Trump Appointments: Old White Guys

Just when I thought things were looking good under Trump, things head south. Mitt Romney may get secretary of state, really? And where are the women in Trump's team? So far it looks like a bunch of old white guys. C'mon Mr Trump, surely you can do better.

Novel: The Crushing Son

My blog has been very busy lately. Thank you to all my readers.

Readers can show their appreciation by buying a copy of my second novel, The Crushing Son.

The Crushing Son <<Amazon Link

Used copies are available from $6.95 new from $9.67

European Voters Ignored

Europe may be in for a backlash on the scale of Brexit or Trump if the bureaucrats in Brussels keep ignoring voters:-

BRUSSELS trampled over the result of a Dutch referendum

On a wider scale, giving the Ukraine any hope whatsoever that they can be part of Europe, just moves the region closer to war. Russia won't stand for it. So why keep poking Russia with a stick?

Trump to Double Growth?

While Donald Trump said enough during the campaign to cancel himself out as any kind of decent human being, we have to now deal with four years of his administration. Will it be good for business and investment, or not?

My guess is there will be growth in construction jobs, that's Trump's thing. Overall the following link appears very bullish, read on and consider if any of it comes to pass:-

How President Trump will double growth and jobs

Trump off to a Good Start

Never judge a book by its cover, or so they say. Those protesting Donald Trump likely do not hold with that view. 

But let's keep an open mind shall we. His appointment of Reince Priebus as chief of staff and Stephen Bannon as chief strategist and chief counsellor has the look of a man who intends to effect change. On the one hand Priebus is there to keep the ship on course, while Bannon is there to shake things up. 

https://www.ft.com/content/704a2dfc-a9ca-11e6-a0bb-97f42551dbf4

The voters expect something to be done about their falling standard of living and job security. If things continue to go downhill, expect an even firmer backlash. My guess is the GOP know it and they're looking over their shoulders.

Donald Trump Next US President

It looks like Donald Trump has won the race to the White House. What an upset, the pollsters will have to review their methods as they got it badly wrong - again. 

If we're going to be honest, Hillary Clinton lost two weeks ago when her campaign stalled and she lost all momentum. It wasn't the FBI investigation or Wikileaks, it was her approach to campaigning that cost her victory. 

Hillary Clinton treats her campaign like a parade to victory. She swans around the place, gracing the masses with her presence. Meanwhile her opponents roll their sleeves up and ask the voters to back them, that they'll effect change for them. Which message or approach sounds better? She stalled against Obama, and now Trump too.

Trump was backed by what I call angry pick-up truck man. On my recent visit to the USA I saw them everywhere with their Trump/Pence bumper stickers. They sit behind the wheel of their trucks looking very pissed off. These angry, mostly white men, were going to vote come what may. They'd remember to vote no matter what. Contrast that with Hillary, I didn't see any evidence of her campaign apart from television attack ads. Lame.

DNC Leak 2

Wikileaks have released more of the hacked Democratic emails. Latest reports show collusion between mainstream media and the Democratic campaign (CNN, no surprise really, everyone knew this went on), and that the Putin link to the hack was fabricated.

Cubs World Champions

The Cubs did it, phew. I thought I was going to die of a heart attack when the Indians drew even, but the Cubs pulled it off. Now we can all party for a year or more. As a side note, it was good to see LeBron James so passionate about Cleveland. Maybe some other time LeBron, this was the Cubs year.

Chicago Cubs

I'm hoping that by the time anyone reads this the Cubs will have won the World Series.

World Champion Chicago Cubs has a certain ring to it.

Steven Adams Staying With Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoman is reporting that NZ's Steven Adams has signed a contract extension for $22.4 million a year. This must surely put New Zealand players on the map. New Zealand basketball talent is a lot better than you'd think, there should be more Kiwis playing in the NBA. Let's hope the scouts find their way Downunder more often.

