The horse bolted years ago but don’t try telling that to the US federal government….The arrest of executives of file sharing site Megaupload here in NZ have given us a possible glimpse of what government control of the internet could be like.

The controversial SOPA (Stopping Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act) legislation currently before US legislators may have claimed inadvertently, its first scalps. The proposed acts with its draconian provisions, along with the at-times bellicose rhetoric by Obama administration officials in support, seemed to be limping to a halt after the online protests by Wikipedia, Reddit, Google and other major players. But the arrest of the Megaupload exec’s have been worryingly coincidental in its timing, possibly breathing new life into the proposals or keeping subsequent efforts by authorities to crack down on copyright violations bubbling away.

The US Presidents administrations propensity for proposing legislation which would cut across the freedoms of ordinary citizens (not that the Megaupload people are overly ordinary, but you’ve gotta start somewhere! Nabbing a fair sized fish sends the message both up and down the line) seem curiously at odds with the American ideals of freedom and liberty for all…..

My first reaction to the news of the Megaupload officials arrests (as posted on Facebook) are below:

Comparisons to organised crime is just insane! I smell Megaupload being hung out to dry as a sacrificial scapegoat. The whole thing is a timely, or untimely depending on your POV, warning shot from the increasingly draconian US federal govt.

A free internet without big govt crackdowns should be a given in the west….we’re not communist China. Ah, but the obamanation is! NZ are tools again.

If an “artist” is idiotic enough to put up their copyrighted material without being behind proper safeguards/security, be prepared for someone (millions) to download it without permission…and good job too. Rest assured, someone will find a way….get at it geeks!!

Internet freedom is proving hard to reign in ay, US feds/Hollywood/US recording industry!

The ugly spectre of NZ being a lapdog for US authorities isn’t going to play out well here. Not that the yanks will care, as usual their domestic audience will be all that matters and I fully expect these guys to be raked over the coals whether they have done anything of consequence illegally or not….

Former world heavyweight boxing champion “Smokin’” Joe Frazier passed away 7 November 2011 after a brief battle with liver cancer.

Frazier, an Olympic boxing gold medallist in 1964, was known for his fearsome left hook, pressure fighting style & tremendous warriors heart.

What defined him most though was the fierce and unremitting rivalry, some would say hatred as far as Frazier was concerned at its height, with Muhammad Ali and the brutal series of bouts that the two endured. The rivalry also added to the gloss of both fighters securing their places in the great pantheon of all time heavyweight champions.

Despite feeling a lack of respect for years afterwards whilst witnessing the growing admiration from the general public for Ali, Frazier’s attitude towards Ali mellowed as time went by.

What was universally acknowledged amongst boxing fans was the vigorous & beautiful talent that was embodied by Joe Frazier who did far more than win in the ring…….As a child who came from grinding poverty in the American south, Frazier found his way to the mean streets of Philadelphia, there becoming the living embodiment of the proverbial battler who has to fight and endure tough times to get anywhere in life. Sly Stallone’s original “Rocky” movie was loosely based on the life of Joe Frazier, who lived above the gym he trained at and worked in an abbatoir shifting beef carcasses.

He also held strong Christian beliefs later in life, crediting God with his success in life.

RIP Joe Frazier…….a fighters fighter.

Well…..that was tight!!!

The AB’s are World Champions and worthy winners of the Webb Ellis Cup. They were probably outplayed by the French on the night but the French didn’t have enough class out back to take advantage of their edge in possession and position. The gutsy defence and huge heart of the All Blacks was the winning difference.

France did play more rugby but, aside from a helping hand from Piri Weepu’s boot, missing kicks at goal AND nudging the ball into Trinh-duc’s hands which led to France’s try, the French only looked likely from a couple of breaks aided by some dubious American Football style block running.

