wallydownundy

I’m not able to use my nose any longer. I moved to Hong Kong on 31 December and in under a month I’ve lost my sense of smell. According to colleagues and long-term residents, this is normal. It’s Hong Kong.

As part of the new morning routine, it’s custom to check daily pollution levels.  The Environmental Protection Department includes suburban and roadside pollution levels. Today it varies across town. Most places are ‘Medium’ while one or two are ‘High.’

Yet air quality remains a hot issue in Hong Kong. Yesterday the Executive Council endorsed new air quality targets for Hong Kong to reach by 2014. These require a dramatic decrease in many airborne pollutants. Still the to-be-allowed levels are, in many instances, above the recommended level set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In Hong Kong air pollution leads to 3,200 premature deaths each year, according to University of Hong Kong. At this prestigious institution Professor Anthony Hedley studies air pollution and the impact on this city. He has devised