Welcome to rascott.com.
This is a personal site that reflects my interests in news, current affairs, aviation and travel.
email me at robert@rascott.com
Now In Dubai
Photo Albums
My
photographs have been moved off this site and are now stored on Picasa. They
were simply taking up too much space on my web host.
Please use this link to see my list of photo albums.
Some
Useful links:
Information:
Met Office Volcano watch
World Time Clock
Exchange Rates
Journalism:
Nationsonline.org
Project Syndicate
Amnesty International
Reporters w/o borders
The Guardian - UK
BBC World News
CNN Asia
Bangkok Post
Daylife.com - news
Gulf News
Arabian Business
Good causes:
Sister
Joan - Bangkok
Regional Info:
BKK Magazine
HK Magazine
In
Singapore Magazine
TimeOut Dubai
Travel:
Circle of Asia
Tales of Asia
Smart Travel Asia
Finance:
FinanceAsia
Aviation:
Amadeus (airline
schedules)
Airliners
- aviation forum
Thailand Info
thailand.com
learningthai.com
sawadee.com
bangkok a-z
Back in the UK:
Newton Ferrers
Government:
The
"new" White House
Photography
Denis Olivier - black and white
And for fun:
Lin Ping live panda tv
EarthCam
History
BBC Archive
National Media
Museum
The British Library
Imperial War Museum
The opinions expressed on these pages are entirely personal unless they are credited; you may not agree with all, or anything, that I write. So please use the feedback page to respond, comment or berate me.
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An Occasional Blog
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Thailand Blogs Bangkok Pundit - politics Bangkok Metblogs - city life Thai-blogs.com - rather serious
2bangkok.com
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not really a blog but always up to date on Bangkok news
BKKOK.com
Thai
Girl The exotic adventures of a literary
sexagenarian.
Thai
Films
Al - Emarati - English language
UAE blog
In China Danwei - media and advertising news from China
Shanghai
Diaries - self explanatory
My Olive Tree
- Macau blog In Singapore: Xiaxue - self-confessed mean, bitchy, sex goddess who says "wah" a lot!
Mr Brown
- colourful commentary from Singapore
Media:
Tabloid
Watch (UK) Aviation Amadeus (airline schedules) Airline meals - see it b4 you eat it !
Airliners
- aviation forum, trip reports and pix
archive Planenation - commercial aviation news Airchive - a web museum of commercial aviation.
CrankyFlier
- mainly US commentary
Sharjah - 1937 News The Guardian - UK
Arabian
Business China sites Bangkok info sites Worthy Sites Niall Ferguson - my favorite modern historian
Rconversation - from Rebecca
MacKinnon, ex-TV reporter-turned-blogger. Fun Sites
Penguin baseball Technology Ideas
Stuff -
gadgets
Author
Robert Scott lives and works in Dubai; born in England I have since lived in Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok. I am very happily married to Tai.
If you want to know more you only need to ask! ask.
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30 April 2010 Had a nice unexpected dinner at home last night with friends - good to sit around the table and just talk. We dont do that often enough. ************************ 29 April 2010 The best political debates are inevitably fictional, and this is the best: Jed Bartlet with rousing oratory, witty asides and unfalteringly moral rectitude - isnt this the leader that we all want ! ************************* ***************************** *******************************
Lin Ping will be one year old on May 27! ******************************* Britain's Foreign Office has warned citizens to avoid all but essential travel to Thailand because of "increasing tension" in the country and because of a risk "that violence could break out without warning". 28 April 2010 Well that's it then - the election all but decided as the Mail breathlessly reports a - "Coup for Tories as knife victim's sister, former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, backs Cameron." Err - Who ? ****************************** 27 April 2010 A UFO over Dubai - hard to imagine why aliens want to come to Dubai - maybe they want to see if there is any progress on their off plan Dubai property purchases. Case Number: 22986 To be read with suitable scepticism. ******************************** ********************************* The National is reporting that hundreds of Emirates airline employees
in staff accommodation at Dubai Silicon Oasis have been without water for
more than 24 hours. Some said they lost their supply on Sunday while others discovered yesterday that their taps were not working. Some took the matter into their own hands and ordered their own water from private suppliers. 26 April 2010 How do people survive living on their own I have not talked with anyone all day. I have not left the apartment. And its not like I can walk downstairs to a store or a coffee shop. This is a wasteland and I need to drive to get anywhere. The other risk is that if I lived on my own I would starve - cooking for myself is a bore! I would have to live next to a takeaway. Have not talked to Tai since she left - the time difference is not good for us and she is busy in SFO. Just remind me - why did I come here ? I know the answer. But I feel life is going backwards and not forwards. 25 April 2010 "Any hope for a peaceful resolution to this crisis appears to be fading fast"- Rachel Harvey for the BBC from BKK tonight. ************************** "The antagonism between them was displayed by a pro-government protester who made a rude gesture toward the red shirts on Thursday as she stood in front of a misspelled placard in English reading “Uneducate people.”" *************************** The contractors were in the apartment all day today from 9am til 5pm. It is almost four months since we took ownership of the apartment and they are still finishing work that should have been done before we moved in. And the apartment smells. A mix of oil paint, oil stripper, and contractor sweat Another grotty day. 24 April 2010 The UK Daily Mail is as subtle as ever.
