Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

Queenstown's bid to secure a place on the upcoming "World Edition" Monopoly game board is looking shaky, with the town slipping out of the Top 20 with just a week of voting to go.

The popular South Island resort town had previously been as high as 12th on the leaderboard, in the online global vote being run by games company Hasbro.

Board game fans around the world can vote at the international Monopoly website, although New Zealanders are being encouraged to register and vote through www.nzmonopoly.co.nz (which also puts kiwi voters in the draw to win a trip to one of the nominated cities.)

Hasbro are looking to find the "22 greatest cities in the world", which will be included on the first-ever "Monopoly Here & Now: World Edition" game board, due for release before Christmas.

Voting began in late January, and continues through until February 29. People can vote once a day for their favourite "city" or cities, which also include Riga (Latvia), Jerusalem (Israel), New York (USA), and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).

The top 20 places will be confirmed after voting ends, with other cities (including Auckland) set to compete in a "wildcard vote" for the last two spots on the board.

Queenstown tourism bosses are keen to secure a spot on the new game board, with Hasbro estimating over 100 million people will play the new Monopoly World Edition in the next five years.

Meanwhile, the world's most popular board game Monopoly could be hitting a movie screen near you in the next few years.

Hasbro has signed a multi-year deal with Universal Pictures to produce a series of feature films based on their well-known games like Monopoly, Battleship, and Candy Land. The first movie from the deal is due for release around 2010.

Auckland-based satellite channel Stratos Television has been given permission by Sky TV to broadcast live free-to-air international Test cricket next month.

Stratos will screen the second and third cricket tests between the Black Caps and England in mid-March, thanks to a deal with Sky Television.

Straos is the satellite off-shoot of community broadcaster Triangle Television, and broadcasts on Freeview Channel 21 (and Sky Channel 89)

Triangle's Auckland and Wellington UHF community stations will also simulcast the test matches (although Triangle Auckland will only simulcast the weekday action).

Other regional stations around the country (including Christchurch's CTV and Dunedin's Channel 9) are also being offered the opportunity to simulcast the Stratos test cricket coverage.

It is not clear whether Sky TV is offering the test cricket coverage free of charge to Stratos and the other regional tv broadcasters, or whether there is a charge of some sort attached to the deal.

The 2nd test between New Zealand's Black Caps and England will be played in Wellington from Thursday March 13, while the 3rd test is scheduled for Napier from Saturday March 22.

Kiwiblog's David Farrar notes that the usually Labour-loving Sunday Star Times must be pretty angry, given today's editorial about the NZ Government's attempts to keep China happy by backing free speech restrictions for the country's athletes.

"The Chinese Olympics are an attempt by an odious political regime to buy global respectability. They are as political as Hitler's Games in 1936...

It is not the athletes who are being treated as political pawns. It is lickspittle governments like Cosgrove's.

Everyone knows the Clark government will do almost anything to get its free-trade deal with China."

Government sports minister Clayton Cosgrove is backing the decision to ban New Zealand's Olympic athletes from expressing personal views during this year's games in Beijing.

The NZ Olympic Committee is attempting to back-pedal from claims that it is requiring athletes to "not make statements, demonstrate (whether verbally, or by any act or omission) regarding political, religious or racial matters".

Perhaps not surprisingly given the country's current coalition regime, New Zealand is apparently one of the few western nations trying to "prevent their Olympic athletes from commenting on what they might see, hear or think".

Even Green MP Keith Locke showed a rare streak of common sense this week, noting "Our Olympic officials should not be imitating the Chinese regime by muzzling Kiwi athletes who might be disturbed by some of what they see in China," Locke said.

Swimmer Dean Kent is aiming to qualify for his third Olympics, and believes people should worry about what's going on at home, rather than political issues in Beijing.

But Olympic silver medallist runner Dick Quax says the only interests being protected by the NZOC were those of the Chinese Government. Quax said he was able to freely speak out about the All Blacks tour of South Africa in 1976, along with teammates John Walker and Rod Dixon.

"The idea you can put blanket coverage on an athlete on speaking their mind is a bit naive," said Mr Quax, "and really they should be watering it down a bit."

Actress Mia Farrow has publicly labelled the Beijing Olympics "the genocide games", while Hollywood Director Stephen Spielberg announced earlier this week that he was pulling out as "artistic adviser" for the Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.

His decision was a protest at China's support (by way of money and guns) for the Sudanese government, which is accused of human rights abuses in Darfur.

