CityBeat - Te Waha Nui Online

by Jane Sissons

An increasing number of employees are becoming the unwitting victims of Big Brother-style surveillance as employers ramp up their monitoring methods.

Even prior to employment, many employers will now carry out checks on applicants.

One of the newest methods of vetting is to utilise search engines such as Google Read more

by Grace Honney

Having recently been subjected to Weight Watchers’ new ad campaign showing overweight people about town or on the beach, I started to wonder about New Zealand’s supposed obesity epidemic.

Am I alone in being frightened by the idea of developing type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of heart disease if I pack on the pounds?

But surely eating only one sushi roll a day, washed down with a seaweed and algae shake, is not going to do my body any favours either. Read more

by Veronica Johnston

Facebook is the latest Internet darling that has started creeping in to every day conversation.

Already worth an estimated billions dollars, and used by a staggering 20 million users wordwide, the social networking site is an online tour de force.

But users are doing more than finding old friends on Facebook. Read more

by Becky Tappin

Insurance.

Even the mention of the word makes most of us cringe and immediately think about the financial burden it brings with it.

S I ask the question: is insurance really necessary?

Well, I can tell you the answer is yes.

After experiencing first-hand a situation where, without insurance, my family would now be a few thousand dollars worse off, I’m an insurance advocate. Read more

by Beth Allan

I don’t actually remember if my grandmother made pie.

But if she did, I’m sure it would’ve been traditional and natural, with a tart kick softened by hokey pokey ice cream.

It would’ve been delicious but not so delicious, perhaps, as McDonalds’ limited edition Raspberry and Apple Pie. Read more

by Matt Samra

Everyone I talk to seems to hate Sylvia Park.

Either I hang out with too many snobs, or the shopping complex is, to put it in plain terms, crap.

But before I launch into a rich diatribe about Sylvia Park, I think it’s only fair to run through the pros and cons of Auckland’s biggest shopping mall. Read more

by Eloise Gibson

Is Grey Lynn really the new Ponsonby?

If rising house prices haven’t convinced you, maybe a new doggie daycare will do the trick.

Grey Lynn’s first canine daycare centre opened its doors in June.

Dog owners can now drop off their pooches each morning, safe in the knowledge someone will take care of their every need. Read more

by Charlotte Coyle

Latest news on the strange, quirky and just plain odd.

Biker fails to notice missing leg
A Japanese biker rode for 2km before realising his leg had been severed at the knee after hitting a safety barrier.

His friend was left to pick up the missing limb.

The 54-year-old office worker was out on his motorcycle with a group of friends in the city of Hamamatsu, west of Tokyo, on Monday when he collided with the barrier, the Mainichi Shimbun said. Read more

by Dylan Quinnell

A British MP has warned against the dangers of letting Islamophobia - a fear of Islam and Muslims - take hold in New Zealand.

George Galloway voiced his concerns at two meetings held in Auckland last week, and warned that New Zealanders had to be careful not to let fallout from the “international war on terror” sour race relations in this country. Read more

by Sam Mickell

This week the Chinese government ordered 1 million cars off the road in Beijing to try and reduce smog for the millions of visitors expected for the Olympics.

They must be wishing it was only that easy to hide traces of their despicable human rights record from the visitors and the estimated 20 – 30,000 journalists who will descend on China to cover the games.

Whether giving China the games will improve their respect for human rights, or validate it as a ‘respectable’ country despite their shameful record remains to be seen. Read more