That Was 2025

Lessons everywhere, but what a strange year.

Epstein Network Still Operational?

Why was the Miami Herald investigative reporter who broke the whole Jeffrey Epstein story being tracked, and why did the authorities continue tracking her long after Jeffrey Epstein's death?

Laughing Stock UK

The UK is now a laughing stock - convince me I'm wrong.

EU Against Free Speech

European elites have always treated speech as optional privileges.

King's Christmas Message 2025

As I see it, King Charles gave two messages loud and clear at his annual Christmas address. The first is get ready to fight a war. He mentioned the young die in wars and images of veterans and wounded soldiers kept popping up throughout. 

The second message was that Jesus was on a journey, looking for understanding and just wanting to get along (my words). This conflicts with scripture; the Christian message is repentance, confess your sins and sin no more. That there is no other path to salvation than through Him. Life isn't about wombling along as some kind of New Age Hippie. 

Charles isn't a Christian, and he has no place being head of the Church of England. 

Alien Invasion

All mine this idea, I haven't seen it anywhere else, but there are probably many versions out there.

Alien invasion: Aliens are already here, they're amongst us. The World appears to have gone crazy where just about any stupid shit now appears the norm. This new reality can be at the street level and go right up to leaders of the Free World, there are no exceptions.

What the aliens are doing is manipulating Earth's geomagnetic field, and in so doing changing perception. Eventually, human biochemistry will change, and then the aliens rule in this new reality.

Convince me I'm wrong, because let's face it, 2025 has been off-the-scale weird. 

Anyhoo, have a very Merry Christmas everyone.

Andrew Lownie on Where to from Here

The British Royal Family face interesting times. More scandals are anticipated and author Andrew Lownie sums things up succinctly. 

New Age of Crap Cars

Automobiles these days are more expensive and unreliable. Who will go back to making a simple car?

Vote Rigging 2020

Vote rigging in the 2020 election was very real, and people who think that's not the case are either stupid or dishonest.

Sam Altman Exposed

AI offers some benefits, but one problem I see is there appears little economic return on the massive infrastructure cost required to bring it on. 

This is a classic cost/benefit exercise. We need cheap electricity to provide a low cost economy, powering hospitals, schools and such. If we take the money that could go into these areas, and put it in the hands of the owners of AI, how can we be sure that money will be returned to the investors and society in general?

One option may be to make AI a public good. Make AI like the air we breathe. This would make AI and the code it runs on widely available to all businesses. If not taking this approach, then AI will need to be strictly regulated. For instance, in any area where things become highly technical or subject to opinions, I find AI fails almost every time. AI is usually wrong in those areas. If you need an example, take Kim Kardashian's failing the bar exam and her blaming AI. When looked at, AI was feeding her legal answers that were wrong.

Imagine using AI to build a bridge across a ravine, or designing a passenger airplane. Are you going to trust it? However, I do see a place for robots and AI fetching and carrying, that'd be something both are capable of.

In the below video, Sam Altman's background is closely examined. Is this someone you want your economy invested in?

Russia Now Hardened

Lawrence Wilkerson points out that what the US and Europe have done is essentially battle harden Russia. This was an incredibly stupid thing to do. I point out that the last time Russia really got on a roll, they took Paris in 1814. 

Epstein Files Release

As expected the files just released are heavily redacted. This issue won't go away as it crosses political dividing lines, the cabal have a real problem over this.

Rolls-Royce May Pack Up and Leave the UK

This would be a blow to the United Kingdom; Rolls-Royce is looking to move at least part of their production overseas. Taxes and compliance costs must be prohibitive.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-15386153/Rolls-Royce-jet-engine-snub-Labour-Engineering-giant-threatens-1-6-trillion-project-US-Germany.html

Rolls-Royce could build a new range of jet engines in Germany or the US instead of Britain, in what would be a major blow to Labour’s faltering growth hopes.

The FTSE 100 aerospace giant is being actively courted by politicians in Berlin and Washington over a programme that will create 40,000 jobs across the company and supply chain.

It comes as surging energy costs – blamed on Ed Miliband’s Net Zero drive – are making it harder to make money from manufacturing in Britain.

New Zealand Launch

Heh, Australia, launched anything into space from your own territory yet? Nothing?

National Slump, Team of Chumps

The National Party lead the current government of New Zealand. The most recent poll has them at a low of 30 percent support, eight points behind the Opposition. Why is their support plummeting?

Read this you National Party chumps. On November 21 you put out a request for information, which formally introduced the proposal for pay-per-mile for all light vehicles, including petrol cars. The latest poll result comes a couple of weeks later. Well, if you'd bothered to check the internet, you'd know that all Kiwi voters are really upset with this proposal. They're punishing you, and they'll continue to do so if you don't promptly scrap the proposal. You are about to become the National Party's first one term government.

What National did amounts to an act of massive betrayal. Kiwis have been paying fuel tax for generations, and most of those funds go back into roads and bridges. By moving fuel tax onto a standalone pay-per-mile platform, it effectively allows for the sale of the county's roads. People are justifiably upset about this and the NZ internet is full of comments about how they're done with National.

Kiwis commenting are not wrong, National are proven liars and deceivers. 

More Bondi Heroes

Footage has emerged of two people challenging the Bondi Beach shooters, just as they emerge from their car and before they start their rampage. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/16/boris-and-sofia-gurman-identified-as-couple-who-lost-lives-trying-to-stop-bondi-gunmen-as-attack-began-ntwnfb

Also, the man who is seen in earlier footage throwing a brick at the older gunman, he was later shot and has died. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/16/he-went-down-fighting-daughter-of-bondi-terror-victim-reuven-morrison-says-her-father-threw-bricks-at-the-alleged-gunmen-ntwnfb

I'm still asking the question: where were the police?

