Celeste Gorrell Anstiss at HoS reports:

Internal Affairs has mounted a crackdown on big spot prizes at expos and fishing competitions, warning organisers they constitute illegal gambling.

Officials have sent cease-and-desist letters to 15 organisations, informing them that events with an entry fee cannot have door giveaways, raffles or barrel draws with prizes worth more than $500.

Beach and Boat Fishing Competition organiser Tony Wheeler has put ticket sales to New Zealand’s biggest fishing tournament on hold, after receiving the letter this month. He is scrambling to figure out how to comply with the Department of Internal Affairs’ strict conditions.

Only certain licensed organisations, like the Lotteries Commission, charitable trusts and SkyCity casino, are allowed to run games of chance.

DIA are just doing their job, but it is a silly law. Our gambling laws like monopolies. Just one casino per city, if that. TAB have a monopoly on sports betting. The Lotteries Commission on large games of chance etc.

There should be some rules around transparency such as clearly stating the chance of winning and the percentage of receipts that will be paid back as prizes.

The crackdown comes after a complaint from a pokies trust, which argued that its business was being undermined by events like A&P shows and trade shows that give away spot prizes such as cars, boats and holidays.

Wheeler’s annual competition is the biggest fishing tournament in the country with 2100 competitors and more than $220,000 worth of spot prizes, including a boat and a car. The heavily-promoted $100,000 prize for catching a special snapper – tagged by the officials and thrown back in – is alleged to breach the Gambling Act.

Catching a tagged fish requires some knowledge or skill, but Internal Affairs believes winning relies on a large element of chance. Fishing competitions are still allowed to award prizes for catching the most fish, or the biggest fish, because this is regarded as skill.

We should just change the law so DIA doesn’t have to waste time deciding whether catching a particular fish is skill or chance. For my 2c it involves skill. Sure you need luck for that particular fish to come along, but you need skill to keep it on the line.

The War Remnants Museum in Saigon ranges from the interesting to the horrific. It is hard not to be affected by the photos of those deformed by Agent Orange.

They say that winners in war get to write the history books, and that is true here.  The museum naturally highlights the excesses of the South Vietnam forces and the US and French, while not mentioning the 720,000 South Vietnamese civilians who were killed, including at least 100,000 executions.

However let’s not pretend there were not atrocities on all sides. Unlike WWII where there was pretty well defined good and evil, Vietnam was not treated well by its French colonial masters, and both the US and South Vietnam bear some responsibility for reneging on the 1954 Geneva Conference accord to have a national referendum in 1956. To be fair to them, they had never accepted the referendum, but that was the basis on which there was a truce.

Vietnam seems to have been a choice between worse and worst when it comes to the leadership of both South and North Vietnam. Having said that when we look at South Korea, their leadership used to be pretty malignant also, but they have matured into a reasonable democracy  Vietnam remains a one party state – nominally communist – but in the China sense, rather than the USSR sense. The Government may be communist, but from what I have observed very few of the locals are.

The museum courtyard has a number of planes that were used by the US in the war.

You don’t realise how big those choppers were until you see one up close.

If you ever want to be convinced why chemical warfare is wrong, then tour the museum. There is a whole section showing the effects on not just those alive at the time, but future generations. It is heart-breaking.  War is sometimes a necessary evil, but chemicals should not play a part – whether targeted directly against humans, or on the crops.

A chart of combatants by country and year. Note New Zealand down the bottom.

As I said at the beginning, the museum is obviously slanted to reflect the views of the Vietnamese Government. However that doesn’t mean it isn’t a must see if you are in Saigon. If nothing else, a stark reminder of the brutality of war.

Imperator Fish blogs:

 David#1:  Great news, David! I have irrefutable evidence that John Key’s been lying to the nation over what he knew about Kim Dotcom!

David#2: That is indeed great news, David. Tell me more.

David#1:  He’s gone and spoken to GCSB staff about the guy, that’s what. Apparently he cracked a joke in front of them. And he was filmed!

David#2: I don’t see the problem.

