rascott.com                                                                                                    news, views and an occasional blog

 

 

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

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Now In Dubai:


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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:
ForeignPolicy

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
Flight Aware

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

 



Links

An Occasional Blog

 

Thailand Blogs

Bangkok Pundit - politics

Bangkok Metblogs - city life

Thai-blogs.com - rather serious

2bangkok.com - not really a blog but always up to date on Bangkok news
Bangkok City Photo Guide

BKKOK.com
Thailand Voice promoting blogs from Thailand
Thailand Golf

Thai-blogs -Thailand life and culture
trythaifood - thai recipes
CityLife Chiang Mai

Thailand Crisis
Absolutely Bangkok
Bangkok Bugle

Thai Girl The exotic adventures of a literary sexagenarian.
Thailand Jumped the Shark

Thai Films
Siam Report
Thai ENews - In Thai
Photo-journ - news blog plus pics
Prachatai - Thai news in English
New Mandala - new perspectives on SE Asia
NewsInBangkok - another news blog
ThaksinLive.com - where is he now!?
Thailand Intelligent News - interesting opinion and  links
The Nation's State

Political Prisoners in Thailand
Bangkok Diaries
The Thai Report
GregToDiffer
Hua Hin Golf
Thai Politics
Dubai Blogs

UAE Community Blog - uniting all UAE bloggers
Dubai informer - news and events.
The Grapeshisha Blog - commentary  on a changing Dubai
One Big Construction Site - a long term expat on life in Dubai
Secret Dubai Diary - rather disillusioned expat commentary
Momentary Musings - another expat commentary
Dubai As It Used To be - self explanatory
Kippreport - news and commentary
Life In Dubai

Fake Plastic Souks
Dubai Astronomy Group

The Dubai Life

Gulf Photo Plus

Dubai Media Observer

Al - Emarati - English language UAE blog
Suk Al Mal - the financial sector in the UAE
The Gulf Blog

Dubai Construction Update

Hong Kong Blogs
Digital Life
- A Hong Kong picture blog - interesting pics

A Big White Guy in Hong Kong - self explanatory
Ordinary Gweilo
Hemlock's Diary. And people think I am opinionated - try this!
BigLychee

SimonWorld - Hong Kong commentary and great links to other Asian blogs
EastSouthWestNorth - commentary
Glutter.org - Greater China democracy news and many great links
Hong Kong Hustle

Hong Kong Paintings

Hong Kong Outdoors

In China

Danwei - media and advertising news from China

Shanghai Diaries - self explanatory
Imagethief
Public relations, communication and interesting times in China
Shanghaiist.com

The China Beat - how the east is read.
In Macau

My Olive Tree - Macau blog

In Singapore:
The Singapore Daily

Xiaxue - self-confessed mean, bitchy, sex goddess who says "wah" a lot!

Mr Brown - colourful commentary from Singapore
The Online Citizen

Aviation

Amadeus (airline schedules)

Airline meals - see it b4 you eat it !

Airliners - aviation forum, trip reports and pix archive
A Captain's Blog - the routine of a California based 767 captain
FA Uniforms - interesting collection of the old and new

Planenation - commercial aviation news

Airchive - a web museum of commercial aviation.

CrankyFlier - mainly US commentary
AvHerald - daily log of airliner incidents
RandPeck's blog

Rand Peck - writing and photography from a US based 757 captain
PlaneBuzz - airline financials
SmartCockpit

Sharjah - 1937
Boarding Area business travel
World Airports

Flight Wisdom
ATC - Toronto (YYZ)
From the Flight Deck (AC)

Today in the sky
Ask the pilot
The Flying Scotsman - A BA pilot blog
Key Magazines - UK

Crossing the Sky
Travel

Johnny Jet
Paris photo blog

News

The Guardian - UK

BBC World News

CNN Asia

Bangkok Post
Gulf News

Arabian Business
CNNfan.com scary fan site!

