I wonder if a different tack on property might be possible and I'd like to know why this would/wouldn't feasible. Two problems with a property credit boom are that we wind up as a country paying billions overseas in interest and our dollar rises hurting our exports. Now hypothetically consider what would happen if the money used internally for property was funded though a temporary 'quantitive easing' in partnership with offshore funding to keep things sane. So borrow 500k for your house in Auckland and 250k comes as magic government money and 250k comes from other sources. The magic government money earns interest (at the same rate as the other money) until it is repaid, and as capital is repaid it is destroyed. So at the end of the mortgage the magic money is incinerated and the books balance, but half the interest has stayed in NZ. The temporary increase in money supply has helped keep the dollar neutral during the boom and exports aren't as badly hit. In fact a property boom would provide a heap of tax dollars that could be used to address supply (maybe in some other universe I guess). Am I being naiive?

If OBL had been captured alive, would that have not lead to fanatics mounting a campaign to release him? How many lives would that cost?

There are things you plant because you want to avoid paying for them at the supermarket, and things you plant because you can't get them any other way. We've got heirloom peppers growing in the glasshouse (they like heat, as do capsicums) because they aren't available. Outside of the usual suspects, we've also got dark tomatoes, NZ spinach (we were curious what Cook was calling spinach), giant sunflowers (because I like 2.5m tall plants with flowers like dinner plates that the chickens will probably enjoy too), and I've built an observation beehive (one with a clear panel in the side) that is both an interesting experiment and slowly filling with honey. It's been good fun and I ocassionally get to use power tools too!