Television reflects America's awful dilemma..

Posted 23rd May 2016 to the New York Times Newspaper.

 Daily Show Host Trevor Noah pointed out that any Healthy Society has the ability to change with the Times.
The United States seems to do change at a glacial rate. For example we are still fighting the cold war a phantom Soviet Union
We still act like it's 1900 and we have to show the World we are a serious power even though we now are the guardians of the World.

We still have not got are heads around Idea’s like Lead is not only a neuro-toxin to all Humans, but should not be fired into their bodies either! that food shouldn’t be laced with high doses of Sugar and Salt.
That just being born is not a ticket to a lucky wonderful life. That Nature is not our unpaid prostitute. That if we break a country we have to fix it. That sex is just part of our life cycle.
And despite the Hollywood propaganda our people are pretty darn fragile.. Our pact with our Government is we all work pay tax and in return they look out for us.

But do not work people to their death.

The USA as THE definitive Super Power involves every Human Everywhere,  that is the job at hand if you are not up to it...  Get out of the way if you can’t lend a hand!

Statistically only a small fraction of the population are dangerously brain damaged anti-social anti-Human “Mutants” they are the true terrorists, especially if they get into positions of power.
(Priority No. 1,  this should never happen)

That means our leaders must be flexible and one step ahead. ie: “The Price of Freedom is Eternal Vigilance” (and ability to Change).

Southland's Haast Higway problem of 2016

Posted 3rd of June 2016 to the Christchurch Press Newspaper Canterbury NZ

Dear Press gang:

The Haast - Holyford Highway rally went well in Te Anau... It really is the Donald Trump of Highways
It even has the same demographic support and charisma. “It will be BEAUTIFUL, so great, nobody make Highways like we do” “We will build it for the Chinese and make them Pay for it”.
“We will win SO many tourist we will get tired of winning... And tourists!” “We will make SO MUCH money we wont know where to invest it all” “Ngai Tahu and Queenstown will not use the Greenstone Valley Portion of the Road to steal Te Anau Tourists because WE will MAKE them behave” “Otago better not get any IDEAS because we can always put up a border fence” “We WILL make Southland Great again”. Also “We LOVE West Coasters”

Oh What a Parody.. to good to waste! too bad Regions in both regions affected are not swing voters but Solid National & Solid Labour and also Donald Trump lives in a different Country.

Haast Hollyford: The Trump Highway

Posted 24th May 2015 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ.

 We hear the Haast - Holyford Highway rally went well in Te Anau... It really is the Donald Trump of Highways
It even has the same demographic support and charisma. “It will be BEAUTIFUL, so great, nobody make Highways like we do” “We will build it for the Chinese and make them Pay for it”.
“We will win SO many tourist we will get tired of winning... And tourists!” “We will make SO much money we wont know where to invest it all” “Ngai Tahu and Queenstown will not use the Greenstone Valley Portion of the Road to steal Te Anau Tourists because WE will make them behave” “Otago better not get any IDEAS because we can always put up a border fence” “We WILL make Southland Great again”. “We LOVE West Coasters”

Oh What a Parody.. to good to waste!

Steve Almond on Politics on the Internet 2016

Posted 19th May 2016 to Radio New Zealand Afternoons Show & S F Chronicle Face Book Page

 (In Response to left Wing Manipulation of Face Book Comments / Steve Almond Interview)

Sometimes there are things we don’t ever want to know.. One is How many Vicious Angry Stupid American White men there are .
Donald Trump has now drove them out into the open for all to see..

On the other Side there are the Tech Savvy Young Liberals who are tired of the old guard of narcissists and hypocrites who think God is there
Social Media Provider.

These new young players are not taking this lunacy lying down.  They know this planet will be passed down to them and they don’t want it
to be trashed.

The Conservative forces still have the money and money buys Lawyers and those Lawyers can block material on youtube . I have noticed myself that liberal Comedy and Drama
have taken a hit to public access in that medium and Youtube supplies Video to Facebook..

The upshot is the USA is Clearly in need of Proportional Representation as having a two party system where one side is barking mad means no choice at all.
The Real Election Battle should be between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders who are more representative of the way the political divide use to be Last Century.
Hawkes vs Doves, not Hawkes vs Godzilla  
 

Tourism New Zealand to Stop Promoting Summer Tourism

Posted 13th of May 2016 to the Otago Daily Times Newspaper Dunedin NZ

 Reflecting on the recent statement from Tourism NZ, that they are going to stop promoting NZ except for the shoulder season and save Millions of Dollars in pointless advertising,
because it seems the Country is FULL UP in the high season due to the fact that we are a small country and we simply can’t take in mass volume Chinese tourists as well as the rest of the traditional visitors ...

I feel it the situation is similar to the American Indians asking when are the White Settlers going to Stop?  They asked if there will be any people left in the cities back East.. One European answered that they where as many Europeans to the east as there are Stars in the Sky.

If I was the Minister of Tourism I would seriously consider placing a TAX on every tourist arrival in the Peak Season to regulate the un-godly numbers and get some money in for Improving infrastructure. It is the Department of Conservation that is the key to rational Tourism Growth now.  It is just too ungainly for the NZ private sector to deal with.

The addition of too many low cost Airline Seats is largely to blame, with our cheap NZ Dollar... And for Imported underpaid Guest Workers sleeping 11 in a House!

I am not an expert on Government strategy but this just seems sloppy.

