Post #284 30 November 2024

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the month of November 2024.
A number of significant events this month: 

• At 2am on Sunday morning 3/11 Vera had a fall at home - we spent the day at the Emergency Dept of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital; excellent follow-up support by the Hospital and she is making a good recovery; on 26/11 she was assessed by the Falls Clinic at Nambour Hospital.

• On 5/11 (6/11 in Australia) Donald Trump won the USA Presidential Election; the next 4 years will be wild!

• On 15/11 we attended Nate's graduation from Marist College Ashgrove - a memorable event (like Kurt's last year).

We were starting to feel more settled in our new home, but then Vera took a tumble and she will take a while to recover; as everyone says, there is no rush - take your time!

We've been here 6 weeks now. It's been a busy time getting organised:  unpacking, buying things, finding our way around, meeting people, medical issues. 

This Village has a lot to offer - friendly residents and good facilities. We have tried as many activities on offer as possible, to see what works for us - are slowly getting there. We have located the local Indonesian community, so look forward to attending their functions in the new year. Some of the Village residents are forming a ukulele  group which Vera is keen to join.  

A big surprise has been the traffic in the Sunshine Coast region. The infrastructure just hasn't kept pace with development. 

Has the move been worthwhile? Too early to say. Our lives here are different from Canberra: not better or worse, just different. We miss our old friends and activities. It will take some time to adjust, it has been a big change, but the prospects look positive.   

Some photos of the 'Halcyon Nirimba Over 55s Village', and activities

The Clubhouse -  hub of our Village. The facilities are fairly modest compared to some Over 55s Villages, but adequate. 

The back verandah of the Clubhouse overlooks the bowling green.

We have found the Walk, Walk, Walk exercise class (7 - 8am) in the Clubhouse is a great way to start the day.

Trivia every Monday night in the Clubhouse; residents take turns to host 60 questions - challenging, good fun - many smart people here. A variety of card games are also popular (canasta, 500s, etc), as is Mah Jong. A movie is offered on Wednesday afternoons in the cinema.

Bingo on Thursday evenings is popular; winner, winner chicken dinner!

The village Bowling Green. I have decided to give golf a break (too hard on my lower back) and will try lawn bowls instead. It looks easy, but there is actually a lot of skill involved.

An aqua aerobics class in the 20m swimming pool. My aim is to have a swim every day and build up my stamina (some residents do 50+ laps, at the moment I can only manage about 20 laps).  I'd also like to get to the beach once or twice a week.

Qi Gong class on Monday mornings; it is a bit like Tai Chi, good for body and mind. If you want something more active, there is Zumba on Wednesdays and Pilates on Fridays. 

Jen came from Brisbane to give us a hand in the house. She & Tom are terrific. We checked out the weekly Farmer's Market near us.

Tom installed a watering system for the small garden in our back yard. He is really good at this, very practical - thanks Tom!!!

Vera had a fall at home on 3 Novermber

At 2am on Sunday 3 November 2024 Vera had a fall in our bedroom. We spent the whole day (3am - 4pm) at the Emergency Department of Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) about 7 kms from our place. Excellent service by the staff. Here the doctor is checking Vera's head and neck.


 

The doctors and nurses at SCUH were great.  Vera was allowed to return home that afternoon. She  had a cut on her forehead (3 stitches), a broken nose (bruising around the eyes), and a hairline crack in a  vertebrae; fortunately no pain. She was told to take it very easy.
The after-care provided by the Hospital was brilliant, an OT and a physio visited Vera on subsequent days. She has to use a walker until her balance is back. 
On 26 /11 Vera  had an assessment by the Falls Clinic at Nambour Hospital. They were reasonably happy with her recovery. Suggested she attend a balance course at Caloundra Hospital, but with the holidays coming up that probably won't start until the new year. 

Jen visited the next day after Vera's fall (took the day off work), and brought food for a week. She was a goodsend! The drive takes about 70 minutes from their place in The Gap, Brisbane.

Melbourne Cup lunch at the Clubhouse.

The Social Club organised a big party on 5/11 for the Melbourne Cup. We have met many fellow residents over the last 2 weeks, but were surprised at the number of new faces at this function.

