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Perhaps it is a sign that I am getting old(er) but I am just astonished by the speed of technological progress. The most recent example is a memory card I ordered for my new smartphone. Read more
I am probably inviting a storm of controversy, but I think the perfect motif for the movie industry profession should not be film reel, but a figure with their hand wedged deeply in the taxpayer’s pocket. Sir Peter Jackson recently bemoaned that funding levels for film production in New Zealand have remained at about $12 million per annum since the late 1980s even as the cost of production has risen. Read more
For the Germans, July 8 was a good day. Not just because it also happened to be your columnist’s birthday or because of Germany’s emphatic 7-1 win over Brazil in the World Cup, but because this year, it also marked Germany’s Tax Freedom Day. Read more
There is a common saying that human rights are what make us human. But with the modern expansion of human rights beyond its classical origins, are we becoming more human, or less? Read more
Last week, I wrote about Angela Merkel’s declining influence in Europe. For a number of domestic and international reasons, the German Chancellor can no longer enforce austerity and economic reforms in the eurozone. Read more
If you were to ask ten people on the street what they would consider a successful life, I can almost guarantee you would get ten completely different answers. According to Woody Allen, simply showing up accounts for 80 per cent of success. Read more
For the past four years, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes’ list of most powerful women. She was actually ranked first on that list for nine out of the last ten years, not least thanks to her pivotal role in the European debt crisis. Read more
In today’s society, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone to object to human rights. Even the nastiest dictatorships still try to maintain at least the semblance of a human rights culture, even if they violate these rights constantly. Read more
Next year, Lithuania will join the eurozone as its 19th member. The direct impact of Lithuania’s accession will be negligible. Read more
As the election gets closer, there is no doubt that immigration remains a potent campaign issue. Few other topics elicit such an emotional response as the questions of who should come to New Zealand or, indeed, how many should come. Read more