It appears that Carlaw Park stadium ain't dead yet. There's a BOOT proposal pending from private interests. I still have my doubts about available space, especially for egress, but the idea of spending $400 million on Eden Park is such a stinker that I'm very happy to listen to the arguments.
But this bit doesn't impress me:
Mr Parrant says they already have the drawings of what would be a 40 thousand seat stadium, with 20 thousand removable seats.
So the permanent stadium would be smaller than Eden Park? Think again, chaps. That doesn't make much sense.
So New Zealand would lose the entire tournament if the government banned Fiji from playing in the Wellington sevens? Really? Could we hear that from the IRB itself?
That TVNZ general manager of commissioning and production Tony Holden has a huge chip on his shoulder about independent production companies isn't news to anyone with any awareness of the industry. But you'd think he'd be able to keep a lid on it at the Spada dinner. Apparently, he couldn't.
Paul Krugman's They Told You So is a good read.
Who knew? The first time the Velvet Underground tried to present a debut album to a record company, the record started not with the tinkly tune of 'Sunday Morning', but the dissonant 'European Son'. Not surprisingly, the company, Columbia, rejected the album. The original acetate - one of two in existence - turned up in a flea market in 2002. It has just sold for $155,401 at auction.
PS: Best get your entry in for our Flying Nun Moments competition, because I'll declare a winner some time this week. That winner gets a copy of the limited edition Flying Nun anniversary 4CD box set, valued at $150, and we'll chuck around a few Little Brother t-shirts too.