We sat at this table with some of our neighbours. Everyone is friendly, but many residents have been her for a year of more, so have established friendship groups. It will take a while to find our own niche within this community.

USA election on 5 Novermber - Trump triumphant!

We followed the USA election on the ABC TV channel with Leigh Sales and others. Excellent coverage.

At this stage it was clear that Trump would win the election. In fact, he ended us winning all 7 crucial "swing" States - and the popular vote - it was a clear victory (and this time, surprise, surprise, he accepted the result without question!).

Remembrance Day 11/11

At 11am on 11 November the Village had a flag raising ceremony to mark Remembrance Day.

Afterwards we watched the Remembrance Day TV broadcast from the National War Memorial in Canberra. Strange seeing it on TV - We probably would have been there, if we were still in Canberra!!!

 

We had a "crim-safe" screen door installed.

The Social Committee called a special meeting to outline their 'future plans' - well attended by residents.

The current Social Group Committee of Halcyon Nirimba. They are active! Shorts are mandatory!

Nate's graduation from Marist College Ashgrove.

The original building of Marist College Ashgrove (MCA) which was founded in 1940. The school has 1,700 boys in Years 5 - 12 (including 170 boarders). The site covers 26 hectares with a range of excellent facilities. The school is about 7 km from the Roberts home in The Gap.
 It has been a major financial committment by Jen & Tom to send their sons to this private school; but all worthwhile, they have been very pleased with the boys' progress here. And Jen & Tom also made many good friends among the parents.
Kurt graduated last year, now it's Nate's turn. Sid will be the remaining Roberts boy, he goes into Year 11 so will graduate in 2 years from now.

250 Year 12 graduating students filing into the Hall which was filled with family and friends.

The Headmaster welcomed everyone, followed by a full Mass.

At the conclusion of the Mass, the graduating students formed a "Guard of Honour" for their families.

Our group supporting Nate: Tom & Jen, Barbara, Vera & me, Kurt & Sid.

All the school students lined the walk to the Oval. Nate was very busy saying goodbye to teachers and students; an emotional journey and one he will long remember.

The junior boys prepared special posters for the graduationg students.

This is Nate's last day as a student of MCA, He loveed this school and has a wonderful group of friends. He made the First 15 Rugby Union team, MCA's most highly regarded team, which was a huge achievement. 

Speeches on the Oval. The whole ceremony was excellent. That night Tom & Jen & Nate attended a formal dinner in the City - to conclude a special day. We were so lucky with the weather - it rained heavily all the following day!

That night a friend cut Nate's hair - he is off to "Schoolies"  at the Gold Coast for a week, an important part of the growing-up ritual in Australia. 

Barbara, Jen and Tom relaxing at home.

Barabara Roberts came from Broulee to support Nate. She is off to Tasmania next week for a hiking trip.

Jen & Tom had a ceiling fan installed in their family/dining room, off the kitchen.

We all went to a musical "Wicked" on Sunday night. Unfortunately Vera & I were not familiar with the story, and found it a bit difficult to follow.

At Wicked.

Full theatre at Wicked. The audience was predominantely women. Most of the men wore shorts - I'll have to get used to the very casual lifestyle in Queensland.

Musical Bingo night

The village Social Committee organised a "musical bingo" night - great fun - Noel Bates was the terrific MC, ably assisted by Sandie Ingram. Normal bingo is every Thursday night - but this was more fun!

 

Many residents enjoyed the special "musical bingo" night, which featured songs from the 1960s 70s & 80s.

Karla and Vera playing musical bingo. We didn't win, but had a lot of fun.

We bought a new Sony TV from Phil at Harvey Norman Maroochydore. It will be installed next week.

Once a fortnight the residents buy eggs at a local farm.

We took 60 dozen eggs back to the village for sale to residents ($6 a doz).

Old friends Shana and Greg Mills visited from Ocean Shores. Our new Koala sofa bed had just been delivered and we assembled it. Looks great in the Multi Purpose Room. Thanks Greg! We've still got several things to do around our house (like putting up pictures, storage cupboards in the garage, etc), but it is quite liveable at present.

......

