17 December 2004

Wet weather affecting Ponsonby Xmas Festival activities but not dampening spirits

Due to increasing winds and rain, Auckland City has had to scale down some parts of the Ponsonby Xmas Festival to suit the poor weather conditions.

All Western Park entertainment is being moved under shelter and spread out along Ponsonby Road. The sausage sizzle, which was to have been held in Western Park, will now be located outside the Ponsonby Fire Station.

The outdoor stage at All Saints Church has been cancelled so there will be no official presentation of prizes for "the Best Dressed Business" and the "Free Language Course". Instead, winners will be notified by phone and the results will be listed on the Ponsonby Road Promotions website www.ponsonby.org.nz and the European Language Academy website www.eurolang.co.nz.

There will be no changes to all other street entertainment except, in the event of rain, AK Samba will relocate from 215 Ponsonby Road to the stage outside Sponge Bar.

The rain has not dampened people's spirits and the locals are still gearing up for a great night out.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>