(The MediaCounsel website needs a bit less magic and more content. I do like the staff page, but can see why you are still not up there - not exactly easily maintainable.)

I do think the Trade Me Success Secrets blog has potential, but it’s a long road ahead while the million members slowly discover the joy of reading blogs.

It’s been a whirlwind month, and minor details such as updating my LinkedIn profile took a bit of a back seat. However, duly prompted by your blog entry, I’ve now amended it accordingly and you can check it out at http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarney.

Anyway, for those who care about such things: I moved two weeks ago to take up the position of Strategic Planning Director at The Media Counsel (see http://wwww.mediacounsel.co.nz for company details, though you won’t find me there yet).

As soon as I arrived at The Media Counsel, I immediately launched a blog, as you do, at http://mediacounsel.wordpress.com, which now has a couple of weeks worth of entries (but no promotion as yet). And yes, a monthly newsletter is also on its way — should be out next week. Those already on my mailing list will receive a copy of this newest edition, at which point you can decide whether to remain subscribed or otherwise.

The Trade Me Success Secrets blog? Well, that has rather slipped into disrepair — I’ve been putting the effort into my TMSS newsletter instead, in and around the other demands on my time. At this point, I’m not sure what I’ll do with that blog — it doesn’t really repay the time and effort involved, and I have a few other projects I want to drive this year.

Thanks for your interest, Lance — ’tis an interesting environment, this blogosphere thingy!

Knowing your tallness I can understand why business class Air New Zealand would be appealing.

I recently travelled Auckland - London via Hong Kong on Air New Zealand, first leg premier economy and second leg business class. As I’m of the shorter stature the premier seat offered me the leg room required, The only hassle is stepping over people when the consent flow of drinks is too much to hold.

A good tip is to get a window seat in premier economy as it offers extra storage for your shoes, pillows and laptop.

Premier offered similar food and service for a fraction of the cost of business class. Next time I’m not flying business - keeping the extra money and buying a smaller laptop (If someone else is paying then its business class all the way baby).

As a left-libertarian, many of your proposals strike a chord with me.

I’ve read his earlier book, Making Globalisation Work, and many of his policy prescriptions mirror yours, although he suffers from the same illusion as other social democrats, that the State always has the public good in mind and all problems can be solved by politicans and government bureacrats.

I very much doubt that the US candidates will have the political drive to usher in such much needed reforms. From what I have seen American politics appears to be rather extreme, vacillating from the neo-con, “market fundamentalism” to social democratic “progressives” (Fabians).

The future costs of healthcare began to concern me when I learnt of the “demographic bulge” of soon to be retiring babyboomers, after its reprecussions came to my attention, most notably its impact on housing prices and future helathcare costs.

Many on the so-called “Left” most likely would denounce me, but I think we need to start managing people’s expectations about the benefits of public provided healthcare or risk it becoming an unsupportable burden. What we need in New Zealand is independant and non-ideological debate, but looking at the quality of debate on a variety of other important subjects, my hope will be likely in vain (education, the environment, trade etc).

I found these articles on the topic interesting and thoughtprovoking and I trust you will find them to be the same.
//www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/01/60minutes/main2528226.shtml

Fuckwits have been all over facebook as well. Different name, different advertising networks, same tricks, presume same bunch of bastards running it all.

I think they have the philosophy right, but it’s not the only way. Yes you need emergency aid, but emergencies shouldn’t last 10 years and if they do, you gotta be giving handouts AND some kind of infrastructure.

However, I do think we tend to spend centuries getting other countries into problems, then want to sort those problems out in 10 years max.

I agree with Raf, we can’t be giving aid with one hand and causing problems with the other

It was almost like when blogging first started and most blogs were pretty cool and about various topics… And now some of those top 200 are basically rubbish… but written by someone pretty or willing to backstab to the world.

It’s like for everything that gives you hope for the world, you see something that takes it away…

That was an awfully depressing comment, sorry!