Anyone lost any freedoms?

[Oliver]

Plenty! I love Germans! Lived with two while I was studying, and met all their crazy German friends. Awesome people. They even roped me into going downtown at all hours of the night to watch the soccer world cup, where I pretended to be from Turkey. Ahhhh the memories.

Unfortunately the only German they taught me was how to swear, how to order coca-cola, how to hit on girls, and how to say I love football.

-Gumboot

Do you remeber how to swear these things? I´m no
football fan at all - so i don´t even could tell you how
to swear about it.

 

[Carnivore]

I guess german media would run and protest the issue here
for weeks or months - especially the WMD-lie if the gov was
involved.

But it´s hard to understand the medias behavior as part of
the war on terror - i mean britain is pretty involved as a part
of the war in iraq... What did the media told you about the
WMD-lie?

Oh we know what the world knows all right. I dont know if you are familiar with the scandal surrounding the "sexed up" intelligence dossier on WMDs that the Govt used to justify it's position? (Wikipedia link for Dr David Kelly)

What you have to bear in mind though is the depth of political apathy of very many British people. Englands performance in the World Cup was more important than a possibly illegal war that we are still fighting.

 

[Oliver]

Oh we know what the world knows all right. I dont know if you are familiar with the scandal surrounding the "sexed up" intelligence dossier on WMDs that the Govt used to justify it's position? (Wikipedia link for Dr David Kelly)

What you have to bear in mind though is the depth of political apathy of very many British people. Englands performance in the World Cup was more important than a possibly illegal war that we are still fighting.

Thank´s for the link - i will study it next because i don´t
know much about a "sexed up"-scandal - but what you said
about apathy sounds very sad to me. Especially if the media
had the same attitude...

 

[Carnivore]

Thank´s for the link - i will study it next because i don´t
know much about a "sexed up"-scandal - but what you said
about apathy sounds very sad to me. Especially if the media
had the same attitude...

I agree. The facts are vigourously reported in the media, but the public don't seem to run with it. The attitude seems to be "all politicians are [rule 8] anyway, what does one more example matter?"

 

[Oliver]

Do you think that David Kelly was murdered? I wonder that
even the SIS was against the "iraqi abc-weapons" statement
within the official dossier.

 

[Deus Ex Machina]

All of them. Unless you're lucky enough to be using QWEST. I can't post links yet, but add http in front of www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1948927&page=1 to see the story.



Monitored does not mean tapped. It means that they record who called whom and for how long. If they have more interest, then they start tapping.

The wireless and phone companies have ALWAYS had this data - there is nothing new about it at all.

You are complaining because they keep track of who you call and for how long. IT IS HOW THEY BILL YOU. Don't want to be billed? Don't use the service.

It has nothing to do with "monitoring". Semantics once again.

There is nothing sacred about it.

Tapping you when you call - now there is something that needs controls.Oh, wait, search warrants, judges, that sort of thing.

Note that it is information of exactly this sort that HP was trying to get about their board by pretexting. You may have heard about the result - you know, the CEO of HP was forced to step down and California is considering who to file criminal charges against. But when it is done to all of us by our government, well...

why not sue the phone companies? Oh wait, it's a straightforward commercial charge.

BTW would you care to bet that Karl Rove can't get access to some of this data? You know, just enough to use it like HP did? I wouldn't...

Oh yeah Karl Rove - wow he could get access to who I called from my cell phone? Wow, that's threatening.

Ah yes. The old, "If you're innocent, then what do you have to worry about?" comment.

Well I'm an atheist. That means that I'm part of one an intensely disliked minorities in the country. (The current President's father is of the stated opinion that he doesn't think we can be true citizens or patriots of the USA!) If we continue down the path towards fascism, I fear that I need be guilty of nothing more to become a target.

well I'm an atheist too - as for the "slide to fascism" = what an utter crock. Get's touted around as soon as someone who doesn't like Bush wants to make like some 70 year old woman with an attack of the vaoprs.

On a more immediate level, see my comment above about Karl Rove. The knowledge that government collects and monitors this kind of data has a chilling effect on whisteblowers of various kinds. This undermines our ability to believe we have a free society. If this doesn't matter to you, then I can only say that you neither understand nor value freedom.