This deal puts Adams in the front rank of the genuine big men of the NBA. It is reported that he could have got more had he waited, as teammate Andre Roberson is doing, but my guess is Adams wants to create a legacy, not just earn the big bucks. He can create that legacy in two ways; either he stays with OKC for the foreseeable future and picks up a championship there, and he's actually more attractive as a trade, being slightly cheaper after the ink dries on this deal. That means better teams can take him on under their salary cap if things don't work out at OKC down the line. 

It's all about the championships, and playing for your country, and this is where NZ has to hope a deal can be secured, putting Adams in the black singlet of New Zealand. Every player wants to play for their country (if fit of course). Look at the NBA talent turning out for their countries, Australia has no problem getting their NBA players to turn out. It has been mooted that NZ can no longer afford insurance on Adams. But this is where it gets interesting; given what Adams will now be earning, he can pay the premiums himself as a donation to the national body, such payment being tax deductible. So it's a win-win.Whatever issues exist between NZ Basketball and Adams, they have to be resolved.

Oh and now Adams is in the top rank of the top rank, he's going to get hit on. Imagine the Kanye/Foxx rap video Gold Digger. Well the totty in that video is just what actors and rappers qualify for, NBA stars of Adams ilk will be inundated by totty ten times hotter than that. He'll need to get himself a wife or a personal lifestyle manager. A single man, the amount of money we're talking about and that kind of fame, well let's just say he could wear it out. 

FBI Renew Investigation of Hillary Clinton

Reading between the lines, it looks like the FBI have got their noses out of joint. It may be that the new emails they've discovered don't cross-reference with what Hillary has already provided them. Oh dear, if that's the case, she may face obstruction charges or worse. This is a gift to the Trump campaign.

Hillary Clinton Losing Momentum

I don't know if this is being correctly reported but in case no-one has noticed; Hillary Clinton has lost the momentum in the race for the Presidency. She's fallen behind in Florida by 2 percentage points and in other polls she's now tied or only marginally ahead. Trump was lagging badly only a week ago but now he's gaining ground. His campaign while disorganised on some levels, appears to be judging its sprint to the line better, with Hillary appearing out of gas. Is this another Hillary Clinton choke (like she choked against Obama)?

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have made the World Series for the first time in 71 years, let's hope they win this time. I've only been a fan for about the last 10 years (I am a long-time fan of the Yokohama DeNA Baystars in Japan's Central League), but I'm enjoying the ride.

Azealia Banks Picks On Russell Crowe

You've got to laugh, Azealia Banks noticed Russell Crowe is over the hill and the biggest dipstick in Hollywood. Read about it here:-

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/azealia-banks-speaks-out-about-hotel-room-fight-with-russell-crowe-w445861

Ms Banks, you could have called him on claiming to be an Australian, when in fact he's a New Zealander. Australia won't have him, which sucks for us Kiwis. I've tried to swap a live Russell Crowe for the body of Peter Brock, but no Aussie will look at the deal. C'mon Aussies, you get a live Russell Crowe for the corpse of a motor racing legend, what is there to lose? 

Trucks in the USA

I'm not sure why heavy trucks are the way they are in the USA. If someone can explain then I'm all ears.

The most common type of truck I saw on my recent trip were semi-trailers. Almost all of the tractor units were conventional with hardly any cabovers. Is there a good reason why that's the case?

Then combinations were interesting. In California I'm not sure I ever saw a B-train or B-double rig, where the two trailers are each connected to a turntable. What I did see a lot of was a semi-trailer pulling a draw-bar trailer, and that draw-bar was often rising up from the front axle of the trailer, not perpendicular with the trailer body.

Then in most states I visited; aggregates were being transported on trucks that to my eye looked far too heavy to carry a useful payload. The trailers were often side dump or bottom dump, while others appeared to be transfer dumps such as the type in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woi0T4XVf1s

The trucks in the above video do appear far too heavy for a useful load of aggregate. Here's an Australian equivalent rig, I'm pretty sure this set-up delivers more in the one trip, correct me if I'm wrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYVT2_toS3I

In Nevada I saw road trains, but they too appeared to be heavy tare weights. 

