The Cancelling of J.K. Rowling

People must have gone mad during this year's celebrations of Saturnalia. To a certain extent I agree with the following writer on the subject:

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/jk-rowling-cancelled-woke-outrage-mob-saying-biological-sex-real

"Rowling being cancelled is particularly ironic given that she has thrown her weight behind virtually every ludicrous ‘woke’ crusade in recent years, including by claiming that her character Hermione was black despite her being described as having a “white face” in the Harry Potter books."

What was Rowling's crime? Saying this in defense of Maya Forstater who lost her court case, brought by Forstater after losing her job for having alleged transphobic views:

Dress however you please.
Call yourself whatever you like.
Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you.
Live your best life in peace and security.
But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?

With any set of views there are bound to be those more extreme than others. Clearly, Rowling was attempting to be more reasonable, and ended up being shouted down by those who took exception. The internet has always been a bit of a shouting match, but often that shouting takes place in a sealed room, with the sound not emitting to the wider world. The result is people end up shouting at one another, with not a single thing being changed as a result. I think this will be one such case.

For Rowling, this will have been an experience she won't forget. But she hasn't destroyed the left, c'mon, that was far more effectively managed by Jeremy Corbyn and his crew of ex student politicians turned Labour fruit-loops. Rowling wrote a ripping yarn and should be celebrated for it, she made a bundle, justly deserved. What she thinks about a subject, well, debate her on it if she's willing to listen, if not, leave her alone. We are all entitled to a bit of peace and civility.

New Zealand's Top 50 Plank list of 2019

The Planks of 2019. What is a plank? Ask yourself when reading the name, plank or not? If yes, they're a plank (this is all NZers apart from two mentions at the bottom).

1. Mike Hosking 2. Helen Clark 3. The Blues 4. Jason Kerrison 5. Iain Lees-Galloway 6. Matthew Hooton 7. Kim Hill 8. John Key 9. Clarke Gayford 10. Fletcher Building

11. Russell Crowe 12. Duncan Garner 13. Tau Henare 14. Mark Richardson 15. Eric Watson 16. Lisa Prager 17. Lianne Dalziel 18. The Breakers 19. Jack Tame 20. Jesse Mulligan

21. Peter Thiel 22. The Warriors 23. Sam Neill 24. Lorde 25. Nick Smith 26. Clare Curran 27. Dan Corbett 28. John Campbell 29. Judith Collins 30. NZRU

31. Russel Norman
32. Auckland City Council
33. NZ Bus 34. Shane Jones 35. Heather du Plessis-Allan 36. Bryce Edwards 37. David Farrar 38. Lizzie Marvelly 39. Chris Trotter 40. Auckland Grammar

41. Justin Lester 42. Colin Craig 43. Trevor Mallard 44. Air NZ 45. David Seymour 46. Simon Barnett 47. Patrick Gower 48. NZ Herald 49. Aussie Banks 50. Guy Williams

Badge of Distinction for non-New Zealander: Scott Morrison
Honourable non-New Zealander mention: Elon Musk

Merry Saturnalia

December 17th is the Roman festival of Saturnalia, today we call it Christmas.

Why is Christmas December 25th? Over time, Saturnalia grew until it occupied most of December. Somehow Christmas was changed into a date closer to the end of the month rather than in the middle of it.

Read about Saturnalia here: https://www.historyextra.com/period/roman/how-did-the-romans-celebrate-christmas/

When did Christmas start to replace Saturnalia? The earliest references to a celebration we'd identify as Christmas, occurred in Rome in the 4th century.

UK Election Result 2019

A stunning win then for the Conservative party in the UK General Election. Surely this must put to rest any doubt over Brexit. Areas that voted Leave in the EU referendum, have swung to Conservative. The Brexit party played a part, taking votes away from Labour and acting the spoiler, making it possible for Conservative to come through the middle.

Jeremy Corbyn is a good campaigner, but his message was too confused for people to digest. Johnson kept it simple and avoided tricky questions. He was pilloried over "Fridgegate" but it hasn't hurt him (this was where he hid in a chiller to avoid a journalist).

Jo Swinson lost her seat so the Liberal Democrats will need a new leader. They'll be soul searching. The Scottish National Party have made gains but they'll largely be irrelevant as the Conservatives can govern alone. The same for parties in Northern Ireland.

Now the UK has to buckle down and get the job done. Leave the EU and sooner rather than later. Labour will learn, under new leadership and with Brexit embraced they can win support for their campaign to save the NHS. Labour will be back but Johnson now has 5 years to enjoy. He'll be a happy man tonight.