Cheers,
Ben

Oh yeah the old "if you don't agree with me you don't understand what freedom means" twaddle.

Au contraire - freedom doesn't mean shrieking about imagined slights merely to try to score political points. It means a lot more than that. It means confronting problems that come up, being willing to do something about them, being willing to take action.

Freedom didn't happen in this country because a bunch of people sat around and accused George of being a tyrant. It didn't happen because lawyers went on and on about "process".

Defending freedom doesn't mean that every step taken to combat threats is a "step to fascism" andone stupid enough to say that doesn't know what fascism is. They certainly don't have a clue what a totalitarian regime is.

 

[Oliver]

I agree. The facts are vigourously reported in the media, but the public don't seem to run with it. The attitude seems to be "all politicians are [rule 8] anyway, what does one more example matter?"

Well, i know a many people who think that all the
endless discussions within the political parties about
important issues are ridiculous but i guess the minority
here believes and cares about important things like the
war in iraq and they vote because of such important
issues. Even if i personally also think there are a lot
of nuts within the government and i usually don´t
care about elections at all because my opinion:
"They talk too much but act to less".

 

[gumboot]

The more the merrier, but may I humbly suggest Christchurch as a possible abode? It's just more pleasant than Auckland and we have the best rugby team in the world!

(Anticipates Christchurch v Auckland flame war)

I grew up in the South Island (mainly), and was born in the Hawkes Bay. I hate Aucklanders...

Lived here 11 years now but still don't consider myself an Aucklander...My Rugby Team cheering priority is:

1) Hawkes Bay
2) Marlborough
3) Any other South Island team
4) Auckland



Oliver, Christchurch has awesome weather, and is all around a fantastic city. Much "prettier" than Auckland. But I just find it way too small and "laid back" for me. Auckland, geographically speaking, is an absolute monster. I've been here over a decade and there's entire cities I don't know my way around ("Auckland" is actually four cities). Chch does have an over abundance of attractive caucasian females though!

-Gumboot

 

[gumboot]

Do you remeber how to swear these things? I´m no
football fan at all - so i don´t even could tell you how
to swear about it.

I'm not a football fan either... But they said I needed to say I was in order to survive in Germany... heh heh.

Yes I can still pretty much remember how to say them all. Oh the other one was "Can you say that in English please".

-Gumboot

 

[Oliver]

Oliver, Christchurch has awesome weather, and is all around a fantastic city. Much "prettier" than Auckland. But I just find it way too small and "laid back" for me. Auckland, geographically speaking, is an absolute monster. I've been here over a decade and there's entire cities I don't know my way around ("Auckland" is actually four cities). Chch does have an over abundance of attractive caucasian females though!

-Gumboot

This sounds pretty attractive to me - especially the
weather and female argument. No matter if she will
spank my ass because this discussion.

What type of movies are you making over there?

 

[Oliver]

I'm not a football fan either... But they said I needed to say I was in order to survive in Germany... heh heh.

Yes I can still pretty much remember how to say them all. Oh the other one was "Can you say that in English please".

-Gumboot

Mhmm, i survived so far without any positive opinion
about football - even if people look like you´re from
planet mars if you tell them that football sucks.

Okay, i have to admit that the world-championship was
pretty exciting.

But you can survive nevertheless if you say: "Okay, let
me spend you a beer" after saying "Football sucks"...
You just have to be quick after this comment.

 

[gumboot]

This sounds pretty attractive to me - especially the
weather and female argument. No matter if she will
spank my ass because this discussion.

What type of movies are you making over there?

I've just finished a music video for a punk band. It should be online by the end of the week, and going out to broadcasters next week.

Not bad for $500 budget and a handycam!

We make quite a bit of German stuff actually... we have some strong funding relationships with Germany. Myself and my German producer friend (one of the Germans I mentioned earlier) are planning to try and exploit that next year.

Lots of hollywood projects - Disney Walden have permanently set up here for the remainder of the Narnia projects plus other things - Peter Jackson is still doing his thing down in Wellington, a big series starts up in January (I haven't yet worked out if it's a real TV one, or a spoof of those survivor series' or if it's something else entirely...) and lots and lots and lots of commercials, both local and from every country you could imagine.

Every now and then we manage to slip in time for a film of our own...