David#1:  Don’t you see? It happened in February, at a time when Key supposedly didn’t even know the GCSB were monitoring Dotcom. If it turns out that Key was joking about Dotcom to GCSB staff then it will prove Key knew about the monitoring.

David#2:  Yes, that’s pretty powerful stuff, David.

David#1:  Thank you, David. I finally think we’ve got the bastard this time.

David#2:  I can’t wait to see Key’s face when you show the film.

David#1:  I know. It’ll be gold. There’s just a minor problem, though.

David#2:  Oh?

David#1:  Look… it’s just a minor detail, and I expect we’ll have it sorted out quickly. It’s about the tape.

David#2:  The tape of John Key joking about Kim Dotcom?

David#1:  The very same. You see, I don’t actually have a copy of it.

David#2:  I see. I presume one of your staff has it.

David#1:  Ah… no.

David#2:  Right. Your informant then, whoever that is. It’s not Fran’s bloke, is it?

David#1:  I can’t divulge my sources, David.

And the fictional conversation continues:

David#2:  So, basically, you have no tape, and your informant won’t come forward to verify your claim.

David#1:  When you put it that way it sounds like a stupid thing to do. But here’s the genius of the plan: when we demand the release of the tape and they can’t produce it, everyone will see the cynical cover-up.

David#2:  You know, David, I find this whole thing extraordinary. You are going to demand the release of a tape you aren’t certain even exists in order to prove something that you have no evidence of. I can hardly believe I am hearing this from the leader of my party. And do you know why? Because IT’S A GENIUS PLAN! Do it, man!

David#1:  This will destroy John Key.

David#2:  It will certainly be very destructive.

David#1:  And it might even precipitate a change of leadership.

David#2:  I’m certainly hoping so.

Heh, heh. One has to give Scott full credit – he mocks all parties well.

Always interesting to see how much individual actors are deemed essential to the ongoing success of a show, and accordingly paid. Forbes list the highest paid:

1.  Ashton Kutcher US$24m, Two and a half men
2. Sofia Vergera, $19m, Modern Family
3. Hugh Laurie $18m, House
4. Ray Romano $18m, Men of a Certain Age
5. Kim Kardashian, $18m
6. Eva Longoria, $15m, Desperate Housewives
7. Alec Baldwin $15m, 30 Rock
8. Mark Harmon $15m, NCIS
9. Tim Allen, $14m, Last Man Standing
10. Jon Cryer, $13m, Two and a half men
11. Bethenny Frankel, $12m, Bethenny
12. Patrick Dempsey, $12m, Grey’s Anatomy
13. Khloe Kardishian, $11m
14. Tina Fey, $11m, 30 Rock
15. Mariska Hargitay, $10m, Law & Order:SVU
16. Zooey Deschanel, $9m, New Girl
17. Felicity Huffman, $9m, Desperate Housewives
18. Ellen Pompeo, $9m, Grey;s Anatomy
19. Jim Parsons, $8m, Big Bang Theory
20. Johnny Galecki, $8m, Big Bang Theory

Personally I am not a Ray Romano fan. Annoying.

The Herald reports:

Travellers will soon be able to fly between Auckland and Wellington on late-night flights for $29.

Air New Zealand’s new “Night Rider” service will start on November 5, undercutting its budget competitor Jetstar and offering regular low prices in contrast to the airline’s current Grabaseat fares.

Jetstar said its own low fares were behind the cheap prices, and a commentator says the move is part of a strategy by Air New Zealand to keep planes full.

The airline is facing increased competition from Jetstar, which will next month start flying the main trunk with an extra aircraft.

Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe made the fare-cut announcement yesterday, saying it was the first time an airline had offered fares for $29 for an entire plane, and he expected the new flights to be a hit with travellers.

This will be popular for many who are budget travellers, and found the cheap fares always sold out so quickly. So long as people have a place to stay, it means they can fly down late at night for less than the taxi fare to the airport.

It is interesting that the marginal cost of fuel and staff for a domestic flight is small enough to allow for $29 seats. In one sense no surprise that the larger costs are non-marginal such as depreciation and maintenance.

