Steve Newall

Two Live Nation Entertainment Inc. executives bragged about the high fees the company charges fans at its venues, joking in internal messages that the company is "robbing them blind" and that "these people are so stupid" that "I almost feel bad taking advantage of them." In a series of chats from 2022, Ben Baker and Jeff Weinhold, two regional directors of ticketing for Live Nation amphitheaters, boasted about their ability to raise so-called "ancillary fees" - like parking, lawn chair rentals and VIP access - and still get concertgoers to pay for them. In one exchange, Weinhold gloated about raising VIP parking costs at a Virginia concert venue to $250. "These people are so stupid. I almost feel bad taking advantage of them," Baker wrote, adding later, "I gouge them on ancil prices."

Oh.

@leahnylen.bsky.social

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The Power of Music (Te Kaha o Te Waiata) | Short Film | NZ On Screen The Power of Music (Te Kaha o Te Waiata) - Auckland band Herbs could have released their new album in the comfortable confines of an Auckland nightclub. Instead, they travelled to Ruatoria — a troubl...

Lee Tamahori and John Day's doco, following Herbs to Ruatoria to launch their album Sensitive To A Smile, is always worth a watch - all the more so with Dilworth Karaka's passing this week.

remember when that cronenberg movie 'existenz' came out and it seemed like a fun and silly conceit for there to be freedom fighters taking on corporate conglomerates in an attempt to protect consensus reality from an ocean of digital hallucination

The judge wondered what he was supposed to tell the jury, and bemoaned the government’s “absolute disrespect for the court, the jury, and the entire process.”

And Live Nation stock went up 5%, which tells you who won here.

Walt Simonson's title card for the ALIEN comics adaptation

Thinking about Walt Simonson's title card for the ALIEN comics adaptation

“Just Peachy,” and Other Fruity Feelings “Just peachy” Things are going well… not! “Very cherry” You’ve got a pit in your stomach. “Basically banana” Today feels like your day. You wer...

"Positively kiwi"

1. You’re feeling like you’re going to surprise yourself today, like you’re going to be a version of yourself you don’t typically get to see, but that version will be fun, unexpected, and leave a lasting impact.

2. You’re from New Zealand.

rimshot

Trump is once again fighting wokeness this afternoon

Isn’t “with all your microphones in front of me” business as usual for any politician, let alone a minister?

Following racism/mistake [take your pick] with this lame excuse is pretty revealing.

Glad media are leaving this blameshifting quote in.

Wait, like in a dating show, did they not come here for the right reasons?

A screenshot of the Polymarket website showing a prediction market titled "Nuclear weapon detonation by...?" under the Geopolitics and Ukraine categories. The market displays three betting options with their current probabilities and "Buy Yes" or "Buy No" prices: "March 31" at 5%, "June 30" at 12%, and "Before 2027" at 22%. The total trading volume shown is over $843,000.

Polymarket has created a betting market on the use of nuclear weapons. Everyone involved in this should be put in prison for life.

Flatchat — Dunedin | Know Your Flat Before You Sign Read honest rental reviews from real Dunedin tenants. Search flat reviews by address, check landlord ratings, and find your next flat in Dunedin.

And here’s the platform itself:

flatchat.co.nz

‘I could hear my flatmate having sex’: A new flat review site tells it like it is The creator behind a new website rating Dunedin flats wishes the site was around before he moved into a cold and damp student flat.

What if the flat listings had a comments section?

We know that the Healthy Homes standards haven't been the silver bullet for rentals.

Until we have stronger regulation - and a system that doesn't put the burden of proof on tenants - sites like this go some way to level the playing field.

A rogue state brought down the rules-based postwar international order, you'll never guess which one

Why Qatari LNG will soon set NZ power prices LNG terminal in Taranaki will tie NZ wholesale electricity & gas prices to global gas prices; Gas price rose 47% last night after Iranian drones shut Qatar's LNG plant; NZ power prices would follow

Chorus out: LNG terminal in Taranaki will tie NZ wholesale electricity & gas prices to global gas prices; Gas price rose 47% last night after Iranian drones shut Qatar's LNG plant; NZ power prices would follow #nzpol open.substack.com/pub/thekaka/...

The trial kicks off today!

Hey Chris Luxon, remind me again how much solar energy passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism vs. No It Won’t

I can't fucking believe we're doing this again.

A from Reddit: Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) and Karl Urban (Éomer/Billy Butcher) in Japan, purchasing Gundam models back in 2003.

I think a lot of Gundam fans are familiar with this image of Karl Urban and Viggo Mortensen stocking up on MSiA, but did you know that both of them are wearing Viggo’s homemade No More Blood for Oil (in Japanese) t-shirts?

What year is it etc

album cover for a band called GOITSE

did a quadruple take

It’s worth it too, not just for the WP lols. Crazy how some of the best anti-Trump 2.0 media has been The Onion, People and Wired

A sad cyber truck parked in front of a sad hooters

I added 15 minutes to my commute today in order to pull over and take a picture of this Cybertruck parked in front of Hooters at 3:30pm.

I love getting The Onion in the mail each month - even better in context, with (satirical) ads, and in real life.

I've never humiliated a Big Space Pervert before, but it sounds like fun...

Look at this photograph

Aide Wearily Begins 5th Explanation Of Why Trump Can’t Pardon Prince Andrew

Aide Wearily Begins 5th Explanation Of Why Trump Can’t Pardon Prince Andrew https://theonion.com/aide-wearily-begins-5th-explanation-of-why-trump-cant-pardon-prince-andrew/

“Are we going to charge him, Sarge?”
“Not right away, constable. Stick him in a cell and let him sweat for a while.”
“Er…”

Noncequences!