Sept 2007 archive
Feedback:by email
Other Useful links
World Time Clock Exchange
Rates Nationsonline.org
Amnesty
International Reporters w/o
borders
Sister Joan - Bangkok
BKK Magazine
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.
|
Forgotten Folkestone 25 September 2007 One of the most depressing moments of the summer was taking Alex and Tai to Folkestone, on the South Kent coast, during the summer. My grandmother used to live in Hawkinge on the Canterbury Road on the hill into Folkestone. I used to go and stay with her and we would take the No 16 or 16A bus into the town. The sandy beach by the harbour was always busy; the bingo halls were noisy, the stoney beach on the other side of the harbour had a funfair and a grass putting green. We could take the funicular railway up the cliff to the Leas, a pretty cliff top walk. The old High Street ran down to the harbour and was full of gift shops and sweet shops. The ferries ran regularly to Boulougne and Calais. There was a sense of history about the place. Hawkinge aerodrome had been the front line in the Battle of Britain and Folkestone has been the sailing point for troops leaving for the Continent through the wars of the 20th century. Many years later I was an University in Canterbury and I would go with my friends to visit Folkestone and to take the ferry for a day trip to France. But they built the Channel tunnel and took away the ferries, the holidaymakers left and Folkestone died. The harbour is still pretty; but
the beaches are dead; the fun fair has gone; the funicular is broken; the
old High Street is derelict. The city has this dreadful air of sadness about
it. But there is hope. The wish is to transform Folkestone into a prosperous hub of arts and culture. The inspiration, and most of the cash, behind the plans come from Roger de Haan, until 2004 the chairman and owner of the Saga Group, based in Folkestone. The owner of the holiday and insurance group for the over-50s retired three years ago, selling the company to the management for £1.35bn. That same year he, with his charity The Creative Foundation, bought Folkestone harbour with £800m plans to regenerate it and to establish a site for a university campus. Foster & Partners was commissioned to produce a masterplan for the seafront; the architecture practice has designed a new city academy to replace east Folkestone's failing secondary school. Next year will see a new performing arts centre opened. It would be nice to think that there is hope for this lovely old town. This link takes you to the Folkestone Harbour master plan. Fears for Myanmar 23 September 2007 The monks of Rangoon are taking greater chances by the day. Two days ago they met in large numbers with Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. Yesterday as many as 100,000 demonstrators protested against the Burmese military regime in Yangon in the biggest show of dissent in almost two decades. Tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and pink-robed nuns led the marchers. They carried flags and banners proclaiming the peaceful nature of the demonstration. Flanking them were even greater numbers of people clapping and chanting, in what many described as a carnival atmosphere. The people surround the monks in part to offer them protection. Yesterday was the sixth straight day of marches that started in protect of fuel price rises, but have escalated into the largest campaign yet seen againt the ruling military. The biggest surprise is how quiet the generals have been and how restrained the watching soldiers are. But for how long. An estimated 3,000 students, and some monks, were killed during the last great pro-democracy uprising, in 1988, when the military cracked down brutally on demonstrators demanding that the junta step aside. The crowds are growing by the day almost in response to the lack of military action. There have also been large protests in Mandalay and Sittwe. On Saturday about 2,000 protesting monks were allowed through barricades to see Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and pro-democracy activist who has been detained for 11 of the past 17 years after her National League for Democracy swept the polls in a 1990 general election victory. The monks prayed near the home where she is under house arrest. The Lady, as she is universally known, emerged to pray with them. But yesterday and today the barriers were reinforced with four fire engines to prevent a repeat of the scene as marchers passed through the Rangoon university area, near the house. This is a frighteningly poor country. Inflation is running at about 40% and most people suffer real economic hardship. They have little to lose. The protests do not look like coming to an end. Will the government try to restore its authority. But would the generals be willing to take action against the deeply respected monks; and there are 400,000 of them. This is a land where almost every family sends a son to the monastery. The generals are presumably gathering to decide what to do next. For the most part they have always ignored the rest of the world. But there are two influences for restraint. Myanmar is an unlikely member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). ASEAN members have argued that “constructive engagement” with Myanmar would achieve more than sanctions. So far this has been an embarrassment. But at least they may now discourage the regime from drastic action against the protesters, if only to spare themselves the embarrassment of sitting alongside