ICC: Cricket World Cup 2019

Two comments come to mind: the New Zealand v Australia match - it looked to me as if NZ were trying to lose, giving the Australians easy outs. That's the only way to describe a woeful batting performance from the Kiwis.

And media seemed to spend more time talking about fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan fans than on the game itself. The game was a gripping encounter and deserved more favourable comment.

NZ Labour: Build Houses

Why can't the New Zealand Labour government build houses? They're the party that invented the state house. Housing Minister, Phil Twyford has just been sacked, fair enough he proved useless but you also have to question the entire Labour team. There is a real dearth of talent in the NZ parliament right now.

Toronto Raptors: Chip on their Shoulder

Not a single player in the champion Raptors side was an NBA lottery pick. The following article details how each player was acquired and where they were in the draft. It's an interesting read and just goes to show, a team of players with something to prove can achieve greatness.

https://www.thestar.com/sports/raptors/2019/04/11/how-the-2018-19-raptors-were-built.html

War with Iran

Who is behind the ramping up of tension between Iran and the USA? Would it be Saudi Arabia? A bit obvious this, given that the Saudis are under investigation for murdering the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the bombing of civilians in Yemen, and now they're under attack from Houthi rebels on Saudi territory with the Saudi Army apparently running away whenever they come under fire.

Kim Kardashian for President

The US has had its first reality television star become President, so why not the first female President also a reality TV star? Face it, she'd be better than the Donald. Better looking too. I know Kanye West said he was going to run, but with his mental stability an issue then it's over to his wife with her new legal training. Embrace the vision.

Toronto Raptors Win NBA Championship

The Raptors have pulled off a massive upset, beating the Golden State Warriors 4-2 in the series. Game 6 was even tighter than the close score suggests. For the losers, Klay Thompson stood out, when he dislocated his knee he had the presence of mind to crawl back onto the court to ensure he was down while fully in the field of play, then when carried from the area he returned to make his free throws. Now that is tough. I hope he's all right. And for the winners, what a great team effort, with Kawhi Leonard the man who can do anything.

New Zealand Defence Capability Plan

Those wanting to read the latest dreams and schemes put out by the NZ Defence establishment can read it here:

https://www.defence.govt.nz/publications/publication/defence-capability-plan-2019

This is an improvement but still doesn't go far enough. Readers will note that there are still no plans to regain NZ's air strike capability. Also lacking is a firm commitment to acquire drones which are a must-do in my book. They're also continuing with cuts even though the replacement capability is not ready. I'm talking here about the immediate removal from service of two inshore patrol boats, leaving just two in service. That's likely because they can't find crews to man them.

Then consider it appears the multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury is a failure. Read between the lines, it is spelt out bold and clear.

The NZ Government don't appear to be able to get its priorities right. Those priorities must be:

Navy
Air Force
Army

...in that order. Having two old and incapable Frigates to secure 11% of the earth's surface is ludicrous. Grow up New Zealand.

Oh and consider this announcement a bribe of sorts from NZ First's Ron Mark. But before voters consider giving them a chance in 2020, please remember that this lot shut down oil and gas exploration. They acted to harm the NZ economy, so they can't be trusted with defence either.

This was my blueprint published in 2017 https://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2017/01/blueprint-for-new-zealand-armed-forces.html

Toronto Raptors: Defense

It's all about defense, that's my reasoning behind the Raptors surprise upsets over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA finals. I know a lot of people are going on about their offesne, but look at the scores, the Warriors are being restricted. Leonard, Gasol, Ibaka, Siakam and Green are all defensive heavyweights.

New Zealand: Clash of Polls

The latest political opinion polls show a completely contrasting picture. TVNZ's 1 News has National ahead of Labour, while TV3's Newshub have National plummeting to new lows. What's going on?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12238789 

Something the two media organisations did agree on; the minor parties are looking shaky. They're both on or just over the 5% threshold, which is good news for both Labour and National, but especially National.

The real story I think is being rarely mentioned, and that is that voters are browsing around looking for someone to support, hence the erosion of support for the minor parties in parliament, and the emergence of new political movements such as the new Christian party and a new Green party called Sustainable New Zealand.

2019 NBA Finals

Wow, it's now 3-1 to the Raptors in the series. Drake really has proven to be a lucky charm. The Warriors appear completely psyched out, with incidents like the co-owner pushing a Raptors player at courtside. I'm sure the Raptors are making the most of every incident no matter how slight they are. And now the Raptors get to go for the series win at home with Drake cheering on. It's entertaining.

Rihanna New #1 All Time

Rihanna has been named as the biggest female artist of all time, exceeding Beyonce and Celine Dion to the top earner prize. This is how I imagine she feels upon hearing the news:

Game 3 NBA Finals 2019

The series is locked up 1-1 and it's looking as if injuries are going to be a critical factor. Kevin Durant is out for the Warriors and Klay Thompson is looking doubtful. What was looking like a stroll to a third straight title for the Warriors, is now far from it.