Kyoto and Doha

Two world conferences are scheduled in the current month . Both are on topics very important for mankind.

First is on Kyoto protocol which concluded in Montreal yesterday.The meeting was succesful.The delegates agreed to draft a new long range long term plan to combat climate change post 2012.It also isolated USA.

Second is on Doha round of world trade talks , to be held in Hong Kong from 13 to 18 December 05.New Zealand wants to see the talks progressed so that it does not have to depend on bilateral deals for its export merchandise .

These talks stalled at the last meeting on contenous issue of agricultural subsidy to their farmers by the developed nations .

As per the current indications it is unlikely that this meeting will make further progress as some European countries are not willing to slash the agricultural subsidy.

More on that later.

Decline of governance values

Last week at a meeting of parliamentary select committee on immigration issues it was revealed that

1.Former cabinet minister Mr Field had asked then Immigration Minister O'Connor to intervene in 438 immigration cases over the term of the last parliament.

2.The then Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter asked for intervention in 176 cases .

3.And yet another minister Gorger Hawakins made 172 such requests in the same period.

I am surprised on reading about of these interventions ( and their numbers ) in the operational matters of Immigration department.

I thoughts these things happen only in other countries.

There has been general decline of governance values under Labour Party rule in last six years.

These statistics confirm and remind us about this again.

Doubling credit card limits

My bank has sent me a letter advising me of doubling my credit card limit.The letter tells me that I should phone by the specified date if I do not want the increased limit.

I never requested for this increase.Why should I waste time phoning them and asking them to cancel this unsolicited increase.

The customers when phone the banks will have to go through various options , spend considerable time in getting to the right person and then identify themselves by answering the personal questions and then "request" for cancellation of the increased limit.

Do the banks think their customers' time is not important.

I use the credit card for convenience and not for getting free credit.I also never take "advantage" of their offer of paying pay only a small part on due date.

My credit card bank will never be able to trap me with increased credit limits and offers of payment of a small portion on due date( and keeping balance on very high interest rate )

I did phone the bank to cancel the increased limit but simultaneously as revenge got them to slash my original card limit too.And I am thinking of invoicing them for about 20 minutes I had to spend . Would I succeed .