News items which caught my eye in November 2024.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	Remembrance Day 11/11 commemorating 106 years since the end of WW1 in 1918. UN: COP29 climate change meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan concluded with agreement by rich countries to contribute $300B pa by 2035. UK: Kemi Badenoch replaced Richi Sunak as leader of the Conservative Party and Opposition. She was born in England of Nigerian parents. Wallabies beat England 42-37 at Twickenham (5 tries each). EU: fined Meta Euro798M for giving FB Marketplace priority. Amazon: launched Haul to compete with Temu and Shein. APEC leaders met in Lima Peru. The G20 met in Rio. NZ: Maori MPs staged a haka in the Chamber to protest Govt plans to re-interprete the Treaty of Waitangi signed in 1840, Bitcoin close to $100K! US is leaving Europe behind: total value of US stocks $63T, 4 times the value of all European stocks (10 years ago only twice as much). Eight US companies have a valuation of more than $1T, highest European stock is valued at $500B. World Rugby: Aussie Brett Robinson appointed new Chair (he was the Brumbies’ inaugural captain in 1996).  Wallabies tour of UK & Ireland: Beat England 42-37; beat Wales 52-20; lost to Scotland 27-13. Play Ireland next weekend.
Israel – Hamas & Hezbollah	Trump is seen as an avid Israel supporter. Will be interesting to see how he handles the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. He doesn't like Iran (he pulled out of the previous nuclear deal despite objections from the UK, France, and Germany). Will he take on Iran? Israel would love that. Israel & Hezbollah agreed on a Cease fire, from 27/11.
Russian invasion of Ukraine	Trump has repeatedly said that he will end the conflict “in 24 hours”, presumably by stopping all aid to Ukraine and forcing them to negotiate a settlement with Russia. I feel sorry for plucky Ukraine – let’s see what happens. The US (& UK) permitted Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS missiles against targets in Russia – Putin warned of escalation. Latest poll showed 52% of Ukrainians in favour of negotiating an end to the war with Russia, while 30% want to continue fighting.
USA	US election was held on 5 November 2024. Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris and will be inaugurated on 20 January 2025. The Republican Party also won the Senate and retained the House of Reps. See fuller report below. President Biden invited Trump to the White House to discuss transition. Trump started announcing Cabinet picks (many controversial): Elon Mush & Vivek Ramaswamy to head new Dept of Govt Efficiency; Marco Rubio for Sec of State; Tom Homan for Border; Elise Stefanik for UN Ambassador; Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff; Lee Zeldin for EPA; Pete Hegseth for Dept of Defence; John Ratcliffe to lead CIA; Mike Waltz as National Security Adviser; Matt Gaetz as Attorney General (withdrew); RFK Jnr (vaccine skeptic) to Dept of Health.  They will certainly shake up Washington DC. Restaurant chain TGIF founded in 1965 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Boeing workers accepted 38% offer, ended strike. After retirement of 5 years, champion skier Lindsey Vonn (40) returned to competitive skiing. US prosecutors in NY indicted Indian businessman Gautam Adani for paying Indian officials $25M in bribes.
Australia	ACT election held 19 October: see report below. The Greens decided not to continue the coalition, so Labor has formed a minority Govt. Rachel Gunn (“Raygun”) announced retirement from competitive break dancing. Melbourne Cup was won by outside chance Knight’s Choice; jockey Robbie Dolan. 2nd Warp Speed, 3rd Okita Soushi. Federal Govt will give $80M to Rex Airlines to continue to serve regional centres. Broadcaster Alan Jones arrested for alleged indecent assault charges. The Sport Hall of Fame gave the annual Don Award to sisters Jessica and Noemie Fox for their gold medals in kayaking at the Paris Olympics. Lauren Jackson received the Dawn Award. Geoff Hunt (squash) and Michael Milton (para skiing ) were named Legends. Aussie teenagers Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were two of six tourists who died of suspected methanol poisoning in Laos. Jury found Senior Constable Kristian White guilty of manslaughter for using a taser on 95 yo Clare Nowland in Cooma, which led to her death. Labor’s Help to Buy and Help to Rent legislation passed the Senate after Greens changed mind. Federal Court awarded A$144M to victims of Stolen Wages from Indigenous workers over 40 years (1930 – 70).

