Posts by Kyle Matthews
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Something I have yet to hear information on (and I've heard a lot of the same crap repeated over and over in the media in the past few weeks) is if Eden Park is upgraded, who this would affect the sports that are played there.
That is, if the waterfront option went ahead, presumably rugby and cricket etc could continue at Eden Park until the new stadium opened.
If Eden Park were upgraded, would there be times the ground would be unavailable, or major parts of the grandstand unavailable at times it was needed?
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BTW stadia with lids generally have real trouble growing grass and are only usually used when the climate is so aweful that you can't have an open roof. Auckland just doesn't have weather that bad so it's probably best to have an open roof. Dunedin on the other hand would benefit from a roof.
OK, I grew up in Auckland, but saw the light, so I can't let that slide. From NIWA:
"Christchurch was easily the driest of the four main centres with 450 mm and Auckland the wettest with 1112 mm. Wellington received 975 mm and Dunedin 647 mm."
Auckland has terrible weather, and a roof would be exactly what's needed there. The roof only gets closed at game time, it's not a permanent ceiling.
Nyer.
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Personally I'm starting to suffer from 'Auckland news is national news overload'. I'm fully in favour of this thing being a national stadium for big important events which require a really big stadium, which we can't have in every city. I'm happy that a few of my (Dunedin) tax dollars go to it. I don't particularly care which of the umpteen options mentioned are done, but the waterfront seems more logical to me in terms of being away from suburbia, and having something a bit different, larger, to stand out, and be near public transport.
But like BarnacleBarnes above I'm amazed that a gazillion dollars is going to be spent on a very pretty and large stadium, and there's no room in that budget for a roof. They're looking at relocating Carisbrook, 32,000 seats, all whizz-bang, a roof on top, and it's going to cost less than a third ($180 million) the amount this new stadium is going to cost. Are we seriously going to have our new national stadium for the next 50 years or so, with cricket matches wrecked due to light rain, and rugby matches turning into swimming matches? Two years after it's built everyone is going to be bitching about how they should have put a roof on it, and how Carisbrook now leads the way and every stadium should have a roof etc etc etc.
And if Auckland news producers could stop putting it on the national TV news every night. Just build the fucker. Enough already.
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Development? The US Govt and citizens provide more aid and development money than any most other countries combined. USAID spends billions and billions every year. Have you heard of the Gates foundation? Spending billions in aid and development all over the world.
"[Americans] are regularly told by politicians and the media, that America is the world's most generous nation. This is one of the most conventional pieces of 'knowledgeable ignorance'. According to the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the US gave between $6 and $15 billion in foreign aid in the period between 1995 and 1999. In absolute terms, Japan gives more than the US, between $9 and $15 billion in the same period... Apart from being the least generous nation, the US is highly selective in who receives its aid. Over 50% of its aid budget is spent on middle-income countries in the Middle East, with Israel being the recipient of the largest single share"
"Why do people hate America?" by Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies, 2002. p79
"The most generous countries are also the ones that do not tend to tie aid to their own products and services. The stingiest countries also, almost spitefully and nastily, force countries to buy their own services and products with the aid they give; which reduces free trade and commerce and harms the countries economy, as well as being simply selfish and conceited. Thankfully, many countries do not tie their aid. Countries that tie less than 10% of aid include Ireland, Norway and the UK, then Belgium, Finland, Switzerland and Sweden. The USA is the worst, and ties nearly 90% of its aid to developing countries. Italy is the second worst with 70%. The two worst countries for this obnoxious practice in aid-giving are also the two countries out of the most developed countries, who give least generously!"
"Which Countries Set the Best Examples? A Comparison of Global Aid", by Vexen Crabtree, 2005
Personally I'm not sure if giving Israel (Israel got 12.5% of USA foreign aid) money, which it then (has to, quite happily no doubt) use to buy American munitions, warplanes, missiles, should really be counted as 'aid'. More, 'continuing to ongoing mess that is the Middle East'. Not exactly keeping starving orphans alive is it?