When the International Olympic Committee chose China as host nation seven years ago, officials hoped it would encourage the communist country to promote improvements in human rights... That hasn't happened.
Getting the full story is still difficult... China's state-run media has little freedom, and China is regarded as the world's "leading jailer of journalists". Missionaries and religious groups are also on the hit-list of China's atheist communist Government.

And if China's free speech and human rights histories weren't enough to turn people off the Beijing games, competitors are being advised to "arrive late and leave early to avoid hot, polluted air", and many countries are supplying their athletes with breathing masks.

Some Olympic events could be postponed, and some top international athletes are considering boycotting the Beijing games altogether.


* Sunday Star Times: EDITORIAL: Beijing circus hits town
* Stuff: Richard Boock - NZ wins the gagging gold
* NZ Herald: Olympian: Forget China, focus on NZ

I know this one has been kicking around the web for a while, but I got reminded of it yesteday and thought I'd post it for anyone who managed to miss it.

Late-night US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has had a long-running feud/gag with Bourne film star Matt Damon, and recently his girlfriend Sarah Silverman joined in on the fun.

The saga started when Kimmel used to regularly close his ABC show by "apologising" to Matt Damon that they'd run out of time. (In actual fact, the actor wasn't scheduled to appear on the show).

In September 2006, Damon did finally make a guest appearance on the late-night talk show, to loud applause. However when Damon sat down after a length introduction by Jimmy Kimmel, the host apologised and said he had to end the show because he was out of time...

Damon turned red, and started a bleep-ridden tirade at Kimmel, before storming off the set. The stunt was planned, but Damon's convincing acting left many fans believing he was truly p*ssed!

Kimmel's girlfiend, comedian Sarah Silverman decided to help Damon "get his own back", by shooting a surprise music video to play on Kimmel's 40th birthday celebration show, in which the pair revealed they were "in an intimate relationship" ;-)

* Sarah Silverman "I'm F*cking Matt Damon" on Jimmy Kimmel...


* Check out the other videos in this long-running gag at YouTube, including Matt Damon getting ignored by Kimmel's sidekick Guillermo at a red carpet event, and a trailer for the movie The Bourne Ultimatum, in which Damon loses his starring status to Guillermo...

* People: Behind Matt Damon's Raunchy Payback to Jimmy Kimmel

Actually there's no punchline to that, but a senior Irish politician has suggested his country switch to driving on the right-hand side of the road, in a bid to reduce accidents by forgetful foreigners.

Tens of thousands of people have moved to Ireland over the past decade, as the country enjoys massive economic growth. Many of the new immigrants come from countries in Eastern Europe, where they are used to driving on the right hand side of the road.

Low cost air links has also helped Ireland become a popular tourist destination for visitors from Europe and the United States. But difficulty in adjusting to driving on the left has caused a number of accidents on Irish roads.

Senior Irish politician Donie Cassidy says while most of Europe switched to the right many decades ago, Sweden managed to change sides of the road (to the left) later than other countries with no major problems.

Here in New Zealand, a number of recent road accidents have been blamed on foreign tourists forgetting to drive on the left-hand side of the road. Most rental companies do inform tourists of New Zealand's road rules, and have reminder stickers inside vehicles.


While most of the world drives on the right, New Zealand has retained the left-hand driving rule along with many other former British colonies like India and Australia, but also Japan.

The habit apparently dates back to the Middle Ages, when people wanted to make sure any strangers passed on the right, making it easy to go for your sword if they proved unfriendly ;-)

---
And here's a few Irish car jokes, just in case you were disappointed not to find a punchline to this post's title...

* Did you hear about the Irishman who drove his car into a river to dip his headlights?

---

* Did you hear about the Irishman who locked his keys in the car?
- Took him eight hours to get his family out.

---

* A cop pulls him over."So," says the cop to the driver, Where have ya been?"

"Why, I've been to the pub of course," Slurs the drunk.

"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you've had quite a few to drink this evening."

"I did all right," the drunk says with a smile.

"Did you know," says the cop, standing straight and folding his arms across his chest, "that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"

"Oh, thank heavens," sighs the drunk. "For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."

National front-bench MP Katherine Rich has rocked the party with her decision to resign from her Education portfolio, and quit politics altogether at the next election.

The forty year old mother of two says she's been thinking about her future over the summer, and has decided it's time to move on to new challenges, and the responsibilities of bringing up her two young children.