China sites

LivinginChina.com

Bangkok info sites

thailand.com

learningthai.com

sawadee.com

thailandstories

bangkok a-z

Worthy Sites

Niall Ferguson - my favorite modern historian

Rconversation - from Rebecca MacKinnon, ex-TV reporter-turned-blogger.
RGE Monitor - macro-economic analysis
Cricket Archive

Fun Sites

Penguin baseball
Fun signs

Urban Dictionary
Useful Sites

World Time Clock

Technology Ideas
Loose wire

Stuff - gadgets
TechCrunch

 

 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.

 

31 December 2009

Curiosity. The Blue Moon has risen over Dubai in clear skies. Two full moons in a month, 2nd one called blue; this can only occur 19 months apart.

30 December 2009

Not sure why but Tai and I have had a tough day today. Not on the same wavelength.

And now she has been called from standby to go to Beijing - so her off day on 1 January is now a work day. And that means she wont be here for New Year's Eve. So just Alex and me for the next two days. And Tai wont see Alex again before he leaves to go back to HKG.

I hope this is not an omen for the new year.

29 December 2009

Now I know why there are so many strands of hair littering my bathroom: This just in from topnews.ae -

"According to experts, desalinated water is the factor responsible for the frequent complaints of hair loss, dry skin, rashes and allergies, reported largely by people who reside in big Middle Eastern cities like Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the like.

Experts opine that while the hardness of desalinated water is good for use and even potable, it becomes problematic after its PPM (particles per million) increases manifold when it is channeled for distribution through the pipelines.

PPM refers to Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) – including various kinds of minerals like calcium, magnesium, nitrate, potassium, and sodium – which are present in water.

It is the over-presence of TDS in the water that results in the common complaints about hair loss and skin allergies.

As per the experts, the PPM of desalinated water in the GCC region falls in the range of between 100 and 150, vis-à-vis the 40 to 50 PPM-range of the normal treated water in other countries."

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Jumeirah Beach Hotel is advertising its New Year's Eve party on dubaisavers.com - though is an event not for savers -

"Enjoy a stunning selection of exquisite cuisine and live entertainment from our fabulous marquee located directly on the beach offering stunning views of Burj Al Arab and the dazzling fireworks display. The New Year’s Eve festive buffet includes one bottle of bubbly per couple and full open bar on selected beverages.
Timings: from 8.00pm "

Guess the price - AED2,750 per person. Ouch.

27 December 2009

Alex arrived in Dubai this morning; I was up at 5am after less than four hours sleep and with a mild hangover.

After a late night and our annual 2906 Millennium Christmas Dinner - a day late - but worth waiting for. That is four years now. It will be sad when we are not all together to continue something that is almost an annual (and fun) ritual.

24 December 2009

And while I am on a flying theme - this tribute to NW 188 (remember the A320 lost over the USA) is clever !

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This is the second Boeing 787 to fly - and here it is making its first landing: from airliners.net. It is in the colours of ANA - the launch customer.

Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft picture

23 December 2009

Emirates, the biggest Arab airline, will start daily flights to the Czech capital Prague beginning July 1 from its hub in Dubai.

EK 139 will leave Dubai at 1030hrs and arrive in Prague at 1450hrs with a flight time of around six hours. The return flight, EK 140, departs Prague at 1620hrs and gets into Dubai at 0015hrs the following day. A 278-seat Airbus A330, offering 27 seats in Business Class and 251 in Economy will serve the route.

21 December 2009

Politically correct greeting card in the northern hemisphere - winter greetings......who cares! Winter exists to be endured not enjoyed. Silly card!

19 December 2009

The website of the Daily Star (a UK newspaper) is blocked in the UAE. But you can still access The Sun's website - is there really any difference between the two? Both are trashy !

18 December 2009

The Eurostar was a casualty of the winter weather today - but bizarrely four trains got stuck in the channel tunnel because they did not like the transition from the freezing air of northern france to the warm air of the tunnel.

And a 2 hour journey became a 15 hour nightmare with power and light failures and without water, food or decent washroom facilities.

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Back in Dubai - and early golf at Al Hamra this morning - and it was so wet !!

Just drizzle for the first seven holes and then the rains came - as wet as I have ever seen it in the UAE.

Pity - as I was playing well from tee to green - still cant really putt or chip but my irons for a while were good enough to avoid having to chip!

