Lydia Ko at Millbrook

Lydia Ko is such a wonderful person. Here she is in New Zealand playing a round of golf with friends at the Millbook Resort, near Arrowtown in Otago, the South Island of New Zealand. 

US Make Demands

The USS Abraham Lincoln strike group has arrived near Iran and the US has renewed its demands; it looks as if an attack on Iran will come soon.

Al Jazeera are operating this live feed of updates: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/1/28/live-iran-says-it-will-respond-like-never-before-after-trumps-threats

• President ⁠Donald Trump ​has revived a threat that the United States is ready to launch a military attack against Iran as he demands Tehran make a deal over its nuclear programme.
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said that the Iranian government’s “days are numbered”.
• Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the country will deliver an unprecedented retaliation to any US attack.
• Iran’s currency has fallen to a record low of 1.6 million to $1, a month after the start of nationwide protests sparked by the country’s economic woes, according to local currency traders.

Silver Price on the Rise

The markets generally know where things are headed and right now there is a rush to delivery of the physicals. China is leading the charge.

Board of Peace

California Governor, Gavin Newsom, posted this imagining of what Donald Trump's Board of Peace would look like:

Board of Peace Imagined

Kyle Kulinski Rant

Quality rant, brilliant, but Kyle Kulinski criticises Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is also right. However, what he doesn't say is that Donald Trump appears prepared to go to any lengths to avoid releasing the Epstein Files. He'll push the button and go to WWIII if he feels it necessary. 

The whole world is being held to ransom; forget the Epstein Files or get torched. It is insane. Remember, we were all told there was nothing in those files? Now we find out that there are 20 million records, and they're much worse than anyone thought. 

We need those files to be released, and arrests made, and we need it done right now.

It's Now AI, Forget Net-Zero

Have you noticed how, suddenly, no one is pushing all that net-zero nonsense? Yeah, turns out priorities have changed and none of that matters. Now, the new shiny thing is AI. It requires huge amounts of energy, so let's burn more coal. You cannot make this up; it is that shameless and utterly corrupt.

Trump Derails Peace?

Allister Heath sounds sensible; Donald Trump has done some good things, and some really bad things.

Does Trump Have Dementia?

First, we had Joe Biden clearly suffering from dementia, and now people are pointing out that Donald Trump is also suffering. He's about the same age as his father, Fred Trump, when he had dementia. 

So, who is in charge?

Elon Musk

Following the spat between Elon Musk and Michael O'Leary of Ryanair fame, I'm posting this useful profile of Elon Musk. Michael O'Leary launched an idiot sale after Musk called him names. 

It's only a matter of time before the house of cards that is Tesla comes tumbling down. Musk relies on the US taxpayer, he's not a genuine businessman.

Robert Malone Speaks Out

Long overdue, these have to be pulled from the market:

Backlash to Trump's NATO Slur

Oh no, what's Donald Trump gone and said now? He's claimed that non-American NATO troops in Afghanistan stayed back from the frontline. That is simply not true, and a slap in the face to America's NATO allies. For those not aware, Article 5 of the NATO agreement has only been invoked once, and that was by the US following 9/11. All of NATO answered the call.

US Politics Explained

A Japanese newspaper illustrates the left vs right of US politics, who populates each side, what they consume and what they represent. Is this accurate?

Trump at Davos 2026

Donald Trump will be speaking at Davos, Switzerland, this Wednesday. No doubt he'll put the cat among the pigeons, but this got me thinking; is Donald J Trump really in charge, and if not, who is running the US?

Consider December 3, 2019, the date Kamala Harris announced she was withdrawing from the 2020 presidential election. According to official figures, she raised more than $40 million toward her campaign. That's a lot of money, and easily enough to continue into the Democratic Party primaries held in 2020. Personally, I believe that date in 2019 is a signpost to the fix being in, Joe Biden was to be the next president, and the most likely challenger, Bernie Sanders, was derailed, marginalised, and dismissed at every turn. Despite that, Sanders did rather well in the primaries, winning the largest state, California. 

Then, with Joe Biden installed and his running mate announced, in the form of Kamala Harris no less, he campaigned from his basement and won a clearly rigged election to become the 46th President of the US. The following four years were chaotic, and it was clear that Joe Biden was not in charge. He couldn't be, as he was clearly suffering from dementia. 

Then, leading into the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump experienced several attempts on his life, one of which was nearly successful. This happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, and yet do you ever hear about this today? It is as if a cone of silence has descended over the issue; it is never to be discussed. However, Trump survived and became the 47th President. Is it clear that Donald J Trump is in charge? It isn't clear to me at all. Rather like Joe Biden, he appears to be managed too, with others making decisions on his behalf.

