News from Nelson – June 2007

Hi All,

Boy, it has got cold with a bit of a thump. We have had snow down across the bay over the weekend and now it suddenly feels like winter.

Despite things being busy, I decided to take Queen's Birthday weekend off. I had a lovely weekend going through some old photos and having a tidy up. Jan unfortunately did have to head into work, but he only went in for one day, while no one else was about, and sorted out some programming in peace.

This past ten days we have been lucky enough to have been invited out to three separate friends' houses for meals (all lovely too, I might add), have been to a wedding and to two concerts - the New Zealand String Quartet and Trio Con Brio, have watched two movies - "Match Point" and "Crank". Not bad, eh?

Jan has also been to visit Fleur in hospital, as she is having trouble with her third pregnancy. She was heading home again last Thursday, so we must catch up with her to find out how she is getting on.

The wedding we went to was Jules & Sterl's at St Mary's. I had a heck of a job trying to get photos (I was too short and there were too many people!) so I am waiting for the official photographer's images. However, I did get one nearly recognisable shot of Julie coming into the church. While it was cold, it was a lovely clear day, and a really great wedding breakfast afterwards at the Honest Lawyer. Jan & I really only knew one person - Magda - but we were on a table with some really great people and had a wonderful time.

I think I have decided to pick up the Sports Diploma lecturing in People Management next semester, now that I have seen the materials. At least it will keep my hand in. Jan hasn't heard how his final assignment has gone yet, but no doubt it went well. He is studying hard for his exams at the moment, while trying to get over a cold.

I have been lucky as I haven't caught Jan's cold yet. However, a friend of ours told us about this new Vicks nasal spray product called "First Defence" which you can take to try to ward off a cold when you first start getting the symptoms. I was a bit late starting it (having had a sore throat for a day and a bit before I heard about it - and Jan was already well underway with the cold) but, having started the medicine, I haven't got the cold yet. I don't know if it worked or not, but I guess I will try it again next time. I have also bought one for Jan for next time too (you aren't supposed to share these!).

We have Bonnie the Boxer staying with us once more - she stayed with us before Coco came for a couple of months while her people were overseas. So there are three dogs here at present and the exuberance of the dog greetings cause mayhem when we have been out! Fliss also still has the eye ulcer, so is attending a specialist clinic this Thursday (there's apparently a canine eye specialist who tours the South Island regularly!). Hopefully we will get this problem sorted.

Only a week until I get my braces fitted now. I had an appointment today to ensure that we are on track for next week. Quite soon now... and I have the feeling that I might be eating a lot of soup from then on. I don't know how it is going to feel, having all that ironmongery permanently in my mouth.

This weekend we are off to Chch for the UWH Secondary School Regional Champs. I think we will take our feather duvets with us!

Our next trips are the Hutties Hanmer weekend in July, our luxury Hanmer weekend in August and a lovely week in Sydney for our wedding anniversary in November.

OK, I think that's all I have time for now - look after yourselves, everyone. Alles liebe :-)

Sam & Jan

News from Nelson – May 2 2007

Hi all,

I hope this finds you all well!

Well, Jan & I wanted to slow things down, but our lives are completely manic at present. We haven't had a weekend in the last month & we can't really see a day off until the third week of June. Utterly ridiculous... but I guess working head down and backside up will see us get through it.

The management lecturing at NMIT has added 15 hours to my already busy week, but my current contract finishes on 18 June (phew!). I thought I was only going to do this contract, but I have been asked if I would lecture some of the Sports Diploma people in HR & Management issues next semester. I have a meeting this week to see whether I think I can fit it in...

In fact, I am supposed to be writing my change management tutorial for this Friday, but thought that writing to all of you was much more interesting!

Jan's current assignment is coming along slowly - a convention paper based around a industry future issue. He is writing on the impact of the Kyoto Protocol and carbon credits on the plantation forest industry, which he is finding quite interesting. He got the top mark in the class for his last major assignment, and has aced all the tiny 2% assignments. I think he will either be doing an HR paper next, or Principles of Accounting.

