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Otago Daily Times
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Colourful spectacle of science fiction and fantasy
Fashion, fun and frivolity were on full display at the Steampunk Street Parade in Oamaru on Saturday. Thousands of people lined the streets of the Victorian Precinct and Thames St to catch a glimpse of the finest retro futuristic costumes and mechanical contraptions, all to the energetic sounds of the Crash Bandihoot brass band, playing New Orleans-style horn, and the North Otago Highland Pipe Band. This year the Kings' Birthday festival celebrated all things Steampunk with a "Circus in Time" theme. Steampunk NZ Festival chair Lea Campbell said it was "a most colourful spectacle" of science fiction and fantasy. "Each year our parade gets bigger and more colourful, but I think this was one of the most colourful we've ever had. It was great. "It was a parade that had everything, from performers to a circus tent, to wizards, to circus vehicles and steampunk floats and vehicles," she said. Last year's parade drew about 2500 people. Ms Campbell said there were new parade floats and attractions not seen in previous years at the festival. "The floats have been made in Dunedin and Christchurch and all around the place, and we've never had these floats before, it was so impressive." She said people had spent "hundreds of hours" to make floats the crowd would marvel at. Jenny and Nigel Crabbe, of Auckland, who had travelled to Oamaru for the Steampunk Festival for the first time, said the parade "was amazing". "I couldn't believe how many amazing floats there were, and how diverse the audience was too, from young to old," Mrs Crabbe said. An engineer, Mr Crabbe said he "loved the artwork" and all the mechanical contraptions. Jo and Lance Toplis, of Greymouth, said the parade was "absolutely wonderful". "So much effort goes into the floats, and the costumes. It was really good," Mrs Toplis said. Ms Campbell said the Creative Bricks Lego building experience behind the Collective Cafe in Harbour St was also a popular attraction for families. Displays of creations by talented Lego builders, including recent Lego Masters NZ entrants, were on show, as well as opportunities for people to build their own, she said. Part of the Steampunk tradition was the yearly teapot racing that took place in the afternoon at the Scottish Hall, with best and fastest — as well as most spectacular — crashes being rewarded with a lot of laughs from the crowd. The five-day festival finishes today.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Perfect way to end the year: Crabbe fifth-graders celebrate 100% attendance for KSA testing
ASHLAND Enthusiastic elementary students busted out of the classroom and then charged through the 'finish line' to a surprise pizza party on Friday afternoon in Central Park. Crabbe fifth-graders had ample reason to celebrate. All 42 of them had just completed seven days of Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) testing. Chris Scaggs and Emilie McAlister have a combined 44 years of experience as educators. Both are in their second year at Crabbe as fifth-grade teachers. They've never witnessed perfect attendance for an entire testing period. 'They've worked so hard and they've shown up,' McAlister said. 'These kids have a lot against them and they overcame it. I'm just so proud of them.' Crabbe's fifth-graders enjoyed Giovanni's pizza in the shelter house at the park near their school. Scaggs, McAlister and Kristy Minton — who helps the class primarily with writing — put together a surprise party complete with signs, balloons and a 'finish line' to plow through, which they did with great zeal. Michael McAlister, Emilie's husband, also helped with coordination of the celebration. Principal William Ferguson led the stampede of fifth-graders from Crabbe to the shelter house. The students were under the impression they were just headed over to an area for a group photo for the school to display in its trophy case — they still did that, but it was also time to party with pizza. 'This is what teaching's all about,' Scaggs said. 'You look around and say 'wow' at these kids. They need to feel celebrated. Fifth-grade testing is hard. What they ask these kids to do in fifth grade is very hard.' Ferguson said he and staff expressed importance of showing up for testing, but they had no idea what was in store over the next seven school days — from Thursday, May 15, through Friday, May 23. 'So, we noticed it was 100% on Thursday, and it was like, great, and then 100% Friday, and then it was, OK, how far can we take this?' Ferguson said. 'Kids were looking out for each other, keeping a head count. They'd come in the door in the morning and ask me, 'how many fifth-graders have you seen so far?' 'They had something they were pushing for,' Ferguson added. '… They just kinda did that themselves. They gelled as a team at the very end of this. It's one of those accomplishments that's pretty special.' 'It makes all the hard work all year worth it,' McAlister added. (606) 326-2664 | asnyder@
