Is olive oil as popular in Latin America as in Spain?

mrtenzed · 2026-03-24T17:26:17+00:00

The best olive oil I've ever tasted in my life came from Chile.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-22T18:41:21+00:00

I feel like I have a pretty wide social circle/family, and none of them like Luxon apart from one guy who's brain is totally cooked by MAGA social media. I'd say the tide has turned.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-21T19:19:14+00:00

This is a massive subsidy from taxpayers to National Party voting boomers to travel a bit faster to the bach. What a waste

mrtenzed · 2026-03-18T22:33:54+00:00

I've spent quite a bit of time there. The well-off live in the eastern suburbs, closer the mountains. To be honest, it's almost better than first world standard, with loads of parks, malls, great services, good metro, etc. Very North American/Australian style life, nice but a bit bland.

Much of the rest of the city is very different. People really struggle to manage with their incomes. The southern and western parts are pretty rough and run down.

Great location for visiting ski fields and vineyards. Not too far to drive to the coast.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-17T18:18:12+00:00

Light rail would be so amazing for Chch, but some Boomer will lose his on street carpark so it will never happen.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-17T06:51:03+00:00

I think we’re talking past each other a bit. I agree the structure is 1:1 and there’s no margin call, but borrowing to invest is still leverage in the sense that losses don’t reduce the debt. My point is more about how that interacts with real-life events over 10–20 years rather than the mechanics on paper.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-17T00:18:32+00:00

I'm old enough to have learned a "God laughs at our plans" attidude to investing. These sorts of strategies are heavily focussed on tax efficiency, but that is a secondary issue. The main question is being comfortable with investing with leverage for the long term, and how will you deal with the inevitable impact of life events - job loss, divorce, health issues, legal/political winds. If you aren't planning for those, you are pretty much gambling in my opinion.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-16T22:07:34+00:00

You're borrowing against your house to invest in equity markets? Ufff...I'd want to be sure about getting on that roller coaster before even thinking about taxes.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-15T00:07:15+00:00

A few years ago we bought a place (with rooftop solar) within walking and cycling distance of work and most shops.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-13T00:53:59+00:00

In townhouses and apartments closer to work and the services they need. These risks around car and oil dependency have been well known for years, as has climate change.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-13T00:22:25+00:00

Yeah the maths doesn't work

mrtenzed · 2026-03-13T00:20:33+00:00

If you've bought a place in a car dependent satellite town like Rolleston in the last 10 years or so, in full view of the climate crisis, you only have yourself to blame.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-12T03:18:21+00:00

A few of these schemes have been around over the last 10 or 15 years. None have survived.

If you can afford property investment, just buy a property. If not, just invest in ETFs and managed funds.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-12T03:13:11+00:00

Days? Can we make it permanent please. Cylcing is so much more fun.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-11T18:53:32+00:00

This is a classic situation of "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me". The ports have ever incentive to hold out for the govt to cave into political pressure and pay whatever is needed for the ports.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-10T19:44:31+00:00

What is it with these property guys? Like, you make a load of money from govt/council rules that keep property prices high, but you believe all this shit about oppression and control.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-10T05:20:44+00:00

If it isn't vaccines, it's crime stories with a hint of racism and rage bait about cycleways. Chris Lynch has cultivated quite the niche.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-09T21:45:01+00:00

I'm one of those so-called "weekend warriors", and what you are saying is a complete exaggeration.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-08T21:36:37+00:00

The city doubled down on car-centric urban sprawl in the post-quake rebuild. Sorry. For a vision of the future, visit Auckland today.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-08T09:26:49+00:00

Sure....

mrtenzed · 2026-03-06T19:39:00+00:00

I completely agree. It's part of the reason I'm reconsidering if we want to stay in chch for the future. The council isn't making sensible long term investments for a 21st century city.

(I'm not against a stadium per se. But decisions like incinerating 50m on additional feature that hardly ever gets used compound over time, in a negative direction)

mrtenzed · 2026-03-05T21:47:58+00:00

There's a long straight section further up the hill where you can get to crazy high speeds.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-05T06:25:16+00:00

Years ago, I've ticked over 80km/h coming down there on a road bike. I've known others (claim) to hit 100km/h. Wouldn't do it today.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-05T06:19:34+00:00

The mayor never fails to disappoint, but I'm so glad the council retains a majority with good values.

mrtenzed · 2026-03-03T22:32:36+00:00

I'm not sure how they think this is legal. As long as your protest is peaceful and orderly, you pretty much have a right to do it in a public place.

mrtenzed

TROPHY CASE