Hard News: A few (more) words on The Hobbit
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giovanni tiso, in reply to
The really big RWC money is being spent on infrastructure, and that that will take years to pay back
Or be paid back, as the case may be. I'm looking at you, Dunedin.
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Also, this Covec report on the economic impact of the 2005 Lions tour.
Impact on New Zealand
The Lions Series generated a large amount of international and domestic visitor activity in New Zealand. It is not valid to include activity generated by domestic travellers in a national economic impact assessment, so the national impact focuses solely on the economic impacts generated by international visitors to New Zealand.
The Lions Series generated additional foreign exchange earnings of $131.0m which flowed through the New Zealand economy and generated a total GDP impact of $135.2m (including indirect and induced effects). This GDP would not have existed in the absence of the Lions Series. This is a very substantial impact, especially given the relatively short period of time it was generated in ...
The additional GDP of $135.2m supported the equivalent of 2,715 full time employees for one year (including indirect and induced effects). This employment impact would not have existed in the absence of the Lions Series.
The overall economic activity generated, including domestic travel etc, was somewhat greater than that, of course.
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
FF was very much Murray Ball’s movie, he was pretty energetic and hands-on in his involvement. For example, animators who’d learned the technique of lip-synch on the likes of Scooby Doo were told that an NZ cocky would consider it uncool to ever open his mouth that wide.
Dog was the only character that naturally leant himself to being animated. While it was probably something of a technical triumph that the movie worked as well as it did in its day, there’s no excusing the horror of Cheeky Hobson.
BTW the Lions featured in Footrot Flats, but only because the Springboks were politically unacceptable.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
Or be paid back, as the case may be. I’m looking at you, Dunedin.
Yeah, will they ever manage to pay for their stadium? But in Auckand the RWC has also provided a significant impetus for investment in transport infrastructure, which is good.
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Yes, I'm kind of bemused at the sour-puss-ness surrounding the impending RWC. If I'm bitter about anything, it's that we didn't put in harder. But it's still going to happen, and be a huge event, probably the biggest that NZ has ever seen. Auckland is going to be flooded with foreigners in a party mood. I'm actually looking forward to that. I won't make a cent from it, but it seems cool all the same. I'd like those foreigners to come away with positive experiences to speak of. It's a matter of pride far more than a matter of economics.
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Auckland is going to be flooded with foreigners in a party mood. I’m actually looking forward to that.
Me too!
I really liked having the Lions fans around, and this will be bigger than that.
I won’t make a cent from it, but it seems cool all the same. I’d like those foreigners to come away with positive experiences to speak of. It’s a matter of pride far more than a matter of economics.
It's actually nice to see someone say that.
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BenWilson, in reply to
It's actually nice to see someone say that.
Is it really that rare a position? I hope not.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Yes, I'm kind of bemused at the sour-puss-ness surrounding the impending RWC.
As a citizen and tax-payer, I reserve the right to keep being bitter about crap like the "clean venue" legislation -- because I just don't think it's a proper function of government to be providing income protection/corporate welfare for sporting events.
Otherwise, the Rugby World Cup isn't my cup of tea but it's happening. Mi casa, su casa. Have a nice time, try not make too much noise and if you piss on my rug I won't be a Lebowski about it.
Unfortunately, the planned holiday during the height of the RWC has fallen through because Veolia Transport's approach to leave requests for the duration are (basically) "don't even ask, as a refusal may offend". (There's also been some very clear hints that any spike in sick leave may well be injurious to your continued employment.)
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because I just don't think it's a proper function of government to be providing income protection/corporate welfare for sporting events.
Perhaps not in general, but there are exceptions to that. I also don't think it's the business of government to bail out banks and airlines, but sometimes you have to. Banks failing can screw the entire economy. Airlines going bust in a country where there's really only one local option, is not an option. And getting involved in a massive event like the RWC is also justifiable on many levels.
At the very least I don't want to be ashamed of coming from a nation that to all appearances seems to obsess about rugby, and yet won't go an extra mile in promoting the sport and the country when push comes to shove. It seems ridiculously mean to me, and I don't even particularly like the sport - certainly I never played it, and I can't be arsed to watch anyone other than the All Blacks play.
Maybe that's unjustifiable pride, and it would be better if we just let the world know that actually NZers have very mixed feelings about it all, and are only doing it for the money. If that's really how it is, then maybe it's better the world knows that. But I'm still ashamed, if that is the case.
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Sacha, in reply to
And getting involved in a massive event like the RWC is also justifiable on many levels.
Also the small matter of our bid only succeeding because of visible govt backing - especially after the previous debacle with the Australian joint effort.
But I share some disquiet that the events industry (and fecking cruise ship compaines) feel that taxpayers owe them a level of public subsidy well beyond what other revenue earners like software get. Build your own bloody terminal or stadium..
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Ben Wilson - I was pointing out that 'babyboomers' are a very diverse generation of people, with a range of differing experiences, and making a fatuous comment that a certain period - "early 20th century rural life" or some such- on film, makes us gooey and sentimental - is inviting a tart retort.
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I read Ben's point as that younger generations had little of that particular rural experience to feel nostalgic about. Can't disagree, though the boomer term seems to be becoming a bit of a red rag.
Most of what we say here are generalisations so I guess it helps when you've sussed out that someone's intent is genuine during other conversations or by meeting them elsewhere.
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BenWilson, in reply to
is inviting a tart retort.
