AOB - March and April 2009

Twitter fatique - A study by Nielsen Online states that more than 60 percent of new Twitter users give up on the service a month after signing up.

No surprise really. Twitter was a short lived craze but it isn't for everyone. Why? Because most people really don't care what you're doing. And you don't care what they're doing, either.

Lots of people will have joined Twitter to see what the fuss is. But the novelty wears off in a hurry.

I signed up a few weeks ago. I've discovered that Twitter is a good way to learn about new things, such as interesting articles and potential story topics. On the down side, I'm getting links to more articles than I could ever read. It's another case of information overload.

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See the story below from 25 April. The Abu Dhabi authorities have now responded with their own investigation:

"The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates guarantees a number of fundamental rights including those set forth in Article 25 providing that all persons are equal before the law, without distinction in regard to race, nationality, religious belief and social status.

The Human Rights Office (HRO) of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has viewed the contents of a video containing graphic scenes of physical abuse that has been widely circulated online and reported in international media.
The Government of Abu Dhabi unequivocally condemns the actions depicted on the video.

The HRO of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department will conduct a comprehensive review of the matter immediately and make its findings public at the earliest opportunity.

Based on the statement made by the UAE Ministry of Interior, the HRO of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department understands that the matter depicted on the video was resolved between the two parties and that no criminal charges were brought by either party.

However, the HRO believes that the events depicted on the video appear to represent a violation of human rights and therefore these events should be fully reviewed in their own right."

Good to know that this matter is not being ignored by the authorities. The video really is unpleasant.

Emirates will introduce daily nonstop service on routes from Dubai to Los Angeles and San Francisco starting Friday, May 1, 2009. Having operated thrice-weekly service in both markets since late 2008 (Los Angeles commenced Oct. 26; San Francisco, Dec. 15), Emirates has taken additional delivery of the technologically advanced Boeing 777-200LR aircraft and will now operate daily service to both cities from the airline's new Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport.

Back in Dubai after an overnight from Toronto. Only 12 hours from Toronto to Dubai. When there are good BKK and SIN connections it will be the fastest way from Toronto to BKK and to Singapore. This will need a number of evening departures from Dubai. A third wave?

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Lots of mini dramas on the flight. Nothing like watching the crew telling eachother off in front of the passengers. Like a good soap opera!

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How bad is Thailand - even the elephants are upset - see this from Reuters:

"Laithonglian Meephan, who runs an elephant park hurting from a lack of tourists and foreign volunteers, is hoping Thailand's revered 81-year-old monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej can intervene to end the four-year stalemate.

"I really don't see an end to these political problems -- even my elephants are suffering," he said. "Sadly, I think the only way out is for our King to tell everyone to stop fighting.""

26 April 2009

There is a good backgrounder on Thailand's political crisis here. The article gives a fairly complete analysis of the players and the issues.

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One downside of a short trip to Toronto is that by 7pm we are tired; that is 3am in Dubai. Someone needs her sleep - so we dont go anywhere in the evening. No food either. And a glass of wine would be nice. Instead I am sitting in the dark typing this as quietly as possible!

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Such weird weather. Cold and wet this morning after last night's storms. But a lovely spring afternoon and evening. And it is meant to reach 27C on Monday.

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We went to Niagara Falls today. It is 15 years since I was last there. Lots of new development around Niagara. Especially a large number or new and expensive looking vineyards.

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The Maid of the Mist is a great trip. But the water in April is very cold!

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There are some great aerial pictures of wintry Toronto in this contribution to airliners.net.

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Thaksin also used Manchester City to suit his business and family interests: the Guardian reports - "Few at City doubt that Thaksin used the club to boost his own standing in Thailand. Thai dignitaries were entertained at matches and the City team taken on a tour of the country – for which, the accounts show, £47,912 was paid for PR services to a company owned by Thaksin's son, Panthongtae Shinawatra."

I am enjoying being back in Toronto. More on that later. The jet lag means I am a bit tired.

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There are some alarming reports coming from the UAE. I don't want to report them myself and will let you read the details at these links and form your own judgment.

The UAE may need to do a better job of managing its international response to the story.

It is not easy for the west to be judgemental here after the endless waterboarding, rendition and Abu Ghraib revelations.

Outbound on EK201 to New York this morning; about 80 minutes late leaving Dubai after early morning fog - so I am not sure that I will make my connection up to Toronto. It will be very tight - and depends on whether immigration is rapid or not as I have to get from Terminal 4 to Terminal 8.

Actually it may be from the sandwiches that some people have been given mid flight!

