I've been thinking long and hard about the Auckland house price inflation. The banks have a role to play, they're willing to lend on real estate almost exclusively. But the way the New Zealand investment landscape is structured also has a major part to play.
Broadly speaking a New Zealand investor has three options:-
1. Buy investment real estate,
2. Start or buy a business, and;
3. Invest in shares, bonds, bank deposits or government stock - passive investment in other words.
Before any of the three are implemented, paying off debt must be a priority. Assuming that is achieved (at least substantially), and the investor maintains a sensible retirement superannuation account, then the three options present themselves this way:-
1. The investor buys houses or residential flats and apartments. The ideal is to invest in industrial and possibly commercial real estate, but the reality is residential purchases are easy to achieve. It's easier for a small investor to get their foot in the door with residential property. For starters, they needn't be registered for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
2. Buying or starting up a business is limited by the experience of the investor and the size of the market. Some people can't run a business or they don't have skills in the right areas to do so. It's a risky option for most.
3. Then lastly, they can access the New Zealand and Australian stock exchange listed companies very cheaply and easily. They only pay tax on those gains that are realised (if long-term investment then only the dividends are taxed). Outside of that however, if the investor buys shares in companies listed on the NYSE, Nasdaq, LSE, Borse Frankfurt or elsewhere, then over a certain threshold they'll pay tax on gains when they occur, not only when realised.
Conclusion:
Investors are strongly encouraged to invest in real estate, which has to impact Auckland house prices, given the size of that market. Investors cannot start or buy a business as the opportunities are scarce, given the relatively small scale of commerce in New Zealand. Allied to that, investors are discouraged from spreading their net wider, effectively limiting their share investments to the local scene. No wonder then that investor money pours into Auckland housing and real estate in general.
Recommendation:
Allow investors to invest in shares outside of New Zealand, on the same basis as they invest in shares listed in Australia, that is, invest in any company listed on recognised exchanges in the USA, Canada, Japan, the U.K., and Germany (elsewhere by approval). By doing this, money would be diverted from the overheated Auckland housing market. The effect would be to lessen demand for Auckland houses, and prices would stabilise.
(The change to NZ's tax regime regarding investment in foreign shares has had a knock-on effect to the Auckland housing market. This is the law of unintended consequences)
Edit to add (off the topic but looking at investment as a NZer investing overseas)...
The following NZ Herald article traverses many of the issues a NZ investor faces when investing overseas...http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10738730
The article mentions hedging, and what I've done in the past is not very sophisticated but effective, I've maintained a US Dollar account with a NZ bank. You're not dealing with a foreign desk, but the money is effectively offshore. Many people do not realise they can have a US Dollar account with a NZ bank. The good part of this is you get higher level people within the bank with better advice attached (the down side is that over a certain amount your name gets on lists in New York and you'll be bugged by investment houses on Wall Street. This is a freedom of information thing, I recall an outfit by the name of Whale Securities was one such calling all the time - look them up they were on Wall Street - you have to develop a thick skin and know how to say no).
Most 'experts' recommend using funds, such as unit trusts. My experience is they don't do that well. I'd guess my returns over a 20 or more year period would be about 1% annually going down that road. Don't be sold unit trusts.
April 28, 2016
Azealia Banks on Lemonade
I like Azealia Banks. I think she's very talented. Recently she's come in for a bit of stick over her attack on Beyonce's visual album Lemonade.
It appears obvious to me that Beyonce has borrowed Banks's style and imagery in her recent work. No doubt about it as far as I'm concerned.
It reminds me that Meghan Trainor's video for All About That Bass had the same visual style as the much earlier Cameo Lover by Kimbra.
File this under 'ideas are stolen all the time.'
It appears obvious to me that Beyonce has borrowed Banks's style and imagery in her recent work. No doubt about it as far as I'm concerned.
It reminds me that Meghan Trainor's video for All About That Bass had the same visual style as the much earlier Cameo Lover by Kimbra.
File this under 'ideas are stolen all the time.'
April 26, 2016
Auckland House Prices
More news about house price rises in Auckland. I'm still amazed that this issue has not been presented accurately by the media. Is this because they also own houses in Auckland?
The situation is this - inflation is out of control. Residential housing was dropped as a link to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) some time ago. If it was still there we'd be seeing inflation like that of the mid-1980's, not this silly 0-2% we have reported now.
It's monetary inflation, the banks are pumping cash into the system. It's ever increasing flows of cash chasing the same stock of housing. It can't go on as incomes will not be able to service the debt. New Zealand is headed for a bust.
The situation is this - inflation is out of control. Residential housing was dropped as a link to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) some time ago. If it was still there we'd be seeing inflation like that of the mid-1980's, not this silly 0-2% we have reported now.
It's monetary inflation, the banks are pumping cash into the system. It's ever increasing flows of cash chasing the same stock of housing. It can't go on as incomes will not be able to service the debt. New Zealand is headed for a bust.
April 25, 2016
Obama Increases Military in Syria
Barack Obama is committing more US troops to fight ISIL:-
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/25/barack-obama-us-soldiers-islamic-state-syria
Is this validation of the Russian approach?
Whatever the case for removing Assad and his regime, can we all agree that ISIL need to be eradicated.
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/25/barack-obama-us-soldiers-islamic-state-syria
Is this validation of the Russian approach?
Whatever the case for removing Assad and his regime, can we all agree that ISIL need to be eradicated.
April 22, 2016
Risky ASX Stocks Worth Checking Out
These two companies have had serious issues of late, but they're worth a look. They're in Australia and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange:-
1. Bradken
They've been impacted by the mining collapse. They're a foundry and general engineering business, making railway equipment and the like. I call these stocks metal bashing industries.
No dividend, they don't make money. This stock is a total punt. When doing well though you can expect a price over AUS $6.00. From their current 84 cents, that's a staggering return if you're lucky.
2. Macmahon
Macmahon has also been impacted by the mining collapse. Their business is providing mining services. They're the contractor on site actually doing the work. They have the mining machines; drill and blast, crushing and screening, materials handling, mine planning, you name it. From the current 12 cents, if they come back (they may not, be warned), you're looking at a price in excess of a dollar.
These stocks do not afford the investor any margin of safety. They're a gamble. Check them out as I think you'll find they're better than you expected.
[Update @ 24 March 2019; I see people are now seeing this post from years back, check this: Macmahon are still a punt at 23 cents (100% gain from my tip), while Bradken were taken over by Hitachi for $3.25 per share, which is a gain from the tip of 386% = beat that!!]
1. Bradken
They've been impacted by the mining collapse. They're a foundry and general engineering business, making railway equipment and the like. I call these stocks metal bashing industries.
