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May 17, 2012
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It’s a privately funded think-tank committed to improving our country’s lot, economically, socially, and environmentally. But since its inception in 2004 with a hiss and a roar, the New Zealand Institute seems to have lost some momentum. Eighteen months ago, Rick Boven took over from David Skilling—who was not only very tall but had some large shoes to fill—as executive director. Vincent Heeringa asks whether NZI has lost its way.
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Speaking of prizes, filmmaker Roseanne Liang’s latest movie looks set to be a smash hit, and luckily for you, we’ve got three double passes to My Wedding and Other Secrets crying out for a new home. Out on March 17, it’s a semi-autobiographical romantic comedy about Emily and James, a young couple who must overcome the expectations of her parents to find peace. It will be the first locally made film to give audiences the
opportunity of seeing both English and foreign language versions, with Chinese subtitled prints screening at three Auckland cinemas. So, come up with a tagline for the film and email it to editor@idealog.co.nz by Wednesday along with your name and address. We’ll pick three of the most clever or amusing ones, so put some thought into it… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdn6LJWw_AQ
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Last week designer Stephen McCarthy found himself emerging from under a pile of rafters and Pink Batts after the Christchurch earthquake struck. Now, he’s set up chchcreative.co.nz to help freelance creatives stay afloat and maintain their livelihoods. The site provides a database of local freelancers so that companies from other cities can supply them with projects. “People around the country have asked the Christchurch design community what can they do to help.,” he says. “And the answer is – please, send us work!”
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Another way to support Cantabrians, and have a few laughs while you’re at it, would be to book tickets to Stand Up for Christchurch. Hosted by the Improv Bandits, the lineup includes Ben Hurley, Brendhan Lovegrove, Dai Henwood, Ewen Gilmour, Jesse Mulligan and many, many more. All proceeds will go toward sponsor BNZ’s Red Cross appeal. The show starts at 7.30pm, March 29 at the Civic in Auckland.
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What do Delhi, Helsinki, Bucharest, Chiang Mai, New Orleans and Rio De Janeiro have in common? They’re just some of the 24 cities selected this week to receive IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants. The grants provide the
cities with access to IBM resources and experts to analyse and recommend ways
they can become even better places in which to live, work and play. Launched in 2010, the challenge is IBM’s single largest philanthropic programme, and aims to enable up to 100 cities around the world to improve upon themselves.
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Target, that American retail behemoth, is still less than half a century old. Its first store opened in 1962 in Minnesota, and by 1972 there were 46 branches. Today, more than 1,600 Targets are scattered across the United States. Here’s a neat visualisation that details its sprawling expansion over the years. Flowing Data’s Nathan Yau also has a host of other projects, looking at everything from immigration to health disparities and petrol prices.
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Living Room, the annual public art event organised by Auckland Council, kicks off next month with a 10-day programme boasting a mix of installations, performances, and video, sound and poster projects. The theme, Metropolis Dreaming, urges us to celebrate post-industrial urban life and rediscover overlooked details of the city. Hit the streets from April 8-17 to catch artists from all over the world, as well as local figures like Mint Chicks guitarist Ruban Nielson.
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When New York resident Todd Bieber first found a roll of film (remember those? The pre-digital generation were a lot less snap-happy for a reason) in the snow after a blizzard last Christmas, he probably had no idea what he was getting into. He developed the photos, then shot and uploaded a video of the pictures in the hopes of finding the person who took them. Thousands of emails later, he finally got the message he’d been waiting for. And of course, he documented his trip across Europe to return the film to its rightful owner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI93y2oJ4ck
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