"Like 'the last days of Saigon': Angry and stranded, 350 British tourists
cause near-riot at Bangkok airport." The Straits Times today tells Thailand what it needs to do. There is something about getting the log out of your own eye first. But this quote is relevant: "This is Thailand's biggest challenge. For a long time the so-called 'prai', or commoners, that the red shirts and Thaksin represented, were kept in their place in a rigid hierarchy where the king was at the apex. Close to this seat of power was a coterie of the aristocratic, bureaucratic and military elites. The Thaksin years began to change all that. Now the red shirts are bent on deepening the change, besides recognition of their newfound political influence, if not power. A rallying song sung in the Red Zone goes, 'We are human beings, not water buffaloes.'" Did have a nice lunch and afternoon at the beach at Snoopy Island, Fujairah with Bam, Tu and Tai. Lots of pictures ! 22 April 2010 Leaders' debate tonight. Gordon Brown much stronger this week. Clegg held his own Cameron is still struggling. It is actually true - Nick Clegg could be a PM? ************************* ************************** Sky News is opened by Rupert Murdoch. Muroch also owns the Sun, NoTW, Times and Sunday Times. The Murdoch owned media has already come out on favour of the Conservative Party. Their independence is compromised - totally. ************************** From a timely and sensible article from Nick Clegg. 21 April 2010 I am stuck in Dubai - was meant to fly to BKK and onto HKG tonite - but volcano-gate has put a stop to all staff and family travel until Sunday midnight. **************************** ***************************** Such a defense in a western court would be an outrage - but this is Dubai. Be careful. Be sensible. 20 April 2010 Who is going to rescue Bond. The 23rd James Bond film has been stopped indefinately. MGM Studios has no money - it has been up for same for months. The studio has debts of US$37 billion. Is this the end of 007? Or is someone going to come in and snap up the Bond franchise - maybe FOX - I could see Rupert Murdoch taking this on. *********************** *********************** *********************** 19 April 2010 A must watch on youtube. At least for family and friends - who is the oreo eating chinese speaking guy with the big swinging sword? *********************** ************************ ************************* And these pictures have some great images of Thai security around one of Bangkok's red light districts at Thaniya and Patpong. ************************** What is the price of safety? Massive commercial pressure from the airlines to start flights again. 18 April 2010 TV tonight was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. Maybe it does sanitise history. Maybe it does become a tragedy about a Nazi family. But the message is strong enough anyway. The acting is strong The two eight year old boys are believable in their innocence. Yes it is fiction. But the history is perhaps too hard to bear. Learn from the message; and let it give you as much hope as sadness. Friendship, childhood, innocence, evil, humanity, history. I am a bit shell shocked. I didn't cry. I just did not know what to feel. ************************ Reuters cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto, killed in bloody clashes in Bangkok, was cremated in Tokyo on Sunday after a service attended by about 500 family members, friends and colleagues. ************************** *************************** ****************************
Messrs Scholes and Neville celebrating Man U's 93rd minute winner against Abu Dhabi owned Manchester City. I like the closed eyes! 17 April 2010 One casualty of the ash clouds - John Barnes - who wsa meant to be on tv in the Middle East this weekend as the football pundit for Orbit Showtime. ************************** Growl. 16 April 2010 Sadly the volcano story has taken over any news of yesterday's China earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai. There the death told is at least 760 and over 8,000 are injured and many more homeless. We seem to have got our priorities very wrong. *************************** It will be interesting to see if Brown and Cameron turn their combined guns on Clegg at the next debate. The TV debate was necessary but not enjoyable. The audience are not allowed to applaud, cheer, heckle. They sit on their hands and do not participate other than to ask questions. The leaders used first names. It was all too British; too clubby; too nice. It should be a bear pit. 15 April 2010 Emirates from 02JUL10 operates 2 weekly scheduled charter service to
Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Service operates with Airbus A330-200. Schedule