17 December 2009

Coming to a dvd near you (except in Dubai) in January - a movie of Tiger Wood’s X-rated escapades will be released in January, heaping yet more embarrassment on the golf superstar....introducing Tiger's Wood!

Now a month ago that was never going to happen !

Tiger's Wood porn film(Pic:Splahnews.com)

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It is so cold in Birmingham - bitter and with a wind that just cuts straight through.

Was up at 6am - to leave Newton Ferrers at 7am and drive via Tescos - open 24 hours a day - to Birmingham Airport.

Why Tesco? I hear you ask.

Well - imagine you have a cake recipe and need 500 grams of glace cherries. Now imagine that you can only find packets that are 200gr in size. So how many do you need. 3 is a good answer.

The the rental car runs out of windscreen cleaning fluid on the motorway. And the spray and dirt are getting worse. So I have to stop at the services and fill the washer tank.

Then I cannot find a gas station at Birmingham Airport and have to drive around until I find one.

Then I need to stand in the cold and do a quick bit of repacking.

Then I forget to search for a VAT Tax office to reclaim the VAt on the one expensive item that I bought this week. Growl.

It has been a very frustrating week.

16 December 2009

About 80% today - I am mending. And will head back to Dubai from Birmingham tomorrow.

A bit sad at changes to our Christmas plans. Alex will now arrive in Dubai after Christmas. But he will have a good time in Macau before heading to the UAE.

15 December 2009

Tai has been called out to London - would be fun to go and see her there except it is a four hour drive each way - and I am tired after 30 minutes. I went into Plymouth today - was so tired even after a short walk! I guess that's how you feel after three days of some evil bug! 

14 December 2009

If 20 million people were watching X factor last night how many people were watching the BBC sports personality of the year - about three people and a poodle !

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The joys of English village life in mid winter- dark by about 2.30pm - (ok - a bit later but it feels dark by then). And a visit to the local co-op - knock before you enter!

13 December 2009

Accenture has dropped their Tiger Woods advertising - "We know what it takes to be a Tiger" was the slogan. Guess it is not so appropriate now!

Still I think there are other promotional opportunities: Viagra probably needs a spokesman. And it would look good written on his golf bag - Viagra helps you go further; Viagra - brings out the Tiger in you.

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36 hours of the runs is not something to be wished on anyone - my mother's spare bathroom will need to be closed down as a public health hazard.....you really do not need any more details....

12 December 2009

Flew to Gatwick in the early hours of the morning - a 3am departure. ridiculous time to fly !

And drove down to Devon.

But feel as sick as a dog. Cannot eat - stomach pains; temperature; aching body; shivering. Was in bed for the afternoon and it will be an early night.

10 December 2009

The Nation is quietly posing this of the wall theory:

 "It's too far-fetched, of course, to assume that Sivarak Chotipong was in fact a red-shirted agent who was "planted" as a Thai government spy so that he could be arrested on charges of espionage in order to embarrass Bangkok and allow Thaksin Shinawatra to play a heroic saviour."

9 December 2009

Michelle Wie was three under par after day 1. In joint 5th place. Two bogies and five birdies on her scorecard. Including a birdie on the par 5 18th which I assume she reaches easily in two.

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Tiger Woods has been with some very scary women!

**********************************
On my way back to Dubai. About time too. Although will only be there for two days and will then go to the UK and visit my mother on Saturday.

BKK has been OK - although the city is not as exotic as I once thought. Honestly, much of it is dirty, squalid in places and rather depressing. Traffic is horrible. The fumes are foul. The sidewalks are not made for walking; they are crumbling, dug up or impassable due to the collection of debris, carts and vendors; and sadly the number of beggars on the streets, especially Sukhumvit. It is sad to see.

The gap in Thailand between the rich minority and the impoverished majority seems so much wider; that cannot be good.

Sure the hotel was nice; very comfortable; but it makes it hard to leave the room. 

7 December 2009

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Am in Bangkok for a few days - had a nice visit to Hong Kong.