 

 Only two police were at Bondi at the time of the attack:

 

Donald Trump, Just Button It

This is just cruel, Donald Trump has dumped on the memory of Rob Reiner, who was murdered along with his wife Michele over the weekend. 

Reiner's movie Stand By Me is a classic. Many of his movies have become culturally significant.

Trump doesn't seem to know how to say something appropriate.

Parents of Bondi Hero Speak

Turns out the Bondi hero was a former police officer. Where were the Sydney police during this incident?

Civilian Hero at Bondi

The man who took the gun off one of the shooters at Bondi yesterday, is Ahmed al Ahmed. He owns a fruit and vegetable shop in Sydney. This man saved a lot of lives, how about everyone in Sydney go to this man's shop and buy some produce!

Bondi Terror

Shocking events at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. 

RangeDayBro on Charlie Kirk

RangeDayBro sums up where we're at when it comes to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

California Faces Fuel Crisis

Hard to believe I know, but oil rich California has been so badly managed, the lower supply of oil has resulted in expensive fuel prices at the pump. Who'd a thunk? The state is now reliant on non-US supply despite sitting on the resources to drive the whole state.

This is a lot like New Zealand. It now lacks a refinery and is wholly reliant on overseas fuel supplies, despite sitting on a mountain of crude.

Is this a conspiracy to collapse the economies of both territories, or just stupidity on the part of governments?

Australia a Proving Ground

The ban on those under 16 using social media is another of the many measures that get tried out in Australia first, and if it works, governments will implement it worldwide.

Australian Banks Ripping Off Customers

In New Zealand, Westpac Bank has gone in the opposite direction in response to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowering its Official Cash Rate or OCR.

There have been a lot of excuses given by the bank and economists about why this move. That's because one would expect banks to lower mortgage interest rates when the Reserve Bank lowers the OCR. I think Westpac has raised interest rates to prop up Australia. New Zealanders are subsidising the Australians.

Here's my thinking: Australia has a major problem. China is slowing up and will not be buying the same volume of coal and iron ore, simply because it won't be making as much stuff and won't need the amount of steel it has previously. Australia needs this business as it lacks its own industry. Australia has always thought it a good idea to rip raw materials out of the ground, export, then take the money and buy flat screen TV's with the proceeds.

Australia is also faced with higher inflationary expectations. They've mismanaged their economy, and expect Kiwis to pay. It's as simple as that.

NZ should stay the course. Inflation does appear under control and confidence has returned. Kiwis should think carefully about whether moving to Australia is a good idea as there is a real risk of being stranded without a job. 

As a side note, Australia is currently heavily promoting itself to Kiwis. They're using positive and negative campaigns. The positive ones mention better quality of life and higher pay. The negative campaign says NZ is falling apart (it isn't), and that everyone is leaving (they aren't). This kind of advertising can have real consequences. I recently saw a young doctor originally from Christchurch, on YouTube describing her life on the Sunshine Coast now she's moved to Australia. She described how she'd gone from receiving free meals at Christchurch Public Hospital, and all learning materials being paid for, to Australia where she has to pay for meals and pay for everything else. Then, she described trying to get onto her speciality course, and not being able to. Well, no shit Sherlock, the Australians will always prefer their own, the immigrant is there to work, not to get ahead. And based on the Sunshine Coast, a swamp two hours from Brisbane. She gave up living in the most positive city with a wonderful buzz, to go to the Sunshine Coast to be eaten by mosquitoes. And despite the negatives, she remained positive about her move; all I can to that is a fool and her money are soon parted. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/581436/finance-minister-advises-mortgage-holders-to-shop-around-as-westpac-increases-rates

Coronation Street Dire

Will someone please push the cancel button on this snore fest of a once great ITV soap opera.

Coronation Viewing Figures Plummet

Japan Earthquake Prediction

Stefan Burns is a geophysicist who has been knocking it out of the park recently. He accurately predicted recent volcanic eruptions, and now he's accurately predicted the current earthquake swarms, the worst of which was a Richter 7.6 earthquake off Japan. He blames recent activity of the sun, fascinating stuff.

Reform UK and Conservatives Lead

The most recent public opinion poll in the UK:

Reform 31%

Conservatives 20%

Greens 18%

Labour (government) 14%

At this rate, if an election was held tomorrow, Reform UK and the Conservatives would likely form a coalition government.

(Pollster: Find Out Now)

What Went Wrong? Jacinda Ardern

Graham Norton has asked Jacinda Ardern the question on his TV show in the UK. As per usual, she makes it all about herself and she blames the people of New Zealand. What went wrong?

Let's get this straight, Jacinda Ardern was not elected prime minister in 2017; she came second, but a dithering old fool by the name of Winston Peters selected her. She became prime minister through the back door. Then, she was reelected in 2020 on the back of a rigged General Election. 

Ardern was and remains the worst prime minister in New Zealand's history. She was an authoritarian monster who developed a two-tier system, where the underclasses were treated with contempt. She is one of the few prime ministers to have actually sought to harm the country, and succeeded in that endeavour, as few pushed back against her tyrannical rule. NZ may never recover; that's how much damage she has done.

In New Zealand, apart from a few fans that remain, she is loathed. She has to stay away from the place, a permanent exile. Good luck, US and UK, and please do NZ a favour, keep her. 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360910644/graham-norton-asks-jacinda-ardern-what-went-wrong-her-popularity-new-zealand

Rigged Rugby World Cup 2027

I can see World Rugby is still up to their old tricks. I watched the draw for each group online and noticed that the teams were drawn from barrels that you could not see into. Not only that, but people reached into the barrels containing team names, and drew them out of this covered barrel by hand. Not a good look, why did they not have a machine tumbling the barrels, and then drawing the names automatically?

