Who is Online

We have 94 guests and no members online

 

In Shenzhen we habitually stay at the Intercontinental at Overseas China Town (OCT) as it's a five star hotel; within our budget; right on the Metro; and thus provides easy access to markets; art galleries; and even a theme park. Directly across the highway (access via the metro tunnel) there is a large more-natural woodland-park as well as a pleasant village and shopping precinct, with restaurants and coffee shops.  The hotel has well-appointed public spaces including several restaurants and conference rooms and is very comfortable.  The breakfast, in particular, is vast, catering to every taste.  

This is the third time we've stayed here. 

 

After arriving and settling in we went across the road to Walmart for a light lunch and to buy some Australian wine (yes, it was back). 

Such was our travail that we then had to relax at a pleasant coffee shop with charming server. We'd walked another 12 km today.

I spent the morning in the park and exploring the town - more coffee. 

This is just a small area in this largely wooded park. Very nice and very needed, given all the high-rise apartments nearby.

 

 

Around the local park. OTC, Shenzhen, China.
The woman in red is a singer, walking about with a cordless microphone.
Hence the feedback - the only sound my camera recorded.

 

Despite rumours to the contrary, China's building boom is still in full swing here. The building with the palm trees is new and the tall building in the distance is the Ping An Finance Centre, fifth-tallest building in the World (115 stories - 599 m).

 

Unlike last time, once out of the hotel, almost no one here speaks English. Can they have forgotten? No. It's a young and confident new generation. China is now a world power. It's the same arrogance that English speakers once had. 'If they don't understand you shout,' an American once told me.  At least the Chinese remain polite.


Last night in China.
Tomorrow it will be back on the Metro to the border; then on to the HK Metro to the city; to catch a taxi to the cruise terminal and board the ship. 

We went back over the highway to a restaurant that I'd discovered earlier in the day. Where we ordered whole roast duck and a salad.

 



Fortunately the menu had pictures, as there was no translation and we had no internet. Wifi was a couple of Chinese characters??? 

We'd bought the wine at the supermarket ($A 14) and tried to ask if BYO was OK. It was farcical trying to use sign language to ask that. But then they produced both wine glasses and ice. No charge.

Why can't these foreigners speak Mandarin? Or read or write?

Needless to say, the meal was excellent. It was also inexpensive and a fraction of the price of a similar evening meal at the Intercontinental, across the road. Or in Australia.

The restaurant is quite large and there were numerous young couples, some with children, enjoying each other's company and the atmosphere was very convivial.  Have you ever noticed that people laugh the same in any language?

 

No comments

Travel

Malta

 

 

Almost everyone in Australia knows someone who hailed directly from Malta or is the child of Maltese parents. There are about a quarter as many Maltese Australians as there are Maltese Maltese so it is an interesting place to visit; where almost every cab driver or waiter announces that he or she has relatives in Sydney or Melbourne.

Read more: Malta

Fiction, Recollections & News

Should we be worried?

 

 

 

"Yesterday, as I stood at my last stop on the campaign trail, I'll never be doing a rally again, can you believe it? I think we've done 900 rallies approximately from. Can you imagine? 900, 901 or something. A lot of rallies. And it was sad. Everybody was sad..."
"They said that many people have told me that God spared my life for a reason. And that reason was to save our country and to restore America to greatness. And now we are going to fulfill that mission together..."
"I will govern by a simple motto: Promises made, promises kept. We're going to keep our promises. Nothing will stop me from keeping my word to you, the people. We will make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful, and free again..."
"Success is going to bring us together and we are going to start by all putting America first.
"We have to put our country first for at least a period of time. We have to fix it. Because together we can truly make America great again for all Americans. So I want to just tell you what a great honor this is. I want to thank you. I will not let you down. America's future will be bigger, better, bolder, richer, safer and stronger than it has ever been before. God bless you and God bless America. Thank you very much. Thank you very much."

 

Presumably, 50-year-old volunteer fire chief; father of young daughters; and a committed church-going Christian: Corey Comperatore, lost his life as a part of God's plan, along with fellow rally goers: David Dutch and James Copenhaver, who also stopped bullets; Dutch critically.

 Nevertheless, Trump certainly loved his rallies. 

 The most talked about moment in the The Harris-Trump debate was when Harris mocked his rallies and Trump responded by asserting that Haitian immigrants in Springfield were eating the residents' pets. 

 

"At the ABC News presidential debate, former President Trump went on a tear accusing Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, of eating pets."

 

 

This was the real Springfield, as opposed to the Simpsons' fictional one.  

  

This man is about to return as 'Leader of the Free World'.

Yet, he saw no warning signals before repeating the Springfield nonsense.  It reminded me of his suggestion, also picked up on Social Media, that Covid-19, might be overcome with household disinfectant.

 

President Trump claims injecting people with disinfectant could treat coronavirus

 

 

And his claim that the F-35 stealth fighter was actually invisible.

 

In a Thanksgiving speech to the US coast guard, President Donald Trump hails the F-35 fighter jet, calling it an "invisible" plane that they "enemy cannot see".

 

 

We already knew that his grasp of American, let alone World, history was woefully inadequate for someone holding, high office.  And this gets to the heart of the matter: he's an ignoramus.

I don't mean he's stupid but he's lacking in the most basic knowledge of how the world actually is. 

No doubt the occasional cat or dog does get eaten by a homeless person but ravenous immigrants, en masse, falling on the pets of Springfield?

The average twelve year old could tell him that this story is unlikely to be true. That same child could tell him that a stealth-jet is not actually invisible (to the naked eye); and that injecting disinfectant; or exposing yourself to radiation, sufficiently energetic to kill a virus infecting you, would very likely kill you too. 

But his ignorance is legendary:

 

Donald Trump often discusses history, and he has a unique way of talking about it.

 

Yet, on several cruises that we have been on with older Americans: "What do you think of Donald Trump" is a standard question at dinner. A few don't like him but for the great majority: 'The Don' can do no wrong. All the negative things said about him are just 'fake news'.  They are 'welded on' regardless.

Now this majority of Americans have got what they wished for - manifest destiny? As bob Dylan sang: With God on Our Side.

I'm worried.

 

 

 

Opinions and Philosophy

Electricity Pricing

 

 August 2012 (chapters added since)

 

 

 

Introduction

 

The present government interventions in electricity markets, intended to move the industry from coal to renewable energy sources, are responsible for most of the rapidly rising cost of electricity in Australia.  These interventions have introduced unanticipated distortions and inefficiencies in the way that electricity is delivered.

Industry experts point to looming problems in supply and even higher price increases.

A 'root and branch' review of these mechanisms is urgently required to prevent ever increasing prices and to prevent further potentially crippling distortions.

Read more: Electricity Pricing

Terms of Use

Terms of Use                                                                    Copyright