below: If I lived alone I would starve. I really cannot be bothered to cook for myself. ************************* And later in the day I got into the elevator on the ground floor It did not move. And the doors would not open. I pressed the alarm. After ringing for a while it said your call has been disconnected. Then I banged on the door. Someone outside says is anyone in then. Who did they thing was banging the door. A guy from Du prised the door open. Not the security guard. He just looked confused. 13 April 2010 Here is a tragic story from Abu Dhabi in the National - but it is the first paragraph that says everything about living here: "Abu Dhabi // An Emirati woman was sentenced to two months in prison
for negligence leading to the death of her child, and two years for having
sex outside of wedlock. 12 April 2010 One thought from the day. I was in Waitrose - my regular supermarket stop, The girl at the check out was quite striking. So I politely asked where she came from - Myanmar...Yangon. Her English was good. One of Yangon's brighter students I suspect. But working as a cashier in Dubai? Its a funny world. Are there recruitment agencies actively recruiting in Myanmar to bring people to the Middle East. Is it cheaper to bring people from Myanmar then say the Philippines? How does someone get a passport to leave Myanmar. What does she have to pay to come here. How much does she have to remit back home? What would happen if she did not go home? Can she vote in the Myanmar elections. Does she know more about her country now that she has left it. What does she think about Aung San Suu Chi? It does seem strange that such a secretive and controlled nation is sending its people overseas. ***************************** Put about 100 bricks in some Particular order in a closed Room with an
Open window. Probably applies to may companies ! Not just Emirates! 11 April 2010 I think my lovely wife may be turning into a closet yellow shirt. The reds going home and stopping their protests is not a solution if nothing else changes and Abhisit and his elite backers remain unmoved and unrepentant! 10 April 2010 Alex left to go back to HKG tonite ************************* ************************** 6 April 2010 At lunch in Hydra today - the menu was in three languages - Greek French and English. One of the dishes was Coq au Vin in French. In English it was Cock in Wine. Alex wondered if they served Spotted Dick to follow. Funny ! ************************** And it is the first day since we arrived that Athens has been awake. The city has basically been closed all weekend. ***************************
4 April 2010 Alex and I are in sunny. cool Athens. Only 10C this morning. Easter Day here. Had a goof light over. The April movie and TV choices on Emirates are so much better than the last few months. This is just one of many reports on the red shirt rallies in central Bangkok yesterday. With pictures and links to news reports. 2 April 2010 Avoid Dubai Mall on a Friday night - the car parking is a nightmare - 40 minutes to get out of the car park - horns blaring - 4x4s driven by the usual suspects trying to barge their way ahead of the queues....so rude - and gauranteed to cause people to rage..... ****************************** And the cooker hood is now installed. 1 April 2010 I would like to welcome Tai to my world. Because today she should understand better just how frustrating it is to get anything done here. Just the simple matter of installing a cooker hood. Buy on Tuesday - confirm for delivery and installation on Thursday. Thursday 3pm. No delivery. Tai calls EMax. We will call you back in 5 minutes. No call. One hour later she calls EMAX again. They will be there in one hour. 6pm. My turn to call EMax. You need to call Mr. Salim at Bosch. Call Mr. Salim. We are closed now. No record of your delivery. Dont know when we can deliver. I will call you back. Write down my mobile number I tell him. I no have pen and paper he says. Call EMax. We will call you back in 5 minutes. They call back. We cannot find the order. (They only confirmed the order number, name and delivery address a few hours earlier). OK. We will call you back. 7pm Still waiting. Totally effing useless. And this is after a day of contractors working on the apartment still doing work that should have been done before the handover. And despite repeatedly showing them things that should be done - they were not touched. So they say they will be back on Saturday. Who knows. ******************************** April Fool's today - but not for Tiger Woods - who foolishly thinks he can keep misleading the press and his fans. Vanity Fair magazine fro May 2010 has interviewed four of Tiger Woods’ girls and is reporting that his closest advisers were fully involved in and aware of his affairs. The report in Vanity Fair paints Woods as a man who expected his best
friend and his agent to organise his affairs and cover them up when