Basically Gmail is Rubbish

I mentioned before that gmail became slow when they upgraded last time. Things have improved but only slightly. Another problem I've encountered is that emails that have been read, or marked as read, will still be showing as unread when I next log in. That's annoying. And this problem persists too when I delete the email, it will still be there in my primary inbox, or social or promotions tab when I return. I've even gone into the bin and removed items from there as well, only to have them return on next log in.

I searched around and found various ideas on how to fix this glitch. None of them worked and I think they (gmail) don't want any of it to work, they want you in the site for as long as possible, that's what it's all about. I've mentioned this glitch to people and they've said they have the same issue.

It's bloody dishonest of Google to allow such a thing; Yahoo and Outlook/Hotmail do not stoop this low. As a consequence I rarely use gmail, it is only used for some things.

New Zealand Glaciers Turn Pink

The Australian bushfires have turned New Zealand glaciers red and pink. The dust from the fires has crossed the Tasman sea and settled on the glaciers.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/travel-troubles/117907806/how-australias-bushfires-turned-new-zealands-snowcapped-glaciers-red

Clearly as these glaciers are now darker in colour, they'll attract light and so melt faster (white reflects light). GCC is likely to accelerate due to these factors, namely, unforeseen effects causing more change.

Meat-based Meat

Another idea; a lot of talk about plant-based meat. What about meat-based meat. Meat carries with it a lot of energy in a small quantity, that's why humans are omnivores. If they were herbivores they'd spend all day eating plants and have no time left to do anything else. Eating meat is the answer. This is criticised as inefficient but it really isn't, that's why humans domesticated wild animals and started farming.

Lecture over, here's the idea. You have a factory growing beef. It works like a giant sausage factory except the factory grows the meat from basic ingredients. No, I'm not talking about feed lots, this is a factory growing the meat and then you lop off the end product and sell the steaks. When I put this idea to someone they reacted by calling the factory a giant womb, and that's the idea. The brain would be a computer controlling all the inputs. It would also produce fertiliser as a byproduct and it could capture methane (farts and belching) thus preventing greenhouse emissions. What do you think?

Global Climate Change - Carbon Dioxide Sequestration

Here's an idea. Australia has a lot of barren land, otherwise known as desert. Cover the desert in trees or plants and you've got a big carbon sink. So, cover the place in plants.

But wait, I hear you say, the roots would need water. They would and this idea would require some serious engineering. To begin with; plants that take large amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air and deposit it deep in the soil. But at the same time, plants that require minuscule amounts of water.

Then where does the water come from? New Zealand's west coast of the South Island. The coast is the wettest place on planet earth. Then ship that water to Australia and feed it into a trickle irrigation system to keep the plants alive.

See where I'm going with this? Australia has the land, NZ the water. Australia pays NZ for the water, and the earth pays Australia for the carbon sequestration.

Greatest NBA Player

I don't remember if I've said this before, but in my opinion there can be no doubt; Lebron James is the greatest NBA player. He doesn't have the most titles, so why is that I hear you say. It's because he has such versatility, consistency, intensity, professionalism and he does what he does at a time when the game is at such a high level. Every team is good these days, there are no walk-overs, no expansion franchises to pad the stats with. James is doing it against strong opposition, all the time. His most recent game for the Lakers against the Washington Wizards is a case in point; a double-double in points and assists. Assists, not the usual points and rebounds double-double. He's not selfish, he just does the business.

What I have said before though, he's not my personal favourite, that's a totally subjective assessment and my favourite NBA player is Matt Barnes, now retired. He just looked so balanced when he played. He had a lot of bad luck and it was good to see him win a title in his final year (Golden State Warriors).

Jeremy Corbyn

Give credit where credit is due; UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is a good campaigner. He's better than any of the others by a country mile. Against Theresa May he nearly pulled off a victory from a long way back in the polls. Now against Boris Johnson he's in the same position, but this time what he's unveiled with two weeks until polling day, is that the Conservative government was negotiating a trade deal with the US with the NHS on the table. What great timing and it makes it hard for Johnson to recover.

West Coast - Word of Advice

The West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand is under constant attack from lawmakers and environmentalists. They want to lock the coast up as some sort of living museum.

Okay, that said, my advice is for the West Coast to grow up and stop voting for EITHER Labour or National. That's right, neither offers any hope for their future. Labour was born on the coast but they've long since moved to Auckland and the all-important South Auckland party vote. National for its part curries favour with the rest of Auckland and farmers in general.

The problem for the West Coast arises out of MMP and the need for blocs of party votes. Only about 35,000 people of any age live on the coast, not enough party votes to matter. What they need to do is vote for an independent in the electorate, or a representative of a minor party. Thus, they could find themselves in the role of kingmaker. With the main parties, there is no way their voice will ever be heard. At election time they're pandered to, but when in office both Labour and National do nothing for the coast.