Rich entered Parliament in the 1999 election as a Dunedin-based list MP for the National Party. She has moved up the ranks of the party, and was ranked at #8 at the last election on National's party list.

The Australian-born MP is one of a handful of "social liberals" in the party, providing a positive balance to National's more traditional hard-line conservatives.

She had also succeeded in building a good profile for the party in Dunedin, a traditional Labour-stronghold which had been ignored by National for years under FPP.

She told National leader John Key of her decision last week, and still believes the party is in good heart to win this year's election.

National's senior whip Anne Tolley will take over as Education spokeswoman, and will move onto the front bench. Former school principal Allan Peachy will be the party's deputy education spokesman.

Malfunctioning equipment is being blamed for causing a Tranz Rail freight train to crash into a historic pedestrian overbridge in Dunedin.

The top of a freight container smashed through the historic wooden and metal bridge above Dunedin's Railway Station, causing it to come crashing down onto the train tracks.

A 17 year old woman visiting from Australia was walking along one end of the bridge, and was shaken off in the impact.

She was able to grab hold of hand rails as she fell beside the neighbouring skate park, and was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Luckily noone was in the centre of the bridge when it collapsed.

The accident happened at around 5pm this evening in Dunedin, as the single engine and wagon were travelling into the city's central railway station.

Police say the container being carried by the wagon had been collapsed to fit under the footbridge, but the equipment somehow malfunctioned, causing part of the container to lift up.

The footbridge over Dunedin Railway Station to Thomas Burns street is used by hundreds of central city workers, who park their cars around the wharf area.

It was extensively rebuilt by the city council a few years ago, retaining the original historic look. It seems Tranz Rail may have to foot the bill this time for a replacement overbridge.

The man who put his life in danger by going on a month-long diet of nutritious McDonald's fast food has turned his attention to the world's "Most Wanted Man".

For his debut film Super Size Me, documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonalds three time a day. For his followup project, he decided to go on the hunt for the terrorists' #1 pin-up boy, in his upcoming movie "Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?"

After some initial combat training, Spurlock donned a towel and headed off to the Middle East to find the world's most famous towelhead, Osama Muhammad Bin Laden (not to be confused with that Barack Hussein Obama guy, who is trying to win the Democratic Presidential nomination.)

Spurlock shot around 800 hours of footage in his quest, exploring "every nook and cranny of the Middle East" as he searched for the reclusive Al-Qaeda leader.

The documentary film is co-written, produced, directed by and stars Morgan Spurlock. It debuted last month at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, and is expected to be released in cinemas in the (US) spring.

Trailer for "Where in the world is Osama Bin Laden?"...

33 year-old Somali woman, Asha ali Abdille, has been charged with hijacking and 3 counts of assault, after attacking two pilots and a passenger, during an Air New Zealand Link flight from Blenheim to Christchurch this morning.

The small Air NZ/Eagle Air Jetstream J32 plane had just 7 passengers onboard, and has no barrier between the two rows of passengers and the cockpit.

Pilots sent out an emergency call at 7.40am after the woman (seated in seat 1A) attacked one of the pilots with a knife, slashing his hand.

It's alleged the woman also claimed there were two bombs on board and threatened to blow up the plane, which she wanted to be diverted to Australia (somehow I doubt one of those "baby" turboprop planes would have actually made it that far ;-)

The woman was initially subdued with the help of other passengers, but late in the flight tried seizing the plane's steering controls.

The two pilots managed to maintain control and safely land the plane, when they were taken to Christchurch hospital. One had severe cuts to his hand, the other an injured foot. It's believed a passenger also suffered knife injuries.

An armed offenders squad stormed the plane, handcuffing the woman at gunpoint and dragging the large woman off the plane. Police and an army bomb disposal team searched the aircraft and luggage for bombs, and evacuated Christchurch Airport.

The woman's behaviour disrupted the travel plans of thousands of travellers around the country, with 2,000 passengers delayed at Christchurch Airport, with inbound flights diverted to Dunedin and other airports until late morning.

The Government and aviation agencies will now review security procedures at regional airports, including the policy of only security screening planes carrying over 90 passengers.

* 3 News - Video: Somali woman charged with hijacking Air New Zealand flight

* Stuff: Mid-air bomb threat, stabbing drama

Protest action group People Power NZ have turned their attention to the Green Party, in their latest brick throwing mission.