This is a benefit of having domestic competition. Will be interesting to see what Jetstar does,

I’m disappointed though that frequent flyers who use the late night service will not be allowed to access the Koru Club. This sets a potentially disturbing precedent for another rollback of value for frequent flyers.

This is Independence Palace, now known as Reunification Palace. It served as the home of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and now is a tourist attraction. It was constructed in 1966, but on the same site was Norodom Palace from 1873 to 1962. The old palace was mainly destroyed by two pilots who rebelled against President Diệm and bombed the palace trying to kill him.

A bust of Ho Chi Minh in the main auditorium.

The Banquet Chamber. Not so sure about that carpet colour!

The Cabinet Room.

I love all the old phones – brings back memories!

This was the South Vietnam President’s Office, mainly occupied by Nguyễn Văn Thiệu.

One of the more decorative rooms.

Every palace needs an escape helicopter on the roof!

A nice view of the lawn area from the roof.

There are two layers of underground rooms, where much of the war was fought from.

Not one of the more spectacular palaces around, but a fascinating piece of history when you consider its role in Vietnam and the Vietnam War.

As was almost inevitable, the Maori Council have filed in court.

Do not be surprised if there is some sort of agreement or injunction not to proceed until the substantive hearing. That is why the sale is schedule for March to June 2013, so that the substantive hearing can be held in time.

Hall said the council had not yet raised all the budgeted $400,000 to take the legal action.

It’s good money for lawyers, this work!

Am in Saigon, on my first visit to Vietnam. While definitely hot here, at 32c, it isn’t as humid as some other Asian countries. Have tried twice to get a sim card for my phone (as it is not working at all here). I walked around half an hour in the heat to then find out they could not sell me one without my passport. Grrrr.

Then the next day did the trek again, and managed to purchase a sim card. However I get home and discover they have sold me one which is too large for the iPhone – this is despite me showing them the phone. Double grrrr. Have decided God doesn’t want me to have 3G coverage in Vietnam, so am not going to try for a third time. This means that I won’t get any phone calls or texts until I am back.

The hotel has free wireless, and so do many stores, so I am getting my data fix that way.

Crossing the roads here reminds me of playing Frogger. No cars or bikes actually stop for you. If you wait for a break in the traffic, you may be there for an hour or so. So instead what you do is just walk slowly into the traffic and hope they are good at swerving around you. So far, they have been. Almost gone run over on the footpath of all place though, as motorcycles ride there also. Saigon has around 4.5 million motorcycles.

The currency here is around 10,000 dong equals 60c NZ. So 100,000 dong is $6, which easily covers many meals here.  The guide books say you don’t need dong, as they take US$ everywhere. This is not true. Many places do not.

Near the Grand Hotel, where I’m staying with my folks is this imposing statue of Tran Hung Dao. He was pretty much the only general to ward off the Khan led Mongols in the 13th century.

The Saigon Opera House is one of several examples of French colonial architecture. Our tour guide happens to also be a trained singer, and she would sing songs for us as the van waited in traffic. She was seriously good. They need a Vietnam Has Talent show.

This is the Notre-Dame Cathedral. No, not the one in Paris.  It was built in 1863. Around six million Vietnamese are Catholic, reflecting the French colonial past.

A simple but elegant interior.

A mass of cables hang over the street. Hopefully Chorus will not use this technique for laying out fibre in New Zealand!

A shot from inside the Ben Thanh markets in Saigon. Quite reasonably priced in the main.

The Al Smith Dinner is a near-mandatory event in election years for presidential candidates. A white-tie fundraiser for Catholic charities in New York, the tone of the evening is light-hearted. Both Obama and Romney were in fine form.

Here Obama’s transcript. Some of my favourite lines:

 Everyone please take your seats otherwise Clint Eastwood will yell at them. …

This is the third time that Governor Romney have met recently. As some of you may have noticed, I had a lot more energy in our second debate. I felt really well rested after the nice long nap I had in the first debate.

Although it turns millions of Americans focused in on the second debate who didn’t focus in on the first debate and I happen to be one of them. I particularly want to apologize to Chris Matthews. Four years ago, I gave him a thrill up his leg; this time around, I gave him a stroke.

