Reporter’s diary

Press, 10 March 1982, Page 2

Reporter’s diary

Wrong impression THE HEADING on the Davis Cup report in Saturday’s edition of “The Press” — “New Zealand has Spanish bull by the horns” — caused great amusement among members of the visiting team. The laughing captain, Manuel Santana, explained that in the Spanish idiom the phrase meant playing round with another man’s wife. Mr Santana thanked New Zealand reporters for their balanced coverage of the tie, and offered to “shout” for them at the Davis Cup dinner. When told the press was not invited, he was wide-eyed with amazement. “Well, I hope that Spain plays New Zealand in Madrid next year, and that you all come,” he said. “Then I will show you the delights of Sangre de Toro (bull’s blood).” Video games WAIMAIRI County councillors may soon have a new toy to play with at their meetings. The council’s information officer, Mrs G. V. Brooks, has been asked to investigate possible uses of audio visual equipment by council staff, and for presentation of information at meetings. Such equipment could have advantages, as well as disadvantages. It could be useful during town planning meetings where councillors could view audio visual films of properties concerned instead of basing, judgments on maps. The dan- 1 ger could be that the equipment might prolong deliberations if councillors postponeddecisions until '.an/ audio visual, display was prepared i by staff. ‘

Top strings TENNIS racket strings made at Kaupokonui, in south Taranhki, have been endorsed by the world’s No. 1 seeded player, John McEnroe, reports our correspondent in Sah Francisco, John Hutchison. / McEnroe this, week signed a three-year contract with Mr Norman Wheeler, of Pacific Natural Gut Strings, Ltd, at tlje. La Costa resort in Southern California. Mr Wheeler’s company at Kaiippkonui is recognised as a world leader in the production of' cow-gut racket strings used by professional players, and pioneered in introducing coloured strings, including one in a gold shade designed to show up on television. The factory produces enough cow-gut to string 2500 rackets a week. Ninety-seven per cent of its output is exported. Author’s visit Ms LAUREL ’ Holliday, American feminist and author of “The Violent Sex,” a study of male psychobiology, will be in Christchurch later this month. Ms Holliday concluded, after research for her book which was published four years ago, that “although men are responsible for the pain and suffering that they cause, they are not to blame." She believed that violence was genetically programmed into males. Prospects : “ONCE-USED” newspapers, aluminium extrusions, and cyclone-resistant kitset houses are among , the more unusual items for which New Zealand exporters could find a market on Mauritius, ac-

cording to “Export News.” The tiny island in the Indian Ocean seems an unlikely destination for New Zealand exports, yet goods worth SNZI3.2 million found a market there in 1980-81. Most of the food consumed by the population of 960,000 is imported, and traditional agricultural products, mainly meat, milk, wool and textile yarn, have comprised the bulk of the New Zealand exports. According to a recent survey, the market is wide open for a surprising range of other products, such as builders’ hardware, building materials, paper, timber for furniture, home appliances, floor coverings, cy-clone-resistant houses . . . and “once-used newspapers.” Greener grass? ROY GILMORE, an engineering draughtsman in Sydney, is one man with a keen personal interest in the ongoing debate in Australia over the legalisation of marijuana. He has spent the last three years selling imitation marijuana plants to customers with addresses as diverse as Puckapunyal Army Camp and Darwin’s Fanny Bay Jail. Mr Gilmore fears that, if having the real thing growing in a pot on the balcony becomes legal, the bottom will drop out of thp market for his Hong Kongdesigned plastic imitations. He has sold thousands of them at $5.99 each to people who, he believes, want to thumb their noses at authority. Mr Gilmore’s latest product is likely to make an endangered species of the Australian garden gnome. If he has his .way, the gnome will be. ; driven: from its habitat by an aluminium kookaburra. . .