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Perfect way to end the year: Crabbe fifth-graders celebrate 100% attendance for KSA testing
ASHLAND Enthusiastic elementary students busted out of the classroom and then charged through the 'finish line' to a surprise pizza party on Friday afternoon in Central Park. Crabbe fifth-graders had ample reason to celebrate. All 42 of them had just completed seven days of Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA) testing. Chris Scaggs and Emilie McAlister have a combined 44 years of experience as educators. Both are in their second year at Crabbe as fifth-grade teachers. They've never witnessed perfect attendance for an entire testing period. 'They've worked so hard and they've shown up,' McAlister said. 'These kids have a lot against them and they overcame it. I'm just so proud of them.' Crabbe's fifth-graders enjoyed Giovanni's pizza in the shelter house at the park near their school. Scaggs, McAlister and Kristy Minton — who helps the class primarily with writing — put together a surprise party complete with signs, balloons and a 'finish line' to plow through, which they did with great zeal. Michael McAlister, Emilie's husband, also helped with coordination of the celebration. Principal William Ferguson led the stampede of fifth-graders from Crabbe to the shelter house. The students were under the impression they were just headed over to an area for a group photo for the school to display in its trophy case — they still did that, but it was also time to party with pizza. 'This is what teaching's all about,' Scaggs said. 'You look around and say 'wow' at these kids. They need to feel celebrated. Fifth-grade testing is hard. What they ask these kids to do in fifth grade is very hard.' Ferguson said he and staff expressed importance of showing up for testing, but they had no idea what was in store over the next seven school days — from Thursday, May 15, through Friday, May 23. 'So, we noticed it was 100% on Thursday, and it was like, great, and then 100% Friday, and then it was, OK, how far can we take this?' Ferguson said. 'Kids were looking out for each other, keeping a head count. They'd come in the door in the morning and ask me, 'how many fifth-graders have you seen so far?' 'They had something they were pushing for,' Ferguson added. '… They just kinda did that themselves. They gelled as a team at the very end of this. It's one of those accomplishments that's pretty special.' 'It makes all the hard work all year worth it,' McAlister added. (606) 326-2664 | asnyder@
Times
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Times
Colin Crabbe obituary: Colourful racing driver and classic car dealer
Colin Crabbe saw the potential in scouring the world for classic cars, however wrecked they might be, before any other enthusiast or entrepreneur. In the 1970s and 1980s he travelled extensively to South America and to Cuba, where he unearthed two D-Type Jaguars, 29 other cars and quantities of cigars, all of which were sold on at a profit. Such acquisitions continued until he was almost killed during a race. Crabbe crashed his Talbot-Lago at Oulton Park in Cheshire in 1988 when an English Racing Automobiles driver lost control and collided with him. Paramedics took 45 minutes to remove him from the wreckage, not least because he was 6ft 6in. His rib cage and right hip were fractured and he suffered the loss of the
San Francisco Chronicle
23-04-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco businesses hit by tariffs join Pelosi in calling for Trump to halt trade war
In a warehouse at San Francisco's wholesale produce market Wednesday morning, a local coffee shop owner, a K-pop merchandiser, fresh produce sellers and representatives from the San Francisco Flower Market implored President Donald Trump to reverse his tariff policies, citing the harm they have had on the city's businesses. 'Don't tax our coffee,' said Lauren Crabbe, the co-owner of Andytown Coffee Roasters. 'Don't put this burden on small businesses and working people.' Trump's proposed tariffs on about 90 countries, which are currently on a 90-day pause, would significantly raise the price of coffee because it cannot be grown in the continental United States, Crabbe said. She orders coffee beans from Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, the Philippines and Indonesia. Crabbe and other business owners joined Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday in criticizing Trump's tariff policies. 