discovered. The trouble is the same people are advising Tiger now as were involved with him before. He needs to fire them all including his boorish caddy, Willliams, and start again. According to
Hollywood Gossip Looks like reports that Rachel Uchitel received a
seven-figure confidentiality settlement from Tiger Woods were only
partially true. She received that and more. 30 March 2010 Hours of fun - a dictionary of phobias. Anatidaephobia is the fear that somewhere in the world, there is a duck watching you, Quack ! 29 March 2010 I was up until 3.30 am last night watching series 2 of Mad Men on DVD. And then got woken up by my favourite contractors at 7.30am. And it is getting warm in Dubai now; and humid. And it is only March. Two days ago it was 43C in the middle of the day. We had visitors in from Singapore and took them on the around Dubai tour: Madinat Jumairah; JBR; the Creek and Dubai Mall. I still like wandering by the Creek and taking the Abra - it feels so much more real than the rest of Dubai. ****************************** ******************************* Simon Andrews, 56, is said to have lost his temper during a heated row
with aviation student Mahmud Rasheed. Simon again protested his innocence before a judge examining evidence
in the case yesterday. The hearing was adjourned until April 4.
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27 March 2010 Talking of cars - and mine is a wreck thanks to the car park moron - maybe it is time to look at Ford: the Bangkok Motor Show is now under way - until April 6th.
The latest update on Sammy the Whale Shark is here - from The National in Abu Dhabi. A statement from the Atlantis hotel on Thursday said that the animal’s release had been documented by photography and video, but, added the National, the Atlantis has so far failed to respond to requests to release images or footage. Until there is evidence that the hotel is not lying through its teeth everyone should boycott this monstrous carbuncle; without question the ugliest building in Dubai. 25 March 2010 The big question - will I be able to get onto the flight - the joys and uncertainty of traveling on standby. The fight with Sky continues - they appear to have outsourced their customer support to India - all the replies are from Amit and Kumar - and they arrive in the middle of the night. And none of them answer the simple question of why there is an amount outstanding on my mother's account. Honestly it would be easier to pay the gbp 22.53. But why should I? A one year contract paid in advance comes to an end. There really should be nothing more to pay. Very odd. *************************** And the gas consumption. Ouch. The fuel for London to Plymouth and return - gbp98.50 (say US$150). I fill the car in Dubai for US$20. Apparently 2/3 of the gas price is now fuel tax. And taxes in England are truly scary. Tndividuals are faced with Income Tax, Capital Gains, VAT, Inheritance, Sin taxes, Fuel taxes. Even the airport tax to leave the UK is getting close to US$100. 24 March 2010 It was Budget Day in England today - and it was as damp as the weather. The better off got penalised - there were a few goodies dished out - and the real pain - how to cut the deficit - is being left until after the election. It was safety first - doing as little as possible to attract attention. It was as dull as he wanted it to be! ************************* ************************** *************************** The article is by Fred Lazar, an Associate Professor of Economics at the Schulich School of Business at York University. Makes me glad I never studies economics there! The economics of protectionism based on innuendo and misleading information. 23 March 2010 England on a wet cold day is miserable. Maybe Dubai is not so bad after all ! **************************** Is there now a rule that says we cannot be flexible or creative in finding solutions to problems. Is there now a rule that says we are too f***ing lazy to look at the details of an account to check its payment history and who has been responsible for payments. As far as I can tell Sky are trying to get paid for something that was not contracted for. A one year contract was paid in full in advance. Why is there anything more to pay? 22 March 2010 Wet and miserable in Devon until late in the afternoon. And when it is wet and miserable Plymouth is a fairly dismal place. I did have a walk around town - still more stores closing in the city centre. WH Smiths is always fun to visit. The British do like their magazines and they have magazines for everything; collectors of everything; modellers; computer geeks; old folks; young folks; farmers; cooks; historians. Everything is there. 21 March 2010 Dubai is a strange place. Innocent public displays of affection are an offence yet
prostitution is a well known part of city life. Nightclubs are full of people dressing for attention.
