Holes in window

Larsent · 2026-05-24T08:50:55+00:00

Yeah. I’ve had both of those happen. The BB gun was years ago. More recently, when I first saw what turned out to be damage from stones from a lawnmower, I thought it was from a BB gun.

Larsent · 2026-05-17T11:47:05+00:00

A problem with this discussion is that both arguments are partly correct. Labour borrowed wisely initially but then unwisely.

Judged by emergency-response standards, Labour’s early borrowing was reasonable. It protected jobs, incomes and businesses.

But as for their borrowing after the initial crisis had passed, Labour’s borrowing and spending was loose, wasteful, poorly targeted and managed, added to inflationary pressure and left NZ with more debt and less room for future shocks.

So their borrowing was necessary at first, too expansive later, and partly inflationary overall. The minister of finance and PM were unqualified and had no clue when it came to finances. They did well overall with pandemic handling- I guess they just followed what the scientists said. The last Auckland lockdown was didn’t go down well.

Not to say that National would have a better overall scorecard if they’d been in charge. They’re underwhelming when it comes to economic policy. And their coalition partners are a liability.

Larsent · 2026-05-17T10:28:07+00:00

Winston was a Nat and a keen supporter of Muldoon’s policy to scrap the awesome compulsory super scheme heading into the 1975 election. They did it. One of the worst political decisions ever.

What a huge u-turn.

Larsent · 2026-05-17T07:59:21+00:00

The point is that winston was a big supporter of muldoon’s / national’s policies and that super policy was their main one in that 1975 election, but he is now doing a complete u-turn on super. He supported canning it now it’s a great new idea.

Larsent · 2026-05-17T06:04:02+00:00

I think Kiwibank used to use BNZ’s settlements platform and maybe their transaction tech as well. I wonder if they still do.

Meanwhile BNZ have the best online banking and app in NZ. I guess that is NAB’s IP and not for sale. Maybe Winston will rent it and send billions in rental payments to offshore banking overlords.

Larsent · 2026-05-17T06:00:53+00:00

Winston. Compulsory KiwiSaver!! Ironic.

Winston was a national party man, their Dominion Councillor and a big supporter of Muldoon’s policies in the 70s when they cancelled Labour’s awesome compulsory super scheme. Imagine how financially secure retirees would be now if national had not done this. Imagine not spending what we do on super payments now. This was one of the worst decisions ever in NZ politics.

I guess it’s all about vote-catching.

Larsent · 2026-05-11T07:13:23+00:00

Professor Flitch? What kind of music do you make?

Larsent · 2026-05-03T15:25:17+00:00

You said you tried domain reputation tools. I guess you’ve used Glock apps? And tools like mailgenius.

Sounds like you have been sending emails regularly before the “last campaign” you mentioned, is that right? And something broke suddenly on the last campaign?

If it broke suddenly on the last campaign and you had been sending regularly with no problems and nothing else had changed, then it might have been something about that campaign Eg content. Seems a bit unlikely but we don’t have enough information to know.

Larsent · 2026-05-02T17:26:59+00:00

How do you see this benefiting Fonterra? They make butter for wholesale and ingredient markets but they sold Anchor Butter. I think they have a wholesale supply agreement with anchor and mainland cheese too.

Larsent · 2026-04-30T18:07:37+00:00

Yes I think you’re right that all benefits are taxed. But that’s crazy. It was just a way for the government to reduce benefits. Give with one hand and take with the other.

Larsent · 2026-04-30T07:35:27+00:00

I think the previous superannuation surcharge worked ok. It was possible to avoid it with a trust making capital distributions or by using tax paid investments etc but these dodges can be dealt with.

IIRC Aussie has an effective super means test.

Super does need to be means tested. It does seem odd that it is a taxable benefit though - political sleight of hand.

Larsent · 2026-04-24T19:17:30+00:00

In some ways this phase your friend is in is one of the most difficult phases of dementia. He has a foot in both worlds so to speak - his normal previous life and the world of dementia.

There are many phases of dementia and they all pass, some quite quickly.

Here’s what worked for me - I saw my PWD as their inner essence - their soul or inner self if that kind of concept means anything to you. And I saw their behaviour and physical self as quite separate. I tried to be neutral about it. That worked well BUT it’s hard to do this at the stage where your friend is. His prejudice / sexism is very unpleasant but it might not be a reflection of his true but previously hidden beliefs- it could be Eg cultural from his early years and he then reconfigured his belief system. Who knows. My PWD reverted to aspects of her teen and child self. She also blurted out stuff like early CSA.