The group say last night's attack on the Green's electorate office in Sandringham was part of its "ongoing citizens initiated active protest against the passing of the Electoral Finance Act."

While the Green Party are not in formal coalition with Labour, they are a "support partner" of the Government, with minor ministerial responsibilities and policy concessions.

The protesters described the Green Party as "a loose association of jaded Marxists long past their use by date", and said it was time for them to be "consigned to the dustbin of political oblivion come the 2008 Election."

People Power NZ noted that the Government and media have tried to ignore their recent activities, and that they have not yet heard from the Electoral Commission about their official website.

The group have announced plans for their next "direct protest action", on Thursday 28th February.

* Official website: People Power (New Zealand)

State broadcaster TVNZ is abandoning its attempt to sell premium video contact on the web, through its online portal 'TVNZ OnDemand'.

Company spokesman Jason Paris acknowledged the ad-supported free video streams of programmes had outnumbered paid downloads (which also include copy protection) by "many thousands to one".

TVNZ OnDemand was launched early last year in a blaze of publicity. Internet surfers could view "Premium content" video on the site, which included recent episodes of shows like Shortland Street and Eating Media Lunch.

The website used a currency called "PlayPoints", which could be purchased in blocks from a minimum of $10. A regular half-hour show cost $2 to download, but contained digital rights management which meant the video clips "expired" after 7 days.


The broadcaster will now look to expand its advertising-support video content, including offering the service on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 video game consoles, as well as on mobile phones.

Currently the OnDemand portal streams about 200,000 TV shows a month. Around 70% of the content is new material, with the remaining 30% coming from State TV's archives.

TVNZ is now renegotiating deals with local and overseas content providers (including Disney/Touchstone), to move from paid downloads to ad-supported. Anti-piracy measures will be dropped at the same time.


Jason Paris, TVNZ's head of emerging business, said the company's business model needed to change for the service to make money.

Advertisers apparently pay 15c each time their commercial is featured around a programme, but TVNZ says it is left with just 2c after delivery costs and agency fees are taken off.

* NZ Herald: TVNZ surrenders to video pirates

Self-proclaimed socialist Finance Minister Michael Cullen has announced plans to cut personal taxes over three years, if Labour is re-elected. Speaking to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce this afternoon, he acknowledged it was time for tax cuts.

Cullen said Labour would phase in tax cuts over a three year period, with the possibility of further cuts beyond that. However, he downplayed expectations that the tax cuts would be substantial.

However, some commentators are questioning whether Cullen can be trusted to deliver on his promises. His previous election-year offer of tax cuts (in the infamous "chewing gum budget") was subsequently cancelled, along with the promise to future-proof income tax thresholds against inflation.

In 2000, when Labour introduced the tax tax rate of 39%, the party promised it would apply to just the top 5% of taxpayers. However, over 12% of New Zealand workers are now paying that top tax rate.


Financial blogger Sheryl Sutherland says Cullen has collected an extra $1.7 billion from taxpayers. The bulk has come from 150,000 people who have moved into the top tax bracket. She calculates to restore the 39c tax rate to the top 5% of taxpayers (as originally promised), the threshold needs to be increased to $79,000.

Last year, the Centre for Independent Studies found that real taxes for many kiwis (taking into account inflation) have increased by 22.6% since 2000.

Their research revealed someone on the average wage of $36,000 in 2000, would now need to be earning $43,000 to maintain an equivalent income. Unfortunately, they are instead payng an extra $2,400 a year in taxes because of Labour's refusal to honour its original promise.

THEY SAID IT... A few memorable quotes from our honest and dependable leaders...

* “Tax cuts are a path to inequality... They are the promises of a visionless and intellectually bankrupt people” – Helen Clark, Labour Party conference 2000

* “People who advocate large tax cuts off the back of large surpluses should be taken out and quietly drowned” – Michael Cullen, February 2006

* “$8.5 million surplus and still no tax cuts? So? What’s the connection between the two? None, right!” – Michael Cullen to TV One's Guyon Espiner, September 2006

* “We just don't believe in tax cuts - it's against our fundamental philosophy - after all we are socialists and proud of it.” — Michael Cullen

* Hat tip: Whale Oil

The Environment Court has banned famous Swedish furniture business Ikea from opening a store in Auckland. The popular international retailers sells low-priced designer-style furniture, homeware and accessories.

