Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead – to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing.
Rugby World Cup 2023 and it’s wide open
Next weekend the Rugby World Cup kicks off in France with the first game between the hosts and The All Blacks. I’m no huge rugby fan these days but I have been and I still follow results, watch the odd game, and take part in arm chair expert discussions with friends. The World Cup has been the setting for some of New Zealand’s greatest and worst rugby moments – winning it in 1987, 2011, and 2015 and getting knocked out in horrible circumstances, such as the quarter final loss to France in 2007.
This year the All Blacks aren’t favourites and have moved down in the world rankings since being comprehensively beaten by South Africa at Twickenham a few days ago. I could bang on about all of the negatives of such a hiding but it’s counter-productive. Games like that can make or break a team and I have a feeling it will achieve the former. It’s also important to remember that form counts for nothing in tournaments. It’s all about getting through pool play then winning the knockout games and as history has shown us, anything can happen in 80 minutes of rugby. So I’m going to be positive and enjoy the games I get to see. There will be lots to celebrate, moan about, and talk about. Bring it on!
5 stars – the World Cup will be the biggest show around for the next month or so. Win or lose, it’ll be memorable.
Guy alleges tapeworm found in his food, blackmails restaurant
An Auckland consumer says there was a tapeworm in his food, takes a few photos of it perched on his vape and then proceeds to blackmail the eatery to fork out $10,000. You can read the whole ‘story’ here, if you haven’t already.
Here’s my review – this isn’t a story about an eatery’s failed food practices, it’s about a blackmailer. The eatery in question offered free food, and then $500 in compensation. That wasn’t enough for our intrepid worm finder. He demanded 10k or he would name the eatery. When they didn’t pay, he named them. That’s blackmail, pure and simple. It reminds me of people who threaten to leave bad reviews if their demands aren’t met and it’s unsavoury behaviour. If complaints are legitimate, complain about them legitimately. Don’t turn to mafia tactics to make a bit of cash. Seems like he may get a visit from the karma fairies though, scientists canvassed say worms can’t survive the cooking process and the eatery is looking at initiating defamation procedures.
0 stars – average behaviour.
Trade Me’s lack of online safety
You’d think that New Zealand’s largest online marketplace would want to create a safe space for its customers right? Wrong. Trade Me has a blacklist function that stops people you choose to trade with from posting questions on your auctions or bidding but that’s it. What it also does is allow people you have blacklisted to see your auctions, add you as a favourite and then receive email notifications when you list anything. Personally I think that is dangerous and entirely remiss of Trade Me.
I have brought this up with them via email a few times and been politely fobbed off with vague promises to bring it up in ‘team meetings’. This was two years ago and nothing has happened. If people are being stalked or harassed, Trade Me’s lack of online safety actively encourages them and gives them tools to help them out. Email notifications? Imagine that. If social media platforms sanctioned that there would be a rightful outcry. Trade Me seems wholly unconcerned and I think that’s negligent.
0 stars – total lack of online responsibility.