generals with fresh blood on their hands as they celebrate ASEAN’s 40th anniversary later this year. And presumably to save themselves from ye another flood of Burmese refugees. The other influence is China which has signed many deals with the regime to exploit Myanmar’s rich mineral and hydrocarbons resources. The last thing Beijing needs is for its allies in the Burmese junta to stage another Tiananmen Square massacre. But will the generals listen to the Chinese or ASEAN leaders. The three most likely solutions are that the protests gradually fade, that there is a peaceful revolution to topple the regime or a harsh crackdown. While we may all hope for the second we should fear for the third. The adult wurst 21 September 2007 Staff at a German butcher's shop were shocked to discover a customer had hidden two sex toys in their sausages for transport to Dubai, police in Germany said on Wednesday. "It was two latex dildos with a natural look," said a spokesman for police in the southwestern city of Mannheim. After shopping there earlier in the day, the man, who spoke broken English, returned to the butcher's with two large "Schwartenmagen" sausages. He asked a shop assistant to wrap and cool them until he departed for Dubai the next day.
But the assistant noticed the goods had got heavier and alerted police. Officers discovered the man, who was about 50, had removed some of the meat and packed the dildos inside. "He could have used a loaf of bread," the spokesman said. "It's not against the law here. But obviously I can't speculate on what customs in Dubai will have to say about it." For those with an inquiring mind here is a picture of an unadulterated Schwartenmagen.
Dubai cares - but the message needs to get out 21 September 2007 On Wednesday this week His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai launched the Dubai Cares initiative to finance the education of one million children in poor countries. This bold initiative makes a whole lot of sense for oil - rich Dubai. Too often in the headlines for its excesses; too often in the headlines for its acquisitiveness, this is an opportunity for Dubai to make a huge impact on the world's underprivileged children. But the message does not seem to have reached beyond Dubai. The headlines are all in the local newspapers; the Gulf News and the Khaleej Times. But do a google news search on Dubai Cares and there is hardly a mention of the new campaign other than in the China Peoples' Daily Online edition. Organisers of the six-week charity drive expect that financial donations from the UAE's vast business sector will form the bulk of the Dh200 million that the campaign hopes. Given the size of the early donations the campaign appears likely to exceed this amount during the Ramadan period. The campaign sets out to build new school facilities; renovate and rehabilitate existing, abandoned or damaged school premises; distribute school materials; award scholarships; coordinate a food programme at schools; an annual medical check-up for pupils and teachers; and provide training and workshops for teachers. His Highness' speech that launched the campaign included the following quotations that are at the heart of the campaign and underscore Dubai's commitment to making a real change for good: "Education holds out hope for the
future, enrichment for the present, and dignity for mankind. It helps us to
communicate with each other. It helps nations to hurdle the barriers to
understanding. It provides a solid basis from which societies can grow and
flourish." Meanwhile you can donate to the 'Dubai Cares' initiative, which aims to raise money to educate over a million children worldwide, in a variety of ways. You can pledge a sum of money by SMS, log onto their website or by depositing money into their sepcially set up bank account. Donate by SMS (etisalat
codes): Policing Thai style 21 September 2007
Police on Segway Scooters at Jakujak Park....are they real or copies! photo: www.2bangkok.com For sale from EK 20 September 2007 For sale now and for delivery in June 2008. Three Emirates 777-200s in 2-class 346-pax configuration. Can be purchased “bare” or with new (non-Emirates) lease attached. These are the 3 1996 200A models. They are not the Long Range of Extended range models. All the other 777-200s in the EK fleet are ER or LR models. But these planes will happily go Dubai to London or transatlantic. The three planes are : A6-EMD Lots of speculation on who might buy them. They are Rolls Royce powered models. Only 12 years old at the time of sale they have many years good work in them. One possibility is that they could stay in the Middle East: RAK Airways; Oman Air or the new Kang Pacific. Between the sheets in Singapore 20 September 2007 This web site's roving Bangkok correspondent was on tour recently and reported that people could soon be having more fun between the sheets in Singapore. Why is this? A little investigation reveals that oral and anal sex in private between consenting heterosexual adults are to be legalised under a Bill introduced in Singapore's parliament. That should a least make for a fun debate (or a mass debate) in Parliament. Under the city-state's first major penal code amendments in 22 years, a section criminalising “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” would be repealed. Singapore has in recent years gradually eased social restrictions that have given it a straight-laced reputation. However, while the Bill takes a softer line on heterosexual sex, a ban on acts of “gross