Greg Johnson playing in San Diego June 10th 2007

Iran gets wild?

John Key is ahead of Helen Clark in NZ PM polls.

With Don Brash gone and John Key taking the leadership of the NZ National Party, TV3 said it was the first time since 1999, when Jenny Shipley was prime minister, that its TNS poll had shown anyone preferred as PM above Miss Clark.

Mr John Key scored 32 per cent, up four points compared with the last poll in March, and Miss Clark was down seven points to 30 per cent. A close call, but a positive change for the center right. "From every corner of New Zealand we're getting a very strong message that New Zealanders think it's time for a change," Mr Key said.

Miss Clark said the Government tended to get the blame every time something went wrong, even when events happened "well down the food chain" and across a lot of government departments. A rather arrogant comment from the current NZ PM.

The poll also showed National overtaking Labour in the party vote, in line with a trend shown by other polls. National was up from 42 per cent support in March to 48 per cent, while Labour was down from 44 per cent to 36 per cent. Yee HA.

The Green Party was up two points to 8 per cent and the Maori Party was up one point to 3.7 per cent. New Zealand First was up from 1.2 per cent in March to 2.4 per cent, while the other minor parties including ACT were below 1 per cent.

Translated into seats in Parliament, National would have 59 which is nearly enough to rule on its own without a partner and Labour would have 44, so they'd have to sit on the opposition benches. The Greens would have 10, the Maori Party five and ACT, United Future and the Progressive Party one each.

A pretty poor result for ACT really, it is time to get some increase in polling results. If the Greens can be on 8% and constitute rather hard left folk who would probably do more damage than good for NZ if they got more power then it is time for Rodney Hide to power up his SMART GREEN policy's which are particularly good and promote them big time.

There is no reason why ACT can't get 15% of the party vote next election if they are organized and have the right people in place to win seats. The longer it takes to get some positive results before the next election the more of a lottery it becomes.

RIP Ananda Das McClure 05-11-06

Tony Blair to resign

Tony Blair said Thursday he would step down as British prime minister on June 27, closing a decade of power in which he fostered peace in Northern Ireland and followed the United States to a war in Iraq that cost him much of his popularity.

In a somber farewell, Blair made way for Treasury chief Gordon Brown to take the top post. The British leader looked overcome with emotion, struggling to retain his trademark broad grin as loud cheers rang out.

I am guessing that he will follow the lead that Bill Clinton took by making millions in speaking tour around the world.

Road trip to Colorado

I flew to Reno Nevada on Friday and upon landing I caught a taxi the 50 miles to Squaw Valley CA. I had to inspect that house that www.d-h-h.com owns and prepare the BMW x5 that was there for a just under 1100 mile road trip to another of Distinctive Holiday Homes residences in Beaver Creek Colorado.

I left yesterday morning at 8am for the 50 mile trip to Reno to get the vehicle serviced at Bill Pearce BMW. Doug the service guy was excellent and they had me in and out of there in just under an hour with the car serviced, washed and vacuumed. Rick from sales proved to be good value and the time went fast. Excellent service.

I filled up with gas, put the arrival address in the navigation and began my 1000 miles at 10 am. The route took me through Utah, and what a beautiful State it is with it's salt flats, green grass and mountains. I encountered a small spitting of snow and temperatures below freezing for about an hour, but everything cleared up for a pleasant drive through the 73,000 acre Arches National Park. I noticed about 2 or 3 police vehicles along the way and most of the time the speed limit was 75 MPH with the occasional push slightly higher, so I made good time arriving in Beaver Creek in about 12.5-13hours of driving.

So I am in Beaver Creek now and I have plenty of work to do. Hope to be back in LA by Tuesday or Wednesday for a meeting with Cactus Kate.

Paris Hilton hitting the slammer

LOS ANGELES California USA -According to Reuters. Hotel heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton has been ordered to spend 45 days in jail for violating the terms of her probation for alcohol-related reckless driving. HEHE what an eye opener she is going to have.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered the 26-year-old celebrity socialite jailed for driving on a suspended license in February. He ordered her to report to jail on June 5. Time for some titanium undies Miss Hilton.

People magazine reported Hilton, 26, who was present along with her parents, as looking shocked when the sentence was read, while her mother gasped. I am sure that her mother realises that any innocence she may have now will be all down the girgler after her stint in California's best. Judge ordered her to report to women's jail in suburban Lynwood.

The judge, Michael Sauer, made the decision after a two-hour hearing during which Hilton insisted she was unaware that her driving privileges had been suspended when she was pulled over for driving without headlights on February 27.

"I'm very sorry and from now on I'm going to pay complete attention to everything. I'm sorry and I did not do it on purpose at all,"' Hilton told the judge before he announced the sentence.

Hilton will not be allowed any work release, furloughs, use of an alternative jail or electronic monitoring in lieu of jail, Judge Sauer ruled.

Hilton was placed on three years probation earlier this year for pleading no contest -- the equivalent of a guilty plea -- to alcohol-related reckless driving after a September 2006 arrest in Hollywood.

She landed in hot water again in late February, when she was pulled over on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood for driving without headlights. Police impounded her car, a US$190,000 blue Bentley, when they discovered she was driving on a suspended license. Naughty naughty girl.

Maybe she will make another video? Time will tell.