4 December 2009

World Cup watch:

And here is the draw for the initial groups of the 2010 World Cup-

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Ghana, Serbia
Group E: Holland, Japan, Cameroon, Denmark
Group F: Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland

The opening match of the tournament will be between Mexico and South Africa on June 11

3 December 2009

I am on the way to Hong Kong for a couple of days and then onto Bangkok.

Tai is on standby - a 6am airport standby this morning so we were up at 4.45am. And then she did not get called out. That is painful - to get up that early and not go anywhere.

1 December 2009

It is all a plot - the Dubai debt deferal is a wonderful way to improve the yield on Emirates flights and to improve hotel occupancy in the pre Christmas lull - the Guardian is reporting that "hordes of bankers, lawyers and accountants are arriving in Dubai mostly from London and the US, as the parties involved start complex negotiations that are likely to "take time.""

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Tiger Woods has been fined US$164 for careless driving with a 4 point penalty - that should not hurt him too much !!!

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Life as an Etihad pilot - from CNN.

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The planned Emirates’ 2nd Daily Dubai – London Heathrow A380 service on EK003/004, has been postponed.

Original planned date for A380 service on EK003/004 was 15DEC09. The service remains as a 777 through December.

******************************
Tiger Woods' former Ryder Cup colleague Chris DiMarco will be not be on the family Christmas card list after these comments yesterday. "Everybody thinks about what would get them out of their house at 2.30 in the morning. Obviously, 2.30 in the morning, nothing good is going to happen. So I can only speculate," he said. "I don't think I've ever left my driveway at 2.30 in the morning. Even if it's a fight or whatever, there's always the couch."

George Lopez on late night TV in the USA - "Let me put it in terms that golfers would understand. He played the wrong hole, had an errant drive and now he's got to get out of a bad lie."

30 November 2009

Was feeling so bad yesterday - just a nasty flu bug - and had a bad night. Have quarantined myself at home for two days. Tai is back from Seoul but is in Millennium. It feels strange. Almost as though she was still on a layover somewhere. But better that than catching a flu bug off me.

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CNBC yesterday had a news alert on the screen that EK will start 4 new destinations in South East Asia and Australia in early 2010.

Anyone want to speculate?

Hanoi.
Kunming.
Adelaide.
Denpasar.

29 November 2009

Crew fatigue - Emirates now flies to Seoul with only two cockpit crew - 8 hours to get there and 10 hours to get back. Even the cabin crew get to rest in the bunks for an hour outbound and maybe a couple of hours on the return flight.

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I wonder if the reason I feel so horrible today is all the grim Dubai related news. I have some sort of bug and it is quite unpleasant.

The local newspapers are in denial. One of the foreign newspapers has already been banned.

When the markets open tomorrow it will be very interesting to see what happens and hear the authorities proposed next steps.

27 November 2009

Tai is off to Seoul tonight so here is a picture of five reasons why a trip to Seoul could be fun ! Wondergirls!

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Dubai is in the news for all the wrong reasons. See the today page and the dubai crisis news. It will be very interesting to follow what happens after the Eid and national day holiday.

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Another call from a recruiter - and another position in Abu Dhabi. I want to work in Dubai.

24 November 2009

An Emirates A380 will now fly to Paris from December 29 - one month earlier than planned, the airline announced on Tuesday.

The Dubai carrier had previously announced that the A380 would head to Paris Charles de Gaulle from February 1 next year, but there has been another change of plan.

The A380 will initially fly three times weekly on the morning departure from Dubai, becoming daily from January 17, the company said in a statement.

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Meanwhile flydubai said that it will launch flights to Nepal next month - its eleventh route.

flydubai’s first flight to Kathmandu on Tuesday December 15, will ensure this increasingly popular destination in the foothills of the Himalayas will be more accessible to a greater number of people in the UAE, the company said in a statement.

flydubai's growing network also includes Beirut-Lebanon, Amman-Jordan, Damascus and Aleppo-Syria, Alexandria-Egypt, Djibouti-Africa, Doha-Qatar, Khartoum – Sudan, Baku-Azerbaijan and soon to launch flights to Bahrain.

23 November 2009

I am bored - I really should have gone away this week.