indecency” between males will remain. Maybe extending the legislation is not necessary. In practice , gay rights activists have said authorities have not laid charges under the section in recent years, even though it remains in force. Strangely the revised penal code extends to other areas of life in Singapore. The code, still to be passed into law by parliament, also broadens the scope of an offence against unlawful assembly. An assembly of five or more people would be illegal if the group's common objective is to commit “any offence,” the Bill says, broadening the definition from mischief and trespass. Phuket airport systems were not fully operational 19 September 2007 Half of the systems to detect potentially dangerous wind shear were not working at the time of the crash at a Phuket airport that killed 89 people on board, officials said yesterday. Forty-one passengers survived the crash. The budget One-Two-Go Airlines flight OG269 was carrying 123 passengers and seven crew from Bangkok to Phuket when it skidded off a runway on Sunday while landing in driving wind and rain, catching fire and engulfing some passengers in flames as others kicked out windows to escape. Investigators have said wind shear - a sudden change in either wind speed or direction in an aircraft's flight path that can destabilize a plane - was among the possible causes of the crash. ``Three out of six low-level wind shear alert systems were not working at the time,'' said Vuttichai Singhamanee, director of flight standard bureau of Transport Ministry's Aviation Authority Department. Vuttichai said the solar-powered systems - which were out of power at the time of the crash - could have made it difficult for the pilot Arief Mulyadi, to judge whether it was safe to land. Mulyadi, who died in the crash, had been criticized by some Transport Ministry officials for landing despite warnings from the flight tower about treacherous wind shear. While it is too early to definitively say what caused the crash, Kajit Habnanonda, president of Orient-Thai Airlines, which owns One-Two-Go, also pointed to wind shear as a possible factor. The Bangkok Coup - one year on 19 September 2007 Today is the first anniversary of the military led coup that overthrew the government of Prime Minister Thaksin in Thailand on charges of corruption, undermining democracy and dividing the nation. A year later, Thailand is still divided, the military is accused of undermining democracy and Thaksin is living in London far from the reach of Thai law but earning plenty of good publicity at home off his recently purchased Manchester City football club. The coup-makers and their appointed cabinet arguably have little to crow about. The good news is that the junta seems to be sticking to its promise to return power to the people within this year. A general election is now scheduled for December 23. But how open and fair will those elections be. Samak Sundravej, a close political ally of Thaksin's who is now leader of the newly formed People's Power Party, has announced that he would push for an amnesty for the 111 barred politicians should he gain power after the December 23 election. That is as a good a reason as any for Thailand's junta to try its best to manipulate the upcoming polls. The worst-case scenario for the junta would be a pro-Thaksin coalition government that pushes through an amnesty for Thaksin, 60, who would then be in a position to a return to power with his cronies within one to two years after a new election. That would bring Thailand right back to where it was a year ago. The question is have the coup leaders changed Thailand for the better economically or politically. The answer must be no. The generals have not delivered on their promises. The biggest offence of the coup leaders is that they have made Thaksin look good and turned him into a hero. The junta-appointed prime minister Surayud Chulanont, has been criticised as inefficient and lacking in vision. Junta leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin appears to want to hang on to power and to enter politics himself. The new government appears to have failed to end the endemic corruption which appears to afflict the current government as much as it did the old. So the conclusion for many people is that the coup was right and good, but the casting was flawed. Maybe it is time for a new coup with a genuinely good cast and for a genuinely good cause. The possibility of a military takeover has itself become a weekly fixture for local media, wherein leading politicians and generals are asked over and over again whether there will be yet another coup. The military has become a visible and major player in shaping Thai politics again. Even after one year of having an inefficient government, people seem unable to learn that a coup was not and can never be the answer because Thai society has become too complex to be administered by a handful of people, especially those who weren't elected. What about Thaksin? Those who loathe him still loathe him as much as ever, while those who admire him would like him back. Whether you like Thaksin or not, he enabled the rural poor, who form the majority of the country, to recognise that their votes can make certain differences. Increasingly, the poor will continue to vote based on parties' policy platforms, despite the lingering patronage system. A cruel twist of fate 17 September 2007 from the Nation newspaper A cruel
twist of fate for many of the airline staff on board doomed flight It was my day off.