A Southlander's Bucket List - New Zealand

Posted 16th May 2016 to the Southland Times Newspaper Invercargill NZ

I see your writer Dave Nicoll wrote a piece on the Best Tourist Spots in the Southland Region last week
But there is also a Southland Bucket list of Interesting Places that any keen Southlander should have.
Here is my modest attempt.. The Southland Museum, The Richardson Transport Museum, Isas Sea Cave (Catlins) Golden Bay Stewart Island,
The Mavora Lakes, the Riverton Museum, Cosy Nook, Lake Hauroko, The Rowellan Totara, Giger’s Rock Garden on Mt Titiroa
Climb the Monument (Manapouri Hill) Cross the Percy Pass (missing link to Doubtful Sound) Visit the Lowest Point in the Manapouri Power Station.
Fly into Campbell’s Kingdom (Doubtful Sound) See the Twin Falls of the Aurora Cave System, Visit Glade House, Cross the McKinnon Pass,  See lake Alabaster
Land on Mt Tutoko’s Ice Field and Pack Ice lake (summer), Visit Gunn’s Camp, See Lake Marion, walk through the Homer Tunnel, Stand on the Key Summit, I could go on but I will run out of space.
But it would be good to leave some for others and some to be secrets..  like Dusky Sound & Preservation Inlet. 

Farewell Fiordland Advocate Newspaper 2016

Posted 7th May 2016 to the Southern Advocate Newspaper Te Anau Southland NZ

 It is sad to see the end of the Fiordland Advocate Newspaper, it was fun while it lasted having a
Te Anau Newspaper
Good luck to the Advocate South (technically South & West)   I can see the agricultural sector had a need for print media that the Southland tourism sector couldn’t match
which is a shame because Tourism has so much more “zing”  and the Advocate did a good job of showcasing our region to visitors perhaps in the Tourist Season the
Fiordland Advocate can come back with it’s more vibrant mast head as an “insert” just like the farming pages use to be in days past..

American Elections - Ugly Mood of 2016

Posted16th May 2016 to the 9 to Noon Program RNZ National

There is an ugly mood in the USA from the People who are not getting a fair shake from the System
But there is also a Dark mood from the People who have done well by it. As we know the SYSTEM loves winners and despises losers
But what if the luck runs out... The one time winners get angry and want to bust the place up... If Trump wants to make a deal with the US Voters
He is going to have to take a leaf out of the Sanders Doctrine and find out a way to make less losers and also Fix the Pending Environment Crunch
otherwise the house of Cards will tumble.. As Mr Sanders Pointed out the Status Quo is broken it is only held together by President Obama being a Miracle Worker.
 Tho' he will be out of it...

 

Future of the Media 2016 New Zealand

Posted 30th April 2016 to Jim Mora and the Panel Radio New Zealand

Jim, I think the old model of each regional center having its own Daily Paper dates back to the Dawn of News Media.

If we where to Start again, one National paper with regional supplements would suffice and its digital Version
Would be the subscription and paper version would be discounted with abbreviated stories.

Failing that a State Newspaper could be in order.. Based on the material from State Radio and Television
(if we bring back state television as we should)  to stop the Australian  & Offshore Media Barons interfering in our democracy.

It Really is simple, People want news not propaganda they have to pay for and the Internet Is the answer to Rupert Murdoch and his Cowboys.

Message to Donald Trump - New York Times

Posted 6th May 2016 to the New York Times Newspaper.

Dear NY Times:
From my perspective as an offshore American I would like to say...
Hey Donald Trump, now that you got all those unloved Republican lackeys out of the media spotlight.
Why not change tack and start attacking all the things that have gone wrong in America’s high places.

Don’t pick on Hillary who is a sweat old Grandmother in disguise or Bernie who is a loved elderly statesman
and Venerable Gentleman.

There are People Bigger and Uglier that the people you faced so far to deal with that are not running for office.
You know, the ones that play with our people & our money for profit instead of building with it.

You know them Donald, yet you are not one of them as you do not hide in the shadows.  They seem a bit scared now.
Better be careful. 

 

Queenstown Housing Crisis 2016

Posted 4th May 2016 to the Mountain Scene Newspaper Queenstown NZ

I feel sorry for Queenstown .
I lived there in 1971 and it was a truly wonderful place.
A sleepy old Gold-rush Town where Otago & Southland Families could afford to have a small "Batch" to hang out in their Holidays.
Life was run at a slow but steady pace and it seemed like it would go on forever. Today we have a Government that only values Money and Selling things to the highest bidder
As the recent Flag Debate shows many Kiwis now are rich global citizens with no nostalgia for what we use to call New Zealand and I am afraid they are “Terri-forming” Queenstown
Into a International enclave apart from the rest of the Nation State we live in. a Kind of second Auckland fueled by speculators and their minions who play with money as their work.

No “Physical” workers can keep up, the game is so rigged now you can only fail. It’s a Gold-rush with no gold !  Something American Voters have just discovered...

Hollywood Film Crews in New Zealand

Posted 4th May 2016 to the Advocate South Newspaper Te Anau NZ

 I must say as a follower of both Science Fiction and Local History I found the disrespect to our local media by Film crews has been confusing..
Since Peter Jackson Hit Te Anau in the early 2000s Film Crews have been acting like they are “Special Ops” for the CIA.
Even the Duel Survival TV crew that Filmed a silly bugger Survival Episode up the North Arm of Manapouri where making every one they talked to sign secrecy agreements
that turned out to be non binding bits of Xeroxed scrap paper put out, it seems, for their own ego gratification.

I think, not letting the Local media on the sets for the sake of recording of History is in-fact arrogant type behavior with no real commercial context.
It could even be seen as trying to cover up potential wrong doing for Studio Lawyers .

As for Ridley Scott, he now works to the Hollywood formula as his last film attests there are no secrets worth stealing from the discount DVD bin of history.
Where even the great Peter Jackson eventually ends up.