Posts by Russell Brown
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OnPoint: On Price Gouging, in reply to Matthew Poole,
I think Russell’s comment was a directly sarcastic response to discussions about how the market is failing to work in Christchurch because if it were functioning rationally petrol would be $4/L.
Quite. But Dismal makes a useful point. This is the market working in the real world – where goodwill is important to future profits – just not “rationally” as we’ve been invited to believe.
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Hard News: Mind Blending, in reply to JackElder,
Actually, my normal MO is to turn up about four hours after everything has started, by which point most participants are so rollocked they later have no memory of meeting me.
When exactly did this happen? Oh, wait ...
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Hard News: Mind Blending, in reply to JackElder,
As in, if I turn up at 7pm, will I be brusquely turned away at the door as the keynote has already started?
The programme will kick off about 7pm, and there's no way you'll be turned away whenever.
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Hard News: Mind Blending, in reply to Jen Hay,
Absolutely amazing. Thanks Orcon and thanks Russell!
It’s brilliant to have something fabulous to look forward to.Is David home yet? We took him to Pastis after the Media7 recording, with the Gracewoods and Bart, but refused to let him pay on the basis that people without a functioning house aren’t allowed to pay. Sorry, but rules are rules.
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I'd just like to note here that one of the things we've been struggling to do with the Wellington OGB is stretch the budget to cover flights and accommodation for David and Emma and their families.
I was prepared to stand the cost personally, but Quentin at Orcon has come back with some more money to cover it.
That's so fucking cool.
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Surprised no one's cited this:
Petrol and diesel prices are on the up - but not in Christchurch.
BP and Mobil have increased petrol and diesel by 5 cents a litre, Caltex has increased 91 octane by 6 cents a litre, and Shell will introduce its increase tonight.
However, reacting to last week's devastating 6.3 earthquake in Christchurch, Caltex has only raised prices in the North Island and BP, Mobil and Shell will not increase Christchurch's petrol prices.
The increase means, on average, 91 unleaded at BP Connect sites would cost 207.9c outside the quake-hit city.
AA PetrolWatch spokesman Mark Stockdale said it was a very commendable gesture from the oil companies to exclude Christchurch from the raise.
"I don't think the people of Christchurch need to worry about the price going up any time soon," he told NZPA.
How terribly irrational.
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Hard News: The First Draft, in reply to Andre Alessi,
I do seem to remember Mikey Havoc gave Ken Ring a bit of air time back in the day (during his first stint on Drive, I think?)
On Breakfast, for several years, iirc. Drove me nuts. But even then, Ring was a very slick entertainer.
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OnPoint: On Price Gouging, in reply to Ben Winters,
Fine. The other way, as Crampton suggests, is to leave prices where they are but have the government add a $2 surcharge to petrol, and spend the money raised on earthquake relief.
To solve the problem of a brief (and possibly non-existent and probably irrational) shortage in which selection was already being managed by queuing and vendor rationing? Seriously?
I'm staggered by your willingness to conjure the intervention of the state to help the invisible hand of the market. You and Eric seem much more wedded to your theories than to actual life.
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Hard News: The First Draft, in reply to B Jones,
Judging by the Twitter response to the Ring interview, and the apparent pressure placed on TV3 to cover the issue in the first place, I don’t blame the journalists. I think that they’re being led by a credulous wider public. I’m not quite sure where that credulity comes from
My guess is that it has been influenced by the emotional climate around the earthquake. I can't think of any other explanation.
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Hard News: The First Draft, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
And may I say, Russell, you’ve been doing sterling work at staying calm and reasoned in the face of either Olympic-standard obtuseness or downright stupidity.
As have you. I tend to pride myself on knowing that it's just-another-discussion-thread, but I've actually been struggling a bit with that one, in part because it's just so depressing.