Of course, there’s a lot of things I learned from that experience, for example, I learned that there are worse things that can happen to you on your anniversary than forgetting to buy a gift.

Heh, killer line.

I’m still making the most of my time in the city. Earlier today I went shopping at some stores in Midtown. I understand Governor Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown.

Also heh.

And I have to admit, it can be a grind. Sometimes it feels like this race has dragged on forever, but Paul Ryan assured me that we’ve only been running for two hours and fifty something minutes. …

Ultimately, though, tonight’s not about the disagreements Governor Romney and I may have. It’s what we have in common, beginning with our unusual names. Actually Mitt is his middle name, I wish I could use my middle name.

Classic.

Of course, world affairs are a challenge for every candidate. After — some of you guys remember — after my foreign trip in 2008, I was attacked as a celebrity because I was so popular with our allies overseas. And I have to say I’m impressed with how well Governor Romney has avoided that problem.

I love humourous attack lines.

And Romney:

Now Al, you were right, a campaign can require a lot of wardrobe changes. We — blue jeans in the morning perhaps, suits for a lunch fundraiser, sport coat for dinner, but it’s nice to finally relax and to wear what Ann and I wear around the house.

Superb – confronts the out of touch meme with humour.

Campaigns can be grueling, exhausting. President Obama and are each very lucky to have one person who is always in our corner, someone who we can lean on, and someone who is a comforting presence. Without whom, we wouldn’t be able to go another day. I have my beautiful wife Ann, he has Bill Clinton.

Hilarious.

Of course the president has put his own stamp on relations with the church. There have been some awkward moments. Like when the president pulled Pope Benedict aside to share some advice on how to deal with his critics. He said, “Look Holy Father, whatever the problem is, just blame it on Pope John Paul II.”

Heh.

1. Hone Harawira — Protester or politician?
2. Jan Wright — on her damning report on the Government’s ETS scheme
3. John Carnegie (Business NZ), William Rolleston (Fed Farmers) and Kennedy Graham (Green MP) on Ms Wright’s report
4. Colin James
5. Keith Ng joins Brian Edwards and Bill Ralston on blogging and journalism.

Broadcast on Saturday – TV 3 9.30 am, repeated on Sunday at 8 am

I’ve got a five point scale (spot the pollster) for how bad touts are in a particular location. Very pleased to find out that Saigon is only a two on the scale.

My scale is:

1. They don’t approach you at all. In fact you have to ask them something to get them to offer a sale
2. They make a not too in your face attempt to engage you, but leave you alone the moment you shake your head or say “No thanks”
3. They are reasonably persistent  They try and keep engaging you in conversation and will keep trying to be “helpful” to you or asking for a sale or money.
4. They are quite relentless and will actively follow you for scores, maybe hundreds of metres, time and time again trying to get you to part with some money.
5. You actually feel unsafe with them. They get aggressive if you try to ignore them, and you consider parting with your money just to forestall anything nasty happening.

A typical 1 is Vanuatu. Lovely lovely people who never hassle you. When they greet you, it isn’t just to try and get money off you.

Saigon has been a 2 so far. I thought it would be a 3 or worse, so pleasantly surprised. Never felt hassled at all.

Thailand is a pretty typical 3. Annoying, but not a huge hassle.

Zimbabwe was a 4. They just keep following you for hundreds of metres. You can never relax. An internal groan every time you sight one.

Egypt was my only 5 to date. One or two yelled abuse at me and crossed the street when I waved them off. Even the local Police “requested” a tip for rescuing me from touts who were doing the same. Sigh!

I suspect in other parts of Vietnam, it rises to a 3 or greater. Time will tell.

I blogged in August how I ended up driving BMWs on snow for a day. It all came about from BMW NZ asking me if I’d like to review one of their cars. In the nano-second it took to me say yes, I mentioned a ski trip planned for September, and so resisted the temptation to grab a 7 series, going for a BMW X5 M50d.

Above is the promo shot. The one we got through Jeff Gray BMW in Wellington is below.

Five of us travelled up from Wellington in it, meeting four more friends travelling down from Auckland. The X5 fitted in five people easily, and the boot area is actually pretty huge. It fitted in five suitcases plus some extra gear. The roof rack was for the three pairs of skies, two snowboards, ten boots, six poles etc!