He is also now pretty right after his surgery; the only thing that remains a slight problem is his changed sense of taste (tastebuds, not velour!!). However, the surgeon saw him a week ago and said that the problem is not uncommon, and should return to normal slowly over time.

Of course we now have a clash for the regionals - Jan's exam is on the afternoon of the day that we are supposed to be leaving for UWH in Chch. He is going to sit it a day early (and I must make sure that he registers for the early sit). My exam is being held on the Monday that we get back from Chch, so that's a relief.

I also had a bit of excitement last week as I was in the local paper in a group photo, and quoted, as Chair of the Business Development Company. Jan thinks I look like someone with Down's Syndrome which is enough to drop anyone back to earth if they were feeling a bit clever! I must admit though, it was a pretty awful photo!

I have been going through all our stuff and putting things on TradeMe for sale that we no longer use. It is proving an amazingly successful method for getting rid of clutter. Last week we flogged off 20 items that we weren't using, and freed up a tiny corner in the office. I think we might carry on doing that, especially as we get closer to moving out to the Moutere. There's no point in paying to move things we no longer use into a new house so they can just gather dust there!

Coco is in season, and Fliss has an eye ulcer, so it is all $ to the vet at the moment. Fliss is having eye problems because Coco is playing too roughly. She will calm down, but it all takes time.

I am getting braces fitted on June 18th; the whole nine yards, full on top & bottom braces for two to three years. I have a front tooth that is drifting further out of alignment, which may eventually kill two teeth through exposing the roots, so I need to do something about it. It is just unfortunate that the whole process is so uncomfortable, costly and ugly. Never mind, it is better than loosing teeth, and a couple of years just whiz by.

Our next trip away is June 15-17 to Chch for the UWH Secondary School Regional Champs. Then we have our Hutties Hanmer weekend in July, then we have put our  luxury Hanmer weekend back to August because we haven't got a weekend free until then. We aren't heading away for UWH Nationals as the team won't qualify.

Notes:

   Andreas and Katrin - Thanks for the Pulmoll! Some crunchies are on their way to you :-)

   Karen T - good luck with your next Triathlon

   Jenny L - look forward to seeing you on the weekend again

Look after yourselves, everyone. Alles liebe :-)

Sam & Jan

Nelson Bays Arts Marketing Guide Book

I heard Martin Rogers, CE of Nelson Bays Arts Marketing, speak at a Rotary breakfast here in Nelson, NZ, yesterday.

I hadn't realised that all of Arts Marketing funding, aside from special projects, comes from the money they raise by selling their guide book to the Arts scene in the Nelson region 'Nelson Art in its own place'.

As soon as Martin had finished, I went out and bought this year's new Nelson Arts guide book (the proof is sitting on our table above!). Yet again, the book is a sumptuous look at Nelson and the creativity of which we are privileged to play a part, with breathtaking photography and fabulous art. We Nelsonians can so easily support Arts Marketing by buying and sending copies of this excellent book nationally and internationally as bait to get people to come to our fair region and explore.

News from Nelson – May 2007

Hi all,

I hope all of you are feeling fighting fit :-)

Life is still busy-busy here. I have just taken on some management lecturing at NMIT due to a tutor going off to have bypass surgery - Keith Coman, for those of you who know him. His surgery (last Friday) went well, but he is out of action for 6 weeks to two months. At this stage I have only committed myself for filling in for this coming term, though the head of the Business School has left the door wide open if I want to continue doing a bit of lecturing. Lessens their risk, having a bit of extra tutor cover.

My first couple of lectures this week went well - just a tutorial on Friday now and LOTS of reading to refamiliarise myself with the subject and get up to speed. The class has six nationalities (Kiwis, Taiwanese, Chinese, Malaysians, German and Swiss), which makes for an interesting mix.

Jan is slowly recovering from his surgery. However, he is not doing too badly - after all, he was off fishing in the sounds over the weekend (and came home with some Snapper and Kahawai). Max & Karen are coming around on the weekend to smoke the Kahawai and have dinner afterwards, so that should be great.

