Dangerous Missions

TTFN... 

Without so much as a cheery "Ila al-liqa'a" Prime Minister Abbott was off to Iraq on a secretive mission.The media were not invited due to the "heightened Security risk" Presumably the foreign Press were not subject to these concerns.Secrecy was again the order of the day.

Mr Abbott, it seemed, was a little more welcome in Iraq than he will be in Queensland where Campbell Newman is holding a  swiftie state election later this month. 

After discussing methods and strategies, the PM then visited Australian troops thanking them " very, very much" for their presence ( who sent them there?) and adding that "fair dinkum" Ozzies admired their efforts. His effusive thanks no doubt were reflected in their recent 1.5% pay rise. Although a tad below the inflation rate it was a move designed to encourage conversation at the ensuing official barbecue (snags and onions no doubt). 

History has shown that when one is in trouble at home politically, it's a good move to shift one's focus elsewhere. 

As they say in France, the more things change the more they remain the same.

Ho, Hum!

Mr Abbott arrives "ïncognito"in Baghdad

Le Canard not a lemon

Days gone by

I have a special place for the old 2CV( deux chevaux). We travelled from Luxembourg to Brussels on our way to Australia  with two adults, two kids and I believe four suitcases without a glitch or hiccup. Our journey with the old "umbrella on wheels"stopped at Brussels but for fun and excitement little comes near to beating the experience.
It was a challenge at first getting used to the dashboard mounted gear lever  but once one got the hang of it it was fun and a great sense of accomplishment for some reason.
The old 2CV was manufactured from 1948 until 1989 and over 3.8 million of these little icons were produced. Production did continue in Portugal from 1989 - 1990.

Cheap, simple to maintain with low fuel consumption the car was to some extent ahead of its ti,me in an era when cars were expensive and restricted to the fortunate few. It had an extremely long travel suspension offering light off-road capabilities, high ground clearance and height adjustability. Together with the Model T Ford and the 1960 Mini it is an icon for motorheads.

The newer Citroens  unfortunately have a hard time keeping up their reputation being expensive to service and often dogged by design and mechanical problems. Perhaps I had bought a Friday or Monday Xsara but it came nowhere near the performance and sheer enjoyment of the old Canard.

Outcomes of Incomes

Lies,damned lies and statistics

In 2013, October 07, to be precise The Melbourne Mercer Global pension Index proclaimed that we were a lucky bunch of superannuates . The Press seized on this and in their usual modest way proclaimed "Australia's retirement system among world's best!"

Right.

Let's move on to barely a year later when the Global Agewatch Index which monitors quality of life for the elderly has determined that Oz is not among the top 10 of the world's best countries. Australia ranks # 13 ,behind New Zealand Canada and the U.S and others.

Australia has the lowest ranking in the region (61st!) for retirement income security, coming behind Afghanistan (by 20 places) for that category.

For overall well being Afghanistan ranks last.

Statisticians and financial gurus can and do skew surveys to suit their own needs. We only have to scan the reports of how "well "the West is performing in its fight against ISIS or governmental press releases and spin on their performance to feel not so much reassured but a little uncomfortable.

Nevertheless , in my bones, I have an uneasy feeling that all is not well in Cloud Cuckoo land. Retirement is not the time to find this out for certain.

"Happy New Year, Bill!

It's all Greek

In July 2012, the European Central Bank's president, Mario Draghi promised to do "whatever it takes" to stabilise the Euro. Since then the fears of a Euro break up have receded into the background. That is until now.


For some reason the current Greek government under Mr Samaros decided to bring forward the presidential election to later this month. The Presidency is a largely ceremonial role but if Samaros cannot get enough votes for his candidate Stavros Dimas, a general election will follow. It seems likely, fingers crossed for the Euro, that Mr Dimas will win the vote. However the uncertainty  ( and investors hate surprises unless they pop , buck naked , out of cakes ) has roiled the Euro .

In case there is  general election ,polls suggest that Alexis Tsipras, the populist party leader would win. Although he professes to he would like to remain in the Eurozone , Tsipras  is making promises on public spending and austerity measures that would make it hard for him to keep his aims intact.

The potential and political fall out from the GFC in 2007, made any alternatives to the Euro "scary biscuits"and most preferred to stick with austerity rather than risking meeting the devil they didn't know. Now that the world has not ended and the affected economies appear to be stable, although painfully slow and sluggish, the political risks seem less perilous. The inertia of Europe, economically, is a problem that is current and perhaps more urgent.

There are disgruntled murmurings within EU ranks over still  current austerity measures and apart from the discontent within the  PIGS (Portugal,Italy,Greece and Spain) there are also signs of ferment in France and Germany while the Anglo Saxon Press take pot shots at the "smudgy amalgam of European Politics" to quote Churchill.

It would seem that the nightmarish thrills that turn on business tycoons before they go to sleep is still around but being optimistic, the jitters

does present traders with "opportunities" to earn some extra moolah.

ΏΠΑ!

Unsolicited calls....

Too good to be true

As we drift from 2014 into 2015 , it would be a wonder if most of us managed to avoid the ubiquitous salesman. They catch is by phone, by email, spam or simply cold calling.

A number of years ago , it was possible to put your name down on an official "Do not contact"list and be assured that your days would be carefree without having to make excuses as to why you couldn't buy the newest roof tiles for a mere $30000.00 or the latest computer driven investment program that would guarantee $10000.00 per moth..no worries.With the latter, of course, it begs the question that if this magic program were so good , why is the person trying to sell it? This list however, seems to have dropped off into cybersphere.

Charities are of course the hardest as they make you feel mean, curmudgeonly and thoroughly miserable in not wanting to fork out another load of shekels. If you do happen to agree and subscribe to one of the million raffles going around in the name of charity, the word seems to get round and for months afterwards you are plagued with dinner time phone calls asking for your help in solving the world's problems.

The sales people listed above are really just trying to do their job and earn a few bucks commission so they in turn can feed their fledgling families. No?

The most sneaky callers are those that tend to came from overseas. You can tell who they are, as there is a pause while they rush from veranda where they have been having a quick cheroot to get to the phone.Once answered there is the unmistakable sound of a murder of crows cawing and carrying on as they hang onto ancient telegraph wires in the 115 degree heat (Fahrenheit of course).
With names like Johnny, Debra or Bill they will endeavour to gain control of your computer under the guise of Microsoft or Telstra technicians.  Do not engage with these people , even as they try to curry favour with you! I don't even bother.At the telltale sign of the initial pause, I hang up. Some are more aggressive than others, one even calling me back demanding to know why I had hung up.

Anyway. Happy New Year and as they say, if it sounds too good to be true...it usually is a lie.

"......and add it to your feet!"