Mosque shooting in Christchurch NZ.

[BenThere]

That's so true, Stoneboat.

Our English heritage of rule of law, contracts, judicial review, constraints on sovereignty, have all been to our benefit. Every former colony of the Brits owes a vote of thanks for the decency of Brotosh law they inherited

[Undried Plum]

And cricket. Don't forget cricket. A very civilising influence, cricket.

It's the former British domains which didn't take up cricket that are the **** in the post-colonial era.

[John Hill]

They play cricket in Australia.

[Undried Plum]

Yup. And the bastards have the sheer effrontery to dick us at cricket on a depressingly frequent basis.

Giving Rounders to that other mob didn't civilise them at all.

[John Hill]

I found in my days of international business that it was essential to be very up to date on the latest news of cricket when visiting India or Pakistan. Afghans like playing cricket too, or did, but maybe they too now play Rounders.

[John Hill]

Yup. And the bastards have the sheer effrontery to dick us at cricket on a depressingly frequent basis.

Its not like they cheat or anything.

[ian16th]

I have a cricket ball, a souvenir of a hat trick I took.

All though they were all clean bowled, it wasn't to great an achievement, as all of the batsmen were Seth Efrican's.

My big disappointment is that is is a Korokoro ball, and I never got the sheet of sandpaper!

[BenThere]

My late father-in-law was an avid cricket fan, so I had to sit around and watch it with him on my annual visits to Oz. It cured my insomnia.

[ian16th]

I have a cricket ball, a souvenir of a hat trick I took.

All though they were all clean bowled, it wasn't to great an achievement, as all of the batsmen were Seth Efrican's.

My big disappointment is that is is a Korokoro ball, and I never got the sheet of sandpaper!

WTF happened to 'Kookaburra'?

[Rossian]

A question for JH - speaking to a very old friend in Motueka last night who said that her 84 yr old brother and his 82 yr old wife have been unable to get surgery that they urgently need because over 700 operations have been cancelled in Christchurch hospitals since the attacks. Is this a realistic figure??

The Ancient Mariner

[John Hill]

Rossian, I dont know but there were quite a number of the wounded to care for.

[Rossian]

For JH.
I'm sure there were but where could I look from where I am to try and verify that figure? Perhaps I should have used "allegedly 7000.....". But again the impression I get from this friend is that the health service in NZ seems to be under a huge strain (as it is here).

The Ancient Mariner

[FD2]

There’s a junior doctors’ strike in cities around the country, except in Christchurch. I haven’t seen anything in the press why this is except vague references to the shooting victims.

[FD2]

At a glance I can't see any mention of it on the local health board's website Rossian : https://www.cdhb.health.nz/health-news/ , whose response to the influx of severely wounded was outstanding. Extra patients in many departments of an already extremely busy hospital may well have caused a backlog of planned operations at a local level, but New Zealand is also short of qualified doctors like many other countries.

The junior doctors' argument isn't at a local level though, but with the Health Ministry https://www.health.govt.nz/ They may have agreed to leave Christchurch out of the argument for now because to the shootings.

My best guess is that any backlog is simply caused by a countrywide shortage of medical staff and the hospitals now having to set a sort of triage system for patient operations.

[FD2]

NZ news online: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/headlines.cfm?c_id=1

[FD2]

And finally: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand.html

[Rossian]

JH and FD2. Thanks for your detailed responses. Certainly seems a more worrying situation than we have here right now.

The Ancient Mariner

[ExSp33db1rd]

?? Thought I heard on NZ TV 1 News last night .... 700 booked Ops. cancelled Nationwide, i.e. not specifically in X'chch ? But then .... check two sources and get four answers.

[FD2]

Agree Speedy - I think it's all around the country, not just CHCH.