Elon Musk...Again

I mean really, what a knob, the great Elon Musk and his so-called cybertruck. Turns out the window glass isn't unbreakable...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/22/elon-musk-net-worth-tesla-cybertruck

NBA Right Now

The NBA season is really close this season, it's hard to keep up with results, any team can beat any other team on the day and often does. It's closer than last year, which was amazing in itself.

What of Steven Adams and his tenure at OKC? Apparently he has a trade bonus clause in his contract and the management are loath to trade him while this is in place. They'd have to pay him a sum, which is something like 7.5% of his outstanding contract if he's traded (don't quote me on the percentage). However that won't apply in his last year, and that will be next year. So next year is when he'll be traded. For his sake he must hope to be traded to a team with a realistic chance at a title, and that would be Boston who need a big man in the middle, or possibly Portland who need the same.

Ford v Ferrari (2019 movie) - 3 stars

I am going to see the movie out now, Ford v Ferrari tells the story of the 1966 24hrs of Le Mans, where the Ford GT40 defeated Ferrari. It was a great moment in motorsport and a great get-even by Henry Ford II.

I'm not expecting it to be accurate however. I notice from the list of historical figures that the only New Zealander listed is Bruce McLaren. Yes, the McLaren of racing car fame. He won the race driving a GT40 along with Chris Amon, another Kiwi. Instead the movie stars well-known actors playing Carroll Shelby and Bruce Miles. Shelby led the design of the cars while Miles was a driver. Miles was second in the race, partnering Denny Hulme, another Kiwi. The following year Hulme became F1 drivers' champion (Brabham).

Do you see where I'm going with this. Kiwis are being removed from history again. For the record, Henry Ford II gave the Kiwis credit for the win, see the below photo from the winners podium:

Henry Ford II with Bruce McLaren (left) and Chris Amon (right), winners of the 1966 Le Mans

That's 1966, Henry Ford II, Bruce McLaren on the left holding his helmet, Chris Amon on the right wearing the jacket. Interestingly, Amon went on to be a works driver for Ferrari. McLaren started a racing car pedigree still around today, with eight F1 Constructors Championships to date.

Review (3 out of 5 stars): Turns out to be okay, as far as it goes. It's principally about Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, and to a lesser extent about Henry Ford II. I don't think it does any of them justice. In reality Shelby was more of a businessman, Miles more of a professional driver and less of the cowboy loose cannon, and Henry Ford II not the type to be easily manipulated.

The Kiwis barely get a mention. But the McLaren GT40 is pictured toward the end of the movie in its black livery, with the silver fern and letters NZ emblazoned on the side. At the end of the movie they show how McLaren/Amon were awarded the win, but what they don't mention is that the Shelby Pits believed Miles to be a lap up on the McLaren GT40. Boy, did they get that wrong. McLaren was on the same lap and as he'd started farther back on the grid he was awarded the win, he'd covered the greater distance. And for the record, McLaren crossed the finish line in first. The movie has the finishing order the other way around, a complete fabrication of the facts. If Shelby had known what lap they were on I'm sure he wouldn't have agreed on a 1 2 3 line up crossing the finish line with his driver in second (I mean c'mon).

Where does the movie go wrong? Two main ways I believe. The film shows the 1960's to be far too clean. Back then everything was dusty, oily, noisy, fenders were dented, cars lacked the bright colours you see today (they lacked the rutile additive to paints - everything was more muted in tone). The second is with the racing segments, the producers slipped up badly there. Le Mans is raced across several classes, with amateurs taking part. Through the night the fast cars have to negotiate their way past much slower cars, such as Porsche 911's. Ford v Ferrari shows none of this, unlike movies such as Le Mans starring Steve McQueen. With the latter movie you can feel the vibration, smell the burnt rubber, oil, fuel, the conditions are real.

Ford v Ferrari is enjoyable in parts, it gives some idea of what the times were like, but it is sanitised, clean-cut, respectable, less dusty, less risky. Bear in mind, drivers regularly died, not just every season, every race would see a serious injury or death. They were real gladiators.

I have a more recent post about this movie here: https://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2023/04/ford-v-ferrari-update.html

Here's the Deal

I have many readers and others who buy my books. I thought, why not combine the two by offering them a deal? Here goes:

If you buy the physical copy of any of my books, I'll reciprocate with one of the following;

• I'll rewrite your website landing page for you, up to 300 words, making it SEO friendly. Google will love you.
• I'll either post a lengthy comment on your blog (up to 500 words), or blog about you on this site, mentioning you and providing a link to your blog or website.
• I'll either edit any document, presentation, corporate statement or press release (up to five pages or 1,000 words), or rewrite any of the same up to 500 words.