-Gumboot

 

[Oliver]

I've just finished a music video for a punk band. It should be online by the end of the week, and going out to broadcasters next week.

Not bad for $500 budget and a handycam!

We make quite a bit of German stuff actually... we have some strong funding relationships with Germany. Myself and my German producer friend (one of the Germans I mentioned earlier) are planning to try and exploit that next year.

Lots of hollywood projects - Disney Walden have permanently set up here for the remainder of the Narnia projects plus other things - Peter Jackson is still doing his thing down in Wellington, a big series starts up in January (I haven't yet worked out if it's a real TV one, or a spoof of those survivor series' or if it's something else entirely...) and lots and lots and lots of commercials, both local and from every country you could imagine.

Every now and then we manage to slip in time for a film of our own...

-Gumboot

This sounds like you have a lot of fun down there and
i have to admit that i also have no clue what Peter Jackson
is working on right now.

May i ask in what extent you´re planning to exploit that
next year and what your part is in making movies? I´m
a mediadesigner, so i also have some expiriences with
storyboards and stuff like that, but only for stuff like flash-
commercials - without acting at all.

 

[gumboot]

This sounds like you have a lot of fun down there and
i have to admit that i also have no clue what Peter Jackson
is working on right now.

May i ask in what extent you´re planning to exploit that
next year and what your part is in making movies? I´m
a mediadesigner, so i also have some expiriences with
storyboards and stuff like that, but only for stuff like flash-
commercials - without acting at all.

Currently, at a professional level, I work in the Production and AD departments, and occassionally in camera.

However, my intention is to be a writer/director, so to that end I am usually working on my own screenplays and projects (such as this music video which I wrote, directed, produced, shot, and lit myself).

The ambition myself and my German friend have is to establish a line production company aimed at Germany. "Line Production" is basically when a project comes in from overseas, and your company facilitates the shoot - crew, locations, cast, etc. however the creative comes from overseas (as opposed to local production where the director etc. are from the production company).

With the money we earn from that we intend to then make our own projects.

Germany has some really good funding schemes and they really support international productions. With myself (New Zealander), and my friend (She was actually born in France, to German parents, so has dual citizenship) we fit the bill... hopefully.

-Gumboot

 

[Bell]

You guys should get a room

 

[gumboot]

You guys should get a room

I just sent Oliver a PM. I was thinking the same thing...

Sorry for hijacking the thread...

Though it had been hijacked by politics anyway...

-Gumboot

 

[Bell]

I just sent Oliver a PM. I was thinking the same thing...

Sorry for hijacking the thread...

Though it had been hijacked by politics anyway...

-Gumboot

I was just joking
And uhm, like no other threads ever get hijacked

 

[Oliver]

Currently, at a professional level, I work in the Production and AD departments, and occassionally in camera.

However, my intention is to be a writer/director, so to that end I am usually working on my own screenplays and projects (such as this music video which I wrote, directed, produced, shot, and lit myself).

The ambition myself and my German friend have is to establish a line production company aimed at Germany. "Line Production" is basically when a project comes in from overseas, and your company facilitates the shoot - crew, locations, cast, etc. however the creative comes from overseas (as opposed to local production where the director etc. are from the production company).

With the money we earn from that we intend to then make our own projects.

Germany has some really good funding schemes and they really support international productions. With myself (New Zealander), and my friend (She was actually born in France, to German parents, so has dual citizenship) we fit the bill... hopefully.

-Gumboot

This would be very great if you have success with your
plans, Andrew. Is there a possibility to watch some of
your productions or don´t you have these things online
already?

 

[Crazy Chainsaw]

I have to confess I have, I went to LA with my checked luggage full of chainsaw chains, and they left the chains and took my underwear, shaving cream, razors, and shampoo.
Lucky I had an extra pair in the carry on.

 

[gumboot]

I have to confess I have, I went to LA with my checked luggage full of chainsaw chains, and they left the chains and took my underwear, shaving cream, razors, and shampoo.
Lucky I had an extra pair in the carry on.

That's fair enough. That shampoo can be deadly! Ever had any in your eye?

If I had the choice of having shampoo rubbed in my eye, or allowing a psychopathic terrorist to seize my aircraft and kamikaze it into an important cultural monument full of people, I know what I'd choose!

-Gumboot