 

ACT election 19 October 2024

The ACT is divided into 5 electorates with 5 members each; voting is based on the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation.

The final wash-up of the ACT election: Labor won 10 seats (34.1% of the votes, down 3.7%), Liberals 9 seats (33.5%, down 0.3%), Greens 4 seats (12.2%, down 1.3%), 2 Independents.

The Greens have decided not to continue the coalition with Labor, so Labor will govern as a minority.

The turnout rate was 86.8%, quite low by Australian standards (should the fines for not voting be increased!?).

 

USA election 5 November 2024

The major polls all predicted a close election, but in the end Donald Trump with 312 Electoral College votes easily beat Kamala Harris with 226.

Trump won the “popular vote” with 76M votes (50.2%), while Harris got 73M (48.2%). RFK Jr got 742K votes (about 0.5%) and Jill Stein (Greens) got 767K votes (also about 0.5%). Trump won all 7 ‘swing’ or ‘battlefield’ States.

Trump (and VP JD Vance) will be inaugurated on 20 January 2025. He was the 45^th President (2016 – 2020) and will be the 47^th.

156M votes were cast by eligible voters. The Turnout Rate is estimated at 63.5%; previous Presidential elections turn-out rate: 2020 65.8%; 2016 59.2%; 2012 58.0%; 2008 61.6%; 2004 60.1%. The Turnout Rate is usually less for Mid-term elections. It always surprises me that almost 40% of Americans don’t vote in elections (and fewer again in State and Local elections).

Why did most Americans vote for Trump, despite all the negatives? People seemed to be fed up with Joe Biden (although I thought he had done a good job). They felt that Trump had more to offer “Make America Great Again”! and were willing to overlook his many transgressions.

Trump’s support among young men, and Hispanic men, was unexpected. Young women went strongly for Harris.

Trump has a radical agenda, as shown by his picks (many controversial) for Cabinet positions.

Among other initiatives, Trump will create a new Department of Govt Efficiency with two businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge. Their aim is to cut Govt expenditure by up to $2Trillion (in an overall Fed Govt budget of close to $7T). An estimated 70% of Fed Govt spending is payments to individuals (social security, Medicare, etc) and many of those programs will have to be cut.

Trump says he will impose tariffs of 60% on all Chinese imports, and 10-20% on imports from other countries, including from Canada and Mexico despite the US free trade agreement with those countries. He will totally disregard the “international rules-based order”, and do whatever he wants.

He will have much stricter border controls, and deport up to 12 million undocumented migrants – send them back to their birthplaces – a huge undertaking.

There is little doubt that we (the World) is in for a wild ride – if we thought his first term was disruptive he is much better organized and experienced now.

He will radically change America and the world as we know it. It will be fascinating.

 

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

My 30 year career as an Australian Trade Commissioner gave me an interest in matters related to international trade.  I subscribe to Bloomberg's excellent daily newsletter "Supply Lines" (former title 'Trade Matters').  

Here are some of the more interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during November 2024; they are largely self-explanatory.

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That's it for this post.

Not sure about the future of my blog - will we do enough interesting things here to make it worthwhile? I'll keep it going until the end of this year and then reassess. 

In the meantime, best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling!!!

Vera & Alex Olah

Nirimba Queensland

Saturday 30 November 2024.

 

 

Post #283 31 October 2024

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the month of October 2024.

The most important event was moving from Canberra to Nirimba, near Caloundra on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

The move was more stressful than expected. Getting ready for the packing was difficult enough, but saying goodbye to family and friends was an emotional wrench. 

Will it all be worthwhile? Only time will tell.

Kent Removals did the Packing on 2 October, and the Uplift the following day. We left Canberra on 6 October. Canberra has been our base for close to 60 years and it was a strange feeling to drive away, not just for a short time as previously, but this time for an indefinite period.

We know that sometimes a move like this doesn't work out, so we are keeping our apartment in Kingston in case we decide to return. We'll give the new location at least a year (or two) before making a final decision.

On  the way north we stayed with Siri & Bob Morrison in Nambucca Heads and then with Shana and Greg in Ocean Shores, before stsying at Jen & Tom's place in Brisbane. 