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I am officially not a resident of Dubai as of today. My old company decided at their year end that they wanted to cancel any outstanding work visas. After you visa is cancelled you have in theory 30 days to leave the country. Except I was already booked to fly out today; the day after the visa was cancelled.

The company even sends someone to the airport to make sure that I really am catching the flight and leaving the country. I guess they were helping me with what appears to be a bureaucratic process. But it does feel as though they were making sure that I leave.

There are still some amounts due from the company which I hope I do not have to chase for.

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13 hours and 20 minutes to New York. About the same as the Far East to London flights that I used to do from SIN and HKG. The trouble with this flight is the jet lag from an 8 hour time difference.

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There is a benefit of flying on the A380. The bathrooms get cleaned regularly. EK employs two crew to keep the showers and washrooms clean. The two girls seem to work hard in perhaps the least enjoyable job on any airplane anywhere!

Hard to imagine that the UAE is seriously committing to banning Thaksin from re-entering the country. As he has a diplomatic passport I am not sure they can ban him.

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"The Criminal Court on Thursday ruled to validate the state of emergency on the ground that the government correctly followed prescribed procedures as prescribed by relevant laws."

The usual smoke and mirrors in the Thai press. The PM can call a state of emergency and it gives him huge power; but the constitution clearly requires the cabinet to confirm the state of emergency within three days. Instead they took about 11 days. Careless - or simply an indication of a government that will invoke the law only when it suits them.

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And where is the big red shirt - Liberia apparently - ex-Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in Liberia, Africa to explore Thai investment and cooperation, Star Radio of Liberia reported on Tuesday.

Wish there was more to write about here. I am happy that we are going to Toronto at the weekend. I have not been there since 2006 and it was always a fun city to visit. There is a lot to see and do in 2 and 1/2 days so we will be busy. The jet lag will hurt!

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For anyone reading this in Dubai - go here and enjoy!

I think the following notes are best in the blog only - rather than in the news section.

Apparently the VP Flight Safety has resigned over the 'mis-management' treatment of the Melbourne 407 pilots.

It may be that EK management is suddenly aware of low pilot morale and a significant credibility gap between pilots and management. Apparently the 407 voice recorder revealed some blunt front line feelings about management that have surprised investigators.

There have also been other recent incidents that suggest that the overall image is slipping and needs to be addressed. So a series of meetings are being held by EK management with its cockpit captains. This follows from business briefings held recently for all cabin crew.

EK management will meet all Captains in groups over the next 6 weeks to address the implications of a number of incidents over the past few months. including the MEL tailscrape / recent 777 go around in MAN / Crew behaviour in KUL/ BKK Alcohol test failure.

A draft of the ATSB report on the Melbourne incident has been provided to Emirates and there will be a news conference in Melbourne this weekend.

I suspect these sessions become very interactive. The pilots I have met have all been the most articulate of people and generally have the strongest views on safety and behaviour.

I flew back from BKK on Etihad today using a standby ticket. The BKK to UAE routes are very full at the moment so standby is quite stressful - will I or wont I be on the flight !?

An assassination attempt on Sondhi Limthongkul this morning in Bangkok could be an alarming change in tactics.

Asia Times Online says that "the fear now is that Friday's assassination attempt could indicate that the UDD and Thaksin's supporters aim to bypass the courts and mete out justice as they see fit on Thailand's increasingly mean streets."

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Sorry I have been quiet - I was banned from internet access yesterday ! And we were driving on the 15th down to Hua Hin. We are back at Worabura - 6 months after our wedding here. The resort is a bit quiet!

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Web site update problems ! I have used all 10gigabytes of hosting space. I have too many full size pictures on this web site so I need to rethink how to display my photographs!

We did go out to Sukhumvit 33 last night for pizza. It was quiet on the streets and on soi 33.

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Growl - some idiot - security guard at my least favorite car rental at the sathorn/rama iv junction - decided to run across the road - come up behind me and throw stinking klong water over me.

I do hate so much of Songkran. Yes I know I should be in a happy tolerant songkran mood.

Poor old Emirates - there is no business from New York so they pull the A380 to send it to Bangkok from June 1st. And now after another round of protests in Bangkok there will be many cancellations.....

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So where are we heading in Thailand. Neither an election nor a mediated process of reconciliation is likely to resolve Thailand’s present revolutionary situation. A free election will return Thaksinites to power, thus provoking his enemies all over again; an unfree election will only stir the red shirts into more intense opposition to the prevailing order.

