities that cannot escape pain and suffering Read more

by Jane Sissons

With three long years of struggling through university and a $12,000 student loan to pay off, all that keeps me going is the thought of jet-setting around the world.

It excites me to think of one day leaving this New Zealand lifestyle.

Freeing myself from the ties of everyday life and going to the places I have only ever dreamed of, such as Europe and America. Read more