Dow Jones drops -777.68

That is the biggest drop in the Dow ever I believe. Someone will make lots of funds when it pops back again. Crude oil also dropped and the US$ made gains. Very unusual day.

John McCain suspends Presidential campaign.

Sen John McCain has temporarily suspended his Presidential Campaign to get back to Washington and fix the financial situation that has occurred in the USA. He has asked for the Presidential debate this Friday to be postponed and he has called upon Sen Obama to join him and get this problem sorted in a bi-partisan way before Monday. This is a bold move and I hope both Presidential candidate Senator's can work together to make a difference in this bad fiscal situation. John McCain (and maybe Barack Obama) putting the people first.

New Zealand Elections November 8th 2008

The New Zealand Election has been announced as November 8th 2008. This is an exciting time for NZ. Give your National Party Candidate the Electorate vote and ACT your Party Vote.
If you are in Epsom Electorate Give Rodney Hide ACT leader both votes.
You can make NZ a better place after November 8th 2008 with ACT and National.

AC/DC World Tour

AC/DC have a new website (click on banner above to view) and are about to release a new album called Black Ice on October 20th 2008. They are also going on a world tour probably for the last time, and I intend to go to a few of their concerts. Last time they were in town (Auckland) it was the day before School Cert and I was not allowed to go :-( I must admit that was 16 years ago.... Time flys. I am thinking Madison Square Garden.... in NYC... Rock on.

September 11th 2008

Let us not forget...

Canadian elections October 14th 2008

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Canada's Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper dissolved Parliament on Sunday and called an early election for next month in hopes of strengthening his Conservative minority government's hold on power.

The October 14 election will be Canada's third ballot in four years. Maybe Canada needs MMP?

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative party needs an additional 28 seats to have a majority in Parliament. Although he has downplayed that possibility, polls in recent days indicate his right wing party has a chance to do so, and with Mr Dion as the opposition leader he will.

The Conservatives unseated the rather corrupted Liberal Party in 2006 after nearly 13 years in power, but as a minority government the Conservatives have been forced to rely on opposition lawmakers to pass legislation and adopt budgets. A minority government in Canada always leads to early elections.

Analysts said PM Harper's Conservatives had a better shot of winning now than if they waited until being forced by the opposition into a vote later, when the Canadian economy might be worse off.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Harper visited Governor General Michaelle Jean and asked her to dissolve Parliament. The governor general is the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who is Canada's head of state, but the position is purely ceremonial and the governor general obeys the wishes of the prime minister.

Electoral legislation that Harper helped enact after he came to power in 2006 fixed the date for the next election in October 2009, but a loophole allows the prime minister to ask the governor general to dissolve Parliament.

"Between now and October 14, Canadians will choose a government to look out for their interests at a time of global economic trouble," Harper said after the meeting.

"They will choose between direction or uncertainty; between common sense or risky experiments; between steadiness or recklessness."

Liberal leader French Canadian Stephane Dion who can barely speak English, said the election offers a stark choice between his party and the "most conservative government in our history." The Liberals have a record of corruptness, Eastern PM's and bad economic and foreign ideals, so Mr Dion has a lot of work ahead of him.

The Conservatives now fill 127 of the 308 seats in Parliament. The Liberals have 95, Bloc Quebecois 48, the New Democrats 30 and the Greens have one seat. Three seats are held by independents, and four are vacant.

Dion, a former environment minister who named his dog Kyoto, wants to increase taxes on greenhouse gas emitters amongst other things. Dion has moved his party to the crowded left in Canada by staking his leadership on a "Green Shift" tax plan.

The Conservatives have been targeting Dion's plan in television and radio ads, saying it would kill jobs and drive up energy costs even higher than the current high levels. Dion has said he would offset the higher energy prices by cutting income taxes.

Dion hasn't had much success selling the plan to Canadians, many of whom have viewed him as a weak leader ever since he surprisingly won leadership of the party in late 2006.

"I love to be the underdog. I love being underestimated," Dion said. Wonder what Mr Dion will do for his next career?

Many expect Dion to be removed as leader if he loses the election. Therefore I am expecting a new left wing Canadian Liberal leader to be appointed after Stephen Harper is sworn in as PM of Canada with a Conservative majority after October 14th.