No dividend, they don't make money. This stock is a total punt. When doing well though you can expect a price over AUS $6.00. From their current 84 cents, that's a staggering return if you're lucky.
2. Macmahon
Macmahon has also been impacted by the mining collapse. Their business is providing mining services. They're the contractor on site actually doing the work. They have the mining machines; drill and blast, crushing and screening, materials handling, mine planning, you name it. From the current 12 cents, if they come back (they may not, be warned), you're looking at a price in excess of a dollar.
These stocks do not afford the investor any margin of safety. They're a gamble. Check them out as I think you'll find they're better than you expected.
[Update @ 24 March 2019; I see people are now seeing this post from years back, check this: Macmahon are still a punt at 23 cents (100% gain from my tip), while Bradken were taken over by Hitachi for $3.25 per share, which is a gain from the tip of 386% = beat that!!]
April 17, 2016
Pioneer Railcorp
This is not a pick. I'm asking, what is the company Pioneer Railcorp for exactly? It has a market cap' of just over $28 mil', owning a few small rail lines and associated businesses. It can be found on the OTC market....
http://www.google.com/finance?cid=660692
The company's home page....
http://www.pioneer-railcorp.com
I found a reference to them in this blog post... http://www.oddballstocks.com/2012/09/egregious-management-behavior.html
The guy named as chairman on the Google Finance page above is actually dead. He died back in 2013. You can find his obituary here...http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?pid=167184418
Weird huh. Can anyone enlighten me?
http://www.google.com/finance?cid=660692
The company's home page....
http://www.pioneer-railcorp.com
I found a reference to them in this blog post... http://www.oddballstocks.com/2012/09/egregious-management-behavior.html
The guy named as chairman on the Google Finance page above is actually dead. He died back in 2013. You can find his obituary here...http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?pid=167184418
Weird huh. Can anyone enlighten me?
April 14, 2016
Golden State Warriors
Congrats Warriors players and fans. 73 wins in a season. that's one hell of a lot of basketball.
Now opponents, shut down Steph Curry will ya. Like, put someone on him, and I mean on him, those long looks he's getting are gifting him points each game. He's going to sink those baskets, you have got to get in his face.
Now opponents, shut down Steph Curry will ya. Like, put someone on him, and I mean on him, those long looks he's getting are gifting him points each game. He's going to sink those baskets, you have got to get in his face.
April 13, 2016
Three Industrial Picks
On the back of my outstanding success picking my last industrial stocks, I thought I'd stick my neck out and give it a go again. This time won't be so easy, but each company has a lot going for it.
1. Emerson Electric Co (NYSE: EMR)
When I mention this company I always start by saying they make InSinkErator. Everyone knows that name, right? But they make so much more, this is a true industrial giant. The great Ben Graham liked this company and he goes on about them in his seminal book The Intelligent Investor. Think margin of safety here. There isn't much to go wrong. But over time your investment will grow in value if you hold and buy low enough. They're not real cheap, but with a P/E of 14.33, they're not expensive either.
2. Oshkosh Corp (NYSE: OSK)
Not a clothing brand. They make trucks, fire and access equipment, military gear, waste trucks. Think of those glorious airport fire tenders, or the front loading waste trucks, they make them. But also army trucks. There's a lot to like about this business, they make quality stuff. Their dividend yield is not as good as Emerson though, so go underweight in them for that reason.
3. Trinity Industries Inc (NYSE: TRN)
Based in Dallas Texas, you never hear this company talked about. It's a great business. They make railway equipment, inland barges, and expanded shale for lightweight concrete. They also make transport equipment, such as those roadside barriers. This last area is where the story gets interesting, a private prosecution was successful (subject to appeal no doubt) in proving their Texas A&M engineering designed barriers were unsafe. Now I'm not going to say whether the result was correct or not, simply because I don't know. But what is worth mentioning here is that news like that punishes a company hard, and they're bleeding while still remaining profitable and comfortably so. They sit on a P/E of 3.99 at present. Can you believe that? What about buying the whole thing, lock stock? It's a bargain with a market capitalisation under 3 billion. Realistically that would work out at 5 as any takeover would lift the price.
(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.)
1. Emerson Electric Co (NYSE: EMR)
When I mention this company I always start by saying they make InSinkErator. Everyone knows that name, right? But they make so much more, this is a true industrial giant. The great Ben Graham liked this company and he goes on about them in his seminal book The Intelligent Investor. Think margin of safety here. There isn't much to go wrong. But over time your investment will grow in value if you hold and buy low enough. They're not real cheap, but with a P/E of 14.33, they're not expensive either.
2. Oshkosh Corp (NYSE: OSK)
Not a clothing brand. They make trucks, fire and access equipment, military gear, waste trucks. Think of those glorious airport fire tenders, or the front loading waste trucks, they make them. But also army trucks. There's a lot to like about this business, they make quality stuff. Their dividend yield is not as good as Emerson though, so go underweight in them for that reason.
3. Trinity Industries Inc (NYSE: TRN)
Based in Dallas Texas, you never hear this company talked about. It's a great business. They make railway equipment, inland barges, and expanded shale for lightweight concrete. They also make transport equipment, such as those roadside barriers. This last area is where the story gets interesting, a private prosecution was successful (subject to appeal no doubt) in proving their Texas A&M engineering designed barriers were unsafe. Now I'm not going to say whether the result was correct or not, simply because I don't know. But what is worth mentioning here is that news like that punishes a company hard, and they're bleeding while still remaining profitable and comfortably so. They sit on a P/E of 3.99 at present. Can you believe that? What about buying the whole thing, lock stock? It's a bargain with a market capitalisation under 3 billion. Realistically that would work out at 5 as any takeover would lift the price.
(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.)
April 11, 2016
Joy Global Tip and Deere
Earlier this year I added two companies to my tips, in addition to Caterpillar. They were Joy Global and Deere. If my readers had acted on this tip the next day, the following would have resulted by the close of trading on the 8th of April:-
Joy Global has returned 61.25% to investors in capital gain in just over two months.
Deere has returned 5.99% in capital gain.
Now I realise this is a very short time period. These are stocks to buy and hold for the long term, with Joy Global being the most vulnerable amongst the stocks I've tipped (biggest risk, also biggest gain, that's the way it goes, it could also flip the other way).
But get this, if you had invested an equal amount in each tip, you'd have made 50% excluding any dividend in just a few short months.
I'm good at this, very good.
(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.)
Joy Global has returned 61.25% to investors in capital gain in just over two months.
Deere has returned 5.99% in capital gain.
Now I realise this is a very short time period. These are stocks to buy and hold for the long term, with Joy Global being the most vulnerable amongst the stocks I've tipped (biggest risk, also biggest gain, that's the way it goes, it could also flip the other way).