'The Trump administration's ineptitude is tanking our economy with self-inflicted disaster that leaves hardworking Americans bearing the brunt of the pain,' said Pelosi, who organized the event as part of the House Democrats' national Cost of Living Week, which she said was meant to amplify the voices of small businesses affected by Trump's economic policies. 'Make no mistake, President Trump, senseless tariffs are driving prices higher, draining retirement savings and pushing us to the brink of a recession,' she said. 'Here in San Francisco, Trump's economic policies are hurting small business owners and their employees by instilling fear and uncertainty.' 'Hopefully they will listen to small business as they listen to big business,' she added, blasting what she said was the administration's chaotic and inconsistent approach to tariff policies. Trump has been a longtime proponent of imposing tariffs on imports as a way to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and boost domestic manufacturing. Economists generally agree that the cost of tariffs is ultimately borne by American consumers, that tariffs are the wrong solution to address trade imbalances and that erecting trade barriers alone is unlikely to quickly spark a U.S. manufacturing renaissance. Since taking office for his second term, Trump has enacted a flurry of tariffs, notably, a 10% baseline tax on global imports and a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, inciting retaliation by China of 125% tariffs on U.S. products. Trump said Tuesday that he will lower the Chinese tariffs 'substantially.' The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that administration officials are considering slashing them by more than half. On April 2,a day Trump called 'Liberation Day,' he imposed sweeping tariffs on about 90 countries before backtracking days later, after stock markets took a historic plunge. He instituted a 90-day pause on the tariffs as his administration negotiates trade deals with 75 of the countries. The uncertainty has roiled businesses, leading to some holding back from making investments and large purchases. The tariffs that are in place have also already resulted in price increases of everyday items and imported luxuries alike. Wilmar Ramirez, the head of purchases for Arcadio's Produce at the SF Market, where the press conference took place, said he received a letter from a fruit producer Wednesday saying the price of bananas from Ecuador, Guatemala and Costa Rica are going up. Starting tomorrow, bananas will cost him about $18.50 per 40-pound case, up from $17.25. Plantains and pineapples will also cost him about $1 to $2 more a carton. As wholesalers raise prices accordingly, the cost will ultimately be paid by the customer, he said. Already, sales have plummeted about 15 to 20% from March, he said. 'Just based on fear,' he said. 'People don't want to spend their money. People don't want to go out to eat, because the economy might crash.' Kevin Teng, co-owner of a K-pop merchandise store called SarangHello on Taraval Street in San Francisco, said he is very afraid of the threat of tariffs as all his products are imported. About 95% come from South Korea and 5% from China. He estimated that if the threatened 25% tariff on South Korea takes effect, it could raise prices by about $5 per item. 'We understand we are not a necessity business,' he said, adding that he opened the store in 2020 with the goal of creating a positive, safe space for the younger generation to express their love for K-pop music. 'It's difficult for us as business owners, as a positive force, to continue to be positive because we ourselves are feeling that fear.' Already, he's stopped ordering the photocard binders he used to import from China. He's also seen an approximately $2 per item increase in shipping costs, which he said he believes is a tariff-related impact. He said he has had no choice but to raise prices because his profit margins are already small, being an import reseller. Crabbe said her espresso machine supplier from Italy emailed Tuesday to say it is raising prices by 6% preemptively, in anticipation of tariffs. Her company is about to buy two espresso machines for new locations and is planning to bear the higher costs. She has not raised prices yet, acknowledging that coffee is already expensive. In her speech Wednesday, Crabbe recalled how in 1773, Americans dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor as a protest against British taxation on tea.