Bel Aire Motel Missoula

Special mention must go to this the worst motel during my latest trip to the USA. It was so bad the experience has scarred my soul and it will take a lifetime to recover. The room stank of cigarette smoke so thick I could hardly breath in there. Not only that, the sheets were unwashed and on to who knows how many trips around the block before seeing the inside of a washing machine.

The day started out well and I drove across Montana, through rain so hard my car's traction control went haywire and I couldn't see where I was going but I did have certain knowledge there were a lot of other cars and trucks near me on the interstate. I had visions of my demise and that I'd be entering heaven to sound of Marie Osmond singing Meet Me In Montana. But that didn't happen obviously as I'm here to tell you about how bad the Bel Aire is.

It is really really really bad and that's possibly massive understatement. It is the worst motel in the world and so bad, Zimbabwe's worst would look like the Ritz. Sorry Zimbabwe, I know you try.

Missoula is a university town and it was Saturday and their football team was playing at home. This meant that everything was booked and the town was full of drunken football supporters who didn't even go to the game but instead park their pickups and go to bars where they get legless. I suppose this behaviour is an excuse to meet up, but I was left scratching my head, why did they not just stay at home, stay off the roads, and keep everyone safe. But this is America where there are a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense.

You'll note that I'm avoiding talking about the room. I dropped the key in the return slot at 5am and ran far away. That's all I can say. I might have flashbacks, I hope not.

Please note: Trip Advisor would not publish this review, so you can safely bet that the worst is never fully disclosed, meaning you cannot fully trust sites like that. Be warned, if the hostelry has more than 2 one star reviews in the last year, rest assured it's a lot worse than described.

HHonors with Hilton and Visiting the USA

Over the past two weeks I have been on holiday in the USA. I drove around quite a bit, covering 5,600 miles or 9,000 kilometres in that time. That's almost as much driving as I do in a year. In the next few posts I'll recount my experiences, describing the places I visited, the people I met, the food, shopping and the whole tourist experience both good and bad.

To start this off, let's start at the beginning of my journey, before my feet have even left the ground. Booking and paying for the flights was easy enough and getting a new passport was also a breeze. I needed to have a firm base at least for my first two nights, to get set as it were, and so I enrolled in Hilton's HHonors programme, and booked through them. Big mistake that and here's why.

On the 9th September I booked two nights using my BNZ Platinum Visa at the Hilton Garden Inn San Jose/Milpitas, total cost US$218.24. That's not excessive but neither is it a raging bargain either. The booking was handled through Hilton Advance Purchase Memphis. 

Then nine days later, on the 18th, the hotel takes it upon itself to bill my Visa card another US$218.48. This was a totally unauthorised transaction. Then on the 21st of September, without my pointing out the matter (the statement hadn't actually arrived, I only found all this out when I returned from overseas and opened my mail), they reversed the $218.48 three days later.

Have they done a good job? You might think so eh. But they hadn't. Why? That $218.48 in New Zealand dollars was NZ$308.18 charged to my account, then only NZ$292 going back in, putting me out of pocket to the tune of $16.00 or thereabouts. If you're going to put something right, then put it right correctly, HHonors took $308.18 off me, then they can put $308.18 back in. Nothing else is acceptable.

Do you see my point? Had I ignored HHonors I'd be $16 better off. Issues that need answering include; who authorised the hotel apart from central booking to charge this card, and what did they think they were doing? I hadn't even checked in yet. The room had been 100% prepaid, so what's up? What if this charge had put me over my limit on the card? 

Quite frankly, I'm not happy about this. Hilton HHonors were too loose with my credit card details and I'll not be using them again and I strongly suggest anyone reading this avoid them as well. 

Exercise Exercise and More Exercise

I found the following pictures showing what regular exercise can achieve. I hope the person doesn't mind my posting them on my blog.