The Swedish franchise has 273 stores in 36 countries, and has expanded outside its original European base to operate in North America, Asia, and Australia.

But in a ruling by the Environment Court, Ikea has been specifically banned from being a tenant in the new shopping centre in Redwood, because the Court believes it would create traffic chaos...

"Ikea stores are known to have high traffic-generating characteristics... Accordingly, they have been specifically excluded from allowable retail activities in this consent."

The key to Ikea's popular low price/high quality approach is that many of its products have to be assembled by customers (which many see as half the fun!) The full range in Ikea's catalogue is around 12,000 products.

Developer of the new Mt Wellington project, Tony Gapes, says he understands Ikea has been looking in New Zealand for quite a while, but doesn't think they could afford the rents at either his Auckland site, or the recently developed Sylvia Park.

The nearest Ikea for New Zealanders at the moment seems to be the Homebush branch in Sydney ;-(

* NZ Herald: Ikea not coming - because they'd be too popular
* Ikea Australia website

Sitting Dunedin South MP David Benson-Pope will likely spend the next few months looking for a new career, after losing the 2008 Labour Party nomination to local PR woman Clare Curran over the weekend.
Quelle demage.

Curran, an elected Labour Party official, has been involved with the union movements in both Australia and New Zealand in recent years. She currently runs a small public relations/communications business in Dunedin with her partner.

However, Clare Curran is more well known to the general public as the "woman who was awarded an uncontested contract with the Environment Ministry", at the request of Labour MP David Parker (Climate Change minister). She was also described by his Private Secretary as Parker's "right-hand woman".

TV3's coverage of the Dunedin selection result was rather ominous... "The coffin lid is closing on the political career of David Benson-Pope"...


Benson-Pope said after the 2005 election campaign that he thought media coverage of him was "way over the top", and that reporters and interviewers at both TV One and TV3 were "downright rude really".

DBP has been the Labour MP for Dunedin South for almost nine years, following a period as a Labour Dunedin city councillor. His de-selection follows a long run of embarrassing sagas, including Tennis-gate, Nightie-gate, Panty-gate, and Setchell-gate.


He eventually lost the backing of his Popular and competent Prime Minister, for his habit of being unable to tell the truth... As one commentator put it, "less for what he had done, than for his repeated inability to simply say what he had done".

As a comment on the Labour-funded blog The Standard noted last year...

Dunedin South is a rock-solid Labour seat. It’s hugely important organisationally: the LEC has one of the largest memberships–at around 200, around 5% of Labour’s entire membership–and is asset-rich.

Benson-Pope’s electorate office is leased by the LEC to Parliamentary Services. It’s a cash cow to the Party.

I wish I lived in New York City... The Improv Everywhere crew stage such brilliant public stunts. They organised the recent "No Pants" subway ride in Manhattan and in other US cities.

In their latest mission, over 200 "agents" brought the world's largest train station to a sudden halt... freezing en masse in the main area of Grand Central Station.

The improv actors stopped in mid-action, and froze in place for a solid five minutes, baffling New York commuters and tourists alike...

* Photos and more info at Improv Everywhere: Frozen Grand Central

This year's General Election in New Zealand is likely to come down to a battle of personalities, rather than any substantial policy differences between the two largest parties (leaving the minor parties free to bargain for policy wins after the election).

National leader John Key has revealed plans to adopt yet another Labour-lite policy, announcing the party's support for the retention of interest-free student loans.

National strongly criticised Labour's last minute 2005 election bribe, labelling it irresponsible. Key says having lost the election, National's had to take another look at its stance, and says it's "unfair to play "ping-pong" with interest rates from election to election".

Key says they've made the u-turn because half a million New Zealanders now have student loans, and "many have made long-term financial decisions on the basis of the current policy".

However, National is offering people an incentive to pay off their loans faster. The Government would essentially offer a 10% bonus write-off for any voluntary lump-sum payments over $500.

National is still considering its long-term stance on the anti-smacking debate. John Key helped the controversial bill become law, after agreeing to a minor compromise with Green party author Sue Bradford.
However, the party's position is said to be wavering, following a 280,000-strong petition against the law, and the fact that a couple of parents have already found themselves in court over very minor cases of disciplining their children in public.

Labour MP Phil Goff is the latest target of protest group People Power NZ. The secretive group have claimed responsibility for an attack on Goff's Mt Roskill Electorate office, in what they say is a continuing protest against the Electoral Finance Act.

