Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: If you can't say something nice ...

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  • Don Christie,

    even if she was to some extent fronting the policy opinions of MED lawyers.

    Last week, at an MED "workshop" on ACTA and other IP crimes I was totally when in the same breath an MED official spoke about terrorists, arms traders, organised drug traders and... digital copyright piracy. I am still trying to think about how to best write up one of the most disappointing afternoons I have spent in many a year.

    Really, what hope did Tizard have in the face of this kind of policy "analysis".

    Like Russell, I wish her all the best.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Last week, at an MED "workshop" on ACTA and other IP crimes I was totally when in the same breath an MED official spoke about terrorists, arms traders, organised drug traders and... digital copyright piracy.

    I'd have asked to sniff his breath, but I guess you'd need to be a little more diplomatic. I'm as hard-arsed as anyone when it comes to intellectual property and copyright law (considering what I do for a living, it's entirely in my own self-interest to be so), but how about framing the debate in proportion?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Mark Harris,

    I'd have asked to sniff his breath, but I guess you'd need to be a little more diplomatic. I'm as hard-arsed as anyone when it comes to intellectual property and copyright law (considering what I do for a living, it's entirely in my own self-interest to be so), but how about framing the debate in proportion?

    I liked the way the official went puce when I started questioning his evidence and he finally said "Well, you can't prove it one way or the other" which kind of made my case, really.

    I'm probably a little more jaded than Don as to the disappointment - I spent too many years fronting the same sort of "workshops" to be too surprised at what the officials were saying. I was surprised at how blunt they were being, but it was generally a sympathetic audience of "rights holders" and/or their representatives. The officials reiterated that ACTA is about large scale commercial piracy, not what's on your iPod, which says that all the countries are singing from the same songbook, in as much as any of them are opening their mouths. But let's see what's in the text.

    The most interesting point was a general belief that the agreement won't be be completed before mid-2009 at the most optimistic, unless the US pull a swifty next month and produce a finished draft so that they can get it signed before Bush leaves office (that's my take, not MED's BTW) and the official said he wouldn't be surprised if they were still talking about it this time next year.

    Hopefully, I'll have time to blog about it this weekend.

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Really, what hope did Tizard have in the face of this kind of policy "analysis".

    Well, when poet Archibald Macleish became the Librarian of Congress in 1939, he was brought a stack of papers to sign on his first day. When he promptly announced he wouldn’t do any such thing until he understood what they were all about. When he did understand, he started making objections and countersuggestions. And somehow, he managed to oversee a major (and desperately overdue) reorganisation during the Second World War when the Library of Congress was even less of a priority for funding than usual.

    Funny what you can get done when you keep the bullshit detector well-tuned. Churchill once said of a colleague that he resembled a cushion because he always "bore the impress of the last man who sat on him." That's an occupation hazzard for ministers of all stripes, but surely the job of officials is to offer free and frank advice which the legislature and executive is under no obligation to follow?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Rich Lock,

    And who knows, C4 might actually pull digit and we'll get to see at least the first half of season four before the DVDs come out here.

    And thanks to the writers strike and a very long mid-season hiatus, they're not being released in the US until the middle of January.

    Hold on, I'm a little confused - You're talking about BSG, not Dr Who, right? you're saying BSG Season 4 isn't available on DVD in the US yet?

    But you can buy seasons 1-4 as a box set on UK Amazon. Or season 4 separately. And the season 3-4 one-off bridging specialRazor.

    Am I missing something, or did I just blow your Christmas budget?

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Hold on, I'm a little confused - You're talking about BSG, not Dr Who, right? you're saying BSG Season 4 isn't available on DVD in the US yet?

    As far as I'm aware the first half of season four isn't available in the US until January 6, a few weeks before the final ten episode start screening on the SciFi channel in the States, and Sky One in the UK. If accurate, I'm rather surprised that season 4.0 was released in the UK three months ahead of the US, but even so I'm not going to pay the equivalent of a full-season box (and swallow the exchange rate and postage) for ten episodes. I don't know why they do this, except to screw fans a little harder.

    And I've certainly been exerting a hitherto unsuspected degree of self-discipline to avoid the individual discs of series four of Doctor Who -- because, oddly enough, the box set arrives just in time for Christmas, is loaded with tasty extras (and the Beeb do really make an effort to give patient and fiscally irresponsible Whovians good fan service), and even works out very slightly cheaper.

    Am I missing something, or did I just blow your Christmas budget?