So how was the car overall? I’ll get into details down below, but I have to say that far and away it was the safest car I have ever driven. X5s are not cheap, but I now understand why people will pay that much for a car, if safety is a concern for them.

Stats

I’m not someone too fussed on the stats of a car, as I prefer to go on how it actually feels to me. But for those who do like the numbers the X5 is a 3 litre V6 triple-turbo diesel with automatic 8-speed transmission. It has 380 horsepower and 740 Nm torque.

Safety

First thing I noticed in the car was that the speedo wasn’t just on the dashboard but a digital display of your speed is reflected onto the windscreen in front of the driver. This is actually massively helpful as it means you can see your speed, without ever taking you eyes off the road ahead. In a powerful car where you can accidentally exceed the speed limit by cruising, this means you won’t. Any speeding will be quite deliberate.

Also when the GPS is switched on, the instructions for the next turn are also displayed on your windscreen. I love GPS navigators but having to look at them from time to time can be a bit dangerous. When the instructions are directly in your line of sight, it means you never take your eyes off the road ahead.

In terms of actual driving, it handles magnificently. You know how sometimes you may go around a corner a bit too fast and feel the car just struggling for control a bit. The stabilizing technology in the X5s meant that not once did the car feel like it could even potentially be out of control.

Speed

I need to be careful here. When talking about speeds I will say we did 1×9 kms an hour. For the purposes of the NZ Police, the Ministry of Transport, the NZ Transport Agency and Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee x = 0, so we never did  over the tolerance of 109 kms an hour.

Others may insert their own value for x and find they may not be wrong.

One of the best things about the X5 is how safe and easy it makes overtaking. It accelerates from 100 kms per hour to 1×9 kms per hours in barely a second. You fly past the car you wanted to overtake and are back on the correct side of the road so promptly the ongoing traffic is still hundreds of metres away. I’m not suggesting we did any over-taking which we would have not done in other cars – you never want to be on the wrong side of a miscalculation.  What I’m saying, is that the just makes over-taking less of a stress – you just decide it is safe to go, floor it (not literally as otherwise you will take off), and bingo you’re back on your side of the road.

As previously mentioned, it handles corners very well.

Computer

The X5 is not so much a car, as a computer with wheels. In a couple of years with the help of Google, it will probably drive itself. A lot of cars now have cruise control and the like – a very good way to avoid speeding tickets also. They’ve designed it so you can do most of what you want to from the steering wheel, so no fiddling with the dashboard. Also as everything is via the one computer, they play together nicely. If you are playing music from your iPhone, and the GPS has instructions for you it pauses the song while it tells you of the next turn.

The rear view camera that shows you the angle you need to reverse into a tight area is bloody handy. Also it has sensors to warn you if you are both going to reverse or move forward into an object.

Oh yeah, most of the computer commands can be done by voice also. Don’t need that so much when travelling with others, but definitely useful if by yourself. All part of just having that safety focus.

Other features

The heated front seats were bliss after a day’s skiing.

Driving up both Whakapapa and Turoa was a cinch. I’d previously tried an X5 (with snow tyres) on actual snow and ice, so on an actual road (albeit one with some snow) was very unstressful.

After Turoa closed early on the Sunday, we decided to head back via a very scenic route – the Whanganui River Road. Was beautifully scenic, and a few of us are talking about canoeing it over summer. The photo above shows us stopping to enjoy a view. The road was a good one to test the X5 out on – not always sealed, wet and windy.

So was there anything bad about the car? Well the person in the rear centre seat said it was a bit uncomfortable (as that seat often is), and working out how to open the glovebox actually required an engineering degree (or a phone call to BMW – there is a not so obvious button for it). But as you expect with a car in this range, it is hard to find a lot of faults.

Would I personally pay $170,000 for an X5? Don’t be crazy – I’d pay off my mortgage first.