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PM Abhisit knows better than anyone else, the royal yellow lesson from 2008 is that thuggery, violence and provocation can reap rich political rewards.

The red shorts have gone to far; but precedent suggests that they think this is worthwhile.

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Honestly, I am getting to a point where I am past caring. The country is a mess. Why should I care when the Thais themselves don't seem to care, or to understand basic concepts like respect, fairness and decency. Next year (and Tai may not agree) we need to go somewhere else.

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It is a lovely sunny warm day in Bangkok. But no one wants to go out.

We went as far as Emporium which was open; but many shops remain closed and shuttered.

I have never really liked Songkran - it is an excuse for people to behave badly.

Worse hundreds of people are killed - in traffic accidents. What sort of holiday is that?

As night falls on troubled Bangkok there are reports that back-up from special warfare command in Lopburi are on their way to Bangkok (they are normally involved in coups although not exclusively - they were part of the 1992 crackdown).

I feel that something will happen tonight - one huge push against the red shirts. It will end in violence and death if it happens.

It is just a matter of time before the army tries to end this - unless the UDD - red shirts - back down.

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The most bizarre story of the day was when two armoured carriers came out of the Royal Thai Police head office but were quickly seized by red-shirted protesters in front of the Siam Paragon shopping mall.

Siam Paragon !! This is Bangkok's newest, finest, biggest, shopping centre. And it has APVs being taken over by red shirts right in front of the building. Truly bizarre.

This is after declaring a state of emergency. Excise me officer - we are hijacking your APV, but you can have a red scarf and join us.

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By the way - Emirates, and other airlines, are over-nighting their crews at the Novotel Airport hotel rather than downtown. If there is an escalation of the fighting the crew will board the next plane out and avoid all the problems that the airlines faced last December.

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Sunday afternoon: Thai authorities have declared a state of emergency across the capital Bangkok and surrounding areas, state television announced on Sunday, following political protests that closed a regional summit.

The decree came "because the situation is worsening with a group of people inciting unrest", a television announcer said before Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva began a live speech on local television.

Not clear what this means - it should mean no gathering of more than 5 people. It did not stop a very large number of people having fun at the Chatujak market today !

This should be a fun festival - but it is also an excuse for too many people to behave badly. This is not helped by the people at BKK Magazine. Their feature this week is on 50 tips and tricks to help you survive Songkran.

Number 22 reads " Fondle white people. Those big breasted Swedish backpackers are in Khoa San. Go get 'em, boys."

Disgraceful. Assault is still assault. And using Songkran as an excuse to legitimise sexual assault is disgraceful. But that is the attitude of so many people in Thailand.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that Friday will be an extra holiday to pave way for the authorities to take action against wrongdoers in the Bangkok street blockades.

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There is chaos on the street in Bangkok tonite and this looks likely to escalate rather than fizzle out.

The red shirts in their taxis have blockaded the major intersection at Victory monument. It would not be hard for them to blockade many other major traffic routes including the airport and the road to Pattaya - before the ASEAN meeting to be held this weekend.

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Abhisit looks lost. Of course the lovely irony is that last year, after the PAD started protesting, Abhisit called for a dissolution and kept up this call basically until he became PM. PPP rejected this. Now, the tables are reversed, with UDD calling either for a dissolution or Abhisit to resign which Abhisit rejects as "undemocratic".

Did you know that MacDonalds owns a large stake in the UK sandwich chain - Pret a Manger?

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Dubai bashing has become the new Olympic sport. None of this will be good for the property market here which depends upon expat purchasers.

The BBC Panorama piece which can be found on my Today page is a sad story of Dubai's immigrant labour force. You can see it all around you every day.

Some of the other articles and stories are less well researched. Maybe even written by people who have not been here, or who are seeking the worst of everything.

But this is an article that hits hard - so hard I actually don't want to republish it - the Independent is a credible newspaper.

Why the backlash - to be honest Dubai has probably brought it in itself. Excessive over marketing; the lack of real estate and legal transparency; simple greed and too little respect for human rights.

I did not get a second interview with the local media company. No feedback which is a shame.

As always it may be for the best. The business is in trouble. And my suspicion is that I was too expensive. Even the cut price version of me.

Sir Michael Parkinson will get abused for his commentary in the Radio Times (UK) today - but his commentary on Jade Goody says everything that many people dared not say:

Parkinson wrote - "Her death is as sad as the death of any young person but it's not the passing of a martyr or a saint or, God help us, Princess Di."

"When we clear the media smokescreen from around her death, what we're left with is a woman who came to represent all that's paltry and wretched about Britain today.