    At this rate, we're going to be watching DVDs and eating cat food on Christmas Day. :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Craig - R4 (& R2) has gotten every season on BSG before R1. It just means we miss out on the special features.

    Part 1 of season 4 of BSG will be released in New Zealand on 17 December - SRP $39.95.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Out geeked! Damn your eyes, Beagle. It looks like Christmas dinner has just been downsized to one tin of cat food. And that's going to have to last until New Year's Eve. :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Out geeked!

    But not BSG (or more general sci-fi) geekiness.

    DVD geekiness.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report

  • Mark Harris,

    Geek is as geek does...

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    And they shall inherit the earth.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • andrew llewellyn,

    Or bear gifts, or something.

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report

  • Mark Harris,

    Can't I just inherit the gifts?

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    Or bear gifts

    Fresh fish? Honey?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Mark Harris,

    Allergic to fish, so it will have to be the honey

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    "bear gifts"?
    I'll withstand them if I have to..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca,

    I'd like to add something nice. Go Greens!

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Go special voters!

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • tussock,

    So, if a recount from here was to find National losing 22 votes while Labour gained the same, the last MP would switch to Labour. It's between Paul Quinn and Judith Tizard, to bring the thread back on topic.


    A one in fourty thousand shift is surely worth asking for a nationwide recount, one vote per two electorates. Even though Nat-Act still have 62 of 122 afterward.

    And we're *still* stuck with 49.45% of the vote being a majority in the house, but it is a step up from the high 30's they were getting in on previously.

    Doing away with the threashold is clearly to order; 1.4 first divisor.

    Nat 55.
    Lab 42.
    Grn 8.
    NZF 5.
    ACT 5.
    Māo 3+2.
    Pro 1
    Uni 1

    Nat, ACT, and United (of course he's united, there's only one of him) would have 61/122. Endless fun.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report

  • Barbara,

    I may be mistaken, but I thought it would be Damien O'Connor ahead of Judith Tizard, he is a place higher on the list.

    Sandringham • Since Mar 2008 • 33 posts Report

  • tussock,

    Oh, quite right Barbara. My mistake.

    Since Nov 2006 • 611 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    A one in fourty thousand shift is surely worth asking for a nationwide recount, one vote per two electorates. Even though Nat-Act still have 62 of 122 afterward.

    I'm sure Mr. L. Beagle will correct me in a matter of seconds, but couldn't every Labour electorate candidate request a recount? But I'm not so sure it is worth it -- there does come a point where you do have to say 'close but not quite close enough', and would Labour really want to get stuck with the perception (probably unfair) that they're casting aspersions on the competence of the electoral officials, or even the validity of the votes cast by citizens? With all due respect to Mr. O'Connor, if I was in Phil Goff's position I wouldn't consider getting his arse back on the backbenches worth the effort or the potential blowback. Especially when, as you point out, it doesn't really make any difference.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    God bless MMP. This is the first time ever the candidate I voted for got into Parliment.
    The last man in, what an entrance, Kennedy Graham Greens & Ilam. OK he's not my electorate MP but I don't care, very happy with the result.

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report

  • robbery,

    and would Labour really want to get stuck with the perception (probably unfair) that they're casting aspersions on the competence of the electoral officials,

    I don't like that 'keep your mouth shut' line of argument.
    look at America. they used that line successfully in two very dubious elections, and there was very apparent and good cause to question the legitimacy of what was going on. Not saying that that level of shadowy dealings is anywhere near going on in NZ but "please don't check the system cos it'll make people feel bad" is no good reason at all.
    If your "process" can't hold its head up to open questioning (and dispel all questions put to it), and operate in a completely transparent way then its time to change the "process", not that that's what's going on in nz of course.

    new zealand • Since May 2007 • 1882 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia,

    I don't like that 'keep your mouth shut' line of argument.

    Neither do I, Rob, which is why I didn't say anything that silly. If I was Damien O'Connor (or Cam Cameron who is out of Parliament on the specials) I'd be gutted. And just quietly, I'm pretty sure there were plenty of well-bitten fingernails on both sides in New Plymouth -- where Jonathan Young ended up with a final majority of 105, but I understand Labour has no intention of launching an electoral petition.

    But practically, do you really think Labour really wants to expend the considerable time and money required (and risk a public backlash) to go on a less than certain hunt for enough votes to put Damien O'Connor back in the House? As I said, I think there comes a point where you've just got to say the electoral officials did their job -- with all the checks and balances involved --, unless there's pretty clear evidence to the contrary. And losing a race by a thousandth of a second is still a loss.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

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