But if in a few years I was earning enough money to afford a car in that price range – my answer would be hell yeah. As I said, I’ve never felt safer in a car – even when driving at 1×9 kms an hour 🙂

News.com.au reports:

AN INDIAN farmer has become the world’s oldest dad aged 96 – beating the record he set himself two years ago. …

Speaking at his home in the state of Haryana, near Delhi, Mr Raghav said: “What can I do? This is all God’s wish. He wanted me to have another son.”

Mr raghav admits that as proud as he is of having two healthy sons at his age, his neighbours are more jealous of his sex drive, The Daily Mail reports.

“I do it three or four times a night. My neighbours are jealous and they keep asking me for my secret but all I tell them is that it is God’s will,” he said.

“I’m healthy and I enjoy sex with my wife. I think it’s very important for a husband and wife to have sex regularly.

“When she asks I will go on all night but for the sake of my child I’ve put our needs aside for now.”

Mr Raghav told The Tiems of India that he had remained a bachelor and practised celibacy throughout his life until he met Shakuntala about 10 years ago.

No sex for the first 86 years!! No wonder he is making up for it now.

A nifty little website at Flight Radar.

It shows you in real time every major plane in the world that is currently in the air. Quite fascinating to look at.

A media source tell me there has been a major upheaval at Fairfax and Sunday Star-Times Editor David Kemeys has been made redundant.

Next month a new role will be created of Chief Editor for Fairfax, in charge of the Sunday Star-Times and all online media.

The SST has been losing readers for some years. It will be interesting to see who gets the new top job, and if they can turn it around.

The Dom Post reports:

Haier looks likely to succeed in its takeover bid for Fisher & Paykel Appliances after lifting its offer for the Kiwi whiteware maker, according to an institutional investor.

The Chinese firm yesterday announced it would raise its offer by 8 cents to $1.28 per share, a level that comes in at the bottom of the $1.28 to $1.57 per share value range independent adviser Grant Samuel put on the firm.

The new offer has won favour with institutional shareholders Accident Compensation Corporation, Harbour Asset Management and AMP Capital, who have all agreed to sell the 14.1 per cent of F&P Appliances they collectively hold.

Haier paid about 80c a share for its existing 20 per cent stake in 2009 as part of make-or-break capital raising by F&P Appliances to stave off a potential debt default.

Haier has already secured an agreement with Australian fund manager Allan Gray to buy its 17.46 per cent stake, and now has control of 51.56 per cent of F&P Appliances’ shares.

Haier’s offer was conditional on getting over 50 per cent, although it would prefer a full takeover.

“Our view is this price should enable Haier to get 100 per cent of the company and we think it is very fair from a shareholder’s point of view,” said John Phipps, deputy head of New Zealand equities at AMP Capital.

Never mind being fair to the shareholders. Labour has invented a new policy on the hoof, of fuck the shareholders. Labour have announced:

“The implications of its sale to New Zealand are too important leave the takeover approval to officials. Such a major decision must be made by Ministers. That’s Labour’s policy.

Labour’s view is that they will decide, who can buy a private company listed on public sharemarkets. Such decisions will of course be based on populism. Labour seem determined to retreat into a xenophobic fortress NZ policy that we last had in the 1970s.

Can you imagine the horror of Ministers personally deciding on all NZ takeovers? We’d become rife for corruption amongst other things. You want to be able to buy a company – make sure you look after the Minister.

The Press editorial:

In what is turning out to be the drawn-out saga of the extradition of Kim Dotcom, the role of the Government Communications Security Bureau may be a minor irrelevance, but it appears it is about to claim its first scalp.

A senior official is reported to have been placed on leave while an internal review is conducted at the bureau. Whether the official is in any way responsible for the acknowledged errors made by the GCSB, and if so what sanction, if any, there should be, will no doubt be determined by the review and, if they are found to be necessary, any subsequent employment hearings.

In the meantime, however, it is clear that there are indications that all is not well within the organisation.