So, I planned to spend my time leisurely and to tidy up my room a bit after
working so hard on flights for many consecutive days. Start the bidding for the 2016 Olympics 16 September 2007 After Beijing next year it will be the London Olympics in 2012 and in 2016, which is really not so very far away, it will be one of the following seven cities that have been put forward by their respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) to apply to host the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016. The cities, in alphabetical order, are: Baku (Azerbaijan), Chicago (USA), Doha (Qatar), Madrid (Spain), Prague (Czech Republic), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Tokyo (Japan). The 7 Applicant Cities will now proceed to Phase 1 of the IOC's two-step procedure, which will lead to the election of the 2016 host city in Copenhagen on 2 October 2009. So who will it be. Not America again, Los Angeles and Atlanta left a sour taste of excess commercialism and America is not exactly a favoured nation at the moment. Not Doha. Simply too small. Not Baku. Too remote. Not Tokyo. They had the 1964 Olympics and it is too soon after Beijing for Asia to host another Olympics. Madrid would do well but probably cannot have the Olympics so soon after London. My choice: Rio de Janeiro. You read it here first! The new Beijing 16 September 2007 I first went to Beijing in 1994; and then was a regular visitor when I moved to Reuters Asia until 2001. My last visit was in the spring of 2006 when we were staying in the new financial center on the west side of the city at the second ring road. The city was in the middle of a massive construction boom; you could see the changes that were under way. Now many of the new structures are complete. The city has sprawled to accommodate 15 million people. While the new construction was in large part spurred by the 2008 Olympics it will leave a lasting mark on the city. In 1994 the third ring road was the outskirts of the city. Now there are six ring roads. The new Beijing is very different from the rather austere and grey city that I first visited. The Great Wall, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven are still must sees. But there is much that is new to see and do. The first surprise
for many will be the airport. Terminal Two is still new but a third terminal
at Beijing Capital International Airport is scheduled for completion by the
end of this year. It has already been opened to the media. Designed by
Norman Foster, the architect responsible for London's Stansted and Hong
Kong's Chek Lap Kok airports, it is expected to welcome 43 million
passengers a year. It will also have a rail line linking the airport to the
city center's Dongzhimen station in 18 minutes. This is a far cry from the
single basic terminal of 13 years ago. Around Beijing
there are mountains to the north and west, with reservoirs, hot springs and
sleepy villages. To the south and east, farm fields take over, supplying
Beijing with peaches, strawberries, cherries and watermelons in season. The official 2008 Beijing Olympics Site City weekend - Magazine and online listing Dubai extends no smoking rules 16 September 2007 As of yesterday Dubai has introduced a smoking ban in most areas of Dubai's shopping malls. Under the ban, public areas within the mall have to remain smoke-free, while cafes and restaurants have to install special filtration systems if they want to have a smoking section. This is quite clever timing. The malls are quiet in the day during Ramadan and Muslims do not smoke during their daytime fast. As always the problem in Dubai will be one of enforcement. It is easy to issue the instruction. Much harder for the malls to enforce the new rules. There are ten newly hired municipal inspectors that apparently have the authority to physically remove smokers from indoor shopping areas. They may be assisted by police or security guards. But there are some 37 shopping malls in Dubai. Smokers will not be fined for another 90 days as the municipality has agreed to a grace period in which smokers will only be warned for not complying with the regulations. Fines are likely to be in place by December 15. Thaksin enjoying Manchester City 14 September 2007 from www.truethaksin.com