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In London Lenny Henry has just won Best Newcomer at the London Standard Theatre Awards for his performance in Othello.

One of Britain's best lived comedians he is an unlikely tragic actor - but by all accounts he is very good indeed.

fr 22 November 2009

The final of the FIFA Beach soccer world cup takes place in Dubai tonite between Switzerland and Brazil. One country that is completely land locked and has no ocean beaches against one country that is legend for its beaches. Strange.

*******************************
It was billed as a Thai business forum in Dubai last night - but it was a red shirt rally. But without Thaksin,

The event was held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Deira. The ticket for entrane was AED 200, not cheap - about US$60.

However my source was knew other thai guys who offered to discount the fee to 100 dhs, and with some persuasive talking she was able to attend for free. Being female and attractive surely helped in a room of dour Thai business folks.

Thaksin did not attend. He was apparently concerned at the reaction of the UAE authorities if he was seen to be holding a political rally in Dubai.

However to quote my source "most of big leader of Thai red shirt were there." She met "so many interesting people and lots of businessmen."

There were between 400-500 people at the event includiing some arabic and western foreigners.

The fee included a "wonderful Thai buffet."

It sounds like there was a lot of planning for the 28 November rally.

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Rostering joys at EK - a pilot with a Muscat turn at 2am followed by India turnaround on the same day at 2300. Fatigue has to be an issue.

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There is a new BA pilot blog that is a good read. You can find it here.

20 November 2009

An early morning trip to the golf today - to follow Ernie Els at 8.10am. Only a small crowd following him so it was good to see one of the greats close up. He does make the game look so easy.

But he is not going to win this tournament and to be honest he looks like he would like a weekend off to go and do something fun. He really does not need the US20,000 that he will win if he does not improve upon his last place which is where he is after two rounds.

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The joys of life in Dubai. It is a 200 yard drive through the mud and sand from Millennium to Falcon Tower - it is a dirt track that runs past the new Empower cooling plant.

The view as we drove last night was of one of the Empower labourers with his dick hanging out pissing in the sand. At least find a wall or be a bit discreet - but do you really need to piss in open view?

And thanks for adding to the sewage stench that we so enjoy.

19 November 2009

Sorry I have been ignoring the blog. Plenty of updates on the today page and pictures in Picasa.

Three days at the airshow and no a day at the world golf (well european golf) championships here in Dubai.

Followed Thongchai Jaidee for all 18 holes today and it was a pleasure to watch him. He was striking the ball beautifully from tee to green - a few missed putts - but still a very solid two under.

The course is an oasis of green - stuck in the middle of a massive building site. But the course is in decent condition - maybe a bit too easy for a major title - there is no rough to speak of. But the finish of 16/17/18 is a good series of closing holes.

This is the 17th - an island green par 3.

********************************
Singapore's football team returned to a hero's welcome on Thursday after defeating Thailand 1-0 in Bangkok on Wednesday night.

Singapore had not won in Bangkok for 34 years.

And who scored the goal - Aleksander Duric - sounds very Singaporean.

The Asian Cup tournament will be held in Doha, Qatar in 2011.

Presumably there will be some sort of inquest in Thailand - there must be a conspiracy. Is Thaksin to blame?

**************************************
How successful was the Dubai Air Show - the order books tell a sad story compared to the last show:  Dubai 2007 - 2009, a comparison : Boeing orders : 155 (2007) 11 (2009). Airbus orders : 297 (2007) 33 (2009)

15 November 2009

I do wish that Dubai could just be a little more honest and less prone to hyperbole - take the Dubai World Championship - the golf tournament at the end of this week - the pr people say that "The Race to Dubai showcases the best golfers from around the world."

No it does not. It is the year ending event for the European Tour.

The best golfers in the world are not all here. The Americans are not here. No Woods. No Mickelson. No Cink - the British Open champion.

The only American who did qualify was Anthony Kim - and he showed what he thinks of the tournament. He is off home for a rest!

************************************
Long day at the opening day of the Dubai airshow today.

Plenty to see and a three hour flying display - bookended by displays by first the French and finally the Italian display teams. The Italians have ten planes flying - and it is a spectacular display.

