January 1 2010

01/01/10 - here it is, a brand new year, another decade, another January. Celebrations have taken place in most capital cities around the world as fireworks, alcohol and party-filled atmosphere illuminates Earth.

2010 - welcome.

The Management.

From December 09 - Welcome 'Summer of Ten'

Greetings all, December of 2009 is approaching its end. In the North, the bitter cold strikes, and in the South, the warmth embraces. Barbeques are lit, meat consumed and crisp beer drunk. The long days in the south draw hordes of people to the outdoors, where sun, surf and swim are found. The people of the north grab snowboards and skis and head out to mountains and runs.

Airplane giant Boeing sent their 787 on its maiden test flight from Washington state. Airbus watches closely as the two powerhouses battle for the most superior of aircraft. It is akin to the battle between the U.S. and The Russians in the space war. Richard Branson is talking about space visits as well.

Our book club is going strong and December included two meetings. We read rich literature, discussed ideas, theology, technology and more. I would be interested in hearing what you have read or if you have any recommendations for future material. John Grisham, Jeffrey Archer and Nelson De Mille are banned and will not be tolerated.

In what could only be described as a low and baseless act, the ‘Arbeit macht frei’ sign, which was mounted at the entrance to Auschwitz, was stolen. Polish authorities did not waste any time in tracking down and recovering the stolen sign, but not before it was cut into three pieces. The site is of great historic importance and many travellers form across the globe visit and pay respects to the lives lost and the hardships that were had there.

Tiger Woods did not play a round of golf during the month. It was revealed that the master golfer was indulging in some non-golfing affairs. And that is all I will say.

December is a month of festivals, and it is followed by the greatest month of all, January. January is about freshness, rawness naivety. January always produces the New Year resolutions that are made and not kept.

December of 2009 will close a decade. A decade, where the population grew and terror reigned. Momentous incidents occurred, such as the tumbling of the twin towers, financial meltdowns and the advancement of technology.

Wishing you all a happy new year, make it bring the best out of you and your loved ones. May you be showered with health, prosperity and joyous times. May you encounter the good and fight the evil.

So as each beginning comes from another beginning’s end, let us welcome the ‘Summer of Ten’.

Peace.

Part 3 - year in review - December

December – 2010 is the Chinese year of the tiger; it came into effect a couple months early, as the secret double lead life of Tiger Woods was unveiled. In fairness to the sportsperson of the decade, like human beings, tigers make mistakes too. Tiger wasn’t only swinging golf clubs during his many golf tours of the world. And apparently tigers mate all year round. While on the topic of sport, Australia drew Germany, Serbia and Ghana for the World Cup. John Lennon was remembered and the streets were filled with Hanukah and Xmas lights. We celebrated 8 days of illumination, whilst environmentalists in Copenhagen celebrated climate change. Boeing got airborne as their newest jet, takes off in Washington State. The world is outraged as the ‘Arbeit macht frei’ sign is stolen from Auschwitz, Poland. The sign is later recovered by Polish authorities and had been cut into 3 pieces, a piece for each word. In separate incidents the pope was knocked down at mass in the Vatican and Berlusconi was attacked in Milan. A Nigerian national attempts to blow up a commercial jet in the U.S.A, but a Flying Dutchman saves the day. With a half a billion-dollar budget and 3D glasses, Avatar opened in cinemas worldwide. It remains to be seen if the film will be profitable. In my opinion, it was extraordinary theatrics, ordinary plot. The hot weather in the Southern Hemisphere causes bushfires to rage and ruin.

This is just some of the happenings throughout 2009. It marks the end of a decade, a decade that was labelled the noughties (or naughties). So as the New Year beckons, I wish one and all a happy, safe and adventurous 2010.

Peace.

Year in Review Part 2 July - November

In the southern hemisphere July kicks off the winter season, in the north, it is all about summer.

July – Michael Jackson is forgotten and life moves on. Memorial services are held for the late pop star and songs are sung, dances are performed and speeches are said in a night of stardom. Bruno came out – literally. It is a documentary in which some will cry and then some will cry, more. It is filled with jokes, disturbances and drama. Happy Bastille Day to all the French, plus July 4 gets a mention as well. July 2009 was 40 years since man apparently walked on the moon. Although it was debated, as to who owned the rights to the moonwalk, Michael Jackson or Neil Armstrong? July formed friendships, role models and the creation of a partner in crime.

August – Typhoon hits Taiwan and ends lives. Usain Bolt breaks more world records, and this is performed with voluntary acts of running, as opposed to those at the pursuit of the policeman. I have dubbed him, the Jamaican Cheetah, better than being called a Tiger (more to follow on the Tiger, in December). British rock band Oasis disbands (excuse the pun), the Gallagher brothers are at war again, but their tunes and talent will live on.

September – the day came and it was 09/09/09. Serena Williams made a fool of herself on the tennis court, however this is accepted as normal. A massive earthquake hits Samoa; the Island is rocked around the clock. Not only do they endure a state of dizziness from the quake, they also are forced to switch over from driving on the right, to the left. A dust storm attacks Sydney, and paints the town red. September is a time to remember, and tributes and memorials are held for those lives lost during the terror attacks on New York in 2001. The Jewish New Year is celebrated, and forgiveness is sought and at times debated.

