For those of you ‘joining’ Home Thoughts from Dubai for the first time, its origins are a ‘penance’ I set myself 7 years ago when I came to Dubai. It was a way of ‘writing’ to friends, family and business partners telling them that I was ‘fine’ or ‘ok’ and dumping my views of what was going on in parts of business and world life, into their homes, businesses and private lives. Readers include people from the highest level of business (at least that’s what some of them tell me) to my Mother (yes I know, mothers will always tell you what you want to hear). And so the content may seem ‘scattered’ and ‘mixed’ – but such is the essentialness of ‘gripping’ the attention of the readership diversity. I also occasionally include Mahmoud Ahmedinijad from Iran – just to annoy him and increase my Iranian audience (and site ‘hits’), Michelle Pfeifer in the hope of her one day realising that I am worth a ‘shot’ and many other well known global names from entertainment, sport, politics and business as I have come to realise through that wonderful tool, Google Analytics, that my weekly ‘site visits or hits’ increases alarmingly with the use of such journalistic tactics.
Now you can all appreciate the ‘body and mind sapping’ nature of this weekly commitment I have given over the past 7 years (really only 42 weeks as I take some deserved time off at Christmas and Summer) and as I go into the next phase of my ‘career’ and life, I now need to let you all have more time to yourselves and release you from being a ‘slave’ to my weekly insights. No, don’t worry, I am not going to abandon you. I am just going to move Home Thoughts (or ‘David’s letter from the Arab World’ as my Mum calls it) from a weekly to a fortnightly communication. That way, we will all have a better quality of life and you know what they say ‘absence makes the heart grow ……….’ !!!
So enough of the ‘intro’ let me get on with this fortnights fun.
One of the most ‘interesting’ aspects of recent business life, has been the complete absence of financial leadership in Europe and specifically the management of the European economies (yes it IS plural) and the Euro. This lack of leadership, primarily by Merkel in Germany (aren’t we in Ireland lucky that we now no longer have the ugliest Prime Minister in Europe) and the fat noses dwarf President Sarkozy in France, has effectively put an end to the Euro currency. It may take time but it is now inevitably unless there is a major U-Turn amongst the ‘parent States of Germany and France’. It is also breathtakingly astonishing how the world, and Europe specifically, has allowed the Global Press and Financial Analysts (yes the ones who dream up why the world should end) to concentrate on the debt levels of so many Sovereign States around the world. These same analysts/journalists were the ones who 3 years ago were predicting the end of the ‘Western World’ as its banking system went into meltdown. But with the concerted efforts of Global Governments (the only ‘entities’ that were ‘allowed’ to borrow money at the time) this potential Armageddon was avoided. And now , with the world almost ‘normalised’, these same ‘Reapers’ are trying find another reason for the world to end. IF Governments around the world are compelled to run down budget and borrowing deficits too quickly then there WILL be a Global recession – which will hand a ‘win’ to guys who should really not be allowed share the oxygen of our Planet. But alas they are winning and hence my second prediction. There IS a Global recession ahead.
Finally on finance commentary. Isn’t it strange that most Governments will accept that they NEED the banking system to be lending and functioning properly for Economies to recover and grow, and yet these same Governments attack, punish, vilify and regulate these very ‘pillars of the economy’ in a way that prevents them from performing what is economically essential.
Now Mums turn. Did you know the latest fashion trend to hit the streets amongst the rich females of the Planet, is to have ‘handbag pups’. Now we all know the woman’s ‘umbilical attachment’ to handbags but this brings the habit to a new mountain top. Yes apparently all the branded shopping streets of the world now have women who on closer observation of the thing draped from their shoulder or arm, has a little confused Chihuahua, Pomeranian or Pug Cross peering out from the Louis Vuitton or D & G handbag. I just don’t know. And I thought finance was full of eccentricities. But I guess it brings new meaning to ‘taking the dog for a walk, darling’.
Now another ‘trend’ that is about to ‘infect’ the rich – if it is not already part of their lives – the growth in ‘Body Parts Laboratories (or shops)’ around the world. The list is endless. In addition to the ‘cosmetic products’ that have been available for years, the ‘shelves’ now include leg muscle (I am not sure if that is really a Victoria Beckham product), fingers (now you are talking), a windpipe (that might help Vicky Becks irritating voice), an eye (the idea is you can buy one, not gauge one out), spinal nerves and a brain (now you can definitely expect to see Vicky in that dept. Imagine being able to buy something you always wanted !!). And ALL these products have been GROWN in Laboratories as opposed taken from other humans. So Vicky, you don’t have to take any ‘dirty’ parts from other bodies …………. sorry humans.
One woman who seems to challenge VB’s place in the history of ‘odiousness’ will just NOT go away. What is it with Sarah Palin, the US Republican Party moron, that she just wants to be on stage, irritating everybody with her ‘intellectual mistakes’, her ‘consistently boring’ political thinking and her nauseating voice. Just do us ALL a favour and go back to Alaska. Please. Even Tom Hunersen, your only fan in Ireland, is yawning.
And finally in Mum’s Corner. Did you know that a latte can have the same calories as a bag of chips (and that will be the BIG chips). Or that the harmless McDonalds burger meal contains 80% of a woman’s recommended average daily calorie intake of 2,000. Well from next week in most fast food outlets in the UK you will be able to read for yourself the ‘damage’ these succulent products inflict on you and your body.
If you were asked what the population of the world is what would you answer ? Well most of us will shout a figure of 6 billion. Anyhow whatever chance you may have of being right (because you got the first figure/number right) will cease in six weeks time when the official population of the Planet will rise above 7 billion.
Now think twice before sitting down to a bean supper if you’re travelling to Malawi soon: the little African country wants to resurrect a law against breaking wind in public. The government claims ‘vitiating the atmosphere’ has run rampant there since the advent of democracy 15 years ago.
But many countries ban seemingly innocent behaviour. Did you know, for example, that it is illegal to land a flying saucer in the vineyards of France? And if you’re single, divorced or a widow living in Florida, don’t even think about using a parachute on Sunday afternoons. Does that mean a ‘widower’ can parachute (surely it would be just better to say you cannot parachute rather than name the classes that cannot).
And would you believe that throughout the whole of England it is illegal to eat mince pies on 25 December? The law was introduced by the puritanical Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century and has never been repealed.
In Scotland, on the other hand, you can legally enjoy as many mince pies as you can stomach on Christmas Day, but the country has its own batch of crazy laws, too. Avoid being drunk in possession of a cow in that country, for instance – you risk being locked up.
And if you stick a stamp with the Queen’s head on it upside down on an envelope, you are still committing treason. This law was passed in 1840, when the first penny black was issued, to stop people “insulting the monarchy”
Perverts, meanwhile, listen up. An old law in Russia allows a police officer to “beat a peeping tom soundly” but in the US state of Texas, two categories of men are exempt from peeping tom charges: men over 50 and men with only one eye
If you’re in Hawaii and enjoying a late night laugh at the madcap laws still existing around the world, then stop! A law there prohibits laughing loudly in public after 10pm.
Finally, you are all breaking the law simply by reading this article – actually only if you happen to be a resident of Denver, Colorado. After a one-time craze for researching wacky laws there, public records offices were so swamped by requests for information on entertaining legislation that possession of lists like this was banned
Finally (in real) did you know that 80% of American Lottery winners would prefer not to have won. Well that is after a period of 2 years ‘in the role’. Also did you read about the Frenchman who has won the won Lottery, TWICE (in two years). With EXACTLY the same numbers. Think how depressed he must be !!!!
Finally finally did you know that humans stop growing (height) at 21 (women) and 25 (men). Amazing.