There is no other polite way to write it. The international airline serves alcohol on its flights. Different policy and different enforcement exist in each of the seven Emirates. All of this has to be sorted out. The UAE has to clarify the situation for expats and visitors but, more importantly, for Emiratis. 20 March 2010 Hallo from Newton Ferrers. It is nice to be able to wake up in big city Dubai, and finish the day in very quiet Newton Ferrers - after a 7 hour flight and a 4 hour drive. ***************************** I am glad she was sitting in the window seat. Had she been in the aisle seat and we had an emergency she would have been unable to move. Am I the only one who thinks it odd that Emirates serves alcohol to its passengers, who as soon as they clear immigration in Dubai, could be arrested for alcohol consumption. And serving 1.4 litres of wine to one person on a seven hour flight is irresponsible to her health and the rest of the passengers. 18 March 2010 The jailing of the Emirates cabin crew for sex texting has gone viral. The international news agencies are running the story. It is also all over Twitter. The New York Times has the story. New Zealand TV has the story. An Emirates spokeswoman declined to comment on the case as it was still
ongoing. The publicity is not very good for Dubai or the airline. But Dubai is not Ibiza. As soon as you leave the hotel bar or club after a drink and you are walking on the street what you are doing is technically illegal. It is unlikely you will be challenged - unless you are behaving inappropriately - but inappropriately in Dubai is very different from a Spanish resort. 17 March 2010 Another fight at home this evening. Am I so hard to live with? And another night on the sofa. That wonderful sense of joy and opportunity that we had seems to be slowly seeping away....and I don't know how to get it back. ************************** And they come not in battalions but as single spies. There is one team that polishes the door frames. Someone else to do the bathroom fittings. Someone else for electricals. Someone else to scrub the paint off the spare bedroom floor. And you have no idea when they will turn up, if at all. All I know is that if you are not there when they do turn up you lose your place in the queue and may never see them again. The building also has building sickness. I have not felt 100% since we moved in - blocked sinuses since we arrived here. And I think it is the building dust from constant continuing construction. It cannot be healthy. ***************************** After hearing submissions from Mr M Ravi, representing Yong, and the response from Attorney-General Walter Woon for the prosecution, the Court has reserved judgement for a later date. How important is this case in Singapore. Well, Attorney-General Walter Woon, flanked by seven prosecutors, argued the case himself; this was a very rare appearance for the A-G. Yong's lawyer, Mr M. Ravi, had a three- man research team from London, led by a Queen's Counsel, which flew in specially for the hearing. They are doing the case pro bono. 16 March 2010 I feel another rant coming - against stupid rules and the jobsworths that enforce them. The good news is that I am too tired to write it now. **************************** Total Population
Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Bizarre place to live - almost 3 and 1/2 men for every woman in Dubai. 15 March 2010 Becks is probably out of the world cup after an ankle ligament injury. I feel sorry for him. He so badly wanted to be a part of the England set-up. Forget about the image and everything else - he is a hugely committed footballer. ********************************* 14 March 2010 The Kiss and Cell story has been picked up by the international media - not just the UK but widely - and it can only damage Dubai's image. Jailed for a kiss. A court case that has gone on for four months. An Emirati woman who has her daughter out in a restaurant at 2am and was somehow offended by a foreign couple kissing? Just a few comments from on line webs sites: I can't understand why Dubai continues to be promoted as a holiday destination, it obviously is not. It must be like walking on eggshells, horrible atmosphere for a relaxing holiday. Complete madness, I didn't like it when I went the first time and have no intention of going back. Why do people on vacations(holidays) continue to visit and support
