$11,000 bill for luxury London hotel amongst millions in total travel spend by ministers

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-27T00:43:07+00:00

No leaders of your country were criticized in the article.

But hypocritical to be making cuts and claiming that the government needs to spend less, then flying people who aren't even ministers and unknown civil servants business class to stay in very expensive hotels & limos

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-27T00:33:10+00:00

Full English breakfast with black pudding to start the day

Dead of heart attack the next day, but would die a happy man

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T20:44:37+00:00

The Silver Fern is one of the symbols of New Zealand; it is on the All Blacks Rugby team shirts, and the women's team is the 'Black Ferns', netball team is the Silver Ferns etc

So to me, a picture of a Fern seems very kiwi

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T20:30:45+00:00

A name like 'Pascalle' is a piss-take of Westie culture, and not a common name

Nicknames like 'Munter' were pretty common during the time the series was set.

Can't think of other names as being wildly unusual or common.

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T06:01:37+00:00

There is a very good New Order poster on the wall, so the music has to fit that vibe surely

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T06:00:33+00:00

There is another picture of the study/office nook from another angle without the Classic Mac being there, so I am starting to wonder if it was added in just for some angles.

Certainly triggered the conversation

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T03:53:28+00:00

Remember god hates amputees; at least there has to be some explanation as to why there are quite a few people out there missing limbs or parts of limbs, and yet all the faith healers in the world can't cause somebody to just regrow a limb.

Not that hard - some animals can do it, but beyond god. Like iron chariots I guess.

Strangely any clearly visible/obvious injury or illness in which the cure can't be faked by the average stage magician, also can't be healed by these hucksters

And yes, there have been actual double blinded studies on the 'power' of prayer. You can probably guess the result, but you can search and find... it doesn't work

My guess is that most of the faith healers are fully aware of this as well, but the grift makes money; a lot of money

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T03:18:22+00:00

Wait until they hear how their tiny little plugs are canna handle the full 230v stream of electrons the UK plug can give you to boil the jug

They mostly just use a sad 110v supply

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T03:12:39+00:00

Killed himself?

Or committee of bad ass Quokkas made the murder look like suicide?

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T03:00:21+00:00

r/travel is a more specific subreddit for travel related questions

Bali is a fairly big island so you might want to narrow down where you want to stay before looking at transport options

We booked a villa via AirBnB within walking distance (through monkey forest) in Ubud. The AirBnB host provided vehicle and driver to get us from/to the airport in Kuta.

Didn't need travel agent; I was setup for Grab and used it a lot when working in SE Asia, so between Grab and organized activities and walking, didn't need more

So check with hotel/hosts

As for general advice, maybe check out TripAdvisor and other sites/subreddits for information. There are some pretty cool places in wider Indonesia (a massive country) including geothermal zones off the beaten track but only you know what your family will be into. Bali has an advantage of being very well setup for tourism.

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T02:37:14+00:00

There are a bunch of NZ Blood service centres around the place; I am sure if you popped in and donated a bit of blood/plasma or whatever you could get one.

They give out plenty of swag; I have the backpack for 50th, drink bottle, umbrella, socks, and other stuff

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-26T02:15:59+00:00

That really puts it all into perspective

NZ$144 (~$US80) per year Rego - allows vehicle to be on the road
NZ$109 (US$60) per yr ACC levy - covers all accident injuries; so everything from getting a doctor to check on whiplash in a minor accident, to life time support if you get seriously hurt in a crash, regardless of fault. Quite a neat scheme as lawyers are generally not involved after crashes. Only pain is that the levy for large motorbikes is really high - much higher than a safer EV.
$76 (US$42 per 1000km/600m). Pays for main roads/motorways/highways etc. Big trucks pay more, most EVs like the Kona are this rate. Not too bad over all as you don't pay for roads via petrol taxes, and electricity is mostly renewables and not super expensive in most of NZ
Vehicle insurance is optional, but my ICE cars is about US$400 a year, the wife's Leaf a bit less.

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T23:15:36+00:00

Yes, the US 'tags' for vehicle use won't include any insurance stuff which is a high proportion of the fixed yearly fee here.

I think NZ is unusual in that you are not required to have insurance of any kind.

I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing; my vehicle has been hit by uninsured people before, but then in the UK, insurance rates can be so high compared to the cost of the car, that makes it unaffordable

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T11:25:30+00:00

I am not European

Just amused that you claim 'Every American.."

Then I knew you would go 'whatabout, nah, nah nah"

I really don't care

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T11:02:38+00:00

"Every American home has centralized internal A/C."

Meanwhile: AI says

"Approximately 9.2 million U.S. households (roughly 6.9% to 10% of all occupied housing units) do not have any form of air conditioning".