I'll cut to the chase: over the last few years, I believe we've been witnessing a power struggle between factions that actually run the US. The faction that now runs things was ultimately successful. What that means for the rest of the world is more disruption and change to the accepted rules. 

USA Taking Greenland

Here's a counterproposal to the idea that the US should get Greenland. I'm putting this here for balance.

Personally, I think the US taking over Greenland makes a lot of sense, and earlier I embedded the reasoning behind that as explained on the UnHerd podcast.

With the US now looking at Greenland, it is only a matter of time, perhaps, until the US looks at the South Pacific and annexes New Zealand to gain easy access to Antarctica. The US has a base at Christchurch International Airport, from which they fly down to McMurdo Station, which is situated on Ross Island. Technically, this all sits within NZ territory, and given climate change and the resources contained there, the US may want complete control of the region.

I don't think these latest moves come exclusively from Donald Trump. What we are seeing is a shift in American thinking, from having close allies, like Five Eyes, to having branch office operations. We now see Britain, Denmark, Norway, etc being treated like a corporate branch office. Do what we say, or we shut you down type of thinking. My only surprise in witnessing this shift is that it is happening much faster than I anticipated.

Candace Owens over the Target

The world just keeps getting weirder, and more evil.

Will Iran Be Free?

The US is moving a carrier strike group in the direction of Iran right now, so it does look as if they'll intervene in what's going on there, at least in some capacity. They could easily shut down Iran's oil trade, effectively cutting off their source of income.

The latest claim is that the regime has used chemical weapons against the protesters.

All Blacks Coach Sacked

Scott Robertson has lost his job as coach of New Zealand's rugby team, the mighty All Blacks. It was to be expected. He hadn't measured up as the team at times looked disjointed and lacking direction, and they could just collapse at critical times. During his tenure, the All Blacks won 74% of their games played, which is similar to the amateur era, and well below what is expected of a fully professional outfit. As pro's they're expected to win more than 80% of all matches played. 

Personally, I think the rot began even before Robertson took over. That's because he was announced as the next coach before the incumbent had even taken his team to the 2023 World Cup. That they made the final was a truly incredible achievement when you consider that the coaching staff had no job after that final game. That coach, Ian Foster, is due a major apology. If he's available, he should be offered his old job back.

Then, Robertson chose Scott Barrett as All Blacks captain. That job is more important than that of prime minister in NZ, but the problem was that he's not good enough to keep his position on the field. So the team was always down one lock, effectively, while the team was often going backwards. 

On a wider note, and something rugby pundits fail to mention, is that rugby worldwide is undergoing a cash crunch. That's because sponsors are leaving. Rugby does not bring the audience that sponsors require. This year, they've suspended the Rugby Championship and instead, the All Blacks will do an old-fashioned tour of South Africa to rekindle interest and no doubt bring in some revenue. I think this cash crunch must have something to do with this coaching change. 

What sports are prospering right now? Rugby League is very popular, and in NZ the numbers entering the game at the junior level are so strong, they are struggling to find coaches for them all. Motorsport is also back, and athletics is once again very popular. 

And one last note: in 2023, the Rugby World Cup blew it by rigging the final. That was the last time a truly global audience tuned in to see a rugby game, and many were sitting down in front of the TV to watch for the first time. Many of these viewers know sports well, just not rugby. What they saw was a travesty, clearly rigged, and they started switching channels halfway through - that early. Since then, the audience numbers have plummeted. People have got better things to do than watch nonsense WWE-type stuff.

Update: I made this comment on YouTube, and quite like the way I worded it, so adding it here as well:

What went wrong? Scott Robertson coaches the game in a two dimensional way, while the game is at the three dimensional level these days. Steve Hansen understood this and managed his team superbly, and he had an answer to everything the opposition was going to come up with. Ian Foster, his understudy, carried this legacy on and did well, making the 2023 RWC final which was rigged (convince me I'm wrong) and so not his fault that it was lost. Robertson was a regression to predictable operations which most opponents could counter. Hence, the loss to Argentina in Argentina, and the capitulation to South Africa in Wellington. On a wider note, I'm pretty sure David Kirk (Chairman) is looking at the bottom line and realising sponsors are not interested in an All Blacks side that does not win ALL the time. It's about eyes on the screen for sponsors and these days there is a lot of competition, with rugby well down most people's priority list (NZ audience numbers are not significant). We have soccer resurgent, League is back big time with matches sold out, the NFL coming back after its woke-fest etc. When you look at this big picture, people are not tuning in to see a group of grown men do a dance and then look indecisive and, well, a bit soft. Sorry Kiwi fans, time to grow up and put your big knickers on, you're not going to be given a free pass because you look cute.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/584112/disposable-razor-scott-robertson-dumped-as-all-blacks-coach

Iran Agenda-Free

 Agenda-Free TV is following the revolution occurring in Iran right now.

