I've been thinking - a good sport would be a soccer/basketball game with the goals combined. See kiddie picture attached to illustrate and a photo of both courts side-by-side somewhere, when they could be combined. I couldn't find a picture of what I'm imagining as, apparently, no-one apart from me has thought of this.
The game is played on a basketball sized court and uses a fussball or similar, scoring either in the basketball or soccer goal. No basketball dribbling but passing with hands allowed. Only one step allowed if ball in hand. Goals scored; 3 points if a soccer goal, 5 points if a basketball goal off the foot only with no hands involved. If a basketball goal is scored shooting from the hand exclusively then 1 point, but if the player puts the ball from hand then onto the foot and then in the basketball goal, 2 points.
I figure 6 players on a team ( one goalie ). It would be a hard game involving a lot of skill, but easy to get the hang of quickly. Think about how fast it would be, interceptions could be by hand or foot, but for each individual player, they'd have to decide in a flash whether to put the ball to hand or foot when receiving a pass. The ball must be kicked into the soccer goal for 3 points, if off the hands or an own-goal even, the attacking team get the ball back at half way with no points scored.
Rejoice, the earth is saved. That's the propaganda line coming out of the climate conference in Paris.
My problem with the proposed measures is they appear to be socialism under another guise. They're taking from the rich to redistribute to the anointed few.
When was the last time nanny state organised anything other than a colossal cock-up? Hmm?
>>Link<<
New Zealanders will remember Nick Smith selling the emissions trading scheme to New Zealand. He went out of his way to lie to the entire nation. Recall him saying over and over that New Zealand would not be paying for trees grown before 1990? He wilfully ignored the Kyoto amendment from Marrakesh that expressly pays Russia to not cut down trees. That's wealth transfer right there and expect more of this horse-shit this time round.
The taxpayer is being hoodwinked. What's going to happen is we pay more tax, we will not be saving the planet. It's a massive tax grab, nothing more than that.
Here's an idea. How about Europe sorts itself out and puts its trees back. Heard of the black forest? It's hardly there now, but a couple of thousand years back, the thing got called the black forest as it was so dense no light penetrated.
Or how about by the time Genghis Khan rode across the steppes, all the trees had gone, his armies had a clear run.
See where am I going with this? How come people in the Americas or the Pacific for that matter have to pay for the Europeans fucking up the planet? How about our version of socialism; fuck them, they can starve, we get on and live our lives as we please. We owe them nothing.
The new flag has been chosen. It will now run off against the current NZ flag. Not bad for a country with no air strike capability and a navy that runs away from fishing boats. Grow some balls New Zealand, get a military before you change your flag.
Being a known investor I get all sorts of offers of various kinds coming across my desk. Some of them are funny, almost all are duds, but some are far worse and make me take note - but not in a good way.
One such company is music site Baboom. I was approached by some outfit touting this thing as the next best thing, a Spotify beater. Oooh, look out. Kewl. Get the idea?
Well, being inquisitive I checked out the website - it didn't function at all well, the first page took minutes to load, and since then each page loads in a slow 30 seconds. I am using an HP15 64 bit Windows 10 computer with Opera 32 browser. Download speed is 7.88 Mbps. Not overly fast but good enough to check anything including YouTube, the NBA and ESPN.
So I dig deeper. Turns out this nonsense was founded by Kim Dotcom, the convicted criminal who is awaiting extradition from New Zealand to the USA on money laundering and racketeering charges. Hmm.
Okay, so let's not be too judgemental (laugh track), I check out the speeds of competitors and they load in seconds. Oh dear. I Google common search terms for music, Baboom doesn't show up. Deary me.
Now what was touted was a compliance listing of Baboom on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Securities prior to that were offered at a 20% discount. Great deal? Well no, my estimate is the shares are worth very little if anything at all. A company founded by a crook, charged with offences directly related to the business at hand, must mean the site cannot get major record label business and so cannot be viable. It's as simple as that.
So be warned, if you get Baboom quoted to you by a broker or anyone else, laugh and walk away or hang up quickly.
(Note: These opinions are information only and do not constitute investment advice. If you need investment advice on these stocks or anything else for that matter, talk to your recognised and professional investment adviser. Better still, do your own research and act on it confident in your own ability.)
So the Christchurch City Council are going to sell their parks and road construction business, City Care. What is it worth? My calculation is it's worth about $65 million. Anything over that and they're laughing.
Ok, so Chris Cairns has been found not guilty. He had an excellent barrister. Now what of Brendon McCullum, the NZ Cricket team captain? Should he resign?
Here is my list of the most underrated cars. Bear in mind I'm a Kiwi and so this list will be biased toward cars that were available down under. They all held up well and I'm weighting for that fact principally, but also important is the car's utilitarian usefulness, reliability and cost of ownership. Without further ado, in ascending order:-
10. 1950's Standard Ten
A cute little car that held up well, they're still used on a daily basis in NZ, mostly by little old ladies who as we all know, know their cars. The great little Triumph Herald came later, and the Ten gets little mention as a result.