People Power described Goff as the "Labour-Leader in waiting", and a champion of the controversial legislation... "It is a mystery to us why the citizens of Mt Roskill would continue to vote for a local MP who actively restricts their freedom of expression".

Phil Goff (Labour) lost his seat to Gilbert Myles (National) at the 1990 elections, largely because he was closely identified with the neo-liberal reforms of Roger Douglas, in particular his support for deregulation and free trade.

Goff reclaimed his Mt Roskill seat in 1993, and was part of a group in 1996 that unsuccessfully tried to encourage Helen Clark to step down as Labour leader. He is seen by most political commentators as the leading leadership contender for the party, especially following the Parliamentary exit of Steve Maharey, and bad boy antics of Trevor Mallard.

People Power claim Goff is rarely in his electorate, and has a "tried and tested trick of getting one of his electoral lackeys to park his van in a Mt Roskill street, attach a sign that reads “visiting Electorate – back in 5 minutes”, when all the while Mr Goff isn’t even in the suburb at the time!"

* Scoop: Mt Roskill Electorate office makes it “Strike 3"

Protest action group "People Power New Zealand" have claimed responsibility for a brick attack on PM Hillin Cluck's Mt Albert electorate office this morning.

(The lobby group also claimed responsibility for throwing a brick at the same office window on the 1st of January, saying their actions were the first protest against the controversial "Electoral Finance Act".)

The white brick was thrown on the morning of the PM's "State of the Nation" speech, which followed National Party leader John Key's own speech yesterday, targeting youth training and young criminals.

People Power New Zealand say their protests are in "active opposition to suppression of expression by the Labour Government of ordinary New Zealand citizens."

In a media statement, the group pointed to the shutting down of the “Don’t Vote Labour” website as "an action of citizen oppression more familiar to, and practiced within China, North Korea, Fiji, and Zimbabwe".

The white painted brick thrown at Labour's Mt Albert electorate office contained a number of protest slogans, including “Repeal the EFA”, “No to Fascism”, “Retrospect THIS”, and“Viva Le Referendum”.

Despite criticism from many quarters, People Power NZ are promising more acts of "active protest during election year, saying, "the time has come for active civil disobedience and resistance to increasing state control... Citizen apathy in New Zealand has paved the way to a growing totalitarian state".

* Scoop: Clark’s speech won’t save her, says People Power
* People Power (New Zealand) blog

The planned ban by Wellington fun Police on Borat-style "mankinis" at this weekend's Rugby Sevens tournament has created headlines around the world.

Wellington Police and organisers of the Sevens tournament have announced a ban on "skimpy and potentially offensive" costumes, including the popular fluorescent green v-string swimsuit made famous by Borat (British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen).

Newspapers and news websites across Australia, the UK, USA, South Africa, and India have filed stories on the by anti-fun campaigners. The news has sent headline writers into overdrive... "Borat mankini in crack down", writes the UK's Sun newspaper... "Prudish police ban Borat's mankini", writes London's free commuter daily, Metro.

Wellington cops claim the ban on "revealing costumes" at the Sevens rugby tournament (including but not limited to Borat's one-piece skimpy swimsuit) was to "protect kids' innocence". "It's a family event and there will be children there," Mr Cop-boss-man said.

Police say they'll turn away fans who don't follow their new dress code, and arrive this weekend at the Westpac Trust Stadium in "inappropriate" costumes.

Dressing up has always been a big part of the fun around Rugby sevens competitions, with previous controversial "team" costume themes including Fiji's Military, Terrorists complete with weapons (fake and/or water pistols), Steve Irwins, David Bains, and Babies in nappies.


* Stuff: Borat ban makes headlines in UK, Australia
* Dominion Post: Borat banned - stadium clampdown (+pics)
* NZ Herald: Police crackdown on costumes for sevens tournament (+photos)

* 3 News: Video - Borat swimsuit banned from Wellington Sevens

The anti-Free Speech legislation passed late last year in New Zealand by the Labour Party and its friends has claimed its first casualty.

Christhurch man Andy Moore has been forced to pull down his highly publicised anti-Government website - dontvotelabour.org.nz - after threats of legal action by the Electoral Commission.

The Commission told the 21-year old his website was classed as "election advertising", and breached election rules by not including his name and address.

"You are advised that your website (don'tvotelabour.org.nz) is election advertising and must display an authorisation statement in order to comply with the law. It is an offence not to do so."