"She was brought up on a sink estate, as a child came to know both drugs and crime, was barely educated, ignorant and puerile.

"Then she was projected to celebrity by "Big Brother" and, from that point on, became a media chattel to be manipulated and exploited till the day she died," he said.

The broadcaster added it was not the fact that Goody became famous in the first place that bothered him: "What bothers me is that the media first of all recommended we hate Jade Goody.

"'A slapper with a face like a pig'; 'the most hated woman in Britain', remember? And shortly thereafter tried to persuade us to celebrate her."

He said Goody was "the perfect victim of our times...brought up in a cesspit of poverty and died to an orchestrated chorus of exploitation".

"All that is to be wished of such a troubled soul is: rest in peace," he concluded.

Tai and I will be in BKK at the end of the week; how bad is Thai tourism - one site is reporting that Bangkok hotels are running near 30% occupancy, Pattaya around 55-60%, similar for Phuket & Samui. The north and east are more like 30-35%…. and that’s now. May will see the numbers drop off dramatically as the low season starts.

The Russians are not coming anymore - so Pattaya has problems - and they were the only buyers of Pattaya properties - a good reason never to buy there.

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Tai has an Istanbul turnaround. I had lunch with one of ex colleagues. Good guy. He looked tired. I feel a bit guilty - I worked hard to persuade him to come to Dubai! Sorry.

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The North Koreans got there rocket up. The Koreans say that it is in orbit and is playing patriotic songs.

The Japanese, South Koreans and Americans say that it never got into orbit and came down in the Pacific.

The North Koreans raised two less than diplomatic fingers to UN resolution 1718 and went ahead and tested the missile.

There will be lots of noise tonight at a meeting of the UN - but the Chinese will veto any useful resolution that reprimands the Koreans.

I am sorry - but who was Jade Goody? I seem to have missed out on all the fuss. Her funeral is today - and it is the top story on Sky News.

Meanwhile 15 people died in a shooting rampage in New York state; the Koreans are launching missiles.

A young death is sad. And her cancer will have raised awareness among many young people.

If the North Koreans are going to launch this new missile could they please get on with it.....the brinkmanship is getting tedious.

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How does a nation go from George W Bush to Barack Obama - one extreme to the other. Obama is a rock star. People want to see him and to listen to him. He sounds interested. He sounds believable. He speaks with thought; and alos authority.

Met up with one of my old colleagues yesterday afternoon. A bright and very hard working guy - someone who has lots of ideas and wants to understand how things work and then to make them work better.

On another site someone describes the culture of their own company as follows: "It's a nasty corrosive culture we have here of sycophantic wannabie 'managers' enforcing the policies of control from above." Sounds familiar.

Mr Obama said: “I had breakfast with the Prime Minister, meetings with the Chinese, the Russians, David Cameron...”

Prince Philip replied: “Can you tell the difference between them?”

At 87 - yes he is 87 now. He still has his rather loutish humour!

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Obama was walking back in No10 Downing Street with his pet poodle - sorry I mean the British Prime Minister. Obama reached out to shake the hands of the policeman standing guard at the entrance. How many other country leaders would think to do that and do it in such a genuine way. He is a class act.

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I like the Obama one-liners where he is off script and very human: The Obamas met Mr. and Mrs Brown’s children, John, five, and three-year-old James.

Obama quipped: "We talked about dinosaurs a little bit in between discussions about Afghanistan and Iraq.”

As per 01APR09 Emirates inventory display, it'll be launching 3 weekly service on the Dubai - Luanda service from 04AUG09. Service to the Angolan capital is operated by A330-200

EK791 DXB1050 - 1550LAD 332 247
EK792 LAD1800 - 0500+1DXB 332 247

Makes more sense as you read more - Angola has significant links to both Houston in the USA and to Brazil. Delta is starting a flight from Houston in the summer.

Since the end of the 1975 to 2002 civil war Angola has been undergoing a massive national reconstruction. It is forecast to be one the world's fastest growing economies.

Go to the Benfica market, which sells everything from perfume to ivory to animal skins and tourist guidebooks.

Take the boat out to Mussulo, the best beach in town.

Visit the Kissama Game Park, a beautiful and enormous national game park just 2 hours south of Luanda recently restocked.

Contact Eco Tur who run safaris there in specialist game viewing vehicles www.eco-tur.com

There is more than a little tension in many companies between management and its labour force - this is a comment from another site about a certain middle east airline - Any meeting of pilots more than the compliment of a ULR flight is considered mutiny.

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