Thoughts and Discussions from Stuart Macmillan

Second Life

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 23:15:00 +0000

This looks as if it could be used for business and education purposes. The world has suddenly got even smaller with Second Life.

New Book Published:

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:25:00 +0000

www.beingardent.com

Being Ardent about Life

Being Ardent about Life teaches you how to implement the ARDENT personal development programme into your life. You will be shown how to take a closer look at your life, develop and understand your values system, set goals, succeed and enjoy life to its fullest.

Read more at: http://www.beingardent.com/

Campbell Live Ken Ring Interview

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 03:34:00 +0000

What a shocker! That "interview" last night was more like a witch hunt!

Shame on you John Campbell. I thought you had a better character than that. You did not show any respect for Mr. Ring and even the notion that someone else is entitled to an opinion or theory.

If you have any ounce of personal responsibility left, you would apologise for your shameful actions.

A re-interview would be a sham so just give a public apology.

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:51:00 +0000

We recommend the ISP services of Woosh. They have a promotion at the moment where if you join you will receive a $20 credit on your account. Their prices are really good, take a look:

http://www.woosh.com/mates/mates.aspx?promocode=13B0A0

Improve your Teaching Skills

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:34:00 +0000

The Teachers Coach:

The CD-ROM version of these helpful guides is already being used by over 1,750 teachers throughout New Zealand and now we have made it available on eBook for download on iPhone, iPad, PC or Mac and more at a really low price.

Comments from teachers: "They should include this in teacher training." and "I have seen it in another school and think it will be great for us.

Teachers Coach by Stuart Macmillan. US$3.99 from Smashwords.com
Providing teachers with a refreshing look at teaching skills and guidelines to fundamental qualities to enrich the teaching and administration processes.

Click the link for the free sample pages ( I suggest the online JavaScript version). Purchase online and use the coupon code "BP57U" to download it for half price!

Coupon price only available until 1st February 2011 so be quick to get your full copy and pass the link on to your friends in the teaching profession worldwide.

Birds and Fish Dying

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:05:00 +0000

Thousands of birds fell from the sky dead and thousands of one species of fish die also in the same region of the USA.

If they died from trauma induced by fireworks being let off, why was it only one species? If this were the case, birds would die worldwide on Fireworks Night.

Could something genetic have caused this? No answers from this reader.

Read more at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/01/photogalleries/110103-dead-birds-fall-from-sky-arkansas-pictures/

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:55:00 +0000

New book published today.

Download for iPad, iPhone, PDF, txt, Mobi, Sony Reader, Palm Doc and more:

Being Ardent about Life by Stuart Macmillan. $3.99 from Smashwords.com
Being Ardent about Life - The ARDENT personal Development Program. How to set goals, succeed and enjoy life to its fullest.

Will the EU last?

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 19:27:00 +0000

Does anyone else get this funny feeling that the experiment of the EU will soon be over?

I can't see the Euro or the EU lasting in its present form for more than another 18 to 24 months. I even expect some member countries are already printing reserves of their own currencies ready to circulate.

One after another, EU countries have verged on bankruptcy and have been helped out with loans from EU reserves and elsewhere. The day will come when the gravy train will dry out and the only alternatives will be expulsion from their common market.

But who will be responsible for the kicking? Germany looks to take the lead but will the others allow it? Perhaps the stronger countries, determined to hold their capitalist ideals and money-spending way of life together, will form a "new" Union of convenience? Time will tell but I can't see the present system lasting much longer. What do you think?

Will the Right Wing leadership be the last straw?

Growing Vegetables in Schools - Another Aussie Import?

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:56:00 +0000

After watching TV3 News 27th October 2010

I am glad to see children learning to grow their own food but from looking at the website of the NZ version of the Australian Garden to Table Trust behind this venture it appears to required $210,000 of funding to do this in just 3 schools for one year. It sounds as if they want similar amounts out of our government to put it into more schools? That's over $1 million per every 15 schools! Tell her she's dreamin'.

Meanwhile, we are glad to announce that our New Zealand developed School & Community Farming Co-operative (SFC), launched in 2007 now has over 230 schools (Kindergartens to High Schools) from one end of NZ to the other growing vegetables, teaching students, feeding poorer families and raising funds for themselves and the cost to join our NZ-Made programme is less than $50 including seeds.

Unlike imported "pilot" projects, the SFC if here to stay and more schools join each week as the news spreads.