We are also catching up with Jenny this Friday night as she is up in Nelson doing some more mistletoe work. We are going to pop out to her folk's place with some dessert - and to find out how Donald Junior is as he has just, like Jan, had his tonsils out.

I haven't heard how Adam Saleem went in the London Marathon - hopefully he will drop me a line & let me know.

On Saturday I was given a presentation by a distributor from NSE, or Nu Skin Enterprises, trying to sell me "PhotoMax". Having done some internet digging, this is a many tentacled company, including Big Planet, DVD Movie Magic, MaxCast, Pharmanex, NUS and Global Internetworks (all associated Multi-Level Marketing companies).

It was a fairly slick presentation, and it smelled like Amway (you can take by that comment that I may have been presented to, but I am not sold).

Buying into NSE's PhotoMax required a US$3k start up investment, which was glossed over very quickly, as was the US$100/month purchasing required to stay in the scheme. That's $4,200 in the first year, roughly NZ$110 a week, which would buy me enough weekly labour to do the cleaning, the washing, walk the dogs a couple of times and have some town trips run for me. So a not-inconsiderable investment.

I had a look at NSE's stock market figures and found their listed financials. They turned over $1.1b in 2006 for 100,000 'distributors', thus the average distributor generates revenue of $11,000 pa. However, profit is only $32.8m, which translates to $328.00 per distributor.

Not forgetting that this scheme costs you US$4,200 to belong in the first year, Mr or Ms Average Distributor then makes a loss of US$3,872 (NZ$5,200)... hmmm. Hardly the stuff that dreams are made of.

Additionally, I was not sold by NSE's product, after having a trawl around the internet at other similar products - all purchasable online without any up-front fees. All I can say if any of you have this deal thrust at you, be very, very careful. It looks very slick, but I think there are lots of buried fish hooks in it.

As mentioned last time, our next trip will be in May to Hanmer for a luxury weekend, then a more budget Hanmer weekend in July with some of the Hutties. June 15-17 we should be in Chch for the for UWH Secondary School Regional Champs (we are waiting on the kids voting whether want to go or not).

Of course we now have a clash for the regionals -Jan's exam is on the afternoon of the day that we are supposed to be leaving for Chch. We have to try & see if he can sit his exam early. Next it will be that I am invigilating an exam on the same afternoon!

Next Jan will have to start planning what course to do next.

And we hear that Andreas and Katrin may be heading over to our side of the world this Christmas, which will be great. Our fingers are crossed for a confirmed booking!

Look after yourselves, everyone. Alles liebe :-)

Sam & Jan

Nu Skin Enterprises: "PhotoMax"

Today I have been presented to. I have been presented to by NSE, or Nu Skin Enterprises, but by their "PhotoMax" division... not Big Planet or DVD Movie Magic, MaxCast or Pharmanex, NUS or Global Internetworks (all associated MLM companies). It was a fairly slick presentation, and it smelled like Amway.

I may have been presented to, but I am not sold.

The US$3k start up investment was glossed over very quickly, as was the US$100/month purchasing to stay in the scheme. That's NZ$480/month for the first year, equalling NZ$100 a week, which would buy enough weekly labour to do my cleaning, my washing, walk the dogs and have some town trips run for me. So a not-inconsiderable investment.

The NSE presenter made a big song and dance about having a potential with PhotoMax of tapping into a $85 billion dollar available slice of the image industry. Big figures look impressive, but let's look at $85b in context; PDVSA, the 9th largest oil company in the world, made revenues of $85b in 2005; Honda made revenues of $87b in 2005; Australia's government welfare spend is $88b pa; NZ's GNP is $74.5b pa; Procter & Gamble made $57b profit in 2005. So in reality, an $85b market isn't that big on a global scale. The global oil industry turnover alone for 2006 was $2,672,919,000,000 ($2,673b).

Taking Honda's example, their 144,800 employees turnover $87b, thus their average employee generates $600,000 pa (generates, not earns. This is revenue, not profit).

