Taking a look at recent, positive, uplifting, news stories and yarns, from New Zealand and all around the world, to bring a smile and a bit of cheer.
OCR cut cause for optimism
On Wednesday the Reserve Bank cut the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 50 basis points to 2.5%, with signals of further cuts by the end of year. After years of inflation, and pressure on lenders from high interest rates, these moves are a sign that the economic pain Kiwis have endured may ease.
“Finance Minister Nicola Willis said the rate cut would ease pressure on households and businesses. ‘Today’s Official Cash Rate shows monetary policy doing its job. The reduction will be welcome news to mortgage-holders and businesses, as OCR drops flow through to interest rates. Falling interest rates are good news for growth, jobs, and investment. It also means more money in the hands of families with mortgages.'” (Source: “Reserve Bank slashes Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points,” by Gyles Beckford, October 8, www.rnz.co.nz).
5 stars – while we certainly have further to go – it’s heartening the Reserve Bank is moving in the right direction
Shoe thief unmasked
An Auckland cat has achieved notoriety after being exposed as the local shoe thief with a gift for the crime. Splatty from Papatoetoe has allegedly been stealing shoes from all around the neighbourhood since last November, according to her owner, Donna Morpeth.
“’We went to Australia last year, and when we came home, we found a pair of strange shoes in our house, and we couldn’t work it out. They were matching shoes, but different colours, left and right, and it was weird.’
“Splatty then turned up with another pair, and Morpeth began to notice she was also carrying them inside or waiting to be let in with the shoes. ‘We’re in a two-story house, so she jumps up on the fence, then onto the roof, and she drags them to the window and sits and meows for me to let her in.’
“She said she has advertised the shoes on a local Facebook group, asking people to come and collect them; however, she has had no luck returning them to their owners. ‘Back in November, December, January, we had about 30 pairs. We got rid of those. We advertised, nobody claimed. But we’ve got more on top of that now.'” (Source: “The Auckland cat thief that might just have your missing shoes,” by Sam Smith, October 6, www.stuff.co.nz).
5 stars – while not entirely a victimless crime – you can applaud Splatty’s artistry and her owner’s attempt to return the stolen footwear.
Cyclist ascends Eiffel Tower in record time
I’ve been to the top of of Paris’ Eiffel Tower a few times, in an escalator. There is the option to walk it, which I may do if I ever get the chance to visit Paris again. Recently a very determined and very fit cyclist ‘climbed’ the stairs in a record time.
“There are not many world records in sports which last for more than 23 years. On Friday, one of those bizarre records fell when cyclist and social media star Aurélien Fontenoy rode his bicycle to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, the highest platform that can be accessed by stairs. He did so in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, smashing the previous record set by Hugues Richard in 2002 by nearly seven minutes.
“‘The thing about cycling up 686 steps, though, is that you can’t exactly do much pedaling. For this challenge, I brake my brake, and I just to have to compress my tire because I don’t have suspension or anything, it’s just a rigid bike. So we just have to pump with the brake and jump, jump, jump a lot!’” (Source: “‘Finally, I did it!’: TikTok star Aurélien Fontenoy cycles up Eiffel Tower’s 686 steps in extraordinary world record time,” by Jamie Barton, October 5, www.edition.cnn.com).
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