9. Lada Niva
Heh, the Suzuki Vitara copies this car, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery of course. The Niva people invented the crossover SUV with this brilliant car. It is almost never rated unless they're a serious off-road driver or German farmer.
8. 1960's Humber Super Snipe
These cars last forever and you would be foolish to discount it even today if you're looking for something cheap and indestructible. Older versions have won just about every demolition derby, but the 60's models are great rides and are just modern enough to be acceptable still.
7. Jaguar Mk X
I just about wet myself whenever I see one of these. I've owned Jags, including a Mk1 and 1967 S-Type but always wanted a Mk X, I just never found one in good enough condition. They tended to get thrashed (they're very powerful). A big car this.
6. Ford Ka with black bumpers (pre 1999)
Such a practical car and a good secondhand buy though you rarely see it mentioned.
5. Leyland P76 with the V8
Considered the biggest failure in Australian car manufacturing they're actually a good car. They have a boot that will take a couple of sheep.
4. Trekka
A useful New Zealand car and still in everyday use. They're powered by a Skoda engine. Usually mentioned is the Kiwi Duzgo (it does go...get it?) which was a dud to be honest, despite the hype and faithful few who promote it. Always overlooked is the Trekka, which was a success.
3. Vauxhall Velox LIP
The 6 cylinder car in the Wyvern body. Don't think about going over 70 mph and the suicide doors are a joy. Later Velox models get all the credit but this car is amazing. My father got a 1951 LIP as his first company car and he kept it until the early 1980's when he sold it for a few dollars. It was thrashed its whole life, got rarely cared for yet just kept on going.
2. Ford Anglia c. 1960
Bullet proof, just about.
1. Studebaker Champion c. 1950
My most underrated car. Reliable, robust, modern, own it today and it will go just fine.
My novel Basketball Obsession will be available free from the Kindle store on Wednesday November 25, 2015. It's an easy read and suitable for age 14 and up. The story is set in a town at the top of the South Island in New Zealand where it isn't rugby the locals are crazy about, it is basketball.
Following on from my earlier post about Caterpillar's troubles, JCB now report a huge plunge in sales.
>>Click Here<<
Quote:-
“In the first six months of the year, the market in Russia has dropped by 70%, Brazil by 36% and China by 47%,” said JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald in a press release.
Yeah, not so good.
Update on Caterpillar. Their share price continues to fall, from a high of just over $106 within the last year, they're now at $69.39 as at the close of trading in New York a few hours ago. That's a drop of about 34%. Caterpillar now fall into the buy territory with a P/E lower than 15.
(Note: These opinions are information only and do not constitute investment advice. If you need investment advice on these stocks or anything else for that matter, talk to your recognised and professional investment adviser. Better still, do your own research and act on it confident in your own ability.)
An interesting view from the Express; Jihadi John was killed as a result of Russia getting heavily involved in Syria...
>>Link<<
Personally I think Russia is going about things the right way. First, they're mopping up the rats and mice before crushing ISIL. Then later on they'll likely stab Assad in the back.
I'm getting a bit sick of the constant attacks on Russia. The latest is the cry to ban them from the Rio Olympics.
Doping in sport is widespread, back when Marion Jones and many other Americans were busted, was the USA banned? And what about all those British athletes. And is it just genetics and training that has those Jamaicans running so fast? Hmm?
It's all politics at the moment, and I'm sick of it. How about handicapping athletes who dope, or run separate races for those who do.
Richie McCaw has just captained New Zealand's All Blacks to their third Rugby World Cup, the first back-to-back championship since the event started in 1987 ( which NZ won). The All Blacks are now poised for a 'three-peat'. Heck at this rate they'll go four years unbeaten (hope so). New Zealand are getting so good at Rugby they're making everyone else look pedestrian. Maybe in future the World Cup will decide who gets to meet the Kiwis in a World Series?
But heh, let's not get too carried away.
Many have noticed McCaw has not retired as was expected. What's up? He wasn't named in the Crusaders squad that was recently announced and he'll have to be playing Super Rugby if he's to qualify for NZ and the chance to earn that 150th test cap (he's on 148).
Tempting to speculate, so let's do that...
* Maybe he's going to the Highlanders? He's from Otago and went to Otago Boys High School. The Press in Christchurch claimed him as a Canterbury son on their front page Saturday - well he isn't actually, so there.
* Maybe he's going up to Auckland to player/coach them?
* How about he's going straight in on the All Blacks coaching staff and then replacing (Sir) Steve Hansen when his contract expires.
* Then there's that Japanese Super Rugby franchise, maybe he's negotiating to player/coach them?
* He may have been recruited for the National Party list at the next election. It's no secret National have lusted after having him on their ticket (don't do it (Sir) Richie).