this ridiculous country with its ridiculous laws? 13 March 2010 As the red shirts battle their way through deliberately slow government road blocks towards Bangkok it is Not the Nation that sums up the futility of the whole exercise: "The DAAD, a loose coalition of supporters of ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra, socialists, progressives, and the rural poor, has rallied against the army-installed coalition government for over a year, demanding new elections in the misbegotten hope that Thailand will be a functioning democracy in their lifetime, and that equitable distribution of wealth and development is a remote possibility under Thai culture." "Wearing red shirts and headbands and carrying banners and foot clappers, the multitudes appear ready for a prolonged rally of chanting, speeches, and demands to be ignored by the actual power brokers of Thailand who will soon decide the fate of the government in a series of hidden back-room meetings." ******************************* With a range of around 4,500 naut. mi., the A380-900 would typically operate eight-hour sectors and could thus mainly be used for destinations in Europe and Asia up to Beijing, but not Tokyo. Clark believes Emirates could accommodate up to 20 A380-900s and would immediately order the aircraft if Airbus was prepared to build it and Dubai airport can handle the additional aircaft. Emirates is already the biggest A380 customer with 58 on firm order. It has eight flying and will receive seven more this year. 12 March 2010 Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, a member of the Board of the Dubai Council for Economic Affairs said “we are always behind Dubai World,’ according to a Bloomberg report. Mixed messages - the issue with Dubai World is that lenders thought that the Dubai government was behind Dubai World only to be told in November that it was not ! 11 March 2010 EK watch - Emirates is to add another 517-seat Airbus A380 to services to Dubai from Heathrow from July 1. **************************** And there is a bad leak from the water spray/bum cleaner. What do you call those things? 10 March 2010 EK's new routes summary - for Tai's upgrade course: Tokyo - 28 March **************************** Do you hear the people sing? ***************************** Former Indian captain and all-rounder Kapildev was
inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in Dubai on March 9, 2010 for
his contribution to world cricket with the bat and the ball. Apart from his bowling, he had also scored 5248 Test
runs, including eight centuries and 27 fifties, at an average of 31.05 and
3783 ODI runs. ************************************** So some 10 weeks after moving in there are 2 guys who will clean, polish and repair the door frames. They wont do the doors. They wont do the wardrobe doors. They wont to the window sills. All of which have the same wood finish. Someone else sir. I guess something is better than nothing. 8 March 2010 Here is the woman who should have gotten best actress - but Ms Bullock has been around rather longer and Hollywood likes her ! Carey Mulligan-
***************************** I watched The Hurt Locker on Emirates. Every swear word had been edited out....the worst word used was "flip". This is not a kindergarden movie. This is a movie about an army bomb disposal team in Iraq. I think they are allowed the occasional fuck and shit and jesus christ........ Emirates over censors its movies - to the point where they sometimes make no sense. I am sure many other airlines do the same thing. Yet a bit of blood gore and violence is not an issue. Strange. 6 March 2010 The reds are coming to BKK. It wont be a million. It probably wont be 500,000. But it is enough to have the government and army in apoplexy. The scare mongering being undertaken on their behalf by the media is predictable. 5 March 2010 A bit of history - this was Blue Rodeo's first ever TV appearance - probably 1985. The voices have not changed so much. But streuth, they look young ! ******************************* How does he take himself seriously. The people that put him in power closed the international airport for 8 days ! Meanwhile the government has instructed relevant departments to follow up the Thaksin court ruling with more prosecutions but continues to ignore the airport closure and government house damage issues. Judicial credibility. Hardly ! ************************************ This is the airlines’ 41st base across Europe. There will be six new routes, bring the number of total routes to/from Malta to 19. New routes are: ****************************** "There is not yet any determination on a bonus or salary rise for the next financial year as the financial year does not end until March 31st. Final profit or loss figures can only be established at that time. Additionally, the world-wide economy is yet to show a sustained period of economic robustness and that fact may weigh heavily on the eventual decision as to whether any profit, should there be one, is to be shared with employees or retained to provide for operational integrity in the case of a further delay to the global economic recovery. No management person or any employee for that matter received any type of additional payment, bonus or extra salary for the holidays or at any point this past year." I am sorry - but by 6 March the company knows full well whether there will be a profit for the year ended 31 March - and can pretty well tell you what that profit will be. How dumb do they think people are ! **************************** From Fly Girls - premiering in the USA on 24 March. That Rochard Branson does enjoy his work !