A Ramadan glossary 13 September 2007 Today is the first day of Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem. The following is a list of commonly used Arabic terms during the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan: The ninth and holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It lasts either 29 or 30 days. Hilal: The crescent which marks the start and end of the new Islamic months. Siyam: Fasting. This includes not eating, drinking, smoking or taking any form of nourishment from dawn to dusk during this time. Suhoor: The early morning meal eaten before dawn. Fajr: Dawn, when the fast begins. Maghrib: Sunset, when the fast ends each day. Iftar/futoor: The meal to break the fast eaten at sunset. Tamir: Dates. Muslims are encouraged to break their fast with dates. Salah: Prayers. Du’a: Supplications. Muslims are encouraged to ask for mercy, forgiveness and saving them from the fire of hell throughout this month. Taraweeh: Special prayers offered during the month of Ramadan after the evening prayers. Qiyam Al Leil: Late night prayers performed throughout Ramadan. Laylat Al Qadr: The Night of Power, it is on this night that the first verses of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, were revealed. No one is sure on what day it falls, however it is believed to fall in the last 10 days of this month. Khiyam: Literally tents. These provide evening entertainment during Ramadan. Zakat: Almsgiving. It is compulsory for every Muslim who is financially able to give to the poor before Eid Al Fitr. Eid Al Fitr: The celebration of breaking the fast marks the end of Ramadan.
Stating the obvious 11 September 2007 Television screens in cars, especially in the front, are hazardous and distract motorists, a senior official in Dubai warned yesterday. Brigadier Eisa Aman, Acting Director of Dubai Police's Traffic Department, warned that installing TV screens in the front of cars was dangerous. "Their presence is dangerous and may cause accidents and traffic jams." Brigadier Aman said installing screens in the back of cars was fine, as long as they did not distract the driver. Still it is something to do in the endless traffic jams ! We have your money so we really don't care - update 11 September 2007 The latest missive from my apartment's management company/landlord is a notice plastered in each elevator or lobby that says - If any tenant has concerns in respect of vehicle access to the building they should contact the Roads and Transport Authority and advise then that access at the front of the building is bucked by the RTA (by construction for the new transit system) and has been blocked at the back of the building by the construction company (the notice fails to say which construction company and which of the many construction sites is responsible for this). Of course the notice also fails to say that we the management are doing all we can to lobby with the RTA and the developers around the building to ensure reliable and paved access to the building for our valued tenants. Ramadan starts this week 9 September 2007 This week marks the start of Ramadan, when Muslims refrain from eating or drinking from dawn to dusk. Life changes for everyone during Ramadan, regardless of their religious beliefs, with the pace of life very different from at other times of the year. It is an interesting month; a time of reverence but also of some celebration as well. Time that people spend with family and friends. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is a special month for over two billion Muslims throughout the world. It is of a special meaning to Muslims as it is the Fourth Pillar of The Muslim Faith. Muslims rise before sunrise each day of Ramadan to eat and drink. They will fast during daylight. The fasting of Ramadan is believed to improve the physical and mental health. For many the month feels like going “into maintenance” and is almost like charging one's batteries for the rest of the year. It is also a break from the routine of modern life. Fasting is also considered as a method of self-purification by cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry. It also teaches the meaning of self-control, patience, unselfishness, moderation, will power, discipline and social belonging. Sawm or Abstention means complete abstention from eating, drinking, smoking and intimate sexual contact from dawn to sunset. It also means curbing of even the smallest of evil intentions and desires. Fasting of Ramadan is obligatory to every adult Muslim, male or female if he/she is mentally and