Welcome

WAIKATO RIVER

"Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Republic is more important than one person's need to make history ... most of us know that.

Welcome to WWW - Wilderness Wally's World - A place where one can read a story about Americana or discover information on the many people and places of interest in beautiful New Zealand.

Click here to read more at Wally's Front Porch - Fire in Brothel leaves Man on balcony ... bare faced ... and more!

Click Here for Pot Luck - Help Wanted Ad: We need two Apprentice Crooks! And, (a totally unrelated story) Mafia suspect caught on Facebook ... with 200 friends!

Lord, please keep Your arm around my shoulders and Your hand over my mouth.

New chilli grenade packs a punch
It's the hottest new bit of hardware in the arms race - a non-lethal hand grenade loaded with the world's most powerful chillies.
Military experts in India have developed a new crowd control grenade packed with ground seeds from the Bhut Jolokia, officially recognised as the hottest chilli on the planet by Guinness World Records.

When deployed the grenade showers the targets with a dust so spicy that in trials subjects were blinded for hours and left with breathing problems.

Military leaders say it will be a major breakthrough in riot control or smoking out criminals and terrorists from their hiding places.

"The chilli grenade is a non-toxic weapon and when used would force a terrorist to come out of his hideout," said lead scientist R.B. Srivastava at India's Defence Research and Development Organisation. "The effect is so pungent that it would literally choke them out."

Corrugated shack is priceless - So is freedom
A St Lucia man who lives in a corrugated lean-to, without electricity or water, has turned down an offer of £40m for his land.
Claudius Lousien, 70, sleeps on a rackety old lounger which has long since lost its linen cover and the foam padding has all but disintegrated.

His lifestyle is organic in the extreme - dinner consists of the fish he catches cooked on the left-over coals from his charcoal fire, reports the Daily Telegraph.

But he says his 55 sun-drenched acres of undulating hillside and mangroves overlooking white-tipped waves and turquoise waters are priceless.

"This is a nice place, cool and quiet, with all these beautiful trees," he replies when asked why he wouldn't sell to the man who offered him $60m for his land, "I want to be buried here."

His home is atop a hill at Anst La Voute with a commanding view in all directions. The only sounds are waves, bird song and the crackle of a charcoal fire. Mr Lousien and his father before him were born on the Caribbean island - and he has never had to visit a doctor or a dentist.
(Try this in the US and some group of politicians will declare eminent domain and take it away! - I'm at the age when I just shake my head and wonder when we lost it? I wish him well.)

LONDON -- Library book returned 45 years late!
Staff at a British library say they were surprised and puzzled when they received a book that was 45 years overdue through their mailbox.

Alison Lawrie, the principal assistant at Dinnington Library, near northern England's Sheffield, says the Penguin first edition copy of "Quartermass and the Pit" by Nigel Kneale was due back on Oct. 15, 1965.

She says the borrower remains a mystery because the library records don't go back that far, and the sender didn't attach a letter or note with the book.

Lawrie said Friday the sender need not worry about a hefty fine.

She says: "If the person who returned the book wants to come forward, we'd love to know the story behind it."

Vote for the dog breed you like best - Link here to USA Today Paw Prints.

Dog adrift on ice saved from Baltic Sea - Link to story of Dog's Best Friend coming to the rescue

Jeff Foxworthy on Illinois - Internal Link Here

Why do we drive on different sides of the road - Internal Link Here

Seats on a Plane, How to Score The Best Ones-Link Here

A while back we made one of our regular pilgrimages to Martha's Backyard in Mt Wellington to stock up on things American. I suppose those who live outside the Auckland area would just laugh at our description of 'challenging long treks' in the quest for root beer, Libby's pumpkin pie mix, wheat thins, Triscuits and Cheez-Its.

You must remember, we are out here in the wop-wops of Whangaparaoa and we must navigate our way across the 'big smoke' of Auckland.

Never the less, it is a matter of priorities, our stash of Kool-Aid, Wish Bone chunky blue cheese dressing, Jell-O, Bisquick and Jack Daniels hickory brown sugar barbecue sauce was getting dangerously low. Mrs Wilderness found something new on the shelf, a single serve mini bag of Orville Redenbacher's pop corn!

If, somehow, you have not heard of Martha's Backyard oasis, it is located at
114 Lunn Ave, Mt Wellington, Auckland – Tel:09 570 7976
Shop hours:
Mon-Fri 10am-5pm
Sat & Sun 10am-4pm

PS - No, we don't make anything out of this. I just know there are times when a root beer float is soooo important.

Very Interesting
PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Hewlett Packard Co. said Thursday that it has reached a settlement with three companies that have been accused of infringing on the printer company's patents for ink cartridges.

HP filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in September, seeking to ban imports of ink cartridges by 11 companies.

Two of those companies -- InkPlusToner.com of Canoga Park, Calif., and Comptree Inc. of City of Industry, Calif., have agreed to stop the imports and paid HP an undisclosed sum. HP expects to reach a similar agreement with Smartone Services LLC of Hayward, Calif.

Zhuhai Gree Magneto-Electric Co. of China has asked an administrative law judge to end the commission's investigation after agreeing to cease importing these ink cartridges.

A default judgment was entered against the remaining seven companies: Mipo International Ltd. of Hong Kong, Mextec Group Inc. of Miami, Fla., and five Chinese companies, Shanghai Angel Printer Supplies Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Print Media Co. Ltd., Zhuhai National Resources & Jingjie Imaging Products Co. Ltd., Tatrix International and Ourway Image Co. Ltd.

HP said it expects the commission to rule in favor of banning the importation of these goods from the companies.

HP's ink business has long been a cash cow, only recently being supplanted as HP's most profitable business by its services division. HP's printer and ink division had 2 1/2 times the operating profit as the personal computer division in the last fiscal year, even though the PC group's revenue was higher.

Shares of HP, based in Palo Alto, Calif., rose 41 cents to $52.64 in midday trading.
Make up your own mind on this one. I suppose they all make money on overcharging for refills ... we know these people (HP) will go to court to protect their cash cow.

Wish you were here?
Anyone who promised to visit friends or relatives in New Zealand and just never seemed to get 'a round toit' have missed one of the best summers this country has experienced in a long, long time. Of course this is just my opinion but it seems to be shared by a lot of people we know.

By all measures I know, like the number of days when an outdoor barbecue was a good choice or, the number of times a cold beer was the better option over a sauvignon blanc this has been one great summer.

Of course it isn't over yet but you had better hurry. There are a couple of flights a day from almost everywhere this is read.

Click on 'Miscellaneous' in the Table of Contents to expand and find US Contacts In New Zealand and other items.

Update for Non-U.S. citizens entering the U.S.
As of April 30, 2010 ALL visa applicants are required to fill in the online application form (DS-160) Link Here. Once completed, the information in the DS-160 will be electronically transmitted. The applicant must then print the confirmation page that includes some biographical information and a bar code confirmation number. Applicants must bring the DS-160 Confirmation Page to their interview. http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/forms/forms_4230.html Link Here

Click to view some of our photos of New Zealand As usual, a work in progress.

Come back often, have fun, keep in touch...
Mr and Mrs W-W