*************************** ******************************* I think the maid may get fired. 4 March 2010 Really fed up today - so the best I can do is a really old joke- "I went on a trip to a postcard factory last week. It was OK. Nothing to write home about." You can read on the Executive Towers update about the latest fiasco with the apartment and why I still don't have internet or tv. And other things have either stopped working or cannot be found. My back up hard drive is not working. The hoover gave up on Wednesday. The paper tray for my little canon picture printer has gone awol - I have no idea where it is and it probably got lost in the move - together, and rather strangely, with the laundry basket. 3 March 2010 Such an irritating visit from the Dubai Properties maintenance people today - do they have any idea how frustrated people are! 2 March 2010 Dubai recorded a total of 22.2mm of rain, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah received 43.4mm and 35.6mm respectively leaving much of the UAE in the cold on Tuesday. Ridiculous - 2 centimetres of rain and the city comes to a grinding halt. The mud tracks around Business Bay are all flooded. This is when you really need a 4x4. ************************** *************************** As one poster reminded the airline - Emirates Airline's "arrogance, systemic dishonesty and total disregard for their employees, ranging from incompetence to casual neglect, to targeted abuse....is damaging the recruitment process." I dont in any way think that Emirates is unique in this regard. But what is different is that the airline is based in the UAE where there is no pilot representation and where labour rules can be changed irrespective of contractual commitments. The forum is useful for anyone coming to Dubai. It does show the difference between the sales pitch and the reality. *************************** Witty, observant, wise; and despite dealing with potentially creepy Lolita like material - a very adult film. Carey Mulligan is very easy to watch - although I do think the 24 year old actress was maybe just a little too old and poised to play a 16 year old schoolgirl. The film tells the story of Jenny, a very smart, rather frustrated, 16-year-old London girl who is the target of a sophisticated seduction by a 35-year-old man. This happens in 1961, when 16-year-old girls were a great deal less knowing than they are now. Yet the movie isn't shabby or painful, but romantic and wonderfully entertaining. As for David, the older man; he is truthful in part. He enormously
enjoys this smart, pretty girl. He loves walking along the Seine with her.
He knows things about the world that she eagerly welcomes. Education can be found in many forms. Yes, David does get to bed with our heroine; but when shes chooses and how she chooses. Afterwards, she remarks, with more curiosity than regret, "All that poetry, and all those songs, about something that lasts no time at all." 1 March 2010 2010 Winter Olympics lessons for London: Do: Try to capture the spirit of Vancouver over the past
16 days. The streets were packed, the mood was festive, the venues were
full and the food was reasonably priced. Meanwhile - only in Aussie - Some 5,200 Australians posed naked in front of the Sydney Opera House on Monday for a photo shoot by New York-based artist Spencer Tunick for another signature installation of nudes against urban backdrops. That wont be happening in Dubai ! 28 February 2010 I met John the Bangkok taxi driver today; what a nice man. He drove us from Sukhumvit 22 to Chinatown. Longer would have been interesting. He is 63; he graduated from High School. He learned English from watching movies. His favourite - Mary Poppins - and anything with John Wayne in it. He is the first (and only) taxi driver I have ever met in BKK who can do a passable Cockney accent - copying Dick Van Dyke. He has views on Australian convicts. He thinks the rich have forgotten the taxi drivers. And that someone is pulling Abhisit's strings. Such a character. He also volunteered that I am 42 - so while his judgement may be good; his eyesight may be fading ! ***************************** Tai has given up her April vacation - more work - and the optimistic hope that Emirates will make good her vacation in the second half of the year. **************************** ***************************** He has been in hospital since mid-September.
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