physically fit and not on a journey. Women in certain conditions (period of menstruation and nursing) are exempted from fasting but must make it up if they can otherwise they must feed a needy person for every day missed. In Dubai working hours are slightly altered During Ramadan and all public restaurants and coffee shops remain closed from dawn to sunset. Restaurants at hotels remain open during the day and food and drinks are freely served in those areas. Each hotel has a different policy on which and how many food & drink outlets are open so it is advisable to check with your hotel. While non-Muslims are not required to fast, they are obliged by law not to eat, drink or smoke in all public areas such as streets, shopping malls, cars and public offices during the fasting hours. All hotels currently serving alcohol can continue to do so after Iftar i.e. from 19:00 until 02:00. You should not eat, drink or smoke in your car either on the way to and from work for example – although babies, small children and pregnant women would get away with having a drink in an emergency. Local people in Dubai are not extreme in the ways they observe Ramadan, nor are they extreme in the observance of their religion. They are highly respectful and mindful of others and expect you to be as well. Although Dubai is generally very tolerant with regards to clothing in public areas and on private beaches. In Ramadan It is advisable to have sensible attire when out in public areas especially during the day. Swim suits are allowed on Private beaches. After sunset the fast is broken. This is called Iftar in Arabic. Traffic clearly slows down during the Iftar period. Shopping centres and Souks open up for business after Iftar and remain so until late at night. It is customary to see people doing their shopping as late as 01:00 or 02:00. Some of is still have to be at work for 7.30am so wont be shopping that late. Fasting people go out after Iftar to one of the hundreds of coffee shops in the city to enjoy the evening and stay up until late at night chatting, and eating and drinking special Ramadan delicacies. Most hotels especially those on the beach set up their own (Ramadan tent) out in the open and by the beach to entertain guests all night. For some reason Vimto is extremely popular during Ramadan. The end of Ramadan is Eid in Arabic and last for three days. The first day of Eid begins at dawn when all Muslims go for prayer out in the open. Visits to relatives and friends especially the sick and the elderly take place all day and Special sweets are made for the occasion and new clothes are purchased for the children. All public offices and some private sector offices remain closed for the festivities. Golf Dubai - but at an increasing price 7 September 2007 Golf in Dubai is yet another activity suffering from rapid sot inflation. A directive raising fees by 10 per cent has been issued to all Dubai golf clubs. The order was issued earlier this month by the Dubai Municipality. The new fees, which have already been implemented by the Arabian Ranches Golf Club and The Montgomerie, Dubai are on all club revenues without exception. This means all green fees, range balls, golf carts and golf lessons as well as memberships and related categories will be included. It is also understood that the fee may have to be settled in retrospect and backdated until April 1, 2007. How this will be enforced is a mystery. The 10 per cent fees on top of the green fees and extras now make Dubai one of the most expensive places in the world to play a round of golf. From mid-September golfers can expect to pay Dh695, plus 10 per cent, for a game at The Montgomerie, Dubai. If the Four Seasons Golf Club implements the charge a round of golf will cost, at peak time, up to Dh725 plus 10% tax. A game at the Emirates Golf Club Majlis could cost Dh750, at peak time, plus the fee from the start of their new rate season. Basically this make green fees over US$200 a round. Meanwhile back in Bangkok I used to play the lovely Bangsai course for Baht 900 plus caddy fee. A total of less than US$40. Emirates newest airliner 7 September 2007 This is Emirates first of ten ultra long range 777=200s. Already in revenue service under registration A6-EWA this plane will eventually launch the Rio service next month. For the moment it has operated flights to Heathrow and will be operating EK9/10 to LGW for the rest of this week.