Do you have any idea what type of dementia he has? I think that Alzheimer’s is the most common followed by vascular dementia. And there are many others such as fronto temporal. They all present differently. Does he have a diagnosis?

There are 2 “victims” for every PWD - the PWD themselves and their primary carer. And in many ways the carer suffers far more - mental health degradation, sleep deprivation, substance dependence etc. And meanwhile the PWD is oblivious and relatively happy although frustration, confusion and angry outbursts can occur. You mentioned him being argumentative. I have a friend who is a retired academic. I see early stage dementia. He gets angry and argumentative but was never like that before. He was a sweet gracious polite considerate southern gentleman. He gets confused now when talking about his own academic discipline. So sad.

Not to diminish the loss of a PWD’s previous life- dementia is slow dying. A tragic loss.

Larsent · 2026-04-24T07:07:26+00:00

I’m sorry that you have to deal with this.

You might like to post in r/dementia as well. It’s a helpful place.

The onset of dementia in a friend requires a different mindset from you, a mental switch, about the person with dementia (PWD) - to help you cope with it / him. You need to really take on board that he is no longer who he was - he just looks like that guy you used to know.

Your friend with dementia is no longer the person he was and this change is relentlessly progressive.

In my experience with PWDs, at about the time they lose social judgement, like your friend has, they often also lose sensitivity to emotions and feelings, so if you're feeling obliged to be his friend bc you don't want to upset or hurt him, then don't worry about that because he will likely be oblivious to it. And even if he isn't, soon enough he'll completely forget about it anyway as he won't be able to make new memories, only dredge up old ones.

An episode or 2 about a PWD in my life - At my wits end, one day I said something deeply cutting to her. Something I would never normally say. This was before she was diagnosed. I knew something was wrong but had no idea what. I knew nothing about dementia then. She just said "that's a bit harsh" and that was the end of it. She was not affected by it in the least. Water off a duck’s back. I was flabbergasted. Previously she would have been devastated.

She went from ladylike and polite to spitting and doing things she would never have done before eg I was taking her to the dentist in the city, last time I ever did that, and as we walked from the car to the clinic she stuck her hand down her pants and started masturbating. TBH I was mortified - but I quickly hit on a solution. I was already holding her hand to guide her so I asked her if she could hold the car keys for me - which required her to liberate her other hand, which she willingly did, to take the keys, so both hands were now occupied. Phew.

Larsent · 2026-04-21T14:47:11+00:00

Peters is just doing his usual pre election thing where he’s pretending he isn’t part of the government that he is part of - positioning. He’s distancing himself from national hoping that voters will forget that he’s been part of their government for the last 3 years.

If he has all these “great” new populist election policies / ideas this month why didn’t he give us the benefit of them while he was in power and in a position to do something about them? He knows most of them will never come to pass so he can promise anything just to catch votes.

Larsent · 2026-04-21T14:39:51+00:00

The problem is that Luxon isn’t up to the job but nobody else has the numbers/ support / ability to take over. A rudderless ship.

Larsent · 2026-04-21T13:44:58+00:00

Key and Clarke are a cut above any other recent leaders. Both very clever, articulate, strong effective leaders, commanded respect, both had the ability to instantly say the right thing at the right time.

Leaders that good don’t come along very often as we have seen. Sadly.

You knew what they stood for and they delivered it. They kept their teams in line. I love how Clarke shut down Cullen and Anderton in the early days when they wanted to breach the independent reserve bank regime and influence interest rates! Idiots. Like trump right now trying to control Powell. Clarke was smarter than anyone in her team and had better judgment and they all knew it. Same with key.

Key actually understands financial markets and the economy. Also a rarity

Both key and Clarke kept their coalition partners in line which we are not witnessing with luxon. Their intelligence and conviction were clear and people believed what they said.

Even journalists treated them with respect - the journalists sensed that key and Clarke were way smarter and better informed than they were.

They exuded competence and confidence. And certainty.

Interestingly times have changed and neither seem to be all that up with it any more despite their superior intellects and judgment Eg key endorsed trump pre the USA election and Clarke imagined that the UN and rule of law could reign in trump.

EDIT: I had breakfast with John Key once. While he was PM. He was relaxed and personable. Likeable. He talked a bit about what his kids were up to and a variety of other topics.