But get this, if you had invested an equal amount in each tip, you'd have made 50% excluding any dividend in just a few short months.
I'm good at this, very good.
(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.)
Caterpillar Tip
I tipped Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT ) back on Saturday Sept., 26 2015. If you read that post and acted on it the next Monday, then at the Friday April 8 close you'd have a 16.55% return on your investment through capital gain alone (not counting any dividend, one qualifying payment in that period).
(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.)
(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.)
April 10, 2016
Basketball NBA Games
Do you think there is a tacit agreement if not an explicit one amongst teams in the NBA, that says to leave star players open?
Specifically; I'm referring to players like Steph Curry. He gets a lot of time on his looks at the basket. Wouldn't it make sense to have someone on him the whole time?
Seems guys like Curry get long looks. Just saying.
Specifically; I'm referring to players like Steph Curry. He gets a lot of time on his looks at the basket. Wouldn't it make sense to have someone on him the whole time?
Seems guys like Curry get long looks. Just saying.
April 08, 2016
Wikipedia Being Stupid Again
Another case of lies, damn lies and statistics over at Wikipedia, the font of all made up shit.
I wanted to quickly look up who are the most accurate NBA free throw shooters. Problem, two sites give completely different lists. That's right, completely different.
Basketball Reference.com say the top four are:-
1. Steve Nash 90.43%
2. Mark Price 90.39%
3. Stephen Curry 90.09%
4. Rick Barry 89.98%
Wikipedia say the top four are:-
1. Chauncy Billups 89.4%
2. Reggie Miller 88.8%
3. Kevin Durant 88.2%
4. Dirk Nowitzki 87.9%
(bold is an active player in the NBA)
What's going on? Well it looks like the guys at Wikipedia have set some kind of arbitrary benchmark. You know, the players on their list seem to have more free throws made in total. It looks like players have to have 4,000 baskets or thereabouts.
Why is this stupid? It's stupid because this kind of thinking does not recognise roles played, the era of the game, and such. Back in Rick Barry's day the game was much rougher, you didn't get to go to the line as often, and if you did you were likely hurt.
In the modern era, someone like Steph Curry makes his basket, gets fouled and steps to the line for the extra one. Many players today miss that basket and get two or three extras each game as the officials call fouls more often. Get the idea?
By setting the bar too high, they erase so much history. It's a bloody disgrace. In future I'll be relying on Basketball Reference.
I can see why academics don't approve of Wikipedia. You can't trust it.
I wanted to quickly look up who are the most accurate NBA free throw shooters. Problem, two sites give completely different lists. That's right, completely different.
Basketball Reference.com say the top four are:-
1. Steve Nash 90.43%
2. Mark Price 90.39%
3. Stephen Curry 90.09%
4. Rick Barry 89.98%
Wikipedia say the top four are:-
1. Chauncy Billups 89.4%
2. Reggie Miller 88.8%
3. Kevin Durant 88.2%
4. Dirk Nowitzki 87.9%
(bold is an active player in the NBA)
What's going on? Well it looks like the guys at Wikipedia have set some kind of arbitrary benchmark. You know, the players on their list seem to have more free throws made in total. It looks like players have to have 4,000 baskets or thereabouts.
Why is this stupid? It's stupid because this kind of thinking does not recognise roles played, the era of the game, and such. Back in Rick Barry's day the game was much rougher, you didn't get to go to the line as often, and if you did you were likely hurt.
In the modern era, someone like Steph Curry makes his basket, gets fouled and steps to the line for the extra one. Many players today miss that basket and get two or three extras each game as the officials call fouls more often. Get the idea?
By setting the bar too high, they erase so much history. It's a bloody disgrace. In future I'll be relying on Basketball Reference.
I can see why academics don't approve of Wikipedia. You can't trust it.
April 01, 2016
Did Prince Charles and Camilla Have a Child?
Simon Dorante-Day is an Australian born in England, who claims to be the first born son of Prince Charles. It is claimed his birth mother is Camilla Shand, later the Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Charles's second wife. You would likely know her as Camilla Parker Bowles (she was first married to Andrew Parker Bowles).
See an interview with Dorante-Day in the embedded link below, this is the latest interview as of 29th April 2021:
(the link from Australia's Seven Network Sunrise show has been removed as they no longer run the story, if anyone has a good link to a video about this story I'd appreciate a heads-up.
See an interview with Dorante-Day in the embedded link below, this is the latest interview as of 29th April 2021:
(the link from Australia's Seven Network Sunrise show has been removed as they no longer run the story, if anyone has a good link to a video about this story I'd appreciate a heads-up.
Update: this is back in the news in 2021 and I have this link which also carries video https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/royal-family/royal-mystery-simon-dorante-day-claims-he-is-the-secret-love-child-of-prince-charles-and-camilla-ng-b881857373z )
The story goes that Camilla, who is a little older than Charles, got pregnant and gave birth to a son in April 1966. She would have been 18. The boy, it is claimed, was adopted out at about the age of 18 months. He was placed with a family that had connections with royals, as servants.
If this story is true it raises several questions:
1. Were Charles and Camilla married in secret before the child was born?
If they were married then Simon Dorante-Day is the legitimate heir to the throne of England, head of the Church of England - yes all that. Charles would have been a bigamist or divorced when he married Diana and his two sons would be disqualified (sorry William and Harry).
Here's the thing, Simon Dorante-Day appears to now have aboriginal connections, he has nine children, are any of them aboriginal Australians? It appears unclear, but his children may be in line to the throne. Can you see Britain putting a black Australian on the throne? Yeah right!!!
[Edit to add; if Dorante-Day was born illegitimate, does Charles's later marriage to Camilla legitimise this child by her and thus set up a whole new line of succession? That is, if the claim is true.
And if it doesn't automatically set up a new line of succession immediately, does this newly discovered descendant line take precedence when Charles becomes King. That is, the King being above the law and all that. Do you see? In this case his descendants by way of Camilla are a shadow on the wall until he ascends the throne, whereupon the shadow becomes a physical presence in the room. You could end up in a situation where the King and Queen have a son who cannot be heir, but another son, who may not even be biologically his, ascending to the throne when he dies. Think about it, which is better, the first born son to his legally married parents, or another, in this case William.]
2. Was Princess Diana killed because of what she knew? Was she going to blow the lid on everything? It is rumoured Charles had other children as well, but of course they'd be illegitimate so not in line.
And what of Diana, are her children biologically Prince Charles's? Hmm? We could find here that Simon Dorante-Day is the eldest biological child of Prince Charles, legitimate or otherwise and that none of Diana's are his.
