Watch Out World: Philippines Booming

Yes, the Philippines with oil and gas, shipbuilding, high tech, and educated people. The Philippines appears to be the next country to take off:

Teachers Rise

Teachers' Unions have been totally politicised and standing up for what is right is no longer of importance. Nicole Shanahan talks to a teacher at the sharp edge:

The Perfumo Affair

 What's going on with Sir Keir Starmer?

NZ Development: Resource Management Act - Changing the Rules

Finally, after years of talking, New Zealand finally gets some movement in the right direction:

Global Emissions

Global emissions continue to rise, and there is nothing that can be done about it. That's because two regions are developing fast and they're not going to give up their futures for everyone else, and nor should they.

Here's a couple of graphs to illustrate, the first being global emissions of carbon dioxide worldwide:

Emissions have steadily increased, becoming steeper exponentially. The only small downticks are when there is a recession, and other exceptional events.

Then, let's look at how these emissions appear when broken down by region:

If we study these regions carefully, we quickly see that China and the rest of Asia (excluding China and India) account for most of the increase. But, I'd suggest not getting too proud of yourselves in Europe or North America as their reductions I suspect are largely due to offshoring, or moving production to Asia and China. 

So, emitters that matter are: China, Asia (excluding China and India), North America, and Europe.

What can be done? Well, consume less would be a start, and when that's done, use civil engineering, soil science and the like to deal with the changes occurring.

Blaming tourists and giving them a guilt trip over their carbon miles is simply a deflection at best, or at worst it is sending consumers in a direction whereby they're fleeced by unscrupulous businesses. Likewise, greenwashing by companies is all PR, nothing more than that. 

Why can nothing be done? Does any sane individual think more than two billion people will change their behaviour when that behaviour is counter to their own progress? Yeah, give it up, stop with the delusions. 

Feeling Love for Liverpool

Report Card: MAHA's 100 Days

This has been a win for the Trump administration, RFK Jr and team are actually taking on Big Pharma, Big Tech and Big Food. Basically, we are being bombarded with chemicals, bad food and radio waves. Back it off, and people's health will improve. Just look at obesity, back in the 60's and 70's people were skinny compared to today.  

Idea: Lydia Ko and Kai Trump

Listen up drop-kick New Zealand politicians; it is clear that Donald J. Trump sees things on the microeconomic level, rather like a businessman dealing with suppliers and customers. That said, here's a quality idea for free - just give me credit for being the FIRST to think of it:

Idea: ask Lydia Ko, the current LPGA world number 3 golf professional, to play a round of golf with Donald J. Trump's granddaughter, Kai Trump. 

Kai Trump will be on a golf scholarship at the University of Miami soon, while Lydia Ko lives in Orlando, Florida. Maybe Lydia could do nine holes, and maybe let Kai have some tips, like how she does her fading drive, or expert chip onto the green. Donald J. Trump is a golf fanatic and would really appreciate the gesture.

The payoff is to get NZ exports to the US zero-rated from tariffs. This is not to have the baseline 10% removed, the better approach is to seek a concession, suspending the 10%. In customs clearances there are two columns, the first notes the tariff rate, while the next notes whether a concession applies - the goal would be to obtain a concession.

I'm sure Lydia Ko would be on board this, she's a trooper.

Princess Catherine

OK, I get it, the Princess of Wales resembles her mother-in-law as she launched the HMS Glasgow on the River Clyde:

Andrew Gold Interviews Shaun Attwood

Worth listening to, who knows what's going on?

Reform UK Leading

Contrary to what many thought would happen, new political party, Reform UK has now become the most popular party in the UK. This comes off the back of major gains in recent local elections. Personally, I thought they'd implode due to infighting. But while there has been a lot of that, those polled seem to be ignoring it. Voters have had enough, they want a complete change.

The Conservatives are now in serious trouble, with the most recent poll having them in fourth place, behind the LibDems. Reform UK has now become a sort of de facto opposition, even though the Conservatives officially occupy that position.

Some more extreme pundits are saying a revolution is brewing.

James O'Brien's Quality Rant

James O'Brien is an English leftie broadcaster, and this rant of his is an excellent destruction of all modern politicians in the UK, and of its media. 

What O'Brien describes are weak politicians unwilling to do the work; they're uninformed and uninterested in their surroundings. Meanwhile, the media frame the news in a peculiar way, they ignore substantive issues, dismiss facts, and are constantly pushing their own agenda. This has led to the wasteland we see today, right across the developed world. 

O'Brien talks about Brexit, but it really doesn't matter what the issue is as his comments on the quality of politicians is what matters instead, and the way the media work to advance their agenda.

Diddy Trial

I sometimes check in on the trial of P Diddy, the music industry bigwig facing several US federal criminal charges. I embed here, Nate The Lawyer who outlines the charges Diddy faces, and how the trial is progressing.

The short answer: the trial is not going well for Diddy. 

