AmeriNZ 363 – Fifteen Years

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Arthur

Today is the Fifteenth Anniversary of the AmeriNZ Podcast! I’m as surprised as anyone that this anniversary has arrived.

Today I just talk about the podcast, the things that shaped the way the podcast changed over the years, and some of the challenges I face. I’ve never talked about a lot of this stuff, certainly not all in one place. It was only when I thought back on all this that I realised how much I’ve gone through to get to this point. Kinda proud of myself, to be honest.

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Links for this episode
”Fifteen years of the AmeriNZ Podcast” – My blog post about this anniversary. It has the text I read at the end of this episode.
”A blog version of a ‘haul’ video” – The tongue-in-cheek blog post I mentioned.

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AmeriNZ 363 - Fifteen Years [ 17:51 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 362 – Changes aplenty

Posted on March 26, 2022 by Arthur

New Zealand has just made some changes to our Covid-19 rules, and more are on the way. That’s my main topic today, together with my view on why it’s a good idea, as well as the reasons it’s necessary. I also have a brief update about my previous episode. Back on Monday! (NZ time, of course…)

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Links for this episode
Changes again (again) – My blog post on the changes
Changes to the traffic light system – Unite Against Covid-19 (NZ government site)
Reopening the New Zealand border – Immigration New Zealand (NZ government site)

AmeriNZ 362 - Changes aplenty [ 17:50 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 361 – The ever-changing times

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Arthur

I recorded this episode last Friday (March 11), but didn’t have time to finish editing it that day—or all weekend. Life happens. This episode begins with me talking about my solar electricity system, and where things are at. I’ll have a more in-depth look at it after twelve months, but a check-in now is still a good idea—it’s been awhile!

The bulk of this episode, though, is about the three-week occupation of the grounds of the NZ Parliament—which is ironic because only I posted my previous episode only a short time before the occupation began. In that episode, I talked about why I thought New Zealand hadn’t had anything like the angry, aggressive, often irrational “protests” other countries had seen. Well, we have now! I have a nuanced perspective, as is usually the case, though my opinion of the occupiers is still negative. Below is an extended list of links to New Zealand coverage of various aspects of the occupation.

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Links for this episode
Parliament protesters dig trenches to avoid ‘all night’ sprinklers – By André Chumko, Sophie Cornish, Erin Gourley and Matthew Tso, Stuff
‘Splintered realities’: How NZ convoy lost its way – By Marc Daalder, newsroom
The Trumpism spilling out onto Parliament’s lawn is the new virus – By Andrea Vance, Stuff
Do the protesters in Wellington even know what ‘freedom’ means? – By Jehan Casinader, Stuff
Wellington protesters’ extreme distrust of mainstream media – By Kristin Hall, 1News (TVNZ)
Tinfoil hats, Winnie, and the poo: Anti-mandate protest nears end of third week – By Virginia Fallon, Stuff (sums up most of the occupation)
Iwi take unprecedented stand against ‘abusive’ protesters who invaded marae – By Glenn McConnell, Stuff
Yesterday was New Zealand’s January 6. What happens now? – By Nik Dirga, RNZ (Full disclosure: I met Nik when he was a guest on the podcast way back in 2008, on episode 71)

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AmeriNZ 361 - The ever-changing times [ 32:46 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 360 – Boosted times

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Arthur

I’m boosted! I talk about that first today, along with a few other life updates, until I get to my main topic, a voice message asking me why I think New Zealand hasn’t had the same level of protests over Covid that Australia and the USA have had. As it happens, it’s something I’ve thought about quite a bit, and I’ve developed a view about it. As always, it’s just my opinion, and I welcome comments here or by audio message.

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AmeriNZ 360 - Boosted times [ 32:16 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 359 – Another New Year

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Arthur

First episode of the year! The reasons it took so long to return aren’t much different than in the past, but it’s a good idea to start with talk about what’s changed since last time. Related, I was really glad to see the end of 2021.

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Links for this episode
All of my blog posts related to NZ’s Covid Lockdowns
All my blog posts on my projects
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AmeriNZ 359 - Another New Year [ 26:39 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 358 – On hold again

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Arthur

Last week I had one set of updates about Covid in New Zealand, and then everything changed a couple days later—and then kept changing. I talk about that first, before talking about some sad news I didn’t mention last week, followed by an update on one of my projects.

Be sure to Like the AmeriNZ Facebook Page for all things AmeriNZ.