[Edit to add; thinking about this some more, what if Diana didn't want her children to be in line to the throne. She wanted to marry Dodi Al-Fayed, a bit of a problem that, given he was the son of a dubious businessman and a Muslim. So how about she planned to first get rid of her children as heirs before marrying Dodi. Perhaps she was going to reveal that Charles married Camilla in the eyes of God, a church or chapel ceremony not backed up by marriage certificate, and that in the eyes of God, another man was the rightful heir. Get the idea? Prince Philip has always been accused of arranging the hit, and he did that because of the threat she posed to his bloodline. What do you think?]
3. Can this Australian demand a DNA? You betcha, Charles isn't King yet, he's still within the reach of the law. And does anyone believe such a test would be done honestly if he was the son of Charles? I mean, really? Do you believe that?
The only way such a thing could happen is if Her Majesty was sufficiently sick of the inbred fools and demanded the proof be provided, to refresh their gene pool. Otherwise it ain't gonna happen.
[Edit to add Feb 2 2019: I noticed that this blog post has taken off again in term of readership, and checking this I find Mr Dorante-Day is back in the news: https://www.newidea.com.au/camillas-secret-son-bombshell-picture-proof The picture just published does bear a resemblance to both Camilla and her son by Andrew Parker Bowles.]
The story goes that Camilla, who is a little older than Charles, got pregnant and gave birth to a son in April 1966. She would have been 18. The boy, it is claimed, was adopted out at about the age of 18 months. He was placed with a family that had connections with royals, as servants.
If this story is true it raises several questions:
1. Were Charles and Camilla married in secret before the child was born?
If they were married then Simon Dorante-Day is the legitimate heir to the throne of England, head of the Church of England - yes all that. Charles would have been a bigamist or divorced when he married Diana and his two sons would be disqualified (sorry William and Harry).
Here's the thing, Simon Dorante-Day appears to now have aboriginal connections, he has nine children, are any of them aboriginal Australians? It appears unclear, but his children may be in line to the throne. Can you see Britain putting a black Australian on the throne? Yeah right!!!
[Edit to add; if Dorante-Day was born illegitimate, does Charles's later marriage to Camilla legitimise this child by her and thus set up a whole new line of succession? That is, if the claim is true.
And if it doesn't automatically set up a new line of succession immediately, does this newly discovered descendant line take precedence when Charles becomes King. That is, the King being above the law and all that. Do you see? In this case his descendants by way of Camilla are a shadow on the wall until he ascends the throne, whereupon the shadow becomes a physical presence in the room. You could end up in a situation where the King and Queen have a son who cannot be heir, but another son, who may not even be biologically his, ascending to the throne when he dies. Think about it, which is better, the first born son to his legally married parents, or another, in this case William.]
2. Was Princess Diana killed because of what she knew? Was she going to blow the lid on everything? It is rumoured Charles had other children as well, but of course they'd be illegitimate so not in line.
And what of Diana, are her children biologically Prince Charles's? Hmm? We could find here that Simon Dorante-Day is the eldest biological child of Prince Charles, legitimate or otherwise and that none of Diana's are his.
[Edit to add; thinking about this some more, what if Diana didn't want her children to be in line to the throne. She wanted to marry Dodi Al-Fayed, a bit of a problem that, given he was the son of a dubious businessman and a Muslim. So how about she planned to first get rid of her children as heirs before marrying Dodi. Perhaps she was going to reveal that Charles married Camilla in the eyes of God, a church or chapel ceremony not backed up by marriage certificate, and that in the eyes of God, another man was the rightful heir. Get the idea? Prince Philip has always been accused of arranging the hit, and he did that because of the threat she posed to his bloodline. What do you think?]
3. Can this Australian demand a DNA? You betcha, Charles isn't King yet, he's still within the reach of the law. And does anyone believe such a test would be done honestly if he was the son of Charles? I mean, really? Do you believe that?
The only way such a thing could happen is if Her Majesty was sufficiently sick of the inbred fools and demanded the proof be provided, to refresh their gene pool. Otherwise it ain't gonna happen.
[Edit to add Feb 2 2019: I noticed that this blog post has taken off again in term of readership, and checking this I find Mr Dorante-Day is back in the news: https://www.newidea.com.au/camillas-secret-son-bombshell-picture-proof The picture just published does bear a resemblance to both Camilla and her son by Andrew Parker Bowles.]
[Edit to add Sept 20 2022: here's the latest from Australia on the claims made by Simon Dorante-Day, taking into account the death of the Queen, and King Charles ascending to the throne. https://youtu.be/cVWjqmyCPJw ]
[Edit to add March 8, 2025: this blog post has once again taken off, and it is still by far my most read blog post, but its readership fluctuates over the years.]
March 30, 2016
The Crushing Son
I am pleased to announce the release of my second novel, The Crushing Son. It is set on the Gold Coast, Australia, in the quarrying and concrete industry. It's a business I know a lot about. The story is about family rivalry, intense competition, feuds and the heat that oppresses everyone.
The Crushing Son <<Click Direct Link
The Crushing Son <<Click Direct Link
March 16, 2016
National Scrapping Decile System
It's not confirmed but rumour has it NZ's National led government is planning to scrap the decile funding model for schools.
The decile system works by paying schools more if their parents are poor, and less proportionately if the parents are rich.
Let's be clear about this. NZ's education system is hanging by a thread. If National really want to screw things up then all they have to do is tinker with a funding system that, while flawed, actually works most of the time.
>>Read Here About These Plans<<
If changing the system, instead of scrapping it, all they need to do is make adjustments. I don't know if they take into account the remoteness of a school, its particular learning needs, or the quality of staff. If they don't already then these sorts of things could be added to a funding formula.
But the plans to pay schools more for such things as a parent in prison or if the student or a family member has been the victim of sexual abuse, seems absurd. As a society, we pay taxes to address issues around that in separate ways.
I can see the day arriving where schools pay an enrolment signing fee for vulnerable families. Gangs would be the first to exploit a system like this. Now you might say I'm being alarmist. Really? The drug kingpins would be into it like pigs into the proverbial.
Some background - a state education is free in New Zealand. That means schools can't make you pay a donation. It means parents can't be made to pay for materials used to learn with (unless you take the materials home), and they can't be made to pay for workbooks either. They can't even make the child take a school field trip and if it is assessed, the school has to provide an alternative.
This system works. What doesn't work, the elephant in the room, is teachers don't work.
Teachers make things up as they go along, they're often incompetent and they're not subject to rigorous scrutiny. The answer to improving the quality of education in NZ is to put a blow torch to the teachers.
No government will address what is really wrong. Maybe that's because the teacher vote is important. So long as teachers get a magic carpet ride, standards will continue to slip.