The structure of the tournament appears designed to allow host Australia to win. We have the ridiculous situation where New Zealand could play South Africa in the quarter-finals. Basically, the final at the quarters stage. I'm not going to be watching, what a farce. The way things are structured, both New Zealand and South Africa would be better off coming second in their groups. Make it make sense.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2027_Men%27s_Rugby_World_Cup

Candace Owens Is Not Suicidal

The world has gone mad.

Solar Activity and Need to Stay Manual

Airbus grounded their A320 fleet worldwide, and this was due to the potential of solar activity impacting their aircraft electronics. However, this may only be the start of things as we need electronics in every part of our lives, but the sun right now is very active. This activity can knock out electronics, effectively cutting off electricity as well. This solar activity may also trigger volcanoes and we've seen multiple eruptions off the back of this solar activity.

You just know our political leaders will know nothing about this. But, my advice is to keep some cash to hand, you may need it.

Will Anthony Fauci Face Justice?

Orange suits Dr Anthony Fauci. I agree with the Swedish guy:

Climate Catastrophe

Just playing around, totally unscientific this, but having a look at temperatures on Earth over the last few million years, what is all the panic about?

Below you'll see I've drawn on a graph, two lines, the orange one to my thinking is the ideal temperature for humans on Earth, while the black vertical line indicates 5 million years ago. Since then, we've always been colder, but right now we appear to be in the hottie goodie zone, ideal for plant life and mammals. 

Basically, drill baby drill.

Unscientific Musing/Ideal Temperature Range

Prof. Sunetra Gupta Comments

 The UK Covid inquiry report is a disgrace, a cover up, just a political exercise. 

Bay of Riches

Here's an idea, New Zealand's Poverty Bay is a beautiful area and appears misnamed. Why not change its name to Bay of Riches?

Golden Bay, at the top of the South Island of NZ was originally named Murderers Bay, but they thought of a far better name, reflecting the beaches of golden sand in the region. Likewise, the North Island has the Bay of Plenty, it is a bay of plenty, apparently. 

Bay of Riches, where the largest city on the bay is Gisborne. Watch the city boom as it jettisons its poverty label.

Is China Lying About Its Population?

I wonder, does China have a population of 1.4 billion? The claim is that they're lying, and their population is much less. There are ways of working out what their population is, without having a census. We could look at the number of telephone connections, how many cars are on the road, how many flights from city to city, that sort of thing. 

Another way of looking at it is to compare China with India, where we know how many people there are. We can look at the congestion, keeping in mind the difference in territorial space available for occupation. Bear in mind too that both countries have uninhabitable areas, where it is too mountainous, or there is no water.

Below, I've inserted a map, placing India over China. Lifestyle factors have to be taken into account, such as how many people in a family live under one roof. However, it is hard to ignore reports of empty cities in China. You will have seen the stories of cities that are new, that could house a million people, but where they're mostly empty, with only 20-30k living there. When I see such stories, I think they've built in too much capacity, but the population did not grow to fill the space. That may indicate population decline.

I simply don't know the answer, I'm just putting it out there for consideration:

China v India

China Collapsing?

This could be propaganda, but if there is any truth to it, then the world is going into a serious downturn. The below report says that migrant workers in China are going home early, well before the Chinese New Year as there is no work. These workers are itinerant day workers, they work in places like restaurants and construction sites. They drive the Chinese economy.

Migrant workers come from the rural areas into the cities. Their incomes keep their families back in the villages alive. Their early return is a serious problem as they boost the population in rural areas, and they must be fed. This leaves less food crops to be sold. 

Seeing this, I thought Australia is in serious trouble too as they rely on China buying their mine output. Currently, Australia is desperately promoting itself to try and keep immigrants coming in, bringing their skills and money with them. New Zealanders should think very carefully about whether going to Australia is a good idea because if their economy does collapse, there will be no lifeline for them, and the NZ government will not pay for them to come home.

Rugby: New Zealand v Wales

Rugby - On Saturday New Zealand's All Blacks secured a comfortable 52-26 victory over their old foes, Wales, but they looked fragile at times; they often lost possession when hard on attack and out wide the NZ defense looked exposed. Wales are weak at the moment and should not have been allowed 26 points. In a way, the score flattered the All Blacks as Wales looked better than the score suggests. 

I see a weakness with the current Wales team, their forwards lack mobility and good ball-handling skills. That's an area they need to work hard on.

My main complaint is with refereeing and in particular the video referee. Once again we saw the ridiculous situation where the All Blacks were penalised against, yet they went on to score a try anyway, which was converted, only to have all that effort cancelled and made to come back for a penalty in their favour. Make it make sense.

Then, another NZ try was awarded on field by the referee, correctly, but she was clearly intimidated into reversing her decision based on words said from the video referees. The referee had done a good job, and this interference ruins the game.

Rugby is falling in popularity these days, and this is because the referees do not allow the game to flow. And then, the video referees overrule and interfere.

I hope R360 rugby is successful and that they make changes. The current games are simply not good viewing.

UK Covid Inquiry - Womble Report

I was right, the UK Covid Inquiry report says exactly what I predicted it would say; more lockdowns, sooner, harder. Authoritarians have to be ever more authoritarian.

There was no pandemic, it was the flu rebranded. The whole lockdown was designed to create fear and panic and to exert control. Likewise, the restrictions on travel, followed by the jab mandates were not about health, it was softening up for later more draconian measures, part of the global coup of 2020 and 2021.

Reports coming out always side with authority, they never side with the people. If such reports are critical, they always say how the authorities failed to be more authoritarian. They never side with freedom and relying on natural immunity.

Doubt what I'm saying? Head over to my useful links page, it is full of material you need to read. For instance, did you know that a study in Japan found that the more jabs you have the more likely you are to die? The control group is all those who received no jab, they're all doing well.