Things best not said 6 September 2007 Anyone expecting a little more comfort or space in Emirates new A380 airliners would do well to heed the words of a senior VP at the airline. Speaking
exclusively to Arabian Business, Keith Longstaff, Emirates senior
vice president, commercial operations, Europe said that despite the
superjumbo being billed as a luxury aircraft for all passengers, Emirates
fleet of A380s would only change for those in first and business class and
not for economy passengers. That does sound like fun. Emirates already manages to squeeze 10 across seating in its Boeing 777 fleet, compared to the industry standard of 9. Mr. Longstaff is suggesting that the A380 will be similarly crowded. Maybe he did not need to be quite so blunt. The A380 in Hong Kong 5 September 2007
The Airbus A380 is in Hong Kong this week for the Asian Aerospace Exhibition which has now relocated from Singapore to Hong Kong. And yesterday morning Hong Kong's residents got to see the world's largest jumbo jet soar above Hong Kong's famous Victoria Harbor at between 1,000 and 1,800 feet. Piloted by Airbus Test Pilot, Captain Terry Lutz and Pilot Christophe Cail, the cabin-fitted A380 MSN007 travelled from Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport overflying the Tsing Ma Bridge before positioning through the Victoria Harbour and tracking around the south of Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island before returning to the airport where it will be present during part of the show China Southern Airlines, China's largest carrier by fleet size has put in five orders to Airbus for the A380. Cathay Pacific has no orders for the new plane.
We have your money so we really don't care 4 September 2007 The headline is a simple summary of the landlord tenant relationship in Dubai. The rental market is so hot that to secure you apartment you pay the full year's rent either in advance of in tow six monthly installments with a post dated cheque for the second six months. 3 months ago the window pane in my bedroom shattered. It appears to be either the result of heat or in some way form the settling of the building. Three months later there is still no repair. building security tells me that the window has been measured (why was that necessary - surely there are the original building specifications) and that a replacement pane of glass was being shipped to Falcon Tower until it broke in transit. The landlord's account manager for Falcon Tower has resigned. Not that anyone was told. I spoke to the new account manager this morning. With regard to the window repair he asked if they could enter the building to examine the window. Maybe this was not done when it was reported three months ago. They were even provided with pictures at the time. With regard to the building noise he said that they have had many discussions with the Dubai Municipality but they are told that our construction neighbours have a 24 hour building permit. Like it and lump it. That does not excuse the excess noise, horn blowing and yelling. They are also apparently having a meeting with the RTA this weekend to discuss the sudden loss of road (it is not a road, it is a dirt track) access to our building from the Business Bay access road. Literally this access was fenced off overnight two days ago without warning or notice. Now the only access is a longer and rougher dirt track. Falcon Tower is 2 and 1/2 years old. It is unthinkable that it still does not have a decent tarmac access to the building. I suggested that the landlord might want to issue a circular to all the tenants detailing the actions being taken in respect of both the noise and access issues and explain the preferred route to and from the building until the old access is re-established, if it ever is. After talking to the account manager, name and shame, Hussein, I am convinced that my call was just an irritant to his day and that nothing will happen. He does not need to do anything. He has my money; and there are always new tenants queuing to get into the building. BKK airport has early A380 woes 1 September 2007 The A380 compatibility tests at BKK's problematic new airport got off to a bad start when the tip of an Airbus A380's wing scraped a repair building of the Suvarnabhumi Airport during its test fly on Saturday morning. The A380 was backing out of its parking space at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The accident has already been blamed on the Thai Airways International (THAI) push-back operator who clipped the hanger, crumpling the A380's left winglet, as he backed the aircraft out for the special media flight to Chiang Mai. Airbus decided to remove both winglets, designed to stabilize the aircraft in heavy turbulence, before resuming the flight to Chiang Mai Saturday afternoon. Saturday's test flight to Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination situated 560 kilometres north of Bangkok, was the second stopover in the kingdom for the A380. THAI has ordered six of the planes, the world's largest. The Chiang Mai flight was designed to disprove criticisms that the massive A380, with a wingspan of 79 metres, was too large for most airports. Rather than proving that a Chiang Mai flight is feasible for the A380 the service showed again that BKK airport still has its problems. The plane - which arrived in Thailand on Friday as part of an Asian tour to promote sales - carried 150 VIP guests, businessmen and reporters. It was scheduled to leave the airport at 9.45am. Thai Airways said the accident occurred because the jet is so large, needing more space on the taxiway. They might have checked first or even trained the push back operator!
|