 On Monday 14 October we drove to Caloundra; final settlement occurred the next day and we got the keys to our house. Kent delivered our shipment comprising 90 boxes plus furniture on 16/10. 

Then the fun of unpacking started. How in hell did we accumulate so much 'stuff' in an apartment???? The Kent guys helped get us started, and within 4 days we were essentially unpacked - a hectic time - although still a long way from working out where everything should go.

Here are some photos - the story of our move continues after the photos. 

Kent Removalist packing team packed up our apartment in Kingston. did a good job.

Saying goodbye to our lovely neighbour, Alysia.

The Kent Uplift Team came the following day - everything fitted in a 20 foot container. 

The fully loaded container. The apartment was empty, so we moved to Aniko & Peter's place for 4 nights - thanks guys, always so hospitable!

Moritz visited Canberra to check on Tesla operations here, and we had dinner with him.

Saying goodbye to my parent's graves in Gungahlin Cemetery.

Also said goodbye to good friend Ian Loiterton who passed away from a sudden illness in 2019. 

We picked up some take-away at a Filippino restaurant at the Watson shops.

Luton Properties is going to manage our apartment - we handed over the keys to Chauntelle and Maggie on Friday 4 October 2024. 

Vera saying goodbye to good friend Demsi who works for the Samoan High Commission.

Family dinner with Britt, Lani, Tui and Nouvie, and Aniko & Peter.

Saying goodbye to Dynamic Duo Aniko & Peter. Wonderful couple - thanks for all your help and encouragement - we will miss you1 

While packing we came across this wonderful old photo of my mother's parents in Dresden more than 100 years ago. 

We visited Canberra's annual Spring Flower show, Floriade. May be a while before we can go again.

 

Last supper in Canberra on Saturday 5 October (at the Yacht Club) was with the Guys & Dolls social group: from left Joh, Michael, me, Donna, Helen, Paul, Marlene, Vera, Nadia, Geoff, and Neil.

We had lunch in Sydney with Tini and Michael Kramer and their family.

Met Geoff & Albert at a cafe near Nabiac. They love living in the Village in Forster; will do a tour of China soon.

We stayed a night with Bob & Siri Morrison in Nambucca Heads.

Stayed with Greg & Shana Mills at Ocean Shores.

Jen & Tom invited our friends for lunch on Saturday 12 October: Hugo Hofgartner, Sean O'Shaughnessy, me, Vera, Andy (my brother visitng from Rarotonga), Jen & Tom.

Andy & Jen.

Vera with Hugo.

Sean in typical mode.

Nate farewelled us from the Roberts - we are off to Caloundra and a new life.

We stayed near Cooma St. I grew up in Cooma - a sign???

We stayed in the Belaire Place Motel for 4 nights before moving into our new home. Big room, with a view.

Our motel was a short walk from Kings Beach, Caloundra. Early morning dip - the water was great! After breakfast we went to our house and continued unpacking. When we moved in on Friday 18 October (coincidentally our wedding anniversary) we only had 30 boxes still to unpack.

We got the keys to our new home at 133/25 Banya Ave, Nirimba on 15 October 2024.

Renee Wraith from Stockland did the induction to our new home.

Our shipment was delivered by Kent Removals on Wednesday 16 Octoer 2024. 90 boxes, plus furniture. Did we really have this much "stuff" in our apartment in Canberra??? The Delivery Team brought everything inside and then helped us unpack the first 30 boxes. Big help. 

Vera with the Kent delivery team. They did a good job.

The Kent packing Team did a good job in Canberra. We had very few breakages: a couple of fairly old Chinese jars, and this chair (fairly clean break so which we should be able to have it repaired). Also couldn't find a set of cutlery which we bought in Brazil 40 years ago. Not worth claiming on insurance, as we had no receipts and the total value would have been well below our 'excess'.

Jen & Tom came us for the day on Sunday 20/10 to give us a hand; they were a great help. Young people have so much energy and decisiveness!

Our first visitors, on Tuesday 22 October: Paul & Niniek (who were visiting Brisbane) and Doug & Nora.

Jenny & Richard Emerton called in - Jenny was in my class in High School, and we have kept in touch. They visited friends in Noosa and were heading back to Port Macquarie.