Andy Moore says he was forced to take down his site, because he couldn't afford to hire a lawyer, or to pay the potential fine of $10,000 if he was prosecuted in court.

He was also unwilling to comply with the legal requirement to list his residential address on the website, arguing it would place his family and house as risk.

Moore's website now features an explanation of what he was forced to take down his old pages, which urged people not to vote for the Labour Party. However the new homepage does link to a general discussion forum focusing on politics.

* DontVoteLabour.org.nz website

* 29/1 UPDATE: The Electoral Commission's threats have bred two new websites... *

* A UK-based registrant has set up a copy of Andy Moore's old "Don't Vote Labour" website at a new address, www.dontvotelabour.net (I'm very intrigued see how the Commission deals with this one... Do their big brother powers stretch to London??)

* Meanwhile, Stan Blanch has launched a Don't Vote Labour Cartoons Gallery website, featuring his favourite anti-Labour political cartoons...

Kevin Keegan has been welcomed back to Tyneside, 11 years after his first stint as manager of Newcastle United. "King Kev says he's determined to bring "attractive winning football, and silverware" back to St James' Park.

Newcastle currently sit 12th in the Premier League, and have been flirting with the relegation zone. Keegan has ambitious plans to transform the club, and believes it can start challenging the top four teams within a short period.

Former Newcastle strike Les Ferdinand is also expected to be part of the new-look coaching staff, and he's still keen to speak more with the club's all-time leading scorer Alan Shearer about some sort of role within the club.

Keegan was previously the manager at Newcastle from 1992-97, taking the team from the brink of (the former) third division to runners up for the Premier League title two years running.

Despite speculation that Keegan would want to offload striker Michael Owen as soon as possible, he chose to make him captain. In Owen's autobiography, the footballer described his time in the England team under Keegan as a "dark phase", and that he began to resent him as a manager.
But Keegan says Owen is the right guy to lead Newcastle United, "and that tells you what I think of him". Owen for his part insists he's more committed than ever to staying at Newcastle following the return of Kevin Keegan.

Keegan has revealed privately that he has "a bottomless pit" of funds at his disposal to bolster his squad, thanks to billionaire owner Mike Ashley. But he'll have to act quickly, with just less than a fortnight remaining on the current transfer window.

However former Newcastle United manager (now LA Galaxy coach) Ruud Gullit isn't convinced Keegan can revive the club's fortunes. "He won't do it. It is not realistic," said the Dutchman. Gullit believes the Toon boss will struggle to make an impact in his second spell as manager, and claims "Newcastle are not a big club in the Premiership anymore".

Keegan himself admits he faces a long and difficult task to breath life back into the Magpies, and is aware of the high expectations of the Toon Army. It's been 53 years since the club last won a major domestic trophy (the FA Cup in 1955).

* Newcastle United FC: Official club website

It's been revealed the Labour-led government spent a whopping $47 million dollars on "spin doctors" over the last 5 years (to July '07). Government communications staff increased to a massive 448 workers (including 37 ministerial staff).

The Sunday Star-Times points out this is more new staff hirings than all the journos at TVNZ, Radio NZ, Sunday Star-Times, and the Dom Post put together! (And that's without including the many thousands of new "public servants" employed in the Capital at great expense by Labour over the last few terms.)

Gerry Brownlee, National's State Services spokesman, believes Labour is planning to use the massive publicity machine they've created in this year's re-election campaign. "This is an extraordinary expansion of the government's ability to deliver its message. This must make Labour the most spun government in history," he said.

The Electoral Finance Bill limits advertising by political parties and spending by "third parties", but puts no restrictions on communications spending by Government departments.

Labour's Duty Minister of the moment, Rick Barker, was too busy to be interviewed by the SST newspaper, getting one of his many "spokespeople" to respond for him.

Top of the list for spin-doctors was the Ministry of Social Development (under the wing of MP David Benson-Pope), with 54 communications staff and contractors. 159 people earn over $160,000 a year (just 6 people were paid that much in 2002), and 21 earn more than $200,000.(The SST notes that makes it bigger than Radio New Zealand's entire reporting staff). The organisation has tried to justify the large number, by pointing out that the Ministry is the "biggest government department, with 10,000 staff" (Ouch!?!)

Less surprising is that the biggest spender in pure financial terms was the Ministry of Education, which spent $6.6 million (with 70% on contractors).