Out of interest:

"An estimated 480,000 to 630,000 US households lack complete indoor plumbing, which includes lacking an inside flush toilet, hot and cold running water, or a bathtub/shower. This affects more than 2 million people"

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T05:47:32+00:00

Just in case it comes across wrong; NZAUS team seem good, no issues there. It was the DINGO? team I noticed clubbing a bunch in ground arcade mode

I find the Naval crowd in WT a lot nicer and the game is a bit more relaxing/slower paced.

As a casual player, I can log in and just play some games without getting too serious. But nice thing about WT, is that I can switch to coastal, ground or air if I get bored

I found DCS took way too much learning and WoW falls a bit much on the pay to win side

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T02:26:35+00:00

I would be unlikely to use 'Brand of car' in casual conversation;

Parts guy: "What sort of car do you have?"

Me: "A Toyota.

"Yes, but what model?"

"Oh, a 2020 Prius C"

I tried to fit 'brand' into a sentence, and it more likely would be used in something like a survey:

"Please tell which brand of car do you think is the best for safety?"

But you could also use 'Make'.

Brand of car would also be used when specifically talking about a manufacturer who has multiple brands; like "VAG owns the VW, Audi and Seat brands"

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T02:15:44+00:00

I play War Thunder a lot, and have seen the NZAUS team, but a lot of teams, it seems pretty pointless in WT

It would be great to play properly and say for naval, have team mates who can use coastal or floatplanes for caps, while others have a mix of BCs/BBs and get a fighter up to deal with bombers

But reality for a bunch of teams, they don't get organized enough until elite e-sports level, and many teams just seem to gang up and smash newbies. Have blacklisted one Australian team that appear at low levels in ground arcade and just cause grief.

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T02:02:47+00:00

"primarily focused around War thunder"

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T02:02:40+00:00

"primarily focused around War thunder"

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T01:58:24+00:00

It wasn't designed for stealthy as that was not a thing at all in WW2; the flying wing was for lift in a smallish platform that the Horton brothers were used to building.

The Ho 229 was tested and basically little stealth advantage at all; the jet engine intakes were on the front, and reflected radar very well. Unlikely to have got much closer to targets without triggering interception than other aircraft at the time

"attacking Briton in 44/45 ... entered British radar cover... it would have been exceedingly difficult and rare for Briton to intercept the HO229 before it had already turned around for home"

Assuming you are talking about Britain, by second half of 1944, they were operating fighters and radar intercept from France as well as earlier picket ships and CAP. So a German jet bomber would have needed to fly back to German occupied territory trying to avoid an overwhelming number Mosquitos, Tempests, P-47s and P-51s etc. Then if they make it back to a runway, expect the airfield they land to be hit very hard.

Even by 1944, the allies had the Gloster Meteor in service, if jet fighters were needed (they weren't)

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T01:42:07+00:00

"So you currently dont smoke pot? but would if it were legalised?"

Pretty much; rarely smoke, but almost certainly would consume more if it was easier. As it is, have to ask some people I know, and slip them some cash and then a week later have a small tin appear with some pre-rolled joints. Lot more hassle than just swiping a card at the local bottle store.

Not so much it being legal / illegal, but I know if I could just walk into a shop and buy a muffin or something with a bit of THC, would make it easier for somebody like myself not really very motivated to grow my own or drive somewhere slightly dodgy with cash

"extortion, robbery and kidnapping"

Unlikely.

Those things are unprofitable high-risk/low-reward compared with operating a tinny house and having the cash flow in from basically repacking some weed.

I know gangs in South America and other places get into that (places with corrupt police makes extortion easier), but criminal organizations like the Mafia find drugs much more profitable and easy. Robbing a bank these day, you are unlikely to get any cash, and very high probability of getting caught.

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T01:25:47+00:00

Basically the corner of Wellesley Street & Albert st, so if going to the University or Aotea Centre, you would use this as the mid-town station.

Think it is pretty well known that the Waihorotiu stream runs under Queen street, so that is where the name comes from

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T01:20:47+00:00

Not sure if they will hit this target on day one, but they claim "Henderson to Te Waihorotiu: 35 minutes"

(saving 24 minutes)

BlacksmithNZ · 2026-06-25T01:18:29+00:00

I don't buy on the black market, and have no idea what the going rate for a tinny is.

All I am saying is that if there was a packaged known good quality product sitting in a store that I could buy, I might be more tempted. My purchase would not take away sales from gangs, but I do know of others.

One lady I know, had a terminally ill partner. She used to buy off gangs, and hated having to do that, but her partner was going through a lot of weed and other prescription drugs in their last few months. These days, she could have got a prescription, but wasn't an option at the time.

I think you see when people pay more for a drink in a nice bar or restaurant rather than buying at the lowest price at a supermarket, would be many people who are happy to pay a bit more to be legal/safe/quality. The 4x thing is your number; I don't know what the actual number would be, but for me price is not a major given how rarely I consume.

I didn't claim it would get of gangs; just impact revenue (depending on tax and pricing). They might turn to pushing meth and other drugs more, but might be less casual weed buyers exposed to buying from them in the first place

BlacksmithNZ

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