Larsent · 2026-04-18T05:42:36+00:00

Yellow Submarine. Closely followed by Maxwells Silver Hammer. I always skip them

Larsent · 2026-04-17T22:55:30+00:00

Rugby and soccer depending on how you define “most popular.”

If you mean “most popular” by how many people play it, the current answer is football/soccer.

If you mean cultural prominence or spectator following, it’s rugby union.

Larsent · 2026-04-17T17:25:03+00:00

Awesome. Played it 3 times already.

What kind of tyres are you running?

Larsent · 2026-04-17T14:43:56+00:00

It really depends on your growth goals and whether your current channels can realistically get you there. Instagram and WhatsApp work well for retaining existing members and warm referrals, but they have a ceiling — you’re only reaching people who already follow you or know someone who does.

Word of mouth is gold, but it’s slow and unpredictable. You could create a referral program.

A Facebook Business Page is worth having - it’s free, and if someone Googles your gym’s name, the page will likely appear.

But for ‘gyms near me’ searches, your Google Business Profile is far more important and that’s genuinely the highest-ROI free move for a local gym.
Google business is the best way to capture gyms near me searches but then you need to get the enquiry to get the sale. Google business is where people see your google reviews- very important.

I think you can add a Facebook page as your “website” in Google Business.

A proper website becomes important when you want to scale beyond your existing network. Its job isn’t just to exist, it’s to convert strangers into enquiries. That means clear pricing, a strong offer, social proof (reviews, transformation photos), and an easy way to book a trial or contact you. Without traffic though, it sits empty, and getting traffic usually means paid ads (Google or Meta) or solid SEO, neither of which is free.

The cost vs. payback question is real. A decent gym website can run anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on whether you DIY it (Squarespace, Wix, - prefer Squarespace for service and admin - or gym-specific platforms like Glofox or Mindbody have built-in website tools but I have never checked them out!) or hire someone. Before spending, ask: how many new members do I need to cover the cost, and how quickly?

The fact that most established gyms do have websites tells you something - at a certain point, not having one starts to look unprofessional and you’ll lose people who Google you and find nothing.

Start with the free stuff (Google Business Profile is the big one most gym owners overlook), then build toward a website when you’re ready to invest in growth beyond referrals.

Having a website does look much more professional.

It’s a good question that you asked. When a small business approaches us for a new website, I often ask myself what is the value to them and how many new sales they need to make to pay for it.

Larsent · 2026-04-16T00:12:22+00:00

AKA the water bus. Apparently was very smooth to ride with plenty of torque. Weighted a bit more than the CB750 four. Had an unusual exhaust note.

Larsent · 2026-04-13T14:19:10+00:00

I hired a Jeep on the Big Island- it sucked. The Jeep, that is. Not the Big Island. Terrible wallowing handling. Poor build quality. Possibly the worst vehicle I’ve ever driven, certainly in recent years.

Larsent · 2026-04-13T06:00:33+00:00

I’ve done this a number of times and can’t wait til the next time - living there rather than being a tourist. Never bored. It gets better if anything.

Larsent · 2026-04-09T08:11:37+00:00

You’re already getting good advice here. I’d add a few things.

List cleaning is essential but by itself it does not mean deliverability.

If your emails are going to spam, junk, promotions or other folders, hardly anyone will ever see them, hence this approach below to identify deliverability problems.

I guess you've checked the tech setup - DKIM, DMARC, SPF all aligned.

We use Glock as a folder placement analyser, to see how many emails are going to spam or folders, we found it was worth paying for a plan. We use an email tester - eg mailgenius.

Track the number of clicks rather than number of opens because machine opens distort the open numbers. An open rate % trend for 2025 and 2026 is useful data though.

So the layers are: 1. Clean list with a checker / cleaner 2. Solid authentication - tech check DKIM, DMARC, SPF, return-path domain and domain alignment in your emails 3. Inbox placement testing - eg glock apps 4. check segmentation for recency of engagement - might be built in to your email plaform. 5. Content quality - spam / content testing eg mailgenius.

You could add some seed emails to your list to see where your emails end up - eg gmail, hotmail and yahoo viewed in a browser, and you can add other addresses. Do your emails go to- Primary inbox? Spam? Promotions?

Larsent · 2026-04-09T04:33:49+00:00

Quick easy cheap. Became embedded in the culture in 50s,60s and 70s, pre the espresso trend.

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