National's Katherine Rich recently raised concerns about out of control salary spending at the Ministry of Education. As of last July, there were 46 employees earning more than $130,000 a year (just 13 were paid that much in 2002).
The number of staff earning between $110,000-$120,000 at the Ministry of Education also tripled over the same 3 year period, without any improvement in the country's education system.

Head of Journalism at Canterbury University, Jim Tully, said the number of PR staff was growing as newsrooms were shrinking. "The growth is indicative of a much greater determination to put the best possible spin and to influence the media generally," he said.

* Sunday Star Times: Spinning govt yarn costs $47m
* Scoop: MSD top-band salaries increase more than 546%
* Scoop: Labour 'most spun' Government ever

New York’s 7th Annual No Pants! Subway Ride (aka No Pants 2k8) was held last weekend, with similar events held in 8 US cities, including Boston, Chicago, Portland, and Washington DC... as well as in Toronto, Canada and Adelaide, Australia.

The annual "prank" is organised by NYC-based group Improv Everywhere, who are famous on the internet for their public improv stunts (Improv Everywhere's motto is "Chaos and Joy"!).

Group founder Charlie Todd encouraged riders to behave normally, and stick to the standard story that they'd "just forgotten their pants today".

Around 900 pant-less people took part in this year's event in NYC, spread across three subway lines...
And CNN's report on participants in Boston...


Unfortunately there's no subways in Dunedin, or I might be tempted to join in ;-) Maybe rail commuters in Auckland could join in the fun next year??

* Improv Everywhere - Official website

Here's a great viral advert about a bunch of college flatmates in the United States with a "Magic Fridge"... ;-)

Now if only the magic fridge offered a beer that was actually drinkable!... something like Speights, Amstel, or Oranjeboom perhaps?

Labour Finance Minister Michael Cullen has decided the best way to reduce his enormous surplus is to encourage more of New Zealand's taxpayers to move to Australia.

Late last year, a Bay of Plenty businessman John Middleton emailed Cullen a link to a news report noting that the number of people moving to Australia had hit a 19-year high.

Far from acknowledging the problem and suggesting possible solutions that the Labour-led minority coalition Government were considering, Dr Cullen's reply to Mr Middleton was simply to "Please join them".

Middleton sent his email the day after Labour and its cronies managed to get their "Electoral Finance Bill" passed into law. Cullen, a 'champagne socialist', made headlines just a few weeks earlier, for calling National Party leader John Key a "scumbag" and "rich prick" in Parliament.

National's Finance spokesman Bill English said the response shows Cullen doesn't have the interest or patience to find a solution to the problem of people moving to Australia.

"It's just a response that shows that he's given up caring... The trouble is that New Zealanders are leaving the country in plane loads, and Australians are coming here in kayaks."

* NZ Herald: Cullen tells emailer to join NZers in Aussie

The Darwin Awards for 2007 were recently announced, but it seems a few New Zealanders and Aussies are doing their best to get in early (albeit tragic) nominations for the 2008 awards...

1. The Dunedin man who gave his son and son's friends a "quick ride around the block" in the boot (ie. trunk) of his car. They were flung out of the (closed) boot when the car collided with another vehicle. The man's 11 year old son was thrown through a wooden fence and died at the scene.

2. A Dargaville man who was charged with "driving a lawn mower while drunk", after being stopped by Police on Monday night. 52 year old Richard Gunn was found to have a breath alcohol level of twice the legal limit for drivers. He admitted he'd been using the lawn mower to get around town since losing his driver's license.

3. The Australian teenager dubbed the "MySpace Party Boy" who will face court charges and a A$20,000 bill, following his self-organised "Best Party Ever". The story of Melbourne teen Corey Delaney has made headlines around the world, after Police battled over 500 unruly youths, many who had received invites via the internet site MySpace.com.

Over 30 officers were called to the Delaney's family home (his parents were on holiday in the Gold Coast), as well as a Police Helicopter and a dog squad.

Far from being repentant for hosting the wild party in his parent's absence, Delaney is enjoying the media spotlight. His fashion sense has been a major topic of discussion, and he refuses to be photographed or interviewed without his "famous" yellow-framed plastic sunglasses.


This interview is awesome... Leila McKinnon from Channel Nine's A Current Affair gets a bit flustered when some of Corey's responses don't go as she'd hoped... ;-)

* News.com.au: Aussie Party Boy Photo Gallery

* Hat tip: Whale Oil