Today's NZ Herald carries an interesting read penned by Mike Moore, a former Prime Minister of New Zealand with a longtime interest in Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade. As well as being a prolific author, in 1998 he also decided to run for the post of Director General of the World Trade Organisation - a position that he won after a protracted contest, and which he held from 1999 to 2002.
Some of his statements include interesting information.
For instance, he writes about the discussions around the UAE creating a new currency. If they were to do this, it would rank 4th in the world behind the US$, the Euro€ and the Yen¥. That's no small-time impact on the balance of foreign currencies!
Other points that caught my attention: ~ if the Gulf Co-operation Council (the GCC - made up of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates) ever got their act together, it would be the seventh-largest economy in the developing world - twice the size of Turkey, South Africa, or Argentina. Its global savings are higher than China's, and its current account surplus on a par with China. ~ The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is second only to the Bank of Japan in terms of assets. ~ The International Monetary Fund suggests infrastructure investment will reach $800 billion by 2010. On the respected index of economic freedom, the GCC is well ahead of Russia, China, and India. Half the GCC states score ahead of Italy. ~ Only 40 per cent of Dubai's income is now resource-based. ~ Dubai now enjoys more tourists than Egypt. (I don't know that "enjoys" would be the word that I would use to describe it!)
The article is an interesting read written by a man whose credentials and experience in Foreign Affairs and Overseas Trade make him an authority in this area.
If that's not enough to qualify him, Mike is married to Yvonne. Those kiwis who remember back to the 70s will know Miss Yvonne as the host of the NZ version of the children's program Romper Room. Her experiences would surely have rubbed off on Mike and better-equipped him for playing in the sandpit with the other kids! Link to article Mike's website - Towards a World without Walls Mike's Wikipedia Entry WTO bio Prime Ministers of New Zealand
I couldn't go on vacation and leave Louis up in the air about the concert that I attended the other night - especially after I visited his and Catherine's blog to boast about it!
I've been a longtime fan of Césaria Évora ever since I chanced upon a CD of hers in an Auckland music store and took it home. Her singing is incredibly poignant and just gets under my skin. I have to just stop and listen. So I could never put on her CDs when I wanted to work!
When I read in the local paper that she was coming to Melbourne to perform, I couldn't pass up on the op to see her as it's most likely to be the only time that I will.
The Melbourne Arts Centre is built on the south bank of the Yarra River which runs through Melbourne city. The round building that you see in the image is Hamer Hall and this is where Césaria Évora was performing.
Let me tell you something. The incompetence that we complain so bitterly about in Dubai is spreading itself around the world, as service people are apparently not paid to think anymore. From the 30 min wait (I was #7 in the queue) in the pre-paid ticket queue as the cashier went in search for the tickets which hadn't arrived at the box office, to the ushers who closed down any sense of fun that people wanted to have to better enjoy the show (dancing and moving closer to the stage), it was a bloody miracle that we all enjoyed the concert as much as we did.
Thankfully, Césaria and her most competent and entertaining 8 man backing combo were at their best. They salsa'd and balladed until we were on our feet begging for encores which were willingly given.
Because of the overzealous ushers, I had to be very careful about getting any images - especially as it is haram to do this at concerts. So my results weren't that wonderful.
This is Hamer Hall as the crowd vacated after the concert. It's a great venue, and the balcony seat that I had was almost on top of the stage because of the way in which the balcony level came down at the sides of the hall.
On the way back to the tram, I stopped to take this image, but as it was a Sunday night, not many of the building lights were on, so I'll have to go back and take some during the week.
I just don't seem to have time to blog anymore - it seems as though the spare time that I used to have is now taken up with the gym and being online with J in the evenings as Germany wakes up.
I've been taking a few pics of the goings-on around here and have to get them up at some stage. Early tomorrow, I'm flying up to the Gold Coast where J and her sons are joining me, so we'll be in the same place again - yay!
The balloons are now in the sky at about 7:30am - a more civilised time than 5:45am during the middle of summer.
Alas, this also means that autumn is upon us, and currently the Melbourne temperatures are fluctuating between 16degC and 37degC during the day. It can't make up its mind.
We've been having some brilliant apocalyptic sunsets. Few examples here:
Cunard's new ship, the Queen Victoria, came in the other day. She attracted huge crowds down to Port Melbourne, especially when she sailed out under a fireworks display. The retiring Queen Elizabeth 2 followed a few days later on her last voyage into these waters before being put to use as a hotel in Dubai. But the rest of those pics will have to wait for another day!
It almost feels like Dubai as we have (only one!) dredge from Royal Bokalis Westminster in Port Phillip Bay. The Queen of the Netherlands is here to deep dredge the shipping channel so that a bigger class of container ship can sail into the port.
There's been a lot of opposition to the dredging with court injunctions trying to stop the action, but it continues. A lot of local people are upset that it could pollute the bay and damage the marine life.
Jeez - they would go ballistic if they could see what's happening off the UAE, where the whole sea bed is being sucked up for miles around to make new islands! At least here, it's only in the shipping channel.
More later when we return to Melbourne from Surfers Paradise in about 12 days.