Links for this episode
“COVID-19: Vaccine data” – This is the official data from the NZ Ministry of Health, updated weekly.
“Northland moves to Alert Level 3 tonight” – 1News
“Back up to Level 3” – My blog post on Waikato going to Level 3.
“The worried well” – My blog post from yesterday, before the new announcement.
Super Saturday – From the official government website.
“Farewell, Jake” – My blog post on Jake’s death.
“Open, says me” – My post on the development on my Mac Project.
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AmeriNZ 358 - On hold again [ 25:14 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 357 – Projected Living

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Arthur

Back with an update on what’s been going on since I last podcasted. I talk about what’s going on with New Zealand and with me. That’s a lot of ground to cover, but at the end of this episode, everything’s basically updated.

Be sure to Like the AmeriNZ Facebook Page for all things AmeriNZ.

Links for this episode
“COVID-19: Vaccine data” – This is the official data from the NZ Ministry of Health, updated weekly.
“Covid-19 modelling: 90 percent vaccination needed to avoid lockdowns” – RNZ
“A COVID-19 vaccination model for Aotearoa New Zealand” – The detailed modelling report from Te Pūnaha Matatini.
“Lockdown v2 begins” – When our Lockdown began.
“Level 3 v2 begins” – When we went down a level.
“A whole new two” – When we went back to Level 2.
“The biggest project of all” – The garage project.
“Honouring an important stranger” – My post about honouring Gary.
“Ye Olde Macintosh Project” – All my posts about YOMP.
“The spirit is somewhat willing” – I quoted from this post about some of the rough times I went through.
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AmeriNZ 357 - Projected Living [ 25:53 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 356 – Eine schwierige Zeit

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Arthur

This is probably the most “me” episode in a very a long time. I begin today with the obvious: Talking about where I’ve been, and why I wasn’t podcasting. It was personal.

I move on to talking about what I’ve been up to (including what may have contributed to my difficult time): I’ve been working on projects, and there’s an update to the solar energy project. There’s even a health update.

Be sure to Like the AmeriNZ Facebook Page for all things AmeriNZ.

Links for this episode
“COVID-19: Vaccine data” – This is the official data from the NZ Ministry of Health, updated weekly.
“Estimated population of NZ” – This is the source of the population estimate I use to work out the percentage of New Zealanders who have been vaccinated. It is from States NZ, a NZ Government entity, and the estimate is updated every three months.
“The secret war” – The blog post I read.
“Powerful news” – My latest blog post on the solar power project.
“Trying again” – The latest blog post on my health journey.
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AmeriNZ 356 - Eine schwierige Zeit [ 27:24 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

AmeriNZ 355 – Sun cents

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Arthur

Not for the first time, I decided to re-record because I didn’t like what I’d done. This time, that allowed me to add more stuff to talk about..

After the Covid and NZ news, I update where things are at with my solar energy system. After that, I talk about my recent guest spot on ArcherRadio. That leads me to talk about some changes I’m going to make in what I do on this podcast.

Be sure to Like the AmeriNZ Facebook Page for all things AmeriNZ.

Links for this episode
“COVID-19: Vaccine data” – This is the official data from the NZ Ministry of Health, updated weekly.
“Estimated population of NZ” – This is the source of the population estimate I use to work out the percentage of New Zealanders who have been vaccinated. It is from States NZ, a NZ Government entity, and the estimate is updated every three months.
“Covid-19: Man who flew from Perth during lockdown now in managed isolation” – Stuff
“Brisbane Airport green zone breach traveller tests positive for Covid-19” – RNZ
“Covid-19: Air NZ reports bubble breach as Rarotonga traveller connects direct to Perth” – Stuff
“India travel ban lifts as New Zealanders stuck there
plead for help to get them home” – RNZ
“Sun cents” – My blog post about the PV solar energy system that I talked about.

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AmeriNZ 355 - Sun cents [ 26:26 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Guest Spot on ArcherRadio: ‘Catching Up With Arthur’

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Arthur

Last Friday (my time), I met up with Paul of ArcherRadio so we could record a new episode for his show, and “Catching Up With Arthur” is now available. It’s a long episode (roughly an hour and a quarter), of which the first 45 minutes is a chat about where I’m at, my journey through grief, etc. Paul asked me the one question I think’s a sort of the “elephant in the room” because one no one has asked it before, though I bet a lot of people are wondering about it (I’ll talk about that question in an upcoming blog post).

Paul and I last caught up like this back in 2018 (and it was also a long episode). We both had some challenges along the way, and for me, I wasn’t really interesting interest in podcasting for the past 18 months. Things are changing for me in so many ways, and returning to podcasting is among the most public.

Paul and I have been friends for a very long time, stretching all the way back to when I was a brand-new podcaster back in 2007. More adventures are planned.

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Link for this episode
ArcherRadio

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