More from me on education:-
http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/08/nigel-latta-tvnz-ncea.html
http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/06/reform-of-nz-education.html
http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/06/ncea.html
The decile system works by paying schools more if their parents are poor, and less proportionately if the parents are rich.
Let's be clear about this. NZ's education system is hanging by a thread. If National really want to screw things up then all they have to do is tinker with a funding system that, while flawed, actually works most of the time.
>>Read Here About These Plans<<
If changing the system, instead of scrapping it, all they need to do is make adjustments. I don't know if they take into account the remoteness of a school, its particular learning needs, or the quality of staff. If they don't already then these sorts of things could be added to a funding formula.
But the plans to pay schools more for such things as a parent in prison or if the student or a family member has been the victim of sexual abuse, seems absurd. As a society, we pay taxes to address issues around that in separate ways.
I can see the day arriving where schools pay an enrolment signing fee for vulnerable families. Gangs would be the first to exploit a system like this. Now you might say I'm being alarmist. Really? The drug kingpins would be into it like pigs into the proverbial.
Some background - a state education is free in New Zealand. That means schools can't make you pay a donation. It means parents can't be made to pay for materials used to learn with (unless you take the materials home), and they can't be made to pay for workbooks either. They can't even make the child take a school field trip and if it is assessed, the school has to provide an alternative.
This system works. What doesn't work, the elephant in the room, is teachers don't work.
Teachers make things up as they go along, they're often incompetent and they're not subject to rigorous scrutiny. The answer to improving the quality of education in NZ is to put a blow torch to the teachers.
No government will address what is really wrong. Maybe that's because the teacher vote is important. So long as teachers get a magic carpet ride, standards will continue to slip.
More from me on education:-
http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/08/nigel-latta-tvnz-ncea.html
http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/06/reform-of-nz-education.html
http://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2014/06/ncea.html
March 09, 2016
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova has been caught taking performance enhancing drugs. Personally I don't like the way she screams, or yells, or grunts when she hits the ball. She's either trying to put her opponents off or disguising the sound of the racket hitting the ball. It's unsportsmanlike. That said, I don't think we need to get upset over the matter of drugs.
I put the reaction from around the World down to anti-Russian hysteria. In particular, this applies to those companies quick to dump her.
There is massive hypocrisy here. I think the whole world is doping. You think I'm over-reacting? Come on people, look at these athletes. Look at the bodies on them, the muscle, the recovery times event to event, the speed. Are people blind? Look at the women, they're hulks.
Rest assured, all world class athletes are on something pharmaceutical. It just comes down to whether what they're doing is allowed or explicitly banned by the authorities. I have no doubt in my mind that most top athletes are assisted with drugs by government agencies. In Christchurch you can go to sport nutrition stores selling supplements and find 'test beater' kits. Do these work? Why would they be selling them if they don't work?
I put the reaction from around the World down to anti-Russian hysteria. In particular, this applies to those companies quick to dump her.
There is massive hypocrisy here. I think the whole world is doping. You think I'm over-reacting? Come on people, look at these athletes. Look at the bodies on them, the muscle, the recovery times event to event, the speed. Are people blind? Look at the women, they're hulks.
Rest assured, all world class athletes are on something pharmaceutical. It just comes down to whether what they're doing is allowed or explicitly banned by the authorities. I have no doubt in my mind that most top athletes are assisted with drugs by government agencies. In Christchurch you can go to sport nutrition stores selling supplements and find 'test beater' kits. Do these work? Why would they be selling them if they don't work?
Degrees in New Zealand
Someone may help here, I've got a few questions about New Zealand's University level degree structure.
I get that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority set a bachelor's at 360 points and bachelor's with honours at 480. Therefore it takes 3-4 years to complete based on 120 points each year. A proportion of the courses, at least 72 points, must be at level 7 and so on.
But why isn't there an outfit offering their courses night and day, seven days a week, all year round. If you break the year into three semesters and 60 points each semester, an honours degree is completed in three years - the first two years for the bachelors, then a final two semesters for the honours.
Is there a rule about how much you can study full-time on one subject in one twelve month period? And if there is, how about 120 points toward one degree with another semester each year spent doing another degree.
Something like this:-
Year One: Semester One: Second Degree, Semester Two/Three: Main Degree
Year Two: Semester One/Two: Main Degree Semester Three: Second Degree
Year Three: Semester One: Second Degree Semester Two/Three: Main Degree
First (Main) Bachelor's - 360 points
Second Bachelor's - 180 points plus cross-credit 90 points (say): 270 points, meaning the second degree could be completed with another year of part-time study.
Usually it takes five years to do a double degree.
I'm completing a novel at the moment so you can see I've got far too much time on my hands.
Thinking about this, BPP University in the U.K. offers two year accelerated degrees, such as an LLB (Hons), studying full time. If I understand right, this school has the largest law student enrolment in England (mostly this is because they do the professional component upon graduation which brings their numbers up). These people come out and go straight to becoming Solicitors or Barristers.
Note: BPP also do an LLB (Hons) [Distance Learning] either full-time, full-time accelerated or part-time. Sounds clever, according to data I checked, they have one person doing this degree in NZ. I wonder who that person is? If you think about it, this is a real option (if perhaps quite expensive).
Consider a case where the person is born in England, or their parent or grandparent was born there. They could get a degree that is fully up to speed upon arriving to work there.
Graduates from NZ will be quick to tell you their qualifications are accepted, well yes, but that degree has to go through a process of equivalence and more courses may have to be taken to bring the person up to speed (maybe EU law and so on). This way the student living in NZ with the right to work in England, has a qualification immediately accepted, no questions asked.
Technology is changing the landscape of tertiary education. The problem with using the internet was how do you stop cheating? Anyone could be on that keyboard, right? And in the past that was true.
But now, without going as far as requiring fingerprint or retinal identification (though somewhere that's probably being done), you could run courses with virtual chat rooms for tutorials and classes, even labs. That way you can see if the student has someone sitting next to them helping. A proportion of the course could be viva voce (oral).
From login a certain amount of required attendance at tutorials, lectures online in real time (some could be missed and caught up with delayed viewing, perhaps 60/40 split as a minimum), seminar presentation, and oral answers to questions.
The student then presents essays and completes assignment questions in own time by due dates. If you do all this I don't see the point in the classic three hour exam, but if one were required then it could be open book with the student at home after log in and video link so the examiner can see the person receives no help.
I think with BPP, exams are held in a room you have accepted by them, somewhere separate, or you deliver yourself to their location. That's fine but with technology the way it is now, I think it is practically redundant.
Columbia University in New York have real time webcasts that are free if you register. This means academic heavyweights talking about complex topics like corporate ethics and transformational thinking. You can see where this is headed, they'll be offering degrees this way next (though New York is seriously out of sync with NZ - ouch - 5am starts).