Jennifer Rose-Aidala is a WBFF competitor, mother of three, and she's in her mid-30's. Look at the folllowing images. The first shows the absolute before and after, I don't know the exact time period here, but likely more than a year with a diet to go with the output.

The second photo shows when she's getting somewhere and then the substantially completed outcome, again quite amazing.

The Snob's Guide to New Zealand Universities

Snob's Guide to New Zealand is now a book, available from Amazon in paperback or kindle

Paperback: www.amazon.com/gp/product/1727804147

Kindle: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J9XRCWK

International rankings are of little use to any New Zealander looking to send their child off to the right university. These studies look at research budgets, international students and staff, and a whole host of categories that are of very little practical use. For the parent and student, they need to know what school is going to get them ahead? I am here to answer that question, so this is it, Kenneth Horlor's Snob's Guide to New Zealand Universities:-

Rank in order, highest first, lowest last...

1. University of Auckland. 

It covers a wide field and has all the money and facilities. You can't go wrong with this place, so long as you can afford Auckland.

2. University of Canterbury.

Always second, it is a consistent performer. Careful here, as a good argument can be made for saying its law and engineering graduates are better than Auckland's. However they don't produce medical doctors, or architects, or veterinarians (see Massey for Vets).

3. Victoria University of Wellington.

It is located in the capital city and its graduates get picked up pretty quickly. They have a broad range of studies, their accountants are probably the best in the country.

4. University of Otago.

Favoured by drunken louts, this institution bombards the country with television ads promising your child will get a leg up by going there. Don't believe it. Unless you're going to be a doctor, dentist or pharmacist, forget this place.

5. Massey University

Famed for its agricultural background this institution has ballooned out with campuses all over the place. Known for its dubious MBA, it is better known for producing fine Vets. Unless you have a compelling reason for going to this place, it's best to avoid. Reasons may be your child is from a hick town and needs to be around similar types or they'll go mad. Or they're going to be a Vet.

6. Lincoln University.

Turns out good agriculturalists, wine makers and the like. It's Christchurch's other full university, it's stable enough. You may go here if you live locally and can't be bothered competing at UofC (#2 above).

7. AUT.

A former Polytech, it makes up the numbers. Toils away without doing anything remarkable. You'd only look at this place for the same reasons for attending Lincoln, except think Auckland instead of Christchurch.

8. University of Waikato.

The struggler. Not known for anything and it shows. One interesting innovation is it chooses its law students from the high school intake, rather than putting them through an intermediate year. But that's about it for this place. There is no sound reason to attend.

9. Everywhere else offering a degree in New Zealand.

No doubt some others offer interesting courses, never say never. I've heard good things about the Design Arts College in Christchurch for instance (now part of Yoobee). You have to look at any of these very carefully. Polytechs offer nursing studies and things like that, and we all need nurses. Many also offer engineering at the technical level, one level below chartered engineer. They're often good graduates, places like Ara Institute of Canterbury do a good job. But you're not exiting these places at the top so to speak, this is a snob's guide, not a suck up to whoever.

10. Australia.

An option often overlooked is to attend the University of Sydney (The Shop), or another of similar standard. Kiwis pay domestic fees but you cannot get a student loan. Beware fish hooks with this approach, Griffith, say, would not be ranked on my list. However Sydney I'd put above Auckland, so there is a lot to consider. One innovation is that you can complete a degree in less than three years at Bond University, but it is expensive.

There you go, make of it what you will. 

Trump Campaign

If the outlandish statements Donald Trump is making are not because he has decided he doesn't want to be President, then maybe the strategy is to set the bar so low to begin with, that he can now soften and not seem weak. The bonus is the Clinton camp are now talking about Trump a lot, which is akin to free advertising for Trump. The race is certainly not over yet, and Trump may win. A factor overlooked is all those voters who don't want to see Bill back in the White House.