There are four or five ways in which the GCSB hasn’t performed up to the standard expected. They are:

• The original flawed legal analysis that they Dotcom was not a permanent resident
• The lack of a clear process for acting on requests from Police
• The resistance to change its view on the legality of the Dotcom interception for many months
• Not taking immediate action to inform the Minister and Inspector-General when they first became aware of uncertainty over the legality
• Taking two weeks to inform the Minister of the brief mention of Dotcom in a powerpoint presentation to him (It should have taken two hours not two weeks)

To his credit, Prime Minister John Key, the minister in charge of the GCSB, has not attempted to conceal its shortcomings. Unlike the normal practice when intelligence organisations make errors – blanket refusal to comment – Key has shown a level of candour unprecedented either in New Zealand or elsewhere. He has also ordered reviews to get to the bottom of the GCSB’s difficulties and install fresh oversight within the organisation.

If there are systemic problems in the GCSB they will not have happened overnight but, given the importance of its work, they must be fixed quickly.

My understanding is that the roasting has been of the superchargrilled variety.

The editorial is right that under Key, the level of candour has been unprecedented. Not just with the issue, but I recall that with the SAS in Afghanistan the previous Govt would often refuse to even state if they were out of the country at a particular point in time.

Heh. Just watch and enjoy.

Stuff reports:

Australian television boss Tim Worner says the station will not be spooked into fast-tracking imported television series and dramas because of internet pirates.

Yeah, stuff the viewers who want to see their favourite shows promptly. They’ll see them when we tell them they can see them.

We now live in a global market. Channels are, in my  opinion, losing relevance. People are about content, and will bypass traditional channels too get it. Evenetually I hope the future will be that people can purchase their favourite TV series directly from the producers within a day of release.

Any adventurous and minute native weevil

click for larger, high res image

As far as I can tell most of Labour’s so called job plans, is to have more inflation and have prices go up. Here’s the speech, and my comments.

Our policies will ensure our high and volatile dollar doesn’t undermine the competitiveness of our exporters.  We’ll give them the best possible opportunity to succeed.

We are a trading nation. We can only grow wealthy if we export.

That means an independent Reserve Bank that’s given a wider mandate to support exporters and jobs, not just focus on inflation.

Make no mistake – this is the deluded belief that having more inflation will lead to more jobs. I thought the 70s killed off that idea. Any gain in jobs from more inflation is temporary. It’s like a quick sugar fix. You feel good at the time, but get bloated.

We’ll pursue pro-growth tax reform that includes a capital gains tax to take pressure off house prices and ensure people invest in businesses, not the Auckland property market.

Umm, are you seriously suggesting taxing the capital gains people make from their businesses will lead to more investment into businesses? There are some sound reasons to have a comprehensive capital gains taxs – but it is snake oil to try and suggest it will lead to more investment into businesses.

And a research and development tax credit that rewards ingenuity and encourages innovation in our businesses.

Actually, they encourage people to reclassify their expenditure as R&D. National does R&D grants, Labour prefers tax credits. The difference is not going to impact jobs much.

President Obama brought in a “25% rule” for stimulus projects. Unless a foreign company is 25% cheaper making a product, the work should be contracted to a US company.

Australia has other checks for local contracting as does Singapore and many other countries.

That’s why we’ll ensure government agencies contract New Zealand businesses wherever possible. To build businesses, jobs and skills.

Note that Shearer has not said he will bring in such a rule. He has just said Obama has. He knows under CER such a rule would be illegal. He is trying to con people into thinking Labour will have such a law.

Labour will also introduce a ‘one in a million’ target for significant government contracts.

It would require companies that are awarded major contracts to take on one apprentice or trainee for every $1 million contract it receives.

Oh Good God, and they’ll sack an employee at the other end if they don’t need that many staff. The Government can’t dictate staffing levels to a business. Again this is pure snake oil – sounds good, but won’t do anything.

We’d raise the threshold so that businesses need to prove they’ve engaged with WINZ and Industry Training Organisations before they get approval.

We’d require Immigration NZ to consider the competitive impacts, particularly on wages and conditions when it considers granting an approval to bring in temporary workers.

I’d also like to see conditions about wages and working conditions attached to the employer’s approval. And, where it’s appropriate, to require the employer to offer apprenticeships to young New Zealanders.

Finally, an actual policy that may impact jobs. But there are no details. Anyone can say raise the threshold. I do not disagree that work permits should only go to people, when no NZer can be located.