There is a lot of talk on the blogosphere and news comments, primarily by Frenchmen, that referee Craig Joubert had a major influence on the games outcome. It really smacks of sour grapes considering he seemed to let quite a lot go by the French in particular, who more than once ran the aforementioned block runners in front of tacklers and illegally interfered with All Black ball with hands & feet as well as sealing off the ball at every opportunity. Some of the infamous French filth was also conspicuous with McCaw being particularly targeted.

Nothing like French passive/aggressiveness to attempt to take the glow off a well-deserved win full of heart and composure.

That said, the All Blacks were particularly good on defence. Trusting themselves to drift from their relatively narrow defensive line to nail the outside attackers, and it seemed to work well. Set pieces were even, the AB’s edging the scrums though France got one excellent scrum penalty (nudging the AB’s back & forcing Hore up) which Traille could not goal. Each lineout lost two throws each.

Irrespective of the false charges by French fans, the fact remains they simply weren’t good enough to get over the All Blacks. The relief amongst New Zealanders due to past failures in rugby’s showcase tournament is palpable and real. The holy grail for New Zealand’s sporting public has finally been captured once again!

Viva le Nouvelle Zelande!!!

Today is the day.

Do we see the anguish of 24 LONG years finally put behind us? Or is it to be a cruel continuation of the misery that has dug itself into deep into the psyche of all New Zealand rugby fans?

If it is the latter, it would be the cruelest loss of all….to get so close then stumble would be heartbreaking for rugby lovers, and the nation as a whole who have bought into the tournament.

If the unthinkable were to occur though, the All Blacks would only have themselves to blame.

The reasons why the All Blacks should not lose though are as follows:

• Experience – the AB’s are the most experienced team of the two and this can only be a good thing, although the French are also relatively experienced. The AB’s do have more test caps and more players who have played in previous World Cups though.
• Forwards – once again the AB’s should have the better forward pack though the French pack will be more formidable and a stronger challenge than the Australian forwards. A stern scrum battle will ensue between these two hardened packs and the loose forward trio of the French are a vastly better unit than the Wallaby trio.
• Backs – the AB backline are a better attacking group than the French unit, though they do have class, namely Clerc, Medard, Yachvili & Rougerie. The AB backline has superstar quality right through with the only perceived weakness being inexperience at the pivot (Cruden).
• The home ground and crowd advantage – this is always, the crowd anyway, an underrated factor. If the crowd are behind you there is always a discernible lift to be gained. It’s a feeling of I simply MUST perform!…..it is hard to explain but a home crowd can really provide impetus to a team.

It will be an absolute cracker…..Go All Blacks!

Well, after the high drama of the previous night when a brave, 14 man Wales nearly pulled off an unlikely win (after Warburton’s unfortunate red card), we now come to the main event for New Zealanders.

How will this game pan out? I’ve picked a 15+ point winning margin for the All Blacks and if the teams are analyzed man for man that’s exactly what should happen. But, as we saw last night, sport doesn’t always turn out as it should be…..hence the reason for my less than emphatic belief that my prediction will turn out as I would want.

• Firstly, the Wallabies are a formidable opponent with class and threats all over the park.

• Secondly, the AB’s have failed when it mattered most on several occasions…..OK, “choked”….aargh!!

• Thirdly, the squad is not fully fit.

These are reason enough to put your money on the Australians.

But Wait!! Wait!! There are other factors at play here and I believe these will override those in favour of the Aussies.

• The AB’s have the better team. Better believe it, the All Blacks have their own threats in this game, probably more than the Wallabies especially now Beale is not playing. Dagg is possibly the next great superstar of rugby, a player with limitless potential and only approached by Beale as a running threat; Jane is a fantastic and elusive footballer; Nonu is possibly the most dominant midfielder in the game at the moment; Smith is not far behind; Weepu is the most underrated halfback in the game; and Cruden should prove he is the better first five than Slade.

• The forward pack is simply better than the Australian pack. Only Pocock and possibly Vickerman could make the current AB squad. We should win the game here.

• Eden Park truly is a fortress for the AB’s. Some have downplayed this but the fact remains the ground, especially in crunch games, brings out the best in the AB’s.

Bring it on!!!