David McCallum RIP

All the real actors are beginning to drop one by one. In the last week we've lost Michael Gambon and David McCallum.

 

Neil Oliver: '...unforgivable!'

Ireland vs All Blacks: Rugby World Cup 2023

I heard former All Blacks coach, Steve Hansen talking about how the All Blacks can beat Ireland. He mentioned that the All Blacks are the last team to have beaten them. That was back in July 2022, and since then Ireland have been on a winning streak. There have been close games, with Australia and Samoa having had a chance to topple them, so their winning cannot be assumed.

What Hansen was saying is the All Blacks have to avoid going wide too early. They have to keep it in the middle, and get Ireland's big forwards to bunch up defending. Then, when the time is right, go wide and rely on the skill and speed of the Kiwis. They must contest everything, including lineouts. Also of interest was his call to limit Sexton. By cutting down his options with Ireland, their whole game is affected.

Will the New Zealand coach, Ian Foster heed this advice? I don't have him as a thinker. He's a copycat, a classic assistant. He just goes along and hopes what worked in the past will work this time round.

What do you think?

Shane Jones on the Climate Change Cult

New Zealand General Election 2023

The New Zealand General Election is only weeks away and the only thing to stand out: NZ First is back. It is not a case of will they make the 5% threshold, but a case of can they make 10 or even 15%?

Winston Peters seems to be back in form, and his sidekick Shane Jones is in a support role and being feisty; could Jones win Northland?

Back in 2020, voters dropped NZ First in droves, preferring to switch to Labour and Jacinda Ardern. They'd been panicked by the so-called pandemic and turned to Mommy Dearest. She was evil of course, and people soon realised. Now in public opinion polls, Labour cannot get more than 30% popular support. 

Still lingering around are the useless Greens. And then we have ACT and their weasel of a leader David Seymour. These two parties represent the worst of all worlds, on the one hand being dreamers and grasping lunatics, while on the other being prepared to sell their own mothers for a few pennies. Both parties are loathsome.

Maori party? They'll never amount to much.

And no minor parties have come through the middle. They're all too disorganised, and too incoherent. NZ First have some candidates who represent resistance to lockdowns and mandates, so for now, we'll just have to hope they get in this time.

Neil Oliver: ‘…will they come for you next?’

Inalienable rights cannot be extinguished. This modern version of feudalism is anathema to the idea of personal freedom.

Revolution?

Are we talking about a revolution? I wonder where it will kick off first, my pick is France, then Germany, then Italy.

 

More Nonsense Being Peddled

Mask mandates are coming back it seems, along with more jabs and will we see lockdowns again soon? Climate lockdowns this time perhaps.

Timely meme then:

Was the US Election in 2020 Stolen?

Rene Marrou makes the case for the 2020 Presidential election being stolen:

https://marrou.substack.com/p/yes-the-election-was-stolen

Peter Williams Interviews Winston Peters

New Zealand First are back. Can they get to 10%?

 

Greens Co-leader Degree or Not?

The New Zealand Greens co-leader, James Shaw was claiming to have a degree he did not complete. He has claimed to have a BA from Victoria University of Wellington, but yesterday he amended his LinkedIn to say he only studied at VUW, but did not finish it. 

This calls into question his MSc from the University of Bath in the UK. Entry criteria to their MSc is usually an undergraduate degree with a 2:1 or higher. NZ only attaches these awards to honours degrees, however for an ordinary bachelors, a 2:1 is equivalent to an average grade of A- or higher.

I found this resource on the degree James Shaw says he has:

https://www.peterreason.net/wp-content/uploads/MSc_resp_bus_prac_brochure.pdf

For this postgraduate level course, you will need to have the work experience, commitment and ability to tackle a demanding programme whilst continuing with your working life. This course is not for recent graduates who have no work experience. Participants will normally hold a first degree (not necessarily in a management discipline), or will meet the School of Management entry requirements by demonstrating appropriate intellectual and professional competence to undertake the programme. 

Shaw may have met alternative entry requirements "by demonstrating appropriate intellectual and professional competence" but I'd still like to see his degree certificate and transcripts. What about you? Anyone who says they have a degree when they do not can say anything, true or not. 

Readers can find references to Shaw all over the internet, here's AIESEC on their alumni:

https://aiesec-alumni.org/james-shaw-profile/

With a BA from Victoria University of Wellington and an MSc in Responsibility in Business Practice from the University of Bath’s School of Management, James Shaw spent five years in AIESEC, taking up roles such as Local Committee President of AIESEC Victoria, President of AIESEC New Zealand and acted as a Project Manager in AIESEC International. Armed with extensive experience in business sustainability and consulting, James eventually turned to Politics and joined the New Zealand Green Party in 2007. He is currently Member of Parliament in the New Zealand Parliament, having won a seat in the 2014 General Election, and is Co-leader of the New Zealand Green Party.

 

Election Season 2023

My reaction to the mainstream parties courting my vote this year. Yeah...nah.

What Happened to Canada?

Canada used to be a wonderful country. What happened? If any country is worse than New Zealand, Canada must be a top contender.