Or consider our neck of the woods, Bond University in Queensland offers accelerated programmes, such as a Bachelor of Business in two years, or a law degree in eight semesters.
For a law degree think about this; a Bond University law degree started in January 2016, eight semesters taken sequentially has the law degree done in two years and two semesters. Now okay, no student loans for Kiwis over there, but if money is no object then I'd say a Kiwi would have to think about jumping the ditch. They can live and work there, so they would be up and practising while back home their classmates were still studying.
Why doesn't New Zealand offer accelerated programmes?
Edited to add: Found one college in Auckland, offering a Bachelor of International Business in 7-9 semesters, in theory it could be done in less than three years.
I note they have holidays. How Bond University do a similar degree in two years, is they don't stop, they just keep going.
If you think about this, it's totally logical. You could have day and night shifts, with overlapping lectures Monday to Friday and Wednesday to Sunday. Combine real time webcasts, like those done by Columbia University in New York, with face to face lectures and tutorials, assignments, essays and online tests.
Edited to further add: Someone has pointed out how acceleration may work at the University of Canterbury (eg) a student with direct access to Chemistry second year, by virtue of their Year 13 grades from high school, can complete an honours degree in chemistry in 3 years.
I get that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority set a bachelor's at 360 points and bachelor's with honours at 480. Therefore it takes 3-4 years to complete based on 120 points each year. A proportion of the courses, at least 72 points, must be at level 7 and so on.
But why isn't there an outfit offering their courses night and day, seven days a week, all year round. If you break the year into three semesters and 60 points each semester, an honours degree is completed in three years - the first two years for the bachelors, then a final two semesters for the honours.
Is there a rule about how much you can study full-time on one subject in one twelve month period? And if there is, how about 120 points toward one degree with another semester each year spent doing another degree.
Something like this:-
Year One: Semester One: Second Degree, Semester Two/Three: Main Degree
Year Two: Semester One/Two: Main Degree Semester Three: Second Degree
Year Three: Semester One: Second Degree Semester Two/Three: Main Degree
First (Main) Bachelor's - 360 points
Second Bachelor's - 180 points plus cross-credit 90 points (say): 270 points, meaning the second degree could be completed with another year of part-time study.
Usually it takes five years to do a double degree.
I'm completing a novel at the moment so you can see I've got far too much time on my hands.
Thinking about this, BPP University in the U.K. offers two year accelerated degrees, such as an LLB (Hons), studying full time. If I understand right, this school has the largest law student enrolment in England (mostly this is because they do the professional component upon graduation which brings their numbers up). These people come out and go straight to becoming Solicitors or Barristers.
Note: BPP also do an LLB (Hons) [Distance Learning] either full-time, full-time accelerated or part-time. Sounds clever, according to data I checked, they have one person doing this degree in NZ. I wonder who that person is? If you think about it, this is a real option (if perhaps quite expensive).
Consider a case where the person is born in England, or their parent or grandparent was born there. They could get a degree that is fully up to speed upon arriving to work there.
Graduates from NZ will be quick to tell you their qualifications are accepted, well yes, but that degree has to go through a process of equivalence and more courses may have to be taken to bring the person up to speed (maybe EU law and so on). This way the student living in NZ with the right to work in England, has a qualification immediately accepted, no questions asked.
Technology is changing the landscape of tertiary education. The problem with using the internet was how do you stop cheating? Anyone could be on that keyboard, right? And in the past that was true.
But now, without going as far as requiring fingerprint or retinal identification (though somewhere that's probably being done), you could run courses with virtual chat rooms for tutorials and classes, even labs. That way you can see if the student has someone sitting next to them helping. A proportion of the course could be viva voce (oral).
From login a certain amount of required attendance at tutorials, lectures online in real time (some could be missed and caught up with delayed viewing, perhaps 60/40 split as a minimum), seminar presentation, and oral answers to questions.
The student then presents essays and completes assignment questions in own time by due dates. If you do all this I don't see the point in the classic three hour exam, but if one were required then it could be open book with the student at home after log in and video link so the examiner can see the person receives no help.
I think with BPP, exams are held in a room you have accepted by them, somewhere separate, or you deliver yourself to their location. That's fine but with technology the way it is now, I think it is practically redundant.
Columbia University in New York have real time webcasts that are free if you register. This means academic heavyweights talking about complex topics like corporate ethics and transformational thinking. You can see where this is headed, they'll be offering degrees this way next (though New York is seriously out of sync with NZ - ouch - 5am starts).
Or consider our neck of the woods, Bond University in Queensland offers accelerated programmes, such as a Bachelor of Business in two years, or a law degree in eight semesters.
For a law degree think about this; a Bond University law degree started in January 2016, eight semesters taken sequentially has the law degree done in two years and two semesters. Now okay, no student loans for Kiwis over there, but if money is no object then I'd say a Kiwi would have to think about jumping the ditch. They can live and work there, so they would be up and practising while back home their classmates were still studying.
Why doesn't New Zealand offer accelerated programmes?
Edited to add: Found one college in Auckland, offering a Bachelor of International Business in 7-9 semesters, in theory it could be done in less than three years.
I note they have holidays. How Bond University do a similar degree in two years, is they don't stop, they just keep going.
If you think about this, it's totally logical. You could have day and night shifts, with overlapping lectures Monday to Friday and Wednesday to Sunday. Combine real time webcasts, like those done by Columbia University in New York, with face to face lectures and tutorials, assignments, essays and online tests.
Edited to further add: Someone has pointed out how acceleration may work at the University of Canterbury (eg) a student with direct access to Chemistry second year, by virtue of their Year 13 grades from high school, can complete an honours degree in chemistry in 3 years.
March 08, 2016
Bluesen 32" HD LED Television
My old television finally conked out. It was a Sony Trinitron I'd been using for the last 6-7 years and which I bought off Trade Me for $50. Back then I actually went out of my way to get a Sony Trinitron as they have such a good picture. I found one that had rarely been used and had a picture like new.
Now the old style televisions are out. TV's are no longer bulky and heavy. They're now light and flat.
I went down to Noel Leeming Appliances and bought the cheapest 32" I could find in the store. The find was a Bluesen BL32C11NZ for $299.99. I've got no idea who Bluesen are, but I figure for that sort of money I couldn't really miss. The last time I forked out for a new TV, I paid over $1,000.
Setting this TV up was a breeze. I've got a simple but older system and I needed to keep everything in play. It's all set up and working well. I would allocate about two hours to get it the way you like it, including all the fiddling with personal settings.
Firstly, I want to record using my VCR. This is because one of the children has a VCR for playing back tapes upstairs. Tapes are very handy. They're cheap, portable and simple.