October – Australian dollar strengthens against a weak USD. Rio de Janeiro wins the bid to host the 2016 summer Olympic games, and carnivals, they will have. Once, for the proverbial February Carnivale, followed by the games. Irresponsible parents send a hot air balloon out on a flight, claiming a child is on board. Subsequent arrests are made, and the child is found alive in the attic. Newly elected United States President Obama wins the Nobel Peace prize. In awarding the prize, the judges found that Obama’s promise of disarmament and diplomacy was too good to ignore. However, the rest of the world will ignore the prize.

November – Andre Agassi reveals that he did meth and wore a wig as a tennis player. Another Melbourne cup is run and won. The European Council designates Herman Van Rompuy as the first President of the European Council. In more European news, November marked the twenty-year anniversary since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Tiger Woods visited Australia, and managed to win a golf tournament and collected four million dollars for his win. Tiger is a winner, yet a sinner. Australian surgeons perform a successful separation of conjoined twins. The operation consisted of sixteen surgeons and some 25 hours of work. The Irish are luckless, and find their 2010 World Cup aspirations blown away by the hands of Thierry Henry.

December - Part 3, to follow.

2009 year in review Part 1 January to June

December is a great month, I’ll go further and say it is an extraordinary month. It is a month of reviews of the past year and previews for the next year.

January of 2009 - Israel continues their defensive incursion into Gaza, while the first African American President is inaugurated into office and the White House. The New first lady wore Cuban designer Isabel Toledo and it is evident that black is the new white. In New York, a brave pilot lands an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River. All on board survive, and the real hero is Obama. He eloquently praises the captain of the aircraft and the miracle on the Hudson it was. Financial markets continue to tumble, while the American mint was busy printing money and Slovakia adopted the Euro currency. Somewhere in between all that, an American newsreader mispronounced the word ‘plethora’. Happy birthday wishes, to all those January people.

February – bushfires ravage and cause some of the worst destruction in Australian history. Lives are lost; communities are devastated and insurance companies feel the heat too (excuse the pun). Zimbabwe appoints a new Prime Minister, although the dictator Robert Mugabe has already inflicted much damage on to the Commonwealth State. This leads to the eventual indefinite suspension of the Zimbabwean dollar in April 2009. Meanwhile, the Oscars took place and sadly Heath Ledger did not show up to collect his Oscar. Oh, but there is this thing called the after-life.

March – call it predictable, but TIA (this is Africa) and Guinea- Bissau President was assassinated in his own home. The Russians continue to assist African nations; and many Kalashnikov guns can be bought and traded throughout the diamond-laden lands. Some of us trade gossip for coffee, whilst others trade lives. Terrorism continues as Sri Lankan cricketers are fired upon on their way to a match in Pakistan. During all this savagery, I turned a couple of pages in Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’. I was introduced to a beer aptly called ‘Arrogant Bastard’. Winter slowly disappeared in the North, as did the value of bonds, stocks and shares. The travel industry seemed to have survived the global economic crisis; airports such as New York’s John F Kennedy, London’s Heathrow and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion were occupied with eager travellers, the proverbial drug smugglers and tough security enforcers.

April – the four questions were asked at the Passover table and other questions were raised and debated too. The detection of swine flu caused scare and fear amongst the world. It initiated in Mexico (what was possibly a drug export gone wrong) and spread. The disease, called swine flu, is not spread through the eating of pork, however, swine flew around the globe causing death and harm. I thank my sister, her family and my cousin for hosting me during my stay in Israel during April. It was a memorable trip. Jerusalem was magical, Tel Aviv was audacious and everywhere else in between was just Israel.

May – Mother’s day came and went and spring weather was welcomed in the North. Frisbees were taken to the outdoors and beaches were targeted by the multitudes who wanted to become brown or browner. The Pope made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem as the aromatic smell of barbeques filled the New York City air. North Korea undertook a nuclear testing, but the world failed to notice. Somali pirates continued their assault on the seas and exorbitant ransoms were sought for release of captives. In brighter news, Australia qualified for the soccer World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

June – tragedy strikes as an Air France Airbus cannot duplicate the heroics of the miracle on the Hudson and all those aboard perish in the sea off the coast of Brazil. The human ‘spider-man’, Alain Robert continues to scale skyscrapers around the world. Iran goes to elections and riots break out causing havoc and a potential revolution. June had other moments, but none greater than the untimely (which is of arguable nature) death of pop singer-cum- icon Michael Jackson. He joined Elvis Presley, perhaps in heaven. Michael Jackson fulfilled his very own words and ‘healed this world, and made it a better place for you and for me’. Michael Jackson left so many orphans, in a now safer world. Michael died on a Thursday in his Los Angeles mansion, this was followed by Friday mourning. Life moves on, even for Bernie Madoff who was sentenced to 150 years imprisonment for his involvement in a 50 billion dollar ponzi scheme, but Bernie still managed to celebrate his final father’s day before incarceration.

That is, just, half of 2009.