Once more, for those down the back of the room - there was no pandemic, you were hoodwinked, lied to, manipulated, extorted and ultimately experimented on, and they didn't care if they killed you. Who is they? Your government, that's who they are.

Oh, and if you're reading this, welcome, buy a lottery ticket as you're lucky; Google still scrubs any talk like this, it makes you wonder why they'd do that, eh, if I was the one talking nonsense.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/20/too-little-too-late-damning-report-condemns-uk-covid-response

The idea that a lockdown should not have happened in the circumstances was false, the authors said. Not having one would have caused loss of life “on a scale that was unconscionable and unacceptable”.

<snip>

If a lockdown had been imposed on 16 March, a week earlier than took place, modelling suggests this could have cut the number of deaths in England in the first wave of the virus by almost half, equating to 23,000 lives saved, the inquiry authors say.

MTG Sounding Presidential

Do you think Marjorie Taylor Greene is preparing to run for president? She's sounding more presidential every day. She comes from a construction background, so she knows how to get things done. 

Release Epstein Files Vote

The cynic in me says they're now voting to release the files because the files have been wiped, or they've generated completely fake files. I mean, how would we know any different? I'll believe this is real when I see perpetrators in prison. 

What's Wrong With the All Blacks?

Rugby Union - New Zealand's All Blacks have lost to England at Twickenham, 19-33. This has got to sting as England are starting to rack up wins a little too often. 

What has gone wrong?

New Zealand seem to lack the ability to get themselves out of a slump during games. I put this down to three main factors:

1. Coaching - the team now plays two-dimensionally, they lack innovation. Gone are the 3D chess moves of Steve Hansen and Ian Foster, the current coaches' predecessors.

2. Captaincy - the current leadership on the field is lacking; they live only in the moment and make very poor strategic on-field decisions.

3. Skill - the players commit too many basic errors, such as not being able to secure the ball or retain possession, and they lack in areas of more advanced play, such as their body position when close to the line. 

During the latest effort against England, there was a long period of time when the All Blacks failed to score, letting England get a feeling they were in the game. Previous teams were always able to keep the scoreboard ticking along, effectively shutting down the hopes of their opposition.

The only positive is that it is good to find this out now, rather than close to a World Cup. The All Blacks have a lot of work to do.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/579002/grand-slammed-what-went-wrong-for-the-all-blacks-against-england

Donald Trump and Bubba?

Who is Bubba?

Trump Needs to Answer Questions

Latest news: recently released emails suggest that US President, Donald J Trump knew everything.

BBC Verify

Oh no, BBC Verify says...they're fooked.

Fenbendazole and Cancer

 Interesting this, is this another horse dewormer we should know nothing about?

Coal, Energy Security and Electricity Prices

Here's an excellent description of the link between coal and electricity prices. As the world has chased the Net Zero nonsense, the price of electricity has risen sharply.

UK Labour Now Fourth

How long has Keir Starmer got left? Labour in the UK are now below the Greens in the latest public opinion poll.

Pollster: Find Out Now, sample size 2717, 5-6 Nov., 2025 (government bold)

Reform UK 33%

Greens 18%

Conservatives 16% (Opposition)

Labour 15% (Government)

The top two parties are relatively new, while the bottom two are the old-school established parties. That must be significant.

Privatising Roads

It's all part of the plan; the UK has now announced pay-per-mile, after New Zealand announced it earlier this year. Governments need to do this so they can privatise the roads. Currently, fuel tax pays for the roads, and governments collect it. They need to move payment over onto a separate platform so it can be sold off. 

New York Mayor - Zohran Mamdani

I'll make a prediction; by February 2026 people will be crying, we are so betrayed. Remember hope and change and Barack Obama? Nothing changed, and there was no hope, Obama was working for Wall Street. This Mamdani bloke will be no different. 

It's funny watching people lose it though, I wonder if anyone will actually move out of New York because of it?

New Zealand EV Sales

Don't believe the hype, EVs are toast. The subsidies have ended, and guess what, they don't stack up as a sensible purchase.

BBC Stands Accused

Yeah, makes sense, it is alleged that the BBC spliced together words Donald Trump used during the January 6th, 2021 so-called insurrection, in order to make him look bad. If this is proven, heads need to roll. 

Oil!

Apologies to the novelist, Upton Sinclair, for my borrowing the title to his book Oil! The book is loosely based off the real-life oilman, Edward L Doheny, a man who knew how to get things done. The movie, There Will Be Blood starring Daniel Day-Lewis, is based on the novel, so in a loose sense, the Daniel Day-Lewis character is a very watered down Doheny. 

Anyhoo...we have an Oil! situation developing in Venezuela and Nigeria. It is clear to me that before war is declared worldwide, the US is securing their supply chains. In the Senate they're closely examining shipbuilding, with Ted Cruz involved, and the White House is securing oil. 

If you are investor in renewables, my advice is to get out of that as it will all collapse as soon as this war goes fully kinetic. Wind and solar relies heavily on China, and China is going to be rubble, so good luck with that. As well, oil will be cheap as Venezuela and Nigeria will go back to pumping as they should, the volume from which will bring down the cost of oil, making renewables uneconomic. 

Anyway, Balkan Mapper has an interesting video up:

And from Donald Trump to Nigeria:

Knife Attack England

 It does appear that England has a major problem; the fabric of its society appears torn.

Manifesto for New Zealand

This weekend, I'm making my Manifesto for New Zealand available free on Kindle. Each problem identified, as I see it, then comes with its solution. 

There is a General Election due next year, and it will be, possibly, the most important in the country's history. NZ could go in any direction, sink or swim. Let's help it swim.

>>>Download Here<<<

Ken Horlor's Manifesto for New Zealand

UK Political Revolution

The most recent political opinion poll from Find Out Now in the UK has Reform UK on top with 32%. Significantly, the second largest party are the Greens. Then, Labour and the Conservatives are in equal third. We see two relatively new parties now displacing the two much older parties.

Keir Starmer may even struggle to win his seat if an election was held tomorrow.

Find Out Now

Jimmy Dore on Bill Gates

Hehe, Jimmy Dore on Bill Gates climb down.

Maybe we should tax Bill Gates and take all of his money off him, to compensate for all the policies governments have adopted, that he promoted, that have resulted in people's lives being ruined.

Mr Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Yes, indeed, Andrew is no longer a prince. Can the King do this? Probably he can, using letters patent. However, he probably cannot remove Andrew from the Line of Succession, that would require laws be passed through several parliaments around the world. By all means correct me on this.

Propaganda Australia

I've noticed Australia is going full-on promoting its lies about how great its country is. For those who do not know, Australia is going down, sooner rather than later. They're living on borrowed time. 

Some of their propaganda relentlessly attacks New Zealand. They do this to try and brainwash Kiwis into moving there. Australia needs Kiwis to sell up and take their money to that fly blown country, and prop it up with their superior skills. Australia is a Ponzi scheme. 

I stopped posting answers to Quora because of these unfair attacks on NZ. The propagandists would put up a bunny question: which country is better, Australia or New Zealand, based on the following criteria (insert random criteria here), and then the answers had to conclude Australia, of course. When I proved, based on objective data, that NZ wins the prize, my answers were removed. 

Now, on YouTube, the same sort of thing is happening. Bunches of videos are put out at the same time, all effectively attacking Kiwiland. Given the way these videos are produced and their timing, I've concluded the Australian government is promoting this nonsense.

Australia is getting desperate. China has started buying Soybeans from the US again, and they no longer need Australian iron ore. Not only that, Australia came 15th at the Athletics World Championships this year, New Zealand was fifth - suck on my big left one, Australia. 

Oh, and Australia has an inflation rate higher than New Zealand.

https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/inflation-cpi/news/496897

Australia’s annual inflation rate jumped to 3.2% in Q3 2025 from 2.1% in Q2, marking the highest figure since Q2 2024 and surpassing market estimates of 3.0%.

Prince Andrew Stripped

Somewhat of a surprise this; Prince Andrew has lost his titles and will henceforth be called Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. He will also lose his residence, Royal Lodge.

However, this does bring with it the risk that Andrew could now put out a tell-all book, dropping the firm in it. Charles must be of the view that Andrew won't do that, or that Andrew doesn't have any dirt.

Hmm.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/oct/30/not-in-this-together-king-charles-cuts-andrew-loose-to-save-royal-familys-repute

Bill Gates Backtracks

I wasn't going to say anything, but what the heck: Bill Gates has peddled his doom and gloom for years. Remember his very stupid idea to block out the sun? Yeah, and what qualifications does he have to claim expert status, I mean, he's a university dropout software salesman. Why do people listen to the fool?

I skimmed his latest piece, which amounts to a backdown, but what concerned me was that throughout, he never mentioned education. He seems to want a healthy population that is illiterate slaves. That's what I infer from his diatribe.

It's about time he retired from view. Just go away, Mr Gates, you're not helping, you're actually hindering.

Start-Up Failure and Tax

I have drawn a logarithmic curve illustrating the link between the rate of income tax businesses may face and the rate at which start-ups fail within the first six years of existence.

At 0% tax, 10% of start-ups fail, while at 10% income tax, 40% of start-ups fail within six years. The argument here is that start-ups should not be subject to income tax within their first six years, the time when they are most vulnerable to failure.

Horlor Curve Logarithmic 

New Zealand Government vs Opposition

It is good to see the New Zealand government and the Opposition coming up with ideas that reflect totally different perspectives.

Labour are NZs Opposition party and they've recently announced a capital gains tax (CGT) as a central policy leading into the General Election in 2026. This is good because it makes them unelectable. CGT's are political kryptonite in NZ.

NZ doesn't need a CGT. You cannot tax your way to prosperity. Think like Texas.

Australia is often compared to NZ. Oz has CGT, stamp duty, and a means tested retirement at age 67. Meanwhile, NZ has no CGT, no stamp duty, no inheritance taxes, no gift duty, and retirement at age 65 is not means tested. These are key points of difference between the two and what makes NZ superior to Australia. 

What NZ could do is lower taxes. Thinking like Texas means no tax and backing business. Businesses create employment and drive the economy forward. 

Don't think like Labour. Once a CGT gets hold, it'll expand and morph into a wealth tax. NZ will end up like the UK, and no-one wants to be like that hellhole.

Then, this week the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford made her stand by introducing a new school curriculum for years 0-10. It is a knowledge-based curriculum, you know, students will have to know stuff. No more rainbow hugs and unicorn kisses. This is long overdue, and of course it's being panned by all the vested interests who want to avoid doing any work.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/577108/govt-releases-full-draft-of-curriculum-for-years-0-10

Prunella Scales RIP

Prunella Scales has died aged 93. She was brilliant as Sybil, the wife of Basil in Fawlty Towers. The TV comedy is a timeless classic and instantly addictive. I remember recommending watching it to my children, and initially they doubted me, but they were hooked after just a few minutes.

America Develops Permanent Magnet Zero Rare Earth

About fifteen years ago, China unofficially stopped selling rare earths to Japan, heavily impacting their car manufacturing. America took note and started developing permanent magnets that did not require rare earths, the result, Niron Magnetics. 

Niron Magnetics make permanent magnets 50% stronger, using the most magnetic material yet known, iron nitride. They have a factory being built in Sartell, Minnesota.

I always advise, best to not piss-off America too much as they do find a workaround.

https://www.nironmagnetics.com/news

Start Pumping Oil

Current so-called renewable energy is now economically viable due to the current oil price. But that oil price is held up by Venezuela's lack of output. They only pump about 900,000 barrels of oil a day, when they should be pumping about nine million barrels. Even at that higher rate, they'd have about 100 years of production left based on existing reserves.

The renewables sector is living in a false economy. The price of oil can only come down. That's because Venezuela won't continue to live in the Dark Ages much longer, plus new oil fields are coming on soon in Africa. As well, there is much oil yet to be discovered.

Study the graph which shows how oil reserves amongst the top five countries have increased. The graph starts in 1980; the year before I studied the oil crisis of the 1970s. I had a lecturer, a colossal fool this person was, an intellectual minnow who opined that oil was finished, nothing new was to be found, and it would all be gone by the year 2000. Back then, in 1979, people actually believed that kind of nonsense. There was also the big ice age about to happen, and it was in all the newspapers and magazines; we were preparing to freeze because oil was running out.

Well, how did that work out? 

You know - science!

Top 5 Oil Reserves 1980-2015

Venezuela's Oil

I've been thinking of a reason the US may be about to take Venezuela, and the only explanation I can think of is that they want its oil. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves by far, yet it only pumps daily about 10% of what it should be pumping. That's because, after decades of economic failure, their oil equipment is broken.

Right then, so what I think the US could do is take control of Venezuelan oil. To do this, they wouldn't need to occupy the whole country. All they'd do is control those areas where the oil fields are located, and also control pipelines and port facilities. Study the map to see where those assets are located.

Venezuela is surrounded by adversaries. Guyana is part of the Commonwealth and a former British colony, and likewise, so is Trinidad and Tobago. Then, to the west is Colombia, which is now fully developed and a member of the OECD. Only Brazil may be an ally of Venezuela, but it's through a jungle and undeveloped areas too far south.

The scenario would be to first crush all of Venezuela's oil exports, then occupy the oil fields. They'd need to take out Venezuela's military assets as well, and leadership in Caracas. But they'd just destroy the government and military assets, not take them on head-to-head.

Why is this a brilliant strategic move? If the US does this, then China is cooked. What has this got to do with China?

China controls the so-called renewables sector, wind and solar energy generation, and it controls EV battery production. If the US starts pumping Venezuelan oil at ten times its daily rate right now, the price of gasoline will halve and wipe out the renewables sector overnight. Why would anyone buy an EV, or install solar panels, or a wind turbine when oil is cheap and limitless?

Venezuela's Oil Assets

Venezuela, What Went Wrong?

The US is moving significant assets into the Caribbean, apparently with the intent of tackling Venezuela. There's a lot of speculation going around about what the US has planned; it could just be sabre rattling, or they could be about to bring about regime change. Who knows?

Those who have been around a while will remember that Venezuela used to win Miss Universe titles. I looked it up, and they won seven times. Venezuela was the Riviera of South America. They have the world's largest oil reserves, and at current rates of extraction, almost 900 years left in the ground. And that's proven reserves; there is still much to be discovered.

Basically, Venezuela should be richer than Saudi Arabia. So, what went wrong? They became communist, that's what went wrong. As a result, they slipped into the abyss.

If the US does go into Venezuela, so be it. I'm not going to get bent out of shape over it. Call me consistent, Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine was wrong, but I don't think anyone should get involved in a war within Russia. I know, Ukraine is separate, but it's really part of Russia, depending on how you read the history of the region. With Venezuela, it's in the USA's backyard, they probably think it's about time to free up that oil. 

Porsche's EV Blunder

Porsche treated their customers with contempt by producing cars not based on the internal combustion engine. Porsche makes fast cars, not sewing machines. 

The future is not EVs. EVs are a cult. They're junk, and anyone who buys a battery electric vehicle is throwing their money away. In a few years', if you own one, not only will your EV be worthless, but you'll have to pay to have it removed from your property and disposed of. I can see the day coming when EV owners abandon their cars by the side of the road.

A fool and his money are easily parted - remember that.

Justin Trudeau Broke Canada

Wow, Justin Trudeau really was as bad as he appeared to be. He's worse than New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern.

Justin Trudeau 2015-2025 Worst Canadian Ever

White House Ballroom

This is what the new White House ballroom will look like. What do you think, is it too big? 

(The ballroom about to be built following current demolition work is marked with a blue arrow)

Proposed White House Ballroom

Graham Platner - New Hope?

Have the Democrats in the US found hope for the future in the form of Maine's Graham Platner? Krystal Ball seems to think so.

VW Partially Suspends Production

This is consistent with my claim that no matter what happens, Europe will wriggle around and convince themselves that everything is China's fault.

Obama's Legacy, Ugly Library Ran Out of Money

You've got to laugh, the Obama Library in Chicago is one very ugly building. Now, it's out of money, incomplete and a complete eyesore. Demolish it, move on.

People Panicking?

In the US, food stamps may be cut from November. I hope I misunderstand something here, because this is not good news.

AI Bubble

It does feel like we're in a bubble at the moment. The stock market is a casino, and money seems to be easy money. 

Population Pyramid and Retirement Age Scam

Please study the video below, scrolling through the population of New Zealand forecast. I started the video in 2020, and you can see that looking ahead in time, at no point does the age of those over the age of 65 exceed the total of those below that age. This means that the taxpayer can at all times look after those who have retired.

The NZ government always raises the issue of retirement when they've mismanaged the economy. What they want to do is keep people working longer to bring in more money. Bear this in mind over the coming months. As NZ slips into debt, it'll use the ageing population as an excuse to make everyone work longer. 

David Icke Talks About the Global Cult

I call it the cabal, but he's right here; no part of what is going on right now can be considered normal ebb and flow of life on Earth. 

Louvre Burglary

The French never fail to entertain.

China's Rare Earth Dominance Explained

New Zealand has rare earths, just no-one knows about it. The whole country is rich in this stuff.

Charlie Kirk & Mysterious Keyword Searches

RangeDayBro has some interesting information covering the days leading up to Charlie Kirk's assassination.

John Bolton Indicted

One by one, those who conspired against Donald Trump are facing the wrath. 

Major Political Shift UK

How long can UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, hang on? The Greens have now passed the UK Labour Party, and the Conservatives have risen to second behind Reform UK. The Government, Labour, are now in fourth place.

Australia Critical Fuel Shortage

I said this would happen and here we are; Australia is running out of fuel and only has 24 days of diesel in the tanks. Australia's refinery capacity has atrophied over time and right now, it has only two operational refineries.

New Zealand will be similar as it lacks a refinery altogether and must import all of its finished fuels.

Manifesto for New Zealand

New Zealand is heading downhill fast. Its leaders are inept, dishonest, or worse. But I've written a useful book that lays out a plan for putting the country back on track. 

Manifesto for New Zealand can be bought from Amazon as a Kindle read. Check it out: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0FVWF7352

Manifesto for New Zealand - Ken Horlor

Rare Earth Supply and China

It seems to be taking the US forever to realise that China holds the better hand. America expended its stockpiles of rare earth elements by supplying Ukraine, and others, and now that it needs to replace its ordnance, China says, No, we're not going to help you do that.

The US has painted itself into a corner.

Another Announcement of an Announcement

Once again the New Zealand government announce something that is not yet set in stone. This time they've announced the builder of the new Cook Strait RORO ferries, except there is no signed contract and the actual ships and what they'll look like are as yet unknown.

Wake me up when something definite happens.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/575895/shipbuilder-for-new-interislander-ferries-announced

Peters said Ferry Holdings Limited and GSI were still in negotiations, which meant details would not be disclosed until they were completed, alongside port agreements with CentrePort and Port Marlborough.

"We intend to make an announcement before the end of this year detailing our agreements and how we have saved the taxpayer billions by cancelling project iReX and returning to the no-nonsense solution we started in May 2020."

Where Would You Be on the Other Side of the Planet?

I found this amusing; if you could look through Earth, or put a pin through the planet from one side to the other, in a straight line, where would you come out?

From Wellington, you come out in Spain. This must explain why New Zealand adopted the Merino sheep!

Wellington to Spain

https://www.antipodesmap.com

Trump's 100% Tariff Gamble

China controls the supply of rare earth elements. The US doesn't seem to have a solid grasp of this and it has also been using its ordnance by supplying Ukraine and Israel, meaning that without China resupplying these critical elements, US production will have to be scaled back.

The world is in a strange place at the moment.

Oil and Gas Prospects

I drew the following map of New Zealand to illustrate the areas worth exploring for oil and gas. The area marked in orange is a producing area, while the pink areas are highly likely to be producing. You may notice that offshore two of these pink areas overlap the productive zone.

Get your drilling rigs ready, there is oil and gas, natural shows where up from the ground came a bubbling crude, oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.

New Zealand Oil and Gas Strikes Likely

Wharariki Beach - Upper South Island NZ

It's nice to see New Zealand's remote and very beautiful locations being promoted. Apparently, Wharariki Beach is a Windows 10 screensaver and a very popular image. The beach is at the top of the South Island, on the West Coast, and accessible only from Golden Bay, which is part of the Tasman District. 

The video below saw the visitor drive there from the South Island east coast. Maybe they were unaware that you can fly into Golden Bay via Golden Bay Air. From their aerodrome in Takaka, it is possible to rent a car to drive to Wharariki Beach via Puponga, which is right next to Farewell Spit (Puponga used to have a coal mine, for those interested in that sort of thing). Flights to Takaka are operated from Nelson and Wellington. 

New Zealand has many scenes like these, views that are so beautiful they take your breath away. Your eyes well up, and you stand there glad to be alive. 

China Introduces More Restrictions on Rare Earths

I'm starting to think the White House is caught in some kind doom loop, where they're agreeing with one another, but everything they're thinking is complete nonsense.

The following video is a classic example; Donald Trump suggests suspending all imports from China, and then some woman pipes up talking about a pending golden age for farmers, or something. 

Firstly, the USA cannot afford to suspend imports from China, and farmers are going bust under current trade policies.

More Corruption in International Sports

The North Korea weightlifter had her clean and jerk ruled out by the judges, after she got all lights up from the referees. She made a perfect lift, textbook. This is flat out political, nothing else explains it.

R360 - New Rugby Series

The new international rugby series, R360, is set to kick off in 2026. One of the founders is former England Captain and 2003 World Cup winner, Mike Tindall. Someone else involved was behind LIV Golf. 

The promotion is based in Dubai, so it sounds like oil money is behind things. A key factor is that the contracted players will be able to base themselves anywhere. Many may choose to domicile in Dubai or other zero-tax territories. It is speculated that salaries will be around the million-dollar mark, so no tax on that would be a big pull, I would imagine.

The thing is, players only have a few years to make the money before injury and old age slow them down. It is all very well dangling World Cup glory in front of them, but few will win one, and the players must earn a living. 

Next year, the Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championship is being put on hold, with New Zealand touring South Africa instead. This will be an old school tour, taking weeks. I wonder if this is a reply to the R360 they saw coming?

R360 could work; they have to attract quality players and play an attractive brand of rugby. It will be a circus format, with mini-tournaments being played in key cities. Rugby worldwide is in the doldrums at the moment, and I read somewhere that every Premiership club in England is effectively bankrupt, and in the Southern Hemisphere, crowds are staying away. Games are stale, boring, and the modern rules have killed things. R360 going after Rugby League players suggests they're intending to play a better style of rugby, one that involves a high level of skill and toughness. 

If the competition ends up like LIV Golf, though, it will fail. The LIV Golf format is uninteresting, and the player talent is not good enough. I appreciate the effort being made, but I'm not interested in that. I wonder what you all think?

https://www.news.com.au/sport/rugby/extreme-rugby-rocked-by-worldwide-bans-as-war-declared/news-story/30b4dbd5b15cb24614c34f3f8d3bf193

https://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/what-is-r360-the-rebel-rugby-competition-set-to-shake-up-the-sport/news-story/dc30b4f70fd1951d6dc6a31214ad4658

France Will Collapse?

According to this video, without Africa, France is nothing. I did not realise just how much France had rigged its trade with Africa. But, Africa has awakened. 

US Farmers Impacted by Trade War

China has stopped buying soybeans from the US. They now mostly buy from Brazil and Argentina. Then peculiarly, for some reason, the US has just bailed out Argentina after its economy collapsed yet again. Yeah, it doesn't make sense.

Source: NY Times

This is turning out to be massive act of self-harm committed by the Trump administration, but they don't appear capable of admitting they got it badly wrong with these ridiculous tariffs. 

Britain Weak

Sir Iain Duncan Smith points out just how weak the UK has become. It buckles under pressure from China. Is the UK now just China's branch office?

Reform UK Making Waves

Reform UK is a relatively new party in Britain, led by the mercurial figure, Nigel Farage. They have five members in the House of Commons, with one of those members being a defector from the Conservative Party. They are polling well, consistently above 30% these days, leaving the much larger Labour and Conservatives scrapping over the crumbs.

I've seen many pundits simply assuming Nigel Farage will be the UK's next prime minister. But, that's unlikely, surely, as current Prime Minister Keir Starmer is deeply unpopular. More likely is that the next prime minister will come from within the ranks of the Labour government caucus.

Four years remain until the next general election, we'll have to see if Reform UK has the stamina. Many may remember the UK's Social Democratic Party of the 1980s. They were a breakaway from the Labour Party and held 32 seats at one point. They rose to as much as 25% of the popular vote. However, by the end of the 1980s they were effectively defunct and merged into the Liberals to form the Liberal Democrats, currently Britain's third largest party by seats in the House. The LibDems did form a government with David Cameron's Conservatives back in 2010, but to all intents and purposes, they've not been a major player.

Reform UK does not have the defections they need, not yet anyway, and they appear to be a party centred around one man, Nigel Farage. They did have someone else, Rupert Lowe, who now sits alone in Parliament, but he appears to have been jettisoned as he was too much of a threat to Farage. That may tell you something about Reform UK; it is a one-man band. Such organisations rely too much on one man, and they often fail. I'm going to stick my neck out and say, Reform UK is likely to fall away, and will probably merge into the Conservatives by the time of the next election. Remember, you heard it here first.

CIA Runs Wikipedia

We all knew it, the CIA runs Wikipedia. It has been obvious for a long time now.

All Blacks Average Performance

I'm going to say it, the current New Zealand rugby union team, the All Blacks, are very average. Their latest performance against Australia in Perth, Western Australia, displayed both a lack of skill, and tactical nous.

The skill deficit meant they could not make simple kicks, often missing a kick to touch off their own penalty; and then missing routine kicks for goal. They beat Australia 28-14 but it should have been a victory by a lot more. 

Toward the end of the game they passed up easy kicks for goal and one has to wonder whether they did this as they weren't confident of making the kick, or whether they're just a bunch of amateurs.

The blame for this poor performance must lie with the coaching staff and the captain. It is simply not good enough. And what is it with Sky TV commentators? They refuse to criticise obviously poor play. If a kick to touch off a penalty was missed, they'd say nothing at all about it. It was a case with them of, oh well, play on. Err...no, that is a big error and needs to be pointed out. For those who don't know what I'm talking about: a kick directly to touch off a penalty means you get the ball back from where the ball went out. If you don't get that ball out, the other side runs it back at you, meaning losing possession and field position. Do this often, and it is a sackable offense, but the Sky commentators were silent. Is this some kind of corporate thing now? Sky TV are such twits. 

Diddy Sentenced to 4 Years, 2 Months

I got this right. Many were saying 1-2 years but that sounded too light. I predicted 4-5 years and that's what he got.

Fort Knox Gold

Remember earlier this year when Donald Trump and Elon Musk were going to check out the gold in Fort Knox? It never happened, and the story was buried. This raises many questions. My guess is that there is a serious discrepancy between the amount meant to be stored there and the real amount.

New Zealand Defence Industry Innovation

Here's an interesting company out of New Zealand, manufacturing drones for air, land and sea.

The company can be found here: https://syos-aerospace.com They've recently signed a $66m contract with the UK Ministry of Defence.

McLaren Racing Sold

The complete sale of McLaren Racing is being touted as a boon for the car racing sector. I'm not so convinced; I have noticed sports teams selling for huge sums recently, I just don't see how these sums can be justified. Many team owners seem to be cashing up and getting out. Is a crash imminent (excuse the pun)?

https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mclaren-valuation-skyrockets-after-confirmed-sale-10801376

Earth in 250 Million Years

I thought this animation was pretty good. I note that New Zealand stays separate but all others merge together to form a supercontinent. Shame there won't be any of us around when that happens, unless of course, some humans leave now, do some tripping around the galaxy and then come back later.

Tony Blair - Why?

Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is back as a proposed leader of Gaza. How does Tony Blair manage to get himself inserted into things?

Katie Hopkins Arrested

I don't even like Katie Hopkins, but this is absurd; she's been arrested after calling herself a spaz. The UK has fallen: