Monday, June 30, 2008

30,000 Hits

30,000 Hits

It is nice to see that today I had my 30 thousandth hit on puntiki.blogspot.com
Thanks to all of you who keep an eye on me on a regular basis. With the NZ and US elections coming up this year I will en devour to make a few more posts on a regular basis.

Keep coming back. Cheers Rob in LA.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

ACT in the NZ elections 2008

In the post below is a list of electorates in New Zealand, the MP who won the seat and the margin of votes in which the candidate won the seat.

While I am here in Italy, I certainly have a bit of time to put some effort into this blog so I thought about how ACT can get at least 10% in the next election which will probably give them the balance of power hopefully with their logical ally and effective cousin National .

Now this is all hypothetical and it is based on the previous election in which Labour came out ahead so really I am sure this will be picked to pieces by anyone who is an expert in these fields but...

If ACT was to get 1/2 of the margin that the winning MP got over the second candidate then it would equate to about 10.33% of the vote without taking the local MP favorites away from the voting public. I did not count the Maori seats or Epsom, although the mathematicians out there wont take more than 3 or 4 minutes to figure it out.

I have also identified seats in which the margin is about 4% or less. These are the seats where competent ACT candidates should run for the seat and give it 100%. These seats are:

East Coast: Which went to National with a vote margin of 1219
Hamilton West: which went to Labour with a margin of 825
Otaki: Which went to Labour with a margin of only 382 votes
Rotorua: Went to Labour with a margin of only 662 votes
Taupo: Labour with a margin of 1285 votes
and
Tauranga which should be left to National's Simon Bridges who will make a brilliant MP.
(margin 730)

So taking Tauranga out of it, and adding Epsom for Rodney there are 6 electorates in NZ in the forthcoming election that ACT should seriously have a go at. Along with 1 in ten people voting for ACT with a Party vote getting about 10% or slightly more then ACT are in a serious position to make a difference in NZ. The public of NZ are looking for a change and are slightly weary of the two main parties. This would provide a change for the better for all New Zealander's and would give National weary supporters strength in knowing that effective cousin ACT is there for stability and verification.

I have mentioned to Rodney a way that I think will get as much as 15-20%+ of the party vote. Time will tell if ACT use that idea..... If I can take a page out of Sen Barack's book I would have to agree and say that it is time for change. If National get over a 50% majority will that necessarily make for a better NZ, or will it make for a regime that makes all of the decisions as they please without being checked on the consequences? Time will tell.

NZ election results 2005

ElectorateResultWinning Candidate2nd PlaceMargin
Aoraki100.0%GOODHEW, Jo (NAT)SUTTON, Jim (LAB)6,937
Auckland Central100.0%TIZARD, Judith (LAB)WONG, Pansy (NAT)3,884
Banks Peninsula100.0%DYSON, Ruth (LAB)CARTER, David (NAT)1,923
Bay of Plenty100.0%RYALL, Tony (NAT)SCOTT, Pauline (LAB)13,584
Christchurch Central100.0%BARNETT, Tim (LAB)WAGNER, Nicky (NAT)7,836
Christchurch East100.0%DALZIEL, Lianne (LAB)ROUND, David John (NAT)11,973
Clevedon100.0%COLLINS, Judith (NAT)HEREORA, David Murray (LAB)12,871
Clutha-Southland100.0%ENGLISH, Bill (NAT)TALBOT, David (LAB)13,032
Coromandel100.0%GOUDIE, Sandra (NAT)PURNELL, Max (LAB)10,578
Dunedin North100.0%HODGSON, Pete (LAB)RICH, Katherine (NAT)7,630
Dunedin South100.0%BENSON-POPE, David Henry (LAB)POWELL, Conway (NAT)10,640
East Coast100.0%TOLLEY, Anne (NAT)MACKEY, Moana Lynore (LAB)1,219
East Coast Bays100.0%McCULLY, Murray (NAT)McCRACKEN, Hamish (LAB)7,286
Epsom100.0%HIDE, Rodney (ACT)WORTH, Richard (NAT)3,102
Hamilton East100.0%BENNETT, David (NAT)YATES, Dianne Fae (LAB)5,298
Hamilton West100.0%GALLAGHER, Martin Owen (LAB)MACINDOE, Tim (NAT)825
Helensville100.0%KEY, John (NAT)LAWLEY, Judy (LAB)12,778
Hutt South100.0%MALLARD, Trevor (LAB)THOMAS, Rosemarie (NAT)5,740
Ilam100.0%BROWNLEE, Gerry (NAT)BLANCHARD, Julian (LAB)7,821
Invercargill100.0%ROY, Eric (NAT)HARPUR, Wayne (LAB)2,052
Kaikoura100.0%KING, Colin (NAT)BURNS, Brendon (LAB)4,675
Mana100.0%LABAN, Winnie (LAB)FINLAYSON, Christopher (NAT)6,734
Mangere100.0%FIELD, Taito Phillip (LAB)SIMICH, Clem (NAT)16,020
Manukau East100.0%ROBERTSON, Ross (LAB)YEE, Ken (NAT)9,890
Manurewa100.0%HAWKINS, George Warren (LAB)AIONO, Fepulea'i Ulua'ipou-O-Malo (NAT)11,707
Maungakiekie100.0%GOSCHE, Mark (LAB)GOLDSMITH, Paul (NAT)6,450
Mt Albert100.0%CLARK, Helen Elizabeth (LAB)MUSUKU, Ravi (NAT)14,749
Mt Roskill100.0%GOFF, Phil (LAB)BLUE, Jackie (NAT)9,895
Napier100.0%TREMAIN, Chris (NAT)FAIRBROTHER, Russell (LAB)3,591
Nelson100.0%SMITH, Nick (NAT)McCUTCHEON, Jen (LAB)10,226
New Lynn100.0%CUNLIFFE, David (LAB)HARRIS, Mita (NAT)8,078
New Plymouth100.0%DUYNHOVEN, Harry (LAB)IRVING, Moira (NAT)5,439
North Shore100.0%MAPP, Wayne (NAT)TWYFORD, Phil (LAB)9,701
Northcote100.0%COLEMAN, Jonathan (NAT)HARTLEY, Ann (LAB)2,383
Northland100.0%CARTER, John (NAT)JONES, Shane Geoffrey (LAB)9,275
Ohariu-Belmont100.0%DUNNE, Peter (UFNZ)CHAUVEL, Charles (LAB)7,702
Otago100.0%DEAN, Jacqui (NAT)PARKER, David (LAB)1,995
Otaki100.0%HUGHES, Darren (LAB)GUY, Nathan (NAT)382
Pakuranga100.0%WILLIAMSON, Maurice (NAT)WOOD, Michael Philip (LAB)9,582
Palmerston North100.0%MAHAREY, Steven (LAB)PLIMMER, Malcolm (NAT)5,500
Piako100.0%TISCH, Lindsay (NAT)MORONEY, Sue (LAB)8,351
Port Waikato100.0%HUTCHISON, Paul (NAT)WALL, Louisa (LAB)13,498
Rakaia100.0%CONNELL, Brian (NAT)MILNE, Tony Robert (LAB)10,448
Rangitikei100.0%POWER, Simon (NAT)BROWN, Marilyn (LAB)9,660
Rimutaka100.0%SWAIN, Paul (LAB)LEDDY, Mike (NAT)8,277
Rodney100.0%SMITH, Lockwood (NAT)DUNLOP, Tony (LAB)11,536
Rongotai100.0%KING, Annette Faye (LAB)YOUNG, Nicola M J (NAT)12,638
Rotorua100.0%CHADWICK, Stephanie (Steve) (LAB)STEHBENS, Gil (NAT)662
Tamaki100.0%PEACHEY, Allan (NAT)BOYLE, Leila (LAB)9,510
Taranaki-King Country100.0%ARDERN, Shane (NAT)STREET, Maryan (LAB)13,118
Taupo100.0%BURTON, Mark (LAB)KIRTON, Weston Mervyn (NAT)1,285
Tauranga100.0%CLARKSON, Bob (NAT)PETERS, Winston (NZF)730
Te Atatu100.0%CARTER, Chris (LAB)HENARE, Tau (NAT)10,447
Tukituki100.0%FOSS, Craig (NAT)BARKER, Rick (LAB)2,402
Waimakariri100.0%COSGROVE, Clayton (LAB)WILKINSON, Kate (NAT)5,606
Wairarapa100.0%HAYES, John (NAT)MacKENZIE, Denise (LAB)2,752
Waitakere100.0%PILLAY, Lynne (LAB)BENNETT, Paula (NAT)4,942
Wellington Central100.0%HOBBS, Marian (LAB)BLUMSKY, Mark (NAT)6,180
West Coast-Tasman100.0%O'CONNOR, Damien Peter (LAB)AUCHINVOLE, Chris (NAT)2,154
Whanganui100.0%BORROWS, Chester (NAT)PETTIS, Jill (LAB)2,402
Whangarei100.0%HEATLEY, Phil (NAT)CHALMERS, Paul (LAB)9,089
Wigram100.0%ANDERTON, Jim (JAP)LOMAX, Allison (NAT)8,548
Ikaroa-Rawhiti100.0%HOROMIA, Parekura (LAB)POANANGA, Atareta (MAOR)1,932
Tainui100.0%MAHUTA, Nanaia (LAB)GREENSILL, Angeline (MAOR)1,860
Tamaki Makaurau100.0%SHARPLES, Pita Russell (MAOR)TAMIHERE, John (LAB)2,127
Te Tai Hauauru100.0%TURIA, Tariana (MAOR)MASON, Errol (LAB)5,113
Te Tai Tokerau100.0%HARAWIRA, Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene (MAOR)SAMUELS, Dover (LAB)3,613
Te Tai Tonga100.0%OKEROA, Mahara (LAB)OHIA, Monte (MAOR)2,503
Waiariki100.0%FLAVELL, Te Ururoa (MAOR)RIRINUI, Mita (LAB)2,871

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

On Holiday in Europe

I am currently situated in Corsanico, which is in Tuscany in Italy. It is very nice here. I am staying the www.d-h-h.com house here with my family and friends. (Not a free bee). It is very nice here with about 2 acres, a pool and guest house, spectacular views and even a cherry tree ripe for the picking. I am also particularly impressed with the BMW X5 diesel (Just like Pablo's) which has plenty of power and lasts about 400 miles on a fuel tank. Bring on the BMW diesels in the USA. I flew in yesterday from Glasgow in Scotland where I visited cousin Derek and his lady and twins. The twins were very well behaved for nearly being 2 and the haggis and irn bru, which is a favorite of mine, tasted just as good this time as it did 7 years ago, even better.
Here for another couple of days, then a quick stop off in Munich and London then back to Los Angeles for my friends Kristin and Scott's wedding. What a fun week.

Monday, June 09, 2008

2009 Cadillac CTS-V


It seems that the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is going to be a tire smoking power house. Its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 is expected to produce 556 horsepower at 6,100rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3,800rpm. Cadillac claims the CTS-V sedan will go from 0-to-60mph in just 3.9 seconds and through the quarter mile in 12 seconds flat. Now that my friends is FAST.

Top speed when equipped with the six-speed automatic transmission is limited to 175mph. Get the six-speed manual and you’re free to run all the way to 191mph. Autobahn type situation on our hands courtesy of Detroit.

Even with gas at about $5 per gallon, if it is as economical as it's cousin the Corvette ZO6 then this may well be the candidate for my next vehicle.