In comparison, NSE turned over $1.1b in 2006 for 100,000 'distributors', thus the average distributor generates revenue of $11,000 pa. However, profit is only $32.8m, which translates to $328.00 per distributor (verify the stats at http://finance.google.com/finance?q=NUS).

Not forgetting that this scheme costs you $4,200 to belong in the first year, Mr Average Distributor then makes a loss of $3,872... hardly the stuff that dreams are made of.

Additionally, I am not sold by NSE's IT strategy, storage or the technology (check out their offer at http://www.nuskinusa.com/bp/static/photomaxprod/prod_wm_lg.html). I agree that Global IT predictions are for more storage, backups and applications to go online, but I think there will be much cheaper options in all those areas available than PhotoMax as customer demand grows. Customers also have to undergo a paradigm shift in their levels of trust, to be secure enough to store important items on the internet rather than on their own PC's hard drive.

NSE also made a bit of a song and dance about their breakthrough MaxCast online video streaming technology. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any technical reviews of the product, so can only assume that this is merely hype.

However, this presentation has encouraged me to have a very interesting trawl on the internet, and to have found some interesting and cautionary websites. Check out a very interesting article on Amway/Quixtar at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4375477/, the American Federal Trade Commission's check list at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/pyrdalrt.shtm and a nice list of 10 MLM falacies at http://www.mlmsurvivor.com/fitzpatrick.htm.

Sam

News from Nelson – April 2007

Hi All,

I hope you are all fit & healthy. We are off to Wellington today to see Charles, Tanja & Lars & catch up with the rest of the family. It is a lovely day here, so hopefully Wellington will also be kind to us.

Jan's trip to hospital was fairly uneventful. However, he had a bad night last night with spitting up some blood clots & will need a nap this afternoon to be able to get through the family functions planned. He has been taking things very easy thus far, so having to be up all day and catch a flight will be hard work without having had a bad night before.

We had a great walk into the Abel Tasman on March 26th to celebrate Frits Hofman's 50th birthday - the weather was just lovely. And Frits was completely surprised - was not expecting three sets of friends to turn up. We finished the day with an Indian takeaway at the Hofman's place.

Well, the triathlon the week after was pretty OK. Karen & I completed it in an unofficial 'Jan time' of 1.25, which was about three quarters of an hour shorter time than we were worried we might do (photos posted alongside). Then, as Kathleen had completed the event as well, we all retired back to our place for a birthday lunch, chocolate and some Moet. Lovely!

We had Karen here for a week & had a great time slothing about, watching movies, eating more Rosy Glow chocolate (it was Easter after all), sampling wines & catching up with friends who hadn't seen Karen in a while (like Dawn, Julie, Murray, Sari & Neil & Gilbert & Letitia). Mind you, it wasn't all relaxing. We also went for a run every morning, went biking, played tennis and went for a couple of good long walks. It was great to have her here. We didn't get up Mount Arthur - yet again - as Jan hurt his knee!

Jan has had the results back of his second Strategic Management assignment, where he was marked at 100% yet again. He has also handed in his first large assignment, which he should get the mark back for next term. He is not very happy with that assignment though; he doesn't think he delivered what the tutor was wanting.

Adam Saleem has been getting pretty active too - he has completed a half marathon at Silverstone in the UK and is planning on running the London Marathon. You can sponsor him at www.justgiving.com/adamsaleem.

Max has cracked his elbow on a 12 hour mountain bike endurance race, held the day before Karen & I did the Triathlon. He is recovering OK, but is definitely still feeling the break. Karen B's team won the Women's section, which is pretty awesome.

Our next trip away will be sometime in May to Hanmer for a luxury weekend, which we won at the Orbit Quiz night last December. Then on June 15-17 we are in Chch for the for UWH Secondary School Regional Champs.

After that, I would imagine Jan will have an exam for his course, and then have to start planning what course to do next.

Look after yourselves, everyone. Alles liebe :-)

Sam & Jan