The US airforce was there in large numbers - and were making lots of friends.

My hat is off to the very impressive lady captain of a B1 bomber out of Ellsworth in South Dakota - the B1 is a supersonic bomber that can carry a nuclear warhead.

14 November 2009

True or not I dont know - but I like the logic:

Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands.

She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to, and are happy to, maintain the old custom.

Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, ‘Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?’

The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, “Land Mines.”

*********************************
England are playing football down the road in Qatar. A friendly against Brazil. And this is the England team:

England: Foster, Brown, Upson, Lescott, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Barry, Jenas, Milner, Rooney, Bent. Subs: Green, Cahill, Warnock, Huddlestone, Crouch, Defoe, Young, Hart.

Most of this lot cannot get into the first teams at their Premier League clubs. I doubt this team would even survive in the Premiership - which just shows how strong the foreign influence is.

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Was back in a real bed last night - but had the strangest of dreams ! Including trying to find a pair of my Dad's old shoes that could actually fit me - but my feet were always bigger than his.

I miss him.

13 November 2009

Airliner World this month:

12 November 2009

There is something very life affirming about Thailand's Panda TV - such simple, straightforward, uncomplicated love between mother and baby.

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This is too funny - where do they come up with such nonsense?

According to Arabian Business, Dubai World Central, a multi-phase development which will include the world’s biggest airport, was “almost complete” and on track to be operational next year, the project’s chairman confirmed on Wednesday.

He must be joking; barely started is more accurate that nearly complete.

Khalifa Suhail Jumaa Al Zaffin, executive chairman and managing director of Dubai World Central (DWC), said the development “is nearly almost complete” and planned to be operational by the summer of 2010.

DWC is a 140 square kilometre development which will be twice the size of Hong Kong Island and is expected to accommodate up to 945,000 residents.

Why do they say these things; who are they trying to impress. The airport for instance may over next year with one of its five runways and primarily for cargo traffic connecting to the Jebel Ali docks.

11 November 2009

Emirates is talking about ordering additional airplanes: they appear to want airplanes now rather than at a future date. The A350 for instance has not even flown yet.

Current fleet:

29 A330-200
  8 A340-300
10 A340-500
  5 A388
19 777-200
56 777-300

to be delivered:

50 A350-900
20 A350-1000
53 A380-800
27 777-300
10 747-800Freighter

How about some A321s or 739ERs for the regional lo-density stuff, and to open the thinner regional routes like Kabul, Sharm, Aqaba, Izmir, Tabriz, Tblisi, Baghdad, Dushanbe. Better than giving these routes to flyDubai as the latter uses terminal 2 and does not provide baggage connections.

10 November 2009

Today is the official release of Blue Rodeo's new double cd - The Things we Left Behind.

And this is a good interview with Greg Keelor, co front man of the band.

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Some thoughts on the fall out from the Thaksin interview :

Why is everyone so exercised by the interview - well Thaksin speaks of the monarchy - always a difficult issue for most Thais to dicuss openly - but the problem is that there is so little constructive debate within Thai society.

There are simply polarised views, distrust and hatred.

That hatred causes members of the government to say that parts of the interview warrant seven generations of beheading.

There are also Thais flooding the website of The Times with anti Thaksin vitriol. I did not know there were that many Times readers in Bangkok - though it is likely that comment has been encouraged by ASTV.

Yet for many people there is a candid description of Thailand’s inner workings.

The interview has been translated into Thai and will be read all over the kingdom and discussed oncommunity radio stations.

That discussion is now more open perhaps than it has ever been. Attempts to ban access to the interview will just encourage more people to read it. Better an open engagement than a fear of discussion.

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But why is Thaksin upping the stakes at this time. His visit to Cambodia. His interview. His use of Chavalit and cronies at Puea Thai. This cannot be a coincidence.

Is he; just maybe; running out of money - and running out of time and patience.

It does remind me of Anwar Ibrahim's flawed and failed attempts to out Prime Minister Mahathir in Malaysia. All Ibrahim had to do was be patient. But he pushed too early and too hard and spent too many years imprisoned as a result.

