AmeriNZ 36 – Forever Young

Episode 36 is now available. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of this post, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.

I had some computer issues this week, and I was a little under the weather earlier in the week. So, this episode is a bit of a mixed bag. First up, there’s a new tourism commercial for NZ coming soon to highlight New Zealand as the newest nation on earth (geologically speaking). It’s sparked a small controversy. I talk about that at 4.28. At 6:32, I talk about the poll on my blog for your favourite Kiwi, and tell you who those people were. Around 10:23 I give a little more—and simpler—information about the structure of local government. What do Australians think of America and Americans? At 11:59 I’ll tell you. Comments are up next at 15:37. Then I tell you why I didn’t podcast on Tuesday; that’s at 23:06.

Leave a comment, or send an email to me at amerinz[at)yahoo.com.

Mentioned in this episode:

Controversy over the new commercial promoting New Zealand. See the new commercial here. For more about Dave Dobbyn (who wrote the former commercial song), go here.

To read biographies about New Zealanders from the past, go here.

A higher turnout is expected in this year’s local elections.

Australians like Americans and America, but not George Bush. A fundamentalist preacher in South Australia had a bizarre excuse for molesting his daughters.

Leave a comment—if you want to…

Update: This post has received a lot of hits because the “Forever Young” commercial is playing overseas. I have an updated post about this, which included a video of the commercial and more information about it.


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AmeriNZ 35 – Election

Episode 35 is now available. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of this post, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.

I begin today by updating earlier topics. That’s at 1:58. Then at 7:47 I talk about the extended topic for today, New Zealand’s local elections. Finally, it’s comments at 15:05.

The opening track today was by a terrible new recording artist. Bridge music is the same.

On Tuesday I talked about how staff at Air New Zealand apparently edited Wikipedia to make the airline look better in an entry about the 1979 crash at Mount Erebus in Antarctica. According to the Sydney Morning Herald (via Stuff), it turns out that people in Australia’s Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet made 126 changes to Wikipedia articles to remove things that were damaging to the government of current Prime Minister John Howard. But people in Australia’s Defence Department made 5,000 edits! The article says:

Other curious—though apparently non-political—edits by department employees include adding sentences on various sites, including the additions “Freemasonry is the work of Satan”, “Mormonism is the work of Satan” and “Jesus is god”.

Meanwhille, in Canada it’s been revealed that Parliamentary computers were used to add anti-gay comments to Wikipedia articles.

Back in episode 33, I talked about the religious right in New Zealand, and I mentioned that a secretive right wing christianist group tried to influence the 2005 NZ general election by spending over a million dollars on an advertising smear campaign against Labour and the Greens. That group is called the Exclusive Brethren, and they’re back in the news. Australian Prime Minister John Howard met with them recently, as have other members of his government. He defended doing so, calling them, basically, an “ordinary Christian” group. Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd has called the group and extremist cult and refused to meet them.

The extended topic for today is the start of the campaigns for local government elections.

Leave a comment or take part in the current poll. You can also send an email to me at amerinz{at)yahoo.com.


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AmeriNZ 34 – Knocks

Episode 34 is now available. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of this post, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.

Today was a warm, sunny, beautiful late winter day in Auckland, and I’m back—and probably back on my normal schedule, too. I’ll talk a little bit more about that, and other things going on with us, starting at 1:19.

Tony Orlando is touring New Zealand at the moment for the first time in his career. At 3:10 I’ll update a couple of the things I talked about last week. New Zealand and Australia have issues at the moment. I’ll tell you about that in the extended topic, at 5:58. Finally, it’s on to comments at 10:35.

I put a new poll on my blog, “Who’s your favourite Kiwi?” Vote for as many as you want. It’s completely anonymous.

Leave me a comment and take part in the poll. You can send an email to me at amerinz{at)yahoo.com.

Related links for this episode:

Price rises on the way after dollar’s big dive and Dollar in ‘scary’ dive.

Tough US entry law creates rift with EU.

Australian army won’t use Air NZ again and Clark tells Aussie minister to stop meddling in NZ. Erebus article censor found at Air NZ.

Mike Hipp’s Podcastsoup.net


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AmeriNZ 33 – Religious Right

Episode 33 is now available. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of this post, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.

There was no podcast on Friday because I simply ran out of time. It’s possible that I also won’t have time to record this coming Friday.

Should I keep the twice-weekly schedule, or does the sort of limited scope of this podcast make more sense in weekly doses? What do you think? Obviously I’ll do what makes sense for me, but I’d really like to know what you’d prefer, so vote in the anonymous poll at the top right of this blog.

Today I go over a selection of recent news stories about or affecting New Zealand, all of which have something to do with US influence on New Zealand. That starts at 2:03. Then, I’ll go into more detail about one of those stories on the religious right in New Zealand, my main topic today, at 8:55. Finally, it’s comments at 15:43.

Please leave a comment or send an email to me at amerinz[at}yahoo.com, and be sure to vote in the poll at the top right of this blog.

Links from today’s episode:

About travel rules—Democracy Now! for July 31, new rules for travelling to the US. Immigration changes proposed in New Zealand. Copyright law changes in New Zealand. Low unemployment rate in NZ continues. Slap Upside the Head on the Gay Pride Flag. Incidental music this episode by Nick Murray from the Podsafe Music Network.


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AmeriNZ 32 – More Expats

Episode 32 is now available. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of this post, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.

After a journey through comments, it’s today’s Tuesday Talk segment. Today’s guests are Dawn and Darren, an American Expat couple in Wellington. We had a lot of Skype problems, but persevered. I tried to fix some of it in the editing.

What made them move to New Zealand? What do they miss about America? What couldn’t they do without from New Zealand? They share some of their observations about New Zealand, Wellington, music, food, rugby and more. Will they stay in New Zealand permanently?

Dawn and Darren’s blog is called Kia Ora…Bitches!

Opening music segment—from the appropriately named song “Moving to New Zealand”—is by Spring Heeled Jacks Original Swinging Jass Band from the Podsafe Music Network. The entire song in on Episode 23.

Leave a comment, or send an email to me at amerinz[at)yahoo.com.


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AmeriNZ 31 – Weather

Episode 31 is now available. You can listen to it or download it through the player at the bottom of this post, or subscribe for free through iTunes here (you must have the free iTunes player installed). You can also listen to it for free through the player on my MySpace page.

What’s the weather like in Auckland? Well, it’s way better than Chicago! I tell you what it’s like here, what that means and, well, how much better it is than Chicago. A revelation about how Kiwis are in winter! But what does that mean, practically speaking? Ice scrapers?

Changes are coming for the Tuesday edition of the podcast: Conversations, I hope. Fridays will be as they have been. It’s an adventure!

From there, it’s comments. Then, a look at what I take from download statistics. Or, maybe I shouldn’t—what do you think?

A big shout out (and much love) to Tom the Ramble Redhead.

Please leave a comment or send an email to me at amerinz{at)yahoo.com (anonymous comments are okay, and emails are kept confidential).

Update: I’m one of the participants on this week’s ArcherRadio group show, AR503 Gay Republicans.


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