Considered Opinions – The Zero Sum Mindset

Have you ever felt that you were in a competition for the most perfect life or wonderful experience? What about jostling for prime position in a hierarchy of grievance? Sometimes it can feel that there isn’t space for two winners or any validity in a ‘lesser’ experience.

These are all examples of how the Zero Sum Mindset can create division and dissatisfaction in our lives and relationships. In this podcast we talk about the prevalence of this ‘zero sum’ mentality in our society and culture and what we can do about it.

Listen Now:
https://consideredopinions.substack.com/p/the-zero-sum-mindset

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 500 vs the 2015 KTM RC390

The Kawasaki is quite the conservative motorcycle.
The one above is the basic no frills version, however, for a few more dollars, you can get the KRT version (Kawasaki Racing Team!) with a go faster paint job (black with green graphics), LED indicators, and a full colour display, rather than Black & White. Note how nothings been added to make it actually go faster than the basic model..

It’s a basic, no frills product thats well thought out., and there’s very little to complain about as a result.

Pro’s

It’s comfortable
It’s just as fast as the old KTM.
It starts reliably and runs well, even when cold
The clock keeps time
It’s nicer to ride in the rain, even if the tyres don’t seem to stick as well.

Cons

a lack of character, it doesn’t inspire you like a European bike tends to.

KTM’s image is decidedly edgy and all about that racing image..

This RC390 was the first of a new class of smaller sports bikes first introduced in 2014. Yamaha, Honda, etc soon got around to bringing out their own versions, but to me, they missed the raw energy and single-mindedness that typically comes with a European bike.

On paper, the RC390 has better front forks, and tyres, compared to the Kawasaki, which should translate into better handling, but somehow it doesn’t.

In the end, the Kawasaki just goes around corners easier and faster than the KTM. The KTM feels faster, but the speedo doesn’t lie.

Pro’s

It has better mid range torque
It sounds better

Cons

It strains your wrists around town, because of the head down, bum up riding position.
If your stuck in traffic, the radiator fan blows hot air at you.
A ‘low fuel’ alarm screams at you, even though there’s heaps of gas left.
It’s stable in corners, but I never felt comfortable pushing it that hard.
It never ran well when cold and would cut out at every intersection until warmed up. restarting it was generally a mission, rather like waking up your dad when he’s drunk.
Hot starts were OK, except when it was in a tempermental mood (often)
The clock is a waste of time.

That conservative vs edgy image is illustrated nicely by comparing the manuals provided with each bike..

A plain black & white manual in a plastic bag

In conclusion, the Kawasaki’s just better all round, and easier to live with. KTM still make the RC390 as I write this, but given their financial woes, and their well known glitchyness, I can’t imagine a newer one been much different or better.

Humor XX I

Private School Girl Concerned Social Media Ban Will Reduce Awareness Of Wanaka Holiday

A petition to exit the W.H.O (world health organisation)

In the aftermath of the covid scamdemic, attention has been drawn to those unaccountable and unelected groups that led us into making everyone’s lives into a living hell for no good reason, with all their unnessessary lockdowns, mandates, etc for a disease that only affected the elderly who already had one foot in the grave.

One of these groups is the W.H.O. that New Zealand is signed up with.

During that ‘pandemic’, NZ simply followed their recommendations, and it is now apparent that our Government were heavily influenced by the W.H.O during the scamdemic.
(ref 107, 108 -white paper)

Of note during the covid years was that if a person died ‘with covid’ it was listed as a covid death as per the W.H.O’s instructions.
This is how a man who was shot and died at the scene of his gunshot wounds was listed as a covid death…

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/300451032/new-lynn-homicide-man-senselessly-shot-dead-outside-motel-had-covid19

Interestingly, the W.H.O only has full control over about 25% of their own funding as the majority comes from private investors with ‘strings attached’ -they decide where their ‘donations’ are spent. (as an example, a Tobacco company could theoratically donate funds to promote smoking as a medical enhancement).
(ref 17 -white paper)

Pharmaceutal companies also contribute to the W.H.O. (33.3 million in 2020) in what is arguably a conflict of interest.
(ref 33 -white paper)

Another curiosity is that they update their rules with minimal consultation. It’s tacitly accepted you agree with them, unless your government actively says ‘No’

Of real concern is the sexual abuse of over 100 women during an Ebola outbreak in Congo by W.H.O employees, who are accountable to no one as they have diplomatic immunity.
(ref 83 – 89 -white paper)

Several petitions have been started to force the issue into public view and get some debate on this issue.

The website is here https://www.whoknows.co.nz/

The white paper I have used as a reference https://www.whoknows.co.nz/resources

I think its time that New Zealand stood on it’s own feet and made its own decisions about it’s own health, rather than pass the buck to a faceless, flawed organisation with it’s own agenda’s which aren’t nessessarily in NZ’s best interest.

In 2019, NZ was faced with a possible pandemic, We could of simply used our own pandemic plan.

influenza-pandemic-plan-framework-action-2nd-edn-aug17 Download