Many people in the West African city of Monrovia can't afford to buy newspapers or electricity to access the internet, so Alfred J Sirleaf had to come up with a way to bring information cheaply to the people. He believes a well-informed people are the key to Liberia's rebirth so he's been providing valuable news every day on a huge blackboard in the centre of town. For local news, he relies on a team of volunteer reporters who come to him with stories, while for international events he goes to an internet cafe. Then, in the newsroom, a small wooden shed attached to the back of his blackboard, he updates The Daily Talk with chalk.
Native birds turn bullies
"Our obsession with everything native has resulted in tuis becoming big bullies," claims Suzanne from Rotorua. "With great aggression they chase away any other birds in their vicinity including waxeyes, and they dive-bomb other nests. I used to feed them honey water but have now stopped because they were becoming so aggressive ... now the waxeyes are no longer harassed and we again hear the beautiful song of the thrush and blackbird. So long as we continue to plant ugly kowhai in their thousands, we will see a big demise in other bird species ..."
Tui trickster
Catherine Curlett writes: "Some years ago I had a tree with flowers that tuis loved. In fact, they used to get quite drunk and flop around all over the place. They were a happy tui family. Eventually the grandfather grew old, grumpy and territorial. No other tui was allowed on "his" branches, he would drive them away viciously. Then he lost a leg, which made him bossier and aggressive. He was unsteady and unhappy with his lone leg and the other family members wouldn't mix with him. However, there was one thing that always brought a smile to his beak ... Whenever I was outside gardening I would hear my phone ringing but as soon as I was inside it would stop and a happy chuckle would come from Old Grumpy. He was a natural mimic. He played this trick on me for many years and I always fell for it."