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Etihad was anointed as the world's top airline at the World Travel Awards presented in London yesterday; it is the first Middle East carrier to win the award.

A new service style in Economy Class is also being rolled out on all Etihad routes.

Etihad’s new economy class service will offer extra support for families at the airport and during boarding, entertainment packs for children, new menus, including hot desserts and a hot and cold café service.

9 November 2009

The Thai authorities have found a good solution to the airport's problems - Airports of Thailand will move giant sculptures from Suvarnabhumit Airport's international arrival lounge to airline international check-in areas next month. Many believe the moving will make the airport have better feng shui.

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I imagine that Richard Lloyd Parry of the Times may be the latest journalist to face potential charges after his interview with Thaksin published by Times OnLine.

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It is 20 years ago today since the Berlin Wall came down and East Germans could cross to the West. A wonderfully significant day.

8 November 2009

Am back in Dubai. Came back early this morning determined to be positive.

But by lunchtime felt I was back here on my own.

6 November 2009

Eating street food in BKK is not glamourous. Too many cockroaches clambering over the tables. Especially at 2am.

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Was lucky to get on the Thai Airways flight tonite from HKG to Bangkok:

But did my neighbour really need to take his shoes off and try and rest his bare foot on my knee. Yuck.

No IFE on Thai; but nice to be back on a big solid 747-400. They give such a feeling of space and strength.

The Christmas decorations are up at the Airport Express station in Hong Kong - too early by a month!

5 November 2009

It is nice to be back in Hong Kong. The weather is good. And I seem to have been busy !

Alex and I took an afternoon to visit Ocean Park yesterday. While Disneyland struggles in HKG Ocean Park continues to expand.

Maybe too many loud mainland tourists. They do all shout at eachother! And they still spit. Although one of them hopefully wont do it again after I yelled at her as she spat on the path in front of us.

3 November 2009

"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me."

Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

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BlueRodeo.com is excited to announce a cross-Canada 2010 tour that will take Blue Rodeo to over 30 cities. After kicking things off in Calgary on January 5, the band will hit the prairies, Northern Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada, return to Southern Ontario and then wind up in Sault Ste Marie on April 10.

www.bluerodeo.com

2 November 2009

I am very fond of Hong Kong - but the first impressions at the airport really are rather strange.

As you leave the airbridge from the plane to the terminal each flight is met by at least half a dozen jeans wearing immigration officers. They all look 20 something; are dressed as street kids except for the immigration vest; and they appear to be checking the passport of anyone who might be from Africa or South Asia.

There is also one guy holding up his video camera to film us all leaving the airplane. Who watches these videos. And why dont they just use security cameras in the airport.

I really do think that the image of these people - and the inage they give for your first view of Hong Kong - would be improved by having them look a little more official and a little less like the local branch of the triads.

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And the good hygiene video that they show on the airline before arriving in Hong Kong remains irritatingly offensive.

This is a city where street spitting is still common. It is one of the most polluted cities in the world with shocking levels of street pollution. It is a city where public washroom facilities remain largely in the stone ages. And yet this video is telling me to wash my hands after sneezing.

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How come they are allowed champagne on the winner's podium at the Abu Dhabi grand prix. I thought the rule was no alcohol in public places?

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Cathay Pacific overnight to Hong Kong. Quite unpleasant. An uncomfortable broken seat; an oversized neighbour and unpleasant food.

31 October 2009

Lots of speculation continues on the Northwest Nap - and the crew who slept or got distracted over MXP.

But the most sensible article on the subject comes from Patrick Smith's Ask the Pilot column for salon.com. His summary is exactly right :

"There was no catastrophe. There was no near catastrophe. The plane was temporarily off-course during high-altitude cruise flight, under ATC watch above non-mountainous terrain. The crew made an embarrassing mistake, and will be punished accordingly, while the rest of us who fly for a living will draw important if obvious lessons. It was a comparatively minor event that has received far more attention than it deserves."

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Happy Halloween.

Tai is on her broomstick powered 777 heading back from Osaka.

I have not moved from the apartment all day.