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Posted at 11:41PM on 14 May 08. Permalink.

On infill, I'm all infavour of it, done right. Five-Up seems a good plan but have a look at this. It's built so it got approval and someone 'designed' for someone else to 'live' in.

I call it A BLOCK

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Property/Residential-Property/Houses-for-sale/auction-153205688.htm

Posted at 10:33AM on 15 May 08. Permalink.

Kyle -- if your student loan is zero-interest (or even if it's just lower-interest than the mortgage!), then surely the choice is a no-brainer: pay down the mortgage before doing anything about the student loan.

Oh I'm not making voluntary payments. I make enough 'voluntary payments' in the form of child support already, compulsory loan payments, and tax already (my marginal tax rate is the delightful figure of 67%).

The only reason I would make voluntary payments, if for some reason I found a couple of grand lying around, would be to clear it which would increase my take-home pay. It doesn't make financial sense in the long term, but at that stage the lost money is probably only a hundred dollars or so, and it'd be worth that to have less stress a year early.

Posted at 12:28PM on 15 May 08. Permalink.

if for some reason I found a couple of grand lying around, would be to clear it which would increase my take-home pay.

i've thought exactly the same thing.

or, if a future government were to bring in some sort of minimal interest rate.

Posted at 2:41PM on 15 May 08. Permalink.

Yeah...who knows how long the interest free status will hold? assuming that future govts will never charge interest on student loans is a bit like expecting fine weather every day...or like expecting the housing market to rise indefinitely.

Posted at 3:09PM on 15 May 08. Permalink.

On infill, I'm all infavour of it, done right. Five-Up seems a good plan but have a look at this. It's built so it got approval and someone 'designed' for someone else to 'live' in.

I call it A BLOCK

Holy crap. Is there time to buy a house while on a salvia trip? For less than $270 000 in Linwood you could have, say, this.

The only reason I would make voluntary payments, if for some reason I found a couple of grand lying around, would be to clear it which would increase my take-home pay.

This was the choice we made last year, to get rid of the loan for both the teeny-tiny tax cut, and just not having to worry about it any more, which has been great.

Posted at 5:14PM on 15 May 08. Permalink.

Holy crap. Is there time to buy a house while on a salvia trip?

Inadvisable.

For less than $270 000 in Linwood you could have, say, this.

That's some nice house for the money alright ...

Posted at 2:46AM on 16 May 08. Permalink.

For less than $270 000 in Linwood you could have, say, this.

'fess up Emma - is that your house?

Posted at 12:07AM on 17 May 08. Permalink.

Ouch. Sorry Kyle; from your earlier post it seemed you actually had different options you were able to consider.

Posted at 4:27PM on 17 May 08. Permalink.

That house is under offer as well. Interesting neighbour down a bit who mounts service medals.

Regarding the Swastika on the house in Auckland. I would be uncomfortable with it but I can see their point in having it.

Here in Christchurch Swastikas can be seen in the brick work of a chimney of a fine Fendalton home next to Rangi Ruru & cnr of Strowan Rd; the Druids Friendly Society fasade Manchester St; the Theosophy building on Cambridge tce; inside the Anglican Cathedral in the square (which makes the hoo ha over the table cloth a bit of a non-event); and the Nazis of Nursary Rd plus iron cross etc.

Posted at 6:56PM on 17 May 08. Permalink.

Regarding the Swastika on the house in Auckland. I would be uncomfortable with it but I can see their point in having it.

I know a historian who had the same symbol (it's not a swastika, I believe the swastika is based on it) on the cover of a book which was about race and identity, particularly in Asian countries.

Because it looks like a swastika, they redid the book cover for the American market without it.

(What is it with the American publishing market anyway? Everytime I tell one of my American friends that Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone was renamed Sorcerer's Stone for the American market, because they didn't think Americans would know what a philosopher is, they give me a funny look and say that they know what a philosopher is. Is American publishing about trying to find the lowest common denominator to put on the cover?)

Posted at 8:43PM on 17 May 08. Permalink.

For less than $270 000 in Linwood you could have, say, this.

That's some nice house for the money alright ...

I'm salivating at the wood panelling. Yum.

Posted at 10:24AM on 18 May 08. Permalink.

A garden spade made in Sheffield England, presumably before The Second World War, was brought into an exhibition of appropriated symbols here in Christchurch a few years ago. It had a small logo stamped into it which included a swastika and the words 'Kia Ora'. We tried to get to the bottom of it by contacting the Sheffield museum but had no reply.

Posted at 11:23AM on 18 May 08. Permalink.

'fess up Emma - is that your house?

Geez, that would have been clever. Unfortunately, no it isn't. Once we get our son safely enrolled at the trendy-liberal special-character non-zoned high school, then maybe that can be our house.

Posted at 3:21PM on 18 May 08. Permalink.

i stayed in an ante-bellum mansion in dallas that had swastika on the manyof the flagstones on the ground floor (the dining room, kitchen, etc).

apparently it was a navaho fertility symbol (or some such).

Posted at 10:27AM on 19 May 08. Permalink.

Keith, I've responded to your post on my blog at http://libertyscott.blogspot.com/2008/05/abandon-railways.html

The simple point is that long distance rail and road freight have similar environmental impacts on a NTK basis on average, with both varying according to route. Road is higher overall because it carries all short haul freight, and most environmental costs of road (and rail) freight are in urban areas. Most short haul freight is within metropolitan areas, so the exposure to people is, on a Net Tonne KM basis higher than rail. The Surface Transport Costs and Charges study, which is available from MOT direct (sadly removed from its website) clearly states that the marginal environmental costs of rail and road freight are similar for freight between Napier and Gisborne, rail is higher than road for Wellington to Auckland and road is higher than rail for Kinleith to Tauranga.

You've quoted poor quality data, a European study which is not comparable (far higher rail freight capacity and volumes to get economies of scale) and Chris Kissling who frankly isn't very credible at all, given he waxes lyrically about the future of transport including "smart clothes that open doors for you" (does he live in a cave to not notice electric doors aren't new?).

The environmental case for rail is very slim at best, at worst it's a fraud and rhetoric by those who worship rail as a religion. I personally love trains and know a great deal about rail, but I'm not going to pretend rail is what it isn't.