To set up the Bluesen I attached the aerial cable to the aerial input on the side of the TV. Turned everything on and the TV found the analogue VCR on channel 1. This took maybe 2 minutes to do. Now I can watch Freeview through the VCR and into the TV. Doing this I can still record shows, but alas as I don't have a dual tuner, can't watch another channel while recording.
Like this - Rabbit ears aerial > aerial cable >Dish TV freeview terrestrial set top box > RCA connector > into back of the VCR > Aerial transfer cable > Bluesen TV.
From source the feed is found under ATV.
Then to connect up the DVD player. This is an old one and does not come with HDMI. It is RCA red/white audio and yellow video like the cables that connect the set top box with the VCR.
DVD > RCA cable > TV audio left and right and video at back of TV. The DVD feed can be picked up on source AV, right below ATV.
Initially I scrolled down source menu too far and got DVD in black and white only on another source feed (which I thought was interesting). Found the colour line right below the TV channel in the on-screen menu - D'uh.
Picture quality is favourable. As this set is Asian in origin, the colours tend toward red, and brightness.
I customised the settings thus:-
From the set top box balanced brightness and contrast. Set HD resolution to Native.
On the TV, for picture, personalised and backed off from Dynamic setting a tad.
Colour temperature, backed off red and blue, enhanced green. The Asian colour palette sees a lot of red and they think blue cools things off. Green and blue are really similar, so I change the green by raising it in proportion to blue. At the moment I have red 40, green 50, blue 40. With a setting like this you get less of a chocolate box effect.
Aspect ratio. The standard setting is to have 1080i HD resolution and 16:9 from the set top box and 16:9 on the TV. I sit quite close to the TV so I went with 4:3 letterbox from the set top box into 4:3 on the TV (anything else on the TV and it distorts, be careful). I noticed a slight improvement in picture quality by setting HD resolution to Native.
Turned off noise reduction.
The picture is acceptable, though nothing can compete with the venerable Trinitron.
Sound from the Bluesen is crappy. Very tinny, lots of treble. I actually went down to zero treble and up to 100 bass, then sat the TV on a soft surface to adsorb sound from the speakers which emit sound from the base and downward. I had noticed the sound was bouncing off the table the TV was sitting on. The sound is better but still not very good. This is the Bluesen's worst feature.
Horrors, when I first turned the TV off and then switched on again, the channel it was tuned in on, just the one analogue feed from the VCR, had been lost. Ouch. Checked online to find this is a common problem with modern TV's. It's the software not loading correctly. Funny thing, while I could retune and all settings were then remembered, I turned the TV off a couple of times and each time I restarted I had to quickly retune that channel in again. It's as if part of the thing had saved but another hadn't.
Solution was to restore factory defaults (which didn't change the clock - funny that). Then when I tuned the channel in after restoring factory defaults, the channel stored in memory and goes to this one channel when restarted. Phew. This could be a glitch and the restoring of the factory defaults may need to be done again. I'll watch for this and if it happens again then I'll be quick to squeal.
[Update @ 09/10/2018: the TV is still working fine. It has turned out to be a bargain. The Dish TV set top box died pretty quickly, turns out they're rubbish. I needed this to receive the digital signal and to convert that signal to analogue so my VCR could record. So I don't do that now, I simply watch the TV alone. It is theoretically possible play back videos on the VCR but I don't do that either as the TV often needs to auto tune the channels in and once I do that I also need to retune the VCR channel and that's just a pain. So videotapes are only watched by the kids upstairs from old stock and we don't record any more at all. Instead we watch DVD's which can be bought very cheaply, especially old movies.]
Now the old style televisions are out. TV's are no longer bulky and heavy. They're now light and flat.
I went down to Noel Leeming Appliances and bought the cheapest 32" I could find in the store. The find was a Bluesen BL32C11NZ for $299.99. I've got no idea who Bluesen are, but I figure for that sort of money I couldn't really miss. The last time I forked out for a new TV, I paid over $1,000.
Setting this TV up was a breeze. I've got a simple but older system and I needed to keep everything in play. It's all set up and working well. I would allocate about two hours to get it the way you like it, including all the fiddling with personal settings.
Firstly, I want to record using my VCR. This is because one of the children has a VCR for playing back tapes upstairs. Tapes are very handy. They're cheap, portable and simple.
To set up the Bluesen I attached the aerial cable to the aerial input on the side of the TV. Turned everything on and the TV found the analogue VCR on channel 1. This took maybe 2 minutes to do. Now I can watch Freeview through the VCR and into the TV. Doing this I can still record shows, but alas as I don't have a dual tuner, can't watch another channel while recording.
Like this - Rabbit ears aerial > aerial cable >Dish TV freeview terrestrial set top box > RCA connector > into back of the VCR > Aerial transfer cable > Bluesen TV.
From source the feed is found under ATV.
Then to connect up the DVD player. This is an old one and does not come with HDMI. It is RCA red/white audio and yellow video like the cables that connect the set top box with the VCR.
DVD > RCA cable > TV audio left and right and video at back of TV. The DVD feed can be picked up on source AV, right below ATV.
Initially I scrolled down source menu too far and got DVD in black and white only on another source feed (which I thought was interesting). Found the colour line right below the TV channel in the on-screen menu - D'uh.
Picture quality is favourable. As this set is Asian in origin, the colours tend toward red, and brightness.
I customised the settings thus:-
From the set top box balanced brightness and contrast. Set HD resolution to Native.
On the TV, for picture, personalised and backed off from Dynamic setting a tad.
Colour temperature, backed off red and blue, enhanced green. The Asian colour palette sees a lot of red and they think blue cools things off. Green and blue are really similar, so I change the green by raising it in proportion to blue. At the moment I have red 40, green 50, blue 40. With a setting like this you get less of a chocolate box effect.
Aspect ratio. The standard setting is to have 1080i HD resolution and 16:9 from the set top box and 16:9 on the TV. I sit quite close to the TV so I went with 4:3 letterbox from the set top box into 4:3 on the TV (anything else on the TV and it distorts, be careful). I noticed a slight improvement in picture quality by setting HD resolution to Native.
Turned off noise reduction.
The picture is acceptable, though nothing can compete with the venerable Trinitron.
Sound from the Bluesen is crappy. Very tinny, lots of treble. I actually went down to zero treble and up to 100 bass, then sat the TV on a soft surface to adsorb sound from the speakers which emit sound from the base and downward. I had noticed the sound was bouncing off the table the TV was sitting on. The sound is better but still not very good. This is the Bluesen's worst feature.