What I want to know is how Diddy managed to make so much money while being so incredibly stupid? All this activity of his was very hard work (excuse the pun), and never going to end well. I saw reports on Cassie Ventura and Dawn Richard's testimony (many may remember, she was one of the two black women in Diddy's 'Coming Home' video) which were very damning. He's facing life in prison when he could be sitting on a beach somewhere, fishing. 

Trump Lowering Prescription Costs

At times I find myself agreeing with some of what Donald Trump is doing, the latest being his announced plan to take action regarding American pharmaceutical prices:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-announces-actions-to-put-american-patients-first-by-lowering-drug-prices-and-stopping-foreign-free-riding-on-american-pharmaceutical-innovation/

REDUCING DRUG PRICES FOR AMERICANS AND TAXPAYERS: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to bring the prices Americans and taxpayers pay for prescription drugs in line with those paid by similar nations.

Jacinda Ardern @ Yale

America is blessed to be the new home of New Zealand's former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern who recently gave a speech to recent graduates of Yale University.

Of course, being so humble, she talked about her own humility and how empowering it all was, to be so humble, nice and the best person to talk to graduates, seeing as she herself was a graduate with a bachelor of communications from the august institution that is the never talked about University of Waikato. 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/561417/jacinda-ardern-talks-imposter-syndrome-at-yale-university-s-graduation

I only have one modest request of Americans. Please be a good friend of NZ and keep her there, in your country. Take one for the team America, you have the resources to keep this one wrapped up in your halls of academia, endlessly pontificating about anything and everything, but ultimately being ignored.

NZ cannot have her back as, she, more than anyone else in recent NZ history, did more to destroy modern post-war New Zealand than any other single individual. Her towering achievement, leaving the country broken, divided and bankrupt ethically and financially. Her campaign promoting her ultimate wonderfulness and saintly perfection has a tiny audience in NZ, and so it is over to the Americans to behold and be amazed, and grow warm from her unctuous glow and her endless kindness, especially of the kind that kindly fills her bank balance.

Mining Ventures West Coast New Zealand

Finally we see some economic development occurring on the mineral rich West Coast of New Zealand.

TiGa is seeking consent to mine ilmenite, or black sand near Greymouth; separating titanium and other heavy minerals, including gold. The output will be sent by rail to Lyttelton or Timaru port on the east coast of the South Island: https://www.tigamm.co.nz/about

Then, already up and running are WMS Group, who are doing much the same thing, but instead are sending their product to the port of Nelson, but in future will be loading bulk carriers off the coast for export to China:  https://www.wmsnz.com/critical-minerals/

NZ has the world's largest resource of black sand, located both onshore and offshore. Finally, the quality of this resource is becoming known.

Just to add, there are natural oil and gas shows in the West Coast region, it is a prime strike zone but no-one is exploratory drilling. It also contains uranium, with commercial concentrations in the Buller district, near Kahurangi National Park. As you drive from Westport to Murchison, uranium ores sit by the roadside.

NBA Failing

The NBA is boring, too many threes. Well, my suggestion is to introduce a three point shot light. If players miss a 3-pointer, the light goes out and the teams cannot score a three again until they make another basket. 

Oh, and police double dribble, carrying the ball and travelling, the players now often double dribble and taking more than two steps seems routine. 

China's Ultra High Speed Trains

Faster than a Boeing 737, China now has Maglev trains under development that travel at 620 mph (997 kph). But their ordinary fast rail network is now 45,000 kms long, with a further 25,000 kms being built. Fast rail is better as trains tend to take the passenger from the centre of cities, to the centre of cities, and they can make several stops along the way. Planes have serious limitations as you have to get to the airport, and get in from the airport and stops along the way are more problematic too.

Maglev has other applications as well. I've long had the idea to use this technology in quarries and mines. 

US Agriculture Challenged

This video is dated but it sums up where US farmers are at right now. The trade war has made things much worse. 

Farmers are the collateral damage, in effect, and China will not be back buying a lot of US output.

Keir Starmer's Island of Strangers

Now the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has normalised discussion about immigration, the issues can be openly discussed. In a recent speech, Starmer warned of Britain becoming an island of strangers. 

Back in the 1960's prominent Conservative politician, Enoch Powell made his Rivers of Blood speech about issues related to immigration. He has been pilloried for that speech, and was effectively cancelled from polite society, so will the same happen to Starmer?

The question does need to be asked. 

From Enoch Powell's speech (bold added): But while, to the immigrant, entry to this country was admission to privileges and opportunities eagerly sought, the impact upon the existing population was very different. For reasons which they could not comprehend, and in pursuance of a decision by default, on which they were never consulted, they found themselves made strangers in their own country.

From Keir Starmer (bold added): ...these rules become even more important. Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.

While the two speeches differ, they are materially the same in that they call for national unity, and both tend to 'other' outsiders or those who come from elsewhere. What do you think?

Here's an interesting response published on the LBC website: Keir Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ immigration warning is a xenophobic dog whistle

Another critique: https://theconversation.com/keir-starmers-immigration-plans-research-shows-you-dont-beat-the-far-right-by-becoming-them-256499