I presumed as much, and deleted in it's entirety a lengthy parse of your personal attack. But I still think that when rural memes appear in NZ film (and literature), they are not appealing to youth. Which does not make them bad, but limited their interest to me in my youth, and gives me pause about considering my tastes to be something worth promoting to today's youth. I've lived my whole life being determined that I would not forget what it is to be young, and one of the things I remember most strongly from that time was that older people had disdain for just about everything I liked. The feeling became mutual real fast.
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Can't disagree, though the boomer term seems to be becoming a bit of a red rag
Yes, fair enough, I was careless. Mustn't insult the oldies, the flipside of getting old is becoming aware of just how annoying it is to realize that young people will ignore almost everything we say.
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
I’d assumed that Ben was referring to that slew of Ronald Hugh Morrieson movies that were all the go in the 80s, though I rather wondered if he’d be old enough to remember them.
It does rather suck to be frog-marched down someone else’s memory lane, but surely we can do better than the lame language of marketing. Coffin-stuffers, ambulance bait, no problem, don’t hold back. Anything’s better than coming across like a brain-dead spokesperson for a generation of telemarketers.
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Then I felt guilty for being disloyal and mentally sang a rousing round of 'What's The Time Mr Wolf?
Four legs good, Mr Wolf,
two legs bad,
Four legs good, Mr Wolf,
Oh, oh-oh -
Sacha, in reply to
determined that I would not forget what it is to be young
That's the problem though - what it *was* like to be young is not the same as what it is now. Paying attention to current evidence is handy (including anything you can glean from actual young people) but not easy. Sometimes the results are not what we'd expect - like the World Internet Project survey that Russell mentioned recently.
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Sacha, in reply to
the boomer term seems to be becoming a bit of a red rag
Bernard Hickey is probably not helping - see comments.
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a tart retort
[Sits on hands]
Didn't miss out by many years, and have a boomer sibling. She's a cracker, too.
[Boom, eh?]
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BenWilson, in reply to
That's the problem though - what it *was* like to be young is not the same as what it is now.
Yes, it's hard. Probably impossible to get it exact, but it's still something to aim for.
Bernard Hickey is probably not helping - see comments.
Yes, I think blaming the whole modern condition on baby boomers goes way too far. They're as much victims of the times as anyone else. It's them who will need the health care and pensions that can't be afforded, and a likely scenario is that they will miss out, despite having funded such things for their own elders during most of their lives.
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Yes, I’m kind of bemused at the sour-puss-ness surrounding the impending RWC.
I am actually dreading the whole thing, and I *like* rugby. For some reason I just can't bear the thought of my small but perfectly formed collection of holier-than-thou friends rabbiting on about how much they hope New Zealand loses and how stupid everyone is for caring. I think I might have to hide myself in a bunker for the duration. (Or go down to the dairy and buy a can of Harden Up. If they sell it in the massive quantities required, that is.)
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We know. It's still OK for people to enjoy something which isn't popular worldwide, I take it?
I'm happy for people to enjoy anything they like, each to their own. I question why my dollars have to pay for their enjoyment.
My point, which I thought was obvious, is that the worldwide impact of hosting a rugby game is much exaggerated. A majority of our tourist base (Aussies, Brits, continental Europeans, North Americans) are not interested in rugby, and are unlikely to be attracted by the World Cup.
And your point is what exactly?
Yup, the popular passive-aggressive bullying tactic comes out. Refuse to get a bleeding obvious point and try to make the commenter look stupid. Not going to bother responding, read the comment again.
The sour and negative view that it’ll all suck balls seems to be one peculiar to New Zealand.
There is increasing grass-roots opposition to Big Sport worldwide. In vancouver, there were anti-olympic riots. There's also substatial opposition to the London 2012 olympics, centred in the areas that are being 'regenerated'.
Not everyone is drinking the feelgood Kool-Aid.
hip operations
Did I mention healthcare - I did not. On education, It's fairly clear that if we had a better educated population translates into long term economic success. Right now, we're being told that the public cash isn't available for that goal - both at the early childhood end, where hours are being cut and at the tertiary end, where access is being artificially limited.
quite a lot of research
I'm not convinced by those references. Sure, if you subsidise an industry enough, whether it's sport, car making or arms manufacture, you create jobs. It's questionable as to whether those are new jobs or whether people are simply diverted into working in the subsidised areas.
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andin, in reply to
Mustn’t insult the oldies,
Hey do your best!
The BB's come in all varieties of mental makeup, as any generation/people do. Just pick your target, may sure its the right one and fire away. And make sure there is more to your insult that the accident of their birth date.
And that's enough weapon imagery for me. -
Rich, I had no idea what your point was either - it basically seemed like rain-on-your-parade-ism - so I don't think that was meant to be a 'passive-aggressive bullying tactic' on Russell's part.
Not everyone is drinking the feelgood Kool-Aid.
Hardly anyone is, apparently. I'd love to be able to myself, but I seem to have had my martini glass blocked by a giant wagging finger.
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BenWilson, in reply to
For some reason I just can't bear the thought of my small but perfectly formed collection of holier-than-thou friends rabbiting on about how much they hope New Zealand loses and how stupid everyone is for caring.
Yes! Totally. I don't really care that much but I'd rather we won, and more importantly, I would like the whole tournament to go well, for there to be great matches between all teams, upsets, courageous performances, new stars, friendships made, cultures experienced, goods purchased in massive quantities, sold-out stadiums, infrastructure that doesn't collapse, parties that never stop, heated debates, a feeling of excitement that drags even the most dour stay-at-home out to stick their hands in the air.
It's a lot to ask, but I urge you to get a whole slab of that Harden Up. Oh, and send a tanker of it to the All Blacks.
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