Leaving NZ

Fingers crossed, we're at CHC airport awaiting a flight to Auckland and onward to Nadi, Fiji. Yesterday's flight to Fiji was cancelled (as were most of them) due to a cyclone passing through. Between weather worries and the small but non-zero possibility that Donald Trump is going to launch a nuclear attack today, it seems like it could be a difficult day. But chances are, it will work out, at least for us.

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Just for fun, here's my prediction: Trump won't nuke Iran, and "all" he is talking about is bombing their civilian infrastructure. I further predict that: he is eventually going to win this, and will be able to crow about having eliminated a horrible regime (true) that was headed to getting nukes of their own (also true).

I like making predictions like this, because it's win-win. If I'm wrong and he falls flat on his face, it will be fun to watch him squirm and, there is just that tiny chance that this will be the thing that finally takes HIM down. I would be $100k not, though. Betting on Trump getting what he wants has been the winning bet for, what, 10 years now? With very, very few exceptions.

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Our time in NZ has been mostly pleasant and rewarding. NZ is truly a gorgeous country and I have nothing substantial of negativity to say about it. I would say this: sure, it's more or less pristine (I did see an exhibit at the CHC art gallery lamenting all the environmental damage caused by their dairy industry, which, fun fact, exports 97% of their production).

But, it's pristine because, like a lot of places, it has outsourced its most heinous practices to other countries. Sure, they don't drill for oil, but they burn, roughly speaking, as much as we do. Sure, they don't have steel mills (8% of GHG emissions worldwide), but, they use plenty of steel: they trade it for milk, with Japan and SK. Etc.

Also, people smoke noticeably more here than in Canada. So, there's that.

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