We also encourage community groups, churches and clubs to be a part of the SFC and grow vegetables for their members and help those that can't meet the rising food prices.

For further information, please see our website: http://www.cepnz.co.nz/sfc.html

Currency Wars

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 22:51:00 +0000

It is no wonder that currency wars are heating up around the world. I am surprised they didn't start sooner. Why? Because markets around the world are being flooded by cheaper imitation products manufactured in China.

Take the example below. One is an original Sharpie pen made in USA and can be bought in stores for around NZ$4.25 each. The one below it is a Shoupie pen made in China that costs around NZ$1 each.

Thousands of products like this can flood the market of any country and guess which one most people will buy? In hard times the cheap, Chinese product would do the trick.

So, when we say, "Buy NZ Made" or another says, "Buy USA Made", where is the incentive while a purposely devalued Yuan makes it easy for the Chinese to manipulate buying habits and therefore the GDP of any non-Asian country?

The tariff walls are starting to go up again around some countries to guard against cheap imports but how far will it go before economies are threatened and how long will NZ last with our free trade agreement with China?

Everything in life is based on choice and the choices of each individual can affect the economic options of a government.

Smart Meters

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:44:00 +0000

Smart electric meters are being installed in Christchurch (http://tinyurl.com/28uhpsj) and around the world.

It is said that they have the potential to let you operate appliances remotely. Who else will gain the ability to do this and why should they have this ability?

In the USA, President Barack Obama has called for the installation of 40 million smart meters across the country allocating at least $4.5 billion to this cause.

Aren't we being told that appliances should always be watched while in use? Imagine your stove element being switched on while you are not at home and the kitchen curtain is blown into closer contact with the element. Instant house fire.

Also, should we be concerned with privacy?

The smart meter "records consumption in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily via some communications network back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes. Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_meter)

So someone else will know when you get up in the morning (and if you get up in the night), when you eat your meals, take a show, do the washing, watch TV and go to bed.

Should we be concerned?

Intimidating Beggars

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 22:27:00 +0000

Where are all the Community Constables on the beat or Wardens these days? In Glen Eden on Saturday afternoon and in New Lynn earlier in the week, I and others were approached by intimidating beggars.

They look like something from a Police 10-7 most wanted advert and they come up to you and ask you for the time. While you look at your watch, they look around to see if anyone else is watching, then they start to give a sob story such as needing money for the bus or petrol so they can help their family. Of course I tell them no but I had to intervene when another approached my stepdaughter on the same day and told him to get lost.

They hang around outside bakeries and dairies, so beware. I fear they could do more than just beg. A better Police presence on the streets mights help before someone gets bashed.

Whale strandings linked to earthquakes?

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Theory: Whale strandings linked to earthquakes? I put it to you that 2 weeks before the Christchurch quake (4th Sept) there was a mass whale stranding on Karikari Beach, NZ and on 1st Sept there was a stranding on an Australian beach. Within 30 days before the Sumatran tsunami of 2004 I remember there were mass strandings on Australian and NZ beaches.

On 27th December 2009 there was a mass stranding in NZ … on 12th January 2010 was the Haiti earthquake.

On 25th January 2010 a mass stranding in NZ … on 27th February the Chile quake.

Now we are seeing whale strandings at: 20th Sept – Brazil; 22nd Sept – NZ (on the same beach as above). Could magnetic disturbances prior to quakes disrupt the guidance system of a whale, sending it off course or are Kiwi whales trying to tell us something? Let’s see is there’s another 7.0+ quake within the next 30 days. I hope I’m wrong.

Perhaps someone else has more time and could correlate a comparison of a list of whale strandings with reports of magnetic variations, moon phases and earthquakes?

What do you think?

Update: 23rd February 2011

More are thinking along these lines after yesterdays devastating quake in Christchurch: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/02/22/is-new-zealand-earthquake-linked-to-the-mysterious-deaths-of-more-than-100-pilot-whales-115875-22941618/

International Partners Wanted

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:23:00 +0000

Over 200 schools are now part of our School Farming Co-operative. We are also looking for partners and interested people to begin discussions with us to start school and community farming co-ops in the UK, EU, Australia and USA. Take a look at our website below and email me your thoughts. Suppliers of seeds, tools or just growers are all welcome. Tell others :)

Take a look at: http://cepnz.co.nz/sfc.html

Survey

noreply@blogger.com (CEPNZ) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 20:21:00 +0000

Tell us your thoughts: Should the development of character be taught at home, at school or both?

ARDENT Programme