The claim that the USA puts out more aid than 'any most other countries combined': Check http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/40/3/35389786.pdf. USA $18,999 million in 2004, out of a total OECD amount of $78,568 million. That's 24%. As a per of Gross National Income USA contributes 0.16%, compared to the international average of 0.42%, and the UN target of 0.7%.
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I'd be curious to see percentage stats on DC vs GF kicking records. I remember GF as this methodical machine, who never seemed to have a bad game - he consistently kicked at 90% Carter is certainly capable of that, and better, but occasionally has off games where he drops down to 'human'. Google hasn't led me to any percentage stats though.
Certainly on the distance though, he's got a dozen metres or so on Fox.
There's a rugby generation between the two really. Fox used sand, which I would imagine is a little harder than a tee. Carter uses basically the same style as Fox (ball upright but leaning forward), but this was relatively new when Fox was one of the pioneers of it - Fox was breaking new ground a little.
And neither of them look as much as a dork as Wilkinson, praying that the ball will go over!
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In terms of biggest disaster to hit the All Blacks come World Cup, it would have to be Daniel Carter.
We'd lose a little if we lost McCaw, but lets face facts, we've got world class open side flankers coming out our ears here in NZ. Marty Holah would walk into most top sides in world rugby, yet he's currently struggling to make the All Black squad here. Blackie, Masoe, there's a bunch of people who'd slot in fine in a world cup final.
The key position in rugby is the goal kicking first five. We've got good replacements, but Carter is the player that doesn't just turn a play, he turns a whole match, and even a whole competition on its head. He was good against England in a man-of-the-match performance, but he just about raised international rugby to new levels against the Lions.
He kicks as well as Grant Fox, he runs as well as Kirwan, he defends like Frank Bunce, and he's only been in his current position for what... 2 years? Assuming no disasters he'll smash all point scoring records, try scoring records for first fives etc during his career, and I think in rugby he'll be looked back on as significant as Jordan in basketball, Bradman in cricket, Gretzky in ice hockey.
Rugby is a team game, and the best team will win the world cup. The closest thing to breaking that rule is Daniel Carter.
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I think problems with Ihug in terms of customer support and their help desk etc are fairly well known. If people ask me what ISP I use, I say ihug, who are fine, as long as you never need help. I've told my parents to go elsewhere on the basis that they're the sort of people that would need support, and half hour holds on support calls won't work for them.
I've stuck with ihug however because I find that largely their system works, very little down time, and they've always been a market leader, and I hope they continue to do so. I'd like to switch to their home phone line and abandon telecom, but I never make toll calls so it's not financially worth it.
I never had any problems that I noticed with ihug emails being delayed or going missing, but I don't really do that much email at home. The only way I could tell that things were haywire is that my spam mail count went up a couple of hundred percent (perhaps 10 a day after the ihug filter knocked out god knows how many).
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I can't comment on private purchases, though I haven'talways heard the best things about MagnumMac. As a business purchaser of macs, Renaissance have only ever been great to deal with. We get systems within a couple of days, good client service, any problems stuff is replaced real quick, no problems getting samples or demonstration models for a play.
So there's your answer, set yourself up as a business and go straight to the wholesaler.
And there's no requirement to get your servicing done my MagnumMac either. Any apple certified person can service any Mac computer, regardless of where you bought it. http://www.apple.co.nz/wheretobuy/asp_list.php has a complete list. If you don't get satisfaction from one, try another until you find one that you like and stick with them.
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There was a wonderful moment on that show, which I can't find online, but which gave me much joy later in life as a student activist.
Lockwood asked a question, along the lines of 'what is a name for any living creature beginning with O'. The poor girl replied 'orgasm' instead of 'organism'.
And Lockwood Smith simply said: 'Correct'.
A truly great moment in NZ TV.
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For 'news' - stuff.co.nz/. Even with all its holes, I don't bother picking up a paper most days of the week now.
For comment - certainly publicaddress.net.
But for most impact, certainly trademe.co.nz. I just need to log onto my online banking to see just how bad it has been for me!