Horrors, when I first turned the TV off and then switched on again, the channel it was tuned in on, just the one analogue feed from the VCR, had been lost. Ouch. Checked online to find this is a common problem with modern TV's. It's the software not loading correctly. Funny thing, while I could retune and all settings were then remembered, I turned the TV off a couple of times and each time I restarted I had to quickly retune that channel in again. It's as if part of the thing had saved but another hadn't.
Solution was to restore factory defaults (which didn't change the clock - funny that). Then when I tuned the channel in after restoring factory defaults, the channel stored in memory and goes to this one channel when restarted. Phew. This could be a glitch and the restoring of the factory defaults may need to be done again. I'll watch for this and if it happens again then I'll be quick to squeal.
[Update @ 09/10/2018: the TV is still working fine. It has turned out to be a bargain. The Dish TV set top box died pretty quickly, turns out they're rubbish. I needed this to receive the digital signal and to convert that signal to analogue so my VCR could record. So I don't do that now, I simply watch the TV alone. It is theoretically possible play back videos on the VCR but I don't do that either as the TV often needs to auto tune the channels in and once I do that I also need to retune the VCR channel and that's just a pain. So videotapes are only watched by the kids upstairs from old stock and we don't record any more at all. Instead we watch DVD's which can be bought very cheaply, especially old movies.]
March 03, 2016
Scott Kelly Sets Record
An example of media bias. Scott Kelly has been reported as having set a record aboard the International Space Station. Most reports are careful to mention that it is a NASA record. Of course, because he set the record along with Russian Mikhail Korniyenko. Does anyone mention that in those reports? Hmm (Okay a few do, buried deep somewhere).
And this 'record' really isn't even a record. The outright record of time in space on the one mission is held by Valeri Polyakov aboard Mir (437 days), and in second place Sergei Avdeyev (379 days). Kelly/Korniyenko are actually in 4th place.
That folks is a wooden medal, not even bronze. Is the USA that desperate for good news?
Oh and the person that has spent the most time in space, across multiple missions, is another Russian Genady Padalka (879 days).
Is all this time in space valuable? On many fronts it is, but getting to grips with zero gravity is another matter entirely. Those on the ISS are actually equivalent to sky divers. They are weightless, falling, not experiencing zero gravity. They experience the same amount of gravity on their bodies as we do on the surface of the planet.
It's an amazing sight going out at night to see the ISS fly across the sky. It looks like a shooting star, except it never burns up. Sometimes though, I wonder why we are told some of the things we hear. Are they after more money? And what do they need the money for?
Mars, I mean really, it's a dead planet. It died because as a planet it is not viable. I don't want to contribute to someone landing on it and I think the taxpayer should not have to pay for any of it either. Doing so would be a waste of time IMO.
And this 'record' really isn't even a record. The outright record of time in space on the one mission is held by Valeri Polyakov aboard Mir (437 days), and in second place Sergei Avdeyev (379 days). Kelly/Korniyenko are actually in 4th place.
That folks is a wooden medal, not even bronze. Is the USA that desperate for good news?
Oh and the person that has spent the most time in space, across multiple missions, is another Russian Genady Padalka (879 days).
Is all this time in space valuable? On many fronts it is, but getting to grips with zero gravity is another matter entirely. Those on the ISS are actually equivalent to sky divers. They are weightless, falling, not experiencing zero gravity. They experience the same amount of gravity on their bodies as we do on the surface of the planet.
It's an amazing sight going out at night to see the ISS fly across the sky. It looks like a shooting star, except it never burns up. Sometimes though, I wonder why we are told some of the things we hear. Are they after more money? And what do they need the money for?
Mars, I mean really, it's a dead planet. It died because as a planet it is not viable. I don't want to contribute to someone landing on it and I think the taxpayer should not have to pay for any of it either. Doing so would be a waste of time IMO.
March 01, 2016
Auction Hunters
Have you seen Auction Hunters on the TV? Wondered if it is real? Well, no, it isn't real, it's totally fake.
The stars of the show are Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones. They're actors. All the storage units are set ups, seeded with stuff that is miraculously worth money. Often the units have guns in them, and they're often rare collectables. The full list of antique and collectables this and that goes on and on.
I don't know for sure, but I think it's likely the 'experts' supply the stuff to be won at auction. They then buy their own stuff back off of old Haff and Ton. The money changing hands are props, probably not even real notes.
We are expected to believe that these expert traders drive an old van with very uncomfortable seating clear across the USA, coast to coast, and they pop in to all these storage unit auctions, which all have value in them. How about the van is different for each location and they fly in to do the filming, yeah that sounds more like it. At best they transport the same van on the back of a truck. Take your pick.
In a later series they open a pawn shop. I have a screen grab from Google street view of this location. There is no pawn shop at 142 Culver Blvd, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293 USA as at May 2015. Here is the shop...
As you can see there is now an Asian health shop there, Tai Chi type of thing. The location was used as the set for the Haff Ton pawn shop when Auction Hunters was being made. Maybe the shop was empty back when they were filming.
You know what really pisses me off about amateurs like these guys? They don't actually know what they're doing.
Winning at auction is a real art. Many of the stunts Haff and Ton claim to use at auctions are actually illegal. These guys are acting. Rival bidders and auctioneers don't let you get away with the shit Haff and Ton pull. They get away with it because none of it is real.
The stars of the show are Allen Haff and Clinton "Ton" Jones. They're actors. All the storage units are set ups, seeded with stuff that is miraculously worth money. Often the units have guns in them, and they're often rare collectables. The full list of antique and collectables this and that goes on and on.
I don't know for sure, but I think it's likely the 'experts' supply the stuff to be won at auction. They then buy their own stuff back off of old Haff and Ton. The money changing hands are props, probably not even real notes.
We are expected to believe that these expert traders drive an old van with very uncomfortable seating clear across the USA, coast to coast, and they pop in to all these storage unit auctions, which all have value in them. How about the van is different for each location and they fly in to do the filming, yeah that sounds more like it. At best they transport the same van on the back of a truck. Take your pick.
In a later series they open a pawn shop. I have a screen grab from Google street view of this location. There is no pawn shop at 142 Culver Blvd, Playa Del Rey, CA 90293 USA as at May 2015. Here is the shop...
 |
| Location of Haff Ton Pawn Shop |
As you can see there is now an Asian health shop there, Tai Chi type of thing. The location was used as the set for the Haff Ton pawn shop when Auction Hunters was being made. Maybe the shop was empty back when they were filming.
You know what really pisses me off about amateurs like these guys? They don't actually know what they're doing.
Winning at auction is a real art. Many of the stunts Haff and Ton claim to use at auctions are actually illegal. These guys are acting. Rival bidders and auctioneers don't let you get away with the shit Haff and Ton pull. They get away with it because none of it is real.