What do you say? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

If this sounds like a good deal, simply buy the physical copy of any of my books. A good starting point is Snob's Guide to New Zealand Alternatively you may choose any of my three novels

Why the physical copy? Self-interest, I make more money out of the paperback. 

How to collect: take a selfie on your computer, using any of the many tools available for this, Skype comes to mind. Then email me using the contact form >>>>> over there on the right. I'll reply, whereupon you then send me the selfie image of you holding the book or displaying it (if you're bashful, conceal your face, ahem).

That completed, I'll then do as promised, you just say what you want done. 

Will this work for you? It could, there are no guarantees but I've got some pretty good blog posts out there floating around. My reporting on the claims that Prince Charles and Camilla have a love child went ballistic and still drives traffic to my blog nearly four years later. I've even seen the post appearing as a rich snippet (you know, the things that appear at the start of Google search results), even though I've never bothered setting any of my posts as rich snippets or structured data - go figure.

Will I have the time to do this for you? Probably, I figure only a few will take up the offer, but the effort will be worthwhile.

Australia Fires

The bush fires in Australia are the biggest in living memory right now. It seems as if large parts of the north coast of New South Wales is on fire, as well as parts of south-east Queensland.

The effects are being felt in far away New Zealand. The hot air from Australia that has fuelled these fires has kept the temperatures over the South Island unseasonably hot. It's more like a southern hemisphere summer right now, January rather than November. The sky has turned yellow and dust from the fires is settling over the South Island, car owners in Queenstown are having to hose off the ash. I don't know if this has ever happened before.

NBA Season Going to be a Blast

All that moving around in the off-season has had a real impact. Now it appears just about any team has a realistic chance of beating any other team. Look at the current standings; the Phoenix Suns are winning, partly due to their gaining some muscle, and I'm talking about Aron Baynes of course. Then over in the eastern conference you can throw a blanket over the top eleven teams. They're going to be absolutely throttling one another for a place in the top eight.

Regular readers will know I can be critical of regular season play in the NBA. I have statistically proven there is a tendency for teams to play 'I have a go, you have a go', meaning they don't contest possession often enough. This has the effect of padding individual player stats, self-interest amongst pro's is a real thing, and saves their bodies. Once the play-offs start, it's all on, do or die. But with this current spread of talent all bets appear to be off.

There is a movie just out about the betting scandal that rocked the NBA. It's called Inside Game, read about it here: https://deadline.com/2019/08/inside-game-tim-donaghy-scandal-movie-release-date-1202661501/  In the mid 2000's there were several highly suspect games refereed by Tim Donaghy, which in hindsight we now know turned out to be influenced by him. But right now, it can't happen as any calls will be noticeable, more so than back then, given the even spread of talent across the league.

I'm sticking with my picks about which team is looking good and which is not, read about that here: https://kenhorlor.blogspot.com/2019/10/nba-season-201920.html

Christopher Luxon - Nah

I see that National has chosen former Air New Zealand CEO, Christopher Luxon as its candidate in the electorate of Botany for the general election next year. He sounds just like John Key, call him John Key 2.0.

Problem with Luxon though, he follows some strange evangelical christian faith, which means he has a brain the size of a pea. His views seem similar to that of Norman Jones (National, Invercargill '75-87), without the charm of Norm Jones. Does New Zealand really want to go back and deal with this again? There are a raft of issues; abortion law reform, gay rights, marriage, welfare, the list is endless and Luxon would be right there putting his stick in the spokes. They're talking about him as the future leader of the National party. C'mon National, pull your act together, you're making yourselves unelectable.

Rugby World Cup 2019 - South Africa World Cup Champions

South Africa beat England 32-12. No tries for England who were on the back foot almost the whole game. The Springboks played to their strengths and kept field position, with the English pinned in their own half. Eventually the points came. Very sensible tactics from South Africa; kick for position, defend stoutly, put pressure on set pieces, kick the goals and seal the win with tries toward the end.

For me the decisive and most telling moment was in the first half, the Springboks up 6-3. England were hard on attack, threatening to score a try. Time and again they mounted attacks only for South Africa to push them back. South Africa eventually gave away a penalty, the score then stood at 6-6 when it could have been 6-10. England looked dejected, from that point on they never looked like scoring a try. South Africa were prepared to put their bodies on the line, several players suffered game ending injuries as a result of that defensive effort, but the team didn't buckle.

As a footnote, thought has to turn to whether England peaked too early. They played the perfect game against New Zealand in their semi-final, making it very hard for them to get back up for the final a week later.

Snob's Guide to New Zealand

For the next two days my book, Snob's Guide to New Zealand is available free on Kindle. It's the essential guide to New Zealand and its people:

https://www.amazon.com/Snobs-Guide-New-Zealand-Horlor-ebook/dp/B07J9XRCWK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=