Bron & Daz Hensley were on the tour of India 4 years ago. They live in Maleny, not from from us. We met for a coffee in Beerwah.

We are now in our second week in the Village. It's been a bit of a blur. We are meeting so many new people, can't remember names, gets confusing.

This Village is classified as an Over 55s Lifestyle Village and is called Stockland Halcyon Nirimba. It will have 244 homes, the first residents arrived almost 2 years ago. Our villa was one of the last to be built - there are 5 more under construction which will be completed by early next year.

While the minium age to buy here is 55, almost everyone is 70+. In reality it is a kind of retirement place, with good common facilities such as Clubhouse, heated swimming pool, gym, bowling green, pickle ball, Men's shed, community garden and so on. Our facilities are fairly modest compared to some, but adequate.

There are quite a few activities on offer, some organised by the developer and others by the residents:  exercise groups, yoga, bowling, craft, painting, various card games, trivia, bingo, happy hour, and so on. 

Everyone is friendly and welcoming. But I must admit, at this stage, we miss our old friends and lifestyle in Canberra. Here everything is new and a bit of a struggle, whereas in Canberra we knew exactly where to go or what to do. 

We are assured that it is natural to feel anxious in a new environment - everyone says they had the same experience - and that it always takes time to adjust to new surroundings. 

Our lifestyle will certainly be different here.

We are trying all the activities to see which ones suit us. At 7am we have been starting start each day with an exercise class which is really good. I have had an introduction to lawn bowls - looks simple but requires much skill.

Another difference is the weather - I have only worn shorts and t-shirts since we arrived! They say summer (December, January and February), is hot and humid, but the rest of the year is very pleasant. Let's see, so far so good.

For me the biggest difference is the traffic. We used to whinge in Canberra, but it is a well-planned city, and there were rarely traffic problems. Caloundra, actually all the Sunshine Coast, is undergoing rapid development and the infrastructure hasn't kept up. Something I will have to get used to.

This Village is part of Stockland's huge AURA development - we had not fully appreciated how much construction is going on in this area. A big Town Centre (with shops and recreational facilities) is planned close to us, but that is probably still 2 years away. It will be great eventually, but in the meantime this area is a massive construction site with limited facilities close by.

Most importantly we think we have found a good doctor.

It's early days still - let's see how things develop over the next few months.

 

......

 