What do you think?
Interesting stuff from the Swiss, Ettringite concrete, reported below from DW TV. Concrete blocks are made which heat when exposed to water. Copper pipes are threaded through the blocks, which act as a heat exchanger. The hot water then circulates through the house, heating it.
DW TV Video
It would take only a few blocks to heat an average size home all winter. Would these blocks last? It appears they will, at least as long as the home will, which has got to be something worth considering. Are they expensive to produce? Simple answer - I don't know, but the process looks a little complicated, the blocks heat up when made, can they explode if you get the recipe wrong?
One of the guys featured in the video can be found here...
Frank Winnefeld of Empa - the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
Found the following article which explains clearly what happened as a result of the General Motors bankruptcy back in 2009.
http://www.dailywealth.com/2125/gm-americas-biggest-bankruptcy
Put simply, the union got the money and the bondholders were screwed. Don't worry about the company not being able to make a decent car, or the chance to have capitalism go to work and make the GM assets available to new entrepreneurs, No, Obama had to win Michigan and the US taxpayer forked out.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership has been agreed, the actual value of which is now to be debated. What struck me is how something so small at the start can grow very fast, now covering 40% of the world's economy.
A rough timeline...
2001 - the process starts when New Zealand and Singapore conclude a free trade deal.
2002 - a year later Chile is on board, now called the Pacific Three Closer Economic Relations
2005 - now Brunei joins and we have the P4; the term Trans-Pacific Partnership begins
2008 - joined by USA, Australia, Vietnam and Peru, now this thing is big
2010 - Malaysia join
2012 - Canada and Mexico are now in
2013 - Japan join the party.
Caterpillar have announced another rejig, this time letting 10,000 staff go in its quest to lower costs and get back on track. Caterpillar look to set a new low in 2016; setting the milestone of four years of lagging sales, unprecedented in its history >>Link<<
Study the graph to get the picture...
Right now, with the slide ongoing, I'd say Caterpillar are a good buy. Hell, their market cap is under $40 billion.
Caterpillar have challenges ahead for sure, but my bet is they'll handle it. Those challenges include making headway in China. Right now that isn't the case, buyers there, like many other buyers in the emerging market countries, look at price and make their equipment procurement decisions on price alone. In North America, Japan and Western Europe, the whole of life cost is paramount and on that basis Caterpillar win hands down. They're by far the best machine in most categories; but particularly their medium to large Wheel Loaders and Dozers.
Caterpillar have never made a good excavator though and that must be addressed. Hitachi are the standard there and they link up with Deere, so on that front Cat has a real fight on its hands. Caterpillar had better knuckle down and develop strong excavators. Either that or buy someone out who does. They've acquired technology in the past, Perkins comes to mind, so this should not be a problem.
Caterpillar has a strong financing arm, but at the dealer level they need to be more engaged with the end-user. I've stopped counting the number of times contractors in the USA have told me they prefer John Deere due to the local Cat dealer being rude to them. Many Cat dealers in the USA have an attitude of you are privileged to be dealing with them and that has to stop. Consider 60% of Cat sales are in the USA and you can see they have a problem.
Good management can solve any of the challenges I've highlighted. Have the senior managers looked in the mirror and asked themselves if they're up to the task?
(Note: These opinions are information only and do not constitute investment advice. If you need investment advice on these stocks or anything else for that matter, talk to your recognised and professional investment adviser. Better still, do your own research and act on it confident in your own ability.)
The media are not reporting a Christchurch connection with the Japan team that has upset South Africa 34-32 at this year's Rugby World Cup.
In the team is Kosei Ono, who grew up in Christchurch from the age of three, learned to play Rugby here and played for the Christchurch Boys' High School first XV. He now lives in Japan and plays there professionally. His father is still local to Christchurch, he owns a sports massage business called Ono Seitai Sports Clinic.
Journalists have likely flicked through the roster of this ground-breaking team and tried to spot the foreign names, and in the process missed a local lad doing well.
Kosei Ono at RWC 2015
[ edit to add - Kosei Ono is now covered on Stuff...The Press got around to doing their job ]
Those who have seen the Motley Fool internet advertisement about what makes Warren Buffett lose sleep at night will be wondering what it is. I can tell you they're talking about driverless cars and the impact that may have on the auto insurance industry. The argument goes that the Berkshire Hathaway owned Geico insurance will be impacted by these cars which are predicted to be commonplace within five years.
Motley Fool then recommend a computer chip maker that makes the type of chip for driverless cars.
A word of caution; while the insurance landscape may well change due to these cars, who is to say the business will be less profitable? Accidents will be fewer, meaning less claims and thus cost to the insurer, but car owners will still need to insure for those accidents that are unavoidable.
Which chip maker will win in the race ahead is anyone's guess, invest carefully and only when you're confident, and the first thing to ignore I'd say, would be scaremongering of the Motley kind.