Leave Iran Now

The US has issued a warning to its citizens in Iran - leave now.

https://ir.usembassy.gov/iran-security-alert-land-border-crossings-january-12-2026/

Donald Trump on Iran

Trump has put out the following statement on social media.

Trump on Iran

Islamic Republic Days Numbered

So close now, I get the feeling this is a critical moment in history. 

Revolution in Iran

A full-scale revolution appears to have erupted in Iran, but you wouldn't know it if relying on mainstream news media. Why are they so silent about this?

My thinking is the West do not want change in Iran. They're quite happy to have Iran part of the 'axis of evil'. If the Iranian regime does change, then that could result in many people in the West asking searching questions about their own leadership, too many questions. And we cannot have that, can we?

The only place to find reliable reporting on the issue comes from independent voices, such as the Canadian-Iranian Goldie Ghamari and British-Iranian Mahyar Tousi, both of whom are prominent YouTubers. Tousi is a conservative, while it is hard to place Ghamari. She appears to be a centre-right leaning Zoroastrian constitutional monarchist. 

Right now, the internet is down in Iran, which usually means a lot of people are being shot, but despite that, there are millions on the streets all over the country. However, Starlink is available and Elon Musk has to be thanked for making that so. 

People have seen police shedding their uniforms, and government buildings are being burnt or occupied. It does look as if this is it, but a lot of water is yet to flow under the bridge, so we'll see.

Trump Gets Greenland

This is an interesting angle on why exactly, the US has a claim to Greenland.

Rocket Lab Getting Busy

Originally a New Zealand startup, Rocket Lab is now Nasdaq listed and an American company. Make no mistake though, the New Zealand taxpayer can be thanked first and foremost for getting this venture off the ground. Then came NZ private equity and finally, American equity.

Early NBA

I notice more early NBA footage is available online. The standard of play was really high and very competitive. I rarely watch the NBA these days as it has become a snore fest. The three point shot has killed the modern game, and a host of other rule interpretations haven't helped either. I still think a three point shot light needs to be introduced. That would mean a three point attempt can be made when the light is illuminated but not when it is off. One way this could work is if a three point shot is missed, the light goes off and no further three pointers can be made until the team makes another basket (1 or 2 pointer).

Was Maduro Betrayed?

A bit obvious, I'd have thought, how else would Delta Force know exactly where Maduro was? He had to have been served up. 

The latest news coming out of Venezuela sounds as if they're going to start fixing their oil infrastructure and start pumping oil. A figure I saw has their output at about 750k barrels per day, down from their usual one million, which is even far worse than their 1990's output of three million barrels per day.

Venezuela has gone from being the richest country on Earth per capita in the seventies, to abject poverty today. If regime change lifts the standard of living, then that's good. I'm fairly sure that behind the scenes the two sides have been talking and the deal was that Maduro has to be given up, and America gets involved once again in their oil industry. 

Nice Little Rant

 Enough of the crap...

Prediction 2026

I've got just the one prediction for 2026, and that is, Australia is going to fail. That's because they're heavily indebted and faced with a slowdown in China. That means less coal and iron ore sales to China and less exports of food there as well. 

The mortgage market in Australia will suffer serious reversals in all the major cities, wiping out homeowner equity. Smaller banks may fail. Unemployment will skyrocket.

Remember, you read it here first.

Venezuela Oil

What I said back in October 2025 is starting to look pretty accurate right now:

I said:

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

Maduro Captured

US President Donald Trump is claiming to have captured Venezuela's President Maduro. This sets a bad precedent. I wonder if the US has thought this through?

Update: it has occurred to me that Maduro's people were so sick of him that they simply gave him up to the US. This allows for regime change, it'll be interesting to see how the story unfolds.

US vs Venezuela

Reports are coming in that the United States has started action against Venezuela.

Iran Uprising

Very confusing what's going on in Iran right now, but it did occur to me that China's downturn may have caused the crisis, as Iran's income may have dried up as a result of China buying less oil. But then again, economic protests don't usually cause regime change. 

For those interested in the Shah of Iran and his descendants, if ignoring male primogeniture rules, the man currently promoting himself as rightful heir, wouldn't be. A woman living in Switzerland would be the rightful ruler (if applying modern rules) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnaz_Pahlavi

Remember California

The exodus from California is real, businesses and people are leaving the state as its economy and crime rates worsen.