News items which caught my eye in October 2024.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	EU: imposed tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles. China responded with tariffs on cognac and threats of others. Rafael Nadal: announced his retirement after an amazing career. He won 22 Grand Slams (including 14 French Opens); Olympic gold in Singles and Doubles; 4 Spanish Davis Cup twins; 209 weeks at world #1. Great rivalry with Roger Federer – Rafa won 24/40 contests with Roger. Wimbledon: announced that Hawk-eye will replace line judges in future. Malaysia: hundreds arrested in child abuse investigation. Indonesia: inauguration of Prabowo (73) as President and Gibran (37) as Vice President; five year terms. BRICS: Leaders meeting in Russia hosted by President Pun; Iran attended. World Bank & IFM marked the 80th anniversary of the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944. Starlink: Musk’s Starlink has 6,419 satellites in low orbit; so far 4M subscribers in 100 countries. Turkey: The PKK attacked an aircraft factory in Ankara with 5 dead and 22 injured. In retaliation Turkey bombed PKK bases. Japan: the govt lost it’s majority – is trying to form a coalition. Spain: flash flooding in southern Spain, 95+ dead and much damage.  UK: Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced Labour's first budget which featured significant increases in taxation (yes, you read correctly). China: Hurun's annual Rich List included 753 US$ billionaires. Richest Zhang Yi Ming (founder of Tik Tok) worth $49B, second Zhong Shan Shan (Nongfu bottled water) $48B; third Ma Hua (Tencent) $44B.
Israel – Hamas (Gaza)	There are almost daily reports of Israeli strikes (and resulting deaths and injuries) on parts of Gaza and now Lebanon – I will stop trying to list them.  First Anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 Oct 2023. Still about 100 hostages in captivity. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed last week. Estimated almost 43,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza (mostly women & children) and over 100,000 injured (many will die from lack of medical services and supplies).  Many Israel ground and air strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon, including parts of Beirut. 5 UN Peacekeepers injured. Aust Govt arranged rescue flights for Australian citizens in Lebanon. USA deployed Thaad anti-missile system, including staff, to Israel.  Israeli jets bombed targets in Iran in retaliation for Iranian missile attack which in turn was in response to Israeli assassination of leaders.  Israel’s Knesset passed a law banning UNRWA (the UN’s Palestine aid organization) from the country. International condemnation of this action.
Russian invasion of Ukraine	Australia will give 49 US-made Abrams tanks to Ukraine (due to be replaced, worth an estimated A$245M). Reports that North Korean soldiers are fighting for Russia. Ukraine is anxiously watching the American Presidential election – if Trump gets in he will probably stop American aid to Ukraine to force them to negotiate a settlement with Russia.
USA	Election: Count-down to election day, Tuesday 5 November 2024. Polls show Trump and Harris very close (as at 30 Octo er, polls suggested Trump had 219 Electoral College votes, and Harris 226 – need 270 to govern); all attention on “battleground States: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. Billionaires who are contributing most to Trump campaign: Miriam Adelson $95M; Elon Musk $75M; Richard Uihlein $50M. Elon Musk has come out strongly for Trump. Hurricane Helene devastated SE USA: 200+ dead in Georgia & North Carolina, etc. Another, Hurricane Milton, hit Florida. NBA: Father & Son LeBron & Bronny James play for LA Lakers. Al Pacino (84) has 4 children: daughter 34, twins 23, and son 16 months. East Coast dockworkers threatened to strike, but entered into negotiations instead. Boeing workers (30,000) on strike, refused an offer of a 35% pay increase over 4 years. The Supreme Court allowed the EPA to enforce climate rules on power plants. Tickets for the World Series finals between NY Yankees and LA Dodgers average $1,700. As at 30 October, the Dodgers were winning the best of seven games 3-1. The Yankees have won the World Series 27 times, the Dodgers 7 times.  Ohtani’s 50/50 ball sold at auction for $4.4M.
Australia	King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Australia for 6 days, enroute to the CHOGM leaders meeting in Samoa. Aussie Rules AFL Grand Final: Brisbane Lions beat Sydney Swans 18-12=120 to 9-6=60. Rugby League NRL Grand Final: Penrith Panthers beat Melbourne Storm 14-6. Penrith’s 4th consecutive Premiership. Former prominent TV journalist George Negus died aged 82. Australia’s birth (fertility – babies per woman) rate dropped from 1.86 in 1993 to 1.5 in 2023 (record low). Without immigration Australia's population would be in decline. ACT election for Legislative Assembly was held 19 October: Labor 10 seats (vote fell by 3.7%), Liberal 9 seats (vote fell by 0.3%), Greens 4 (vote fell by 1.3%)probably 3), Independents 2. It looks likely that the Labor / Greens coalition will continue (Labor has been in Govt for 23 years, and the Labor / Greens coalition since 2012). Queensland State election held 26 October: change of Govt as the LNP easily beat Labor. Result as at 31 October: Liberal National Party (LNP) 51 seats, Labor 34, Greens 1, Katter Party 3, Other 1. Three seats still in doubt (LNP leading in 2, Labor in one). New Premier is David Crisafulli, leader of the LNP. September quarter inflation down to 2.8% but "underlying inflation" still over 3% so commentators do not predict interest rate cuts until early next year.

 

 

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

My 30 year career as an Australian Trade Commissioner gave me an interest in matters related to international trade.  I subscribe to Bloomberg's excellent daily newsletter "Supply Lines" (former title 'Trade Matters').  

Here are some of the more interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during October 2024; they are largely self-explanatory.

 

......

That's it for this post.

Today is my sister's birthday. Angie lives in Narooma on the NSW South Coast and is very much involved in the local community, especially through Rotary.  Keep up the good work, Sis! Our very best wishes for today and for the year ahead. 

Not sure about the future of my blog - will we do enough interesting things here to make it worthwhile? I'll keep it going until the end of this year and then reassess. 

In the meantime, best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling!!!

Vera & Alex Olah

Caloundra Queensland

Thursday 31 October 2024.

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