Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle are to tie the knot. The following NY Times article outlines the facts: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/28/world/europe/uk-royal-wedding-harry-meghan-markle.html
There is no problem with Ms Markle holding dual citizenship, many often do. Later down the line can you imagine a President of the US also being the Monarch of the UK and its Commonwealth? Never say never eh. I noticed Twitter mentions on the subject. But the thing to look forward to is more diversity being brought into the royal family. Yay.
November 29, 2017
November 26, 2017
NBA: OKC Look Average
The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost their last two games in the NBA. Two words explain their poor form - Carmelo Anthony.
That's it really, nothing more to say, apart from noting that they're now a team of ball hogs, everyone playing for themselves and not the team as a whole. There is no "i" in team.
That's it really, nothing more to say, apart from noting that they're now a team of ball hogs, everyone playing for themselves and not the team as a whole. There is no "i" in team.
November 22, 2017
Zimbabwe 2017
Zimbabwe's leadership squabbles are dominating the news at the moment. It seems everyone at the top is jockeying to take over from Robert Mugabe who has been Zimbabwe's leader for the last 37 years.
What I have noticed is commentators repeatedly saying Zimbabwe is wrecked, or words to that effect. Really? I'd call wrecked a city like Hamburg in 1945. Is Harare in that condition? The news footage seems to show the opposite, people appear well dressed, the streets clean and tidy, the buildings are all standing straight and the cars are relatively late model. Has no-one noticed this? How can a country with 90% unemployment have people so well nourished and apparently quite well off by African standards.
What I think is going on is that Zimbabwe functions satisfactorily. Most must be in some kind of employment. What I suspect is employers are hiring people on a purely cash basis for a few hours a day and not paying tax. The employees for their part may say the're not in full time employment which is essentially true but disguises what is really going on. Zimbabwe in these circumstances has an empty exchequer, but life goes on for everyone else.
As for political power; the army may be divided into factions while Zanu-PF may also be divided. Things could go downhill very fast, let's hope not as this country looks to have all the makings of great prosperity.
Update: Robert Mugabe has now resigned and in a move that looks dodgy, Emmerson Mnangagwa will serve out the rest of Mugabe's term. But wait, is that constitutional? The Vice-President position is held by two people appointed by the President. Mnangagwa has been dismissed and removed from office, which leaves Phelekezela Mphoko to take over from Mugabe. Correct? I think that's right, so if Mnangagwa takes over that looks illegitimate to my eyes, not a good start.
For a more objective view of what got us here check out my Fixing Zimbabwe post a while back. No-one read it at the time, but I nailed it JICYDK.
Update: Robert Mugabe has now resigned and in a move that looks dodgy, Emmerson Mnangagwa will serve out the rest of Mugabe's term. But wait, is that constitutional? The Vice-President position is held by two people appointed by the President. Mnangagwa has been dismissed and removed from office, which leaves Phelekezela Mphoko to take over from Mugabe. Correct? I think that's right, so if Mnangagwa takes over that looks illegitimate to my eyes, not a good start.
For a more objective view of what got us here check out my Fixing Zimbabwe post a while back. No-one read it at the time, but I nailed it JICYDK.
November 20, 2017
What if Ken Starr Was Right?
In light of the Harvey Weinstein revelations it occurred to me that maybe we need to rethink Bill Clinton. I found the following op-ed interesting:
The sexual misconduct was the heart of things, but everything connected to Clinton’s priapism was bad: the use of the perks of office to procure women, willing and unwilling; the frequent use of that same power to buy silence and bully victims; and yes, the brazen public lies and perjury.
November 17, 2017
Elon Musk's Electric Truck
When is Elon Musk going to go bust? Can this happen sooner please as this guy is seriously annoying. On top of making poor cars (see my earlier post about this), he's now setting out to do the same with heavy transport vehicles.
See the link >> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/17/elon-musk-tesla-electric-truck-sports-car-surprise
But wait a minute, electric trucks are nothing new. They've always been used in transport, the following is a list of useful locations where an electric truck comes into its own:
1. Indoors and anywhere ventilation matters,
2. Where there is a lot of stop/starting, (like inner city deliveries)
3. Where noise is a consideration.
The internal combustion engine comes into its own when you're talking about long runs; diesel especially for the distance and petrol for the power it delivers. Hence, for instance, Russian military trucks like the Zil are petrol, their army needs to be able to move fast and forage for fuel and petrol allows for both. Diesel comes into its own when you're looking for cheaper horsepower while running without stopping.
So Musk's idea is what exactly? A dumb idea is the answer.
See the link >> https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/17/elon-musk-tesla-electric-truck-sports-car-surprise
But wait a minute, electric trucks are nothing new. They've always been used in transport, the following is a list of useful locations where an electric truck comes into its own:
1. Indoors and anywhere ventilation matters,
2. Where there is a lot of stop/starting, (like inner city deliveries)
3. Where noise is a consideration.
The internal combustion engine comes into its own when you're talking about long runs; diesel especially for the distance and petrol for the power it delivers. Hence, for instance, Russian military trucks like the Zil are petrol, their army needs to be able to move fast and forage for fuel and petrol allows for both. Diesel comes into its own when you're looking for cheaper horsepower while running without stopping.
So Musk's idea is what exactly? A dumb idea is the answer.
November 16, 2017
New Zealand v Peru
Today we find out which team will be the last to qualify for the World Cup in Russia next year. Can minnow New Zealand do the business against world number 10 Peru? You betcha, the Kiwis are much better than their ranking suggests. bear in mind they rarely play at full strength.
The pressure will be on Peru, who must win. A simple draw involving goals means NZ goes through on the away goals rule (the first contest was a nil-all draw).
[Update; Peru 2 - NZ 0. Peru were much the better team]
The pressure will be on Peru, who must win. A simple draw involving goals means NZ goes through on the away goals rule (the first contest was a nil-all draw).
[Update; Peru 2 - NZ 0. Peru were much the better team]
November 14, 2017
Lies About New Zealand - Feedback
It looks like the enemies of New Zealand and NZ's fair and wide ranging superannuation system are out and about. I've noticed a bump in readers and I have received some feedback. All feedback so far starts off with an insult of some kind and then takes umbrage when I insult them right back. That's right, an orchestrated campaign has started, all repeating the same talking points.
Let's make this very simple for the idiots out there who want a free lunch. You are not entitled to anything the law of New Zealand says you're not entitled to. And on the subject of national superannuation the law is very clear; you only get one state pension. That's it, get this in your thick skulls you handout mentality losers. If you or your partner are in receipt of a state pension from another jurisdiction, that may mean you lose all entitlement in Kiwiland (of course you should).
Why is this so important? The answer to that question is also very simple. If those people who want to double dip (in effect) are allowed to get away with it then the NZ superannuation system will crash. It will become defunct. Here's why - read carefully - NZ has only 4.5 million people. Outside good old Kiwiland there are - wait for it - billions upon billions of people. Many of these people are retired with state pensions they can transfer to NZ if they wish. Certainly there are tens if not hundreds of millions of this kind. Get the idea? We cannot have a situation where the hard working taxpayer in NZ subsidises the state pensions of other countries. And it's even more ludicrous to think this subsidy would be the result of this or that NZer wanting to shack up with a foreigner. There we have it in one fell swoop, the family structure of NZ undermined and a bankrupt pension system.
Conclusion: if you think you're hard done by in New Zealand, I suggest you go somewhere else and stop stinking the place up.
Let's make this very simple for the idiots out there who want a free lunch. You are not entitled to anything the law of New Zealand says you're not entitled to. And on the subject of national superannuation the law is very clear; you only get one state pension. That's it, get this in your thick skulls you handout mentality losers. If you or your partner are in receipt of a state pension from another jurisdiction, that may mean you lose all entitlement in Kiwiland (of course you should).
Why is this so important? The answer to that question is also very simple. If those people who want to double dip (in effect) are allowed to get away with it then the NZ superannuation system will crash. It will become defunct. Here's why - read carefully - NZ has only 4.5 million people. Outside good old Kiwiland there are - wait for it - billions upon billions of people. Many of these people are retired with state pensions they can transfer to NZ if they wish. Certainly there are tens if not hundreds of millions of this kind. Get the idea? We cannot have a situation where the hard working taxpayer in NZ subsidises the state pensions of other countries. And it's even more ludicrous to think this subsidy would be the result of this or that NZer wanting to shack up with a foreigner. There we have it in one fell swoop, the family structure of NZ undermined and a bankrupt pension system.
Conclusion: if you think you're hard done by in New Zealand, I suggest you go somewhere else and stop stinking the place up.
November 11, 2017
O Canada!
What the hell just happened at APEC? Canada's Justin Trudeau was a no show at the TPP meeting. It looks to me like the US is putting pressure on Canada to not do the deal. Hmm?
[edit to add: OK so now we have the CP-TPP, so named I guess to put this near the top of any alphabetical list of such agreements. This new agreement looks better all round.]
[edit to add: OK so now we have the CP-TPP, so named I guess to put this near the top of any alphabetical list of such agreements. This new agreement looks better all round.]
November 10, 2017
TPP: Just Get On With It
The most important trade meetings taking place right now are at APEC. This year the meeting is in Vietnam and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will be on the minds of all those countries signed up for it. There have been a few speed wobbles but now everyone involved should get on board and just do it. Enough talk already. Even with the US out there is a lot at stake. The Pacific is set to rocket and we all need trade.
November 08, 2017
Readers
From time to time I report the breadth of this blog in terms of readership. The top countries for the past month were (in order):
France
Russia
United States
New Zealand
Canada
Australia
UK
Ireland
Ukraine
Brazil
Good to see Brazil and Australia beginning to read my thoughts and considered opinions. Welcome aboard. The USA has been deposed from the top spot, probably because I haven't been talking about US this and that so much.
My second novel The Crushing Son has begun to sell in both the physical and digital form. Yay. It's not a bad read, give it a try. Please buy the paperback, I make more that way. Amazon has an interesting business model, they appear to still favour the physical product of bound books over their own Kindle. I don't understand why but they're probably right given they're taking over the sale of books worldwide.
For my next novel I'm considering bleeding one or two chapters onto Wattpad, what do you think?
France
Russia
United States
New Zealand
Canada
Australia
UK
Ireland
Ukraine
Brazil
Good to see Brazil and Australia beginning to read my thoughts and considered opinions. Welcome aboard. The USA has been deposed from the top spot, probably because I haven't been talking about US this and that so much.
My second novel The Crushing Son has begun to sell in both the physical and digital form. Yay. It's not a bad read, give it a try. Please buy the paperback, I make more that way. Amazon has an interesting business model, they appear to still favour the physical product of bound books over their own Kindle. I don't understand why but they're probably right given they're taking over the sale of books worldwide.
For my next novel I'm considering bleeding one or two chapters onto Wattpad, what do you think?
November 06, 2017
NatTube: Not Really
My second survey of the AM Show took place today between 7 and 8am. National didn't get a single mention so I'm going to back down and say I was wrong. The AM Show are quite fair minded.
All mentions that directly related to New Zealand politics were clearly references to Labour, or one or more of their coalition partners. The AM Show did so generally positively 11 times and negatively 7 times. Included in those 7 times was a 42 second rant against Labour from both Duncan Garner and Mark Richardson who used the old anti-left canard of the "hypocrisy of the left". Nothing surprising from Richardson, he's the ugly face of conservatism in New Zealand. I'd be surprised if he's ever read a book.
But the audience expect nothing else really and there was so many positive mentions of Labour that I'd go so far as to say that their rant makes them look balanced. It's likely to reinforce the positive mentions of Labour, not boost National.
What of National now? They're spent and you have to place the blame firmly at the feet of the staggeringly incompetent Simon "Bill" English.
[A follow up survey 13/11/17, 7-8am showed more positive about Labour than negative, despite that hour being dominated by CPTPP talk. Only the one positive mention of National. This illustrates the difficulty of being in opposition, they can't get heard at all. Well they deserve it so I won't be crying.]
All mentions that directly related to New Zealand politics were clearly references to Labour, or one or more of their coalition partners. The AM Show did so generally positively 11 times and negatively 7 times. Included in those 7 times was a 42 second rant against Labour from both Duncan Garner and Mark Richardson who used the old anti-left canard of the "hypocrisy of the left". Nothing surprising from Richardson, he's the ugly face of conservatism in New Zealand. I'd be surprised if he's ever read a book.
But the audience expect nothing else really and there was so many positive mentions of Labour that I'd go so far as to say that their rant makes them look balanced. It's likely to reinforce the positive mentions of Labour, not boost National.
What of National now? They're spent and you have to place the blame firmly at the feet of the staggeringly incompetent Simon "Bill" English.
[A follow up survey 13/11/17, 7-8am showed more positive about Labour than negative, despite that hour being dominated by CPTPP talk. Only the one positive mention of National. This illustrates the difficulty of being in opposition, they can't get heard at all. Well they deserve it so I won't be crying.]
November 03, 2017
Astros World Champions
Congratulations to the Houston Astros on winning their first World Series. Now c'mon Rockets, win the NBA playoffs. It'd be nice to think the Texans could add the Superbowl as well.
November 01, 2017
AM Show aka NatTube
I can report progress on my survey of the AM Show on New Zealand's TV3 and whether they're really National Party TV.
What I do is throw dice to determine which day and what hour I'll be surveying. The first hour drawn was today, Wednesday the first day of November. The time surveyed was one hour between 8 and 9am.
Early days I know, but so far there is no evidence of bias. If anything the bias is pro Labour. I divide up which side is being mentioned, National or Labour (Labour includes all parties in government), and whether they're treated predominantly positively or negatively.
During the one hour in question, Duncan Garner talked for 40 seconds predominantly positively about Labour. He did not mention National and nor did Mark Richardson. The news segments presented by Amanda Gillies contained initiatives announced by Labour and these were handled even-handedly.
My readers will be aware that when I surveyed NBA games I found obvious bias, proving NBA regular season games are rigged. Well, so far no obvious bias from the AM Show. I'll keep randomly sampling. Funny thing was my wife saw my survey sheet ready on the coffee table and she left a note and a hand drawn emoji warning me not to get too upset with Mark Richardson as he's known to be a Nat. I called her to thank her for being so thoughtful but she needn't have worried, Richardson didn't offend.
More on this later and a report on the overall results.
What I do is throw dice to determine which day and what hour I'll be surveying. The first hour drawn was today, Wednesday the first day of November. The time surveyed was one hour between 8 and 9am.
Early days I know, but so far there is no evidence of bias. If anything the bias is pro Labour. I divide up which side is being mentioned, National or Labour (Labour includes all parties in government), and whether they're treated predominantly positively or negatively.
During the one hour in question, Duncan Garner talked for 40 seconds predominantly positively about Labour. He did not mention National and nor did Mark Richardson. The news segments presented by Amanda Gillies contained initiatives announced by Labour and these were handled even-handedly.
My readers will be aware that when I surveyed NBA games I found obvious bias, proving NBA regular season games are rigged. Well, so far no obvious bias from the AM Show. I'll keep randomly sampling. Funny thing was my wife saw my survey sheet ready on the coffee table and she left a note and a hand drawn emoji warning me not to get too upset with Mark Richardson as he's known to be a Nat. I called her to thank her for being so thoughtful but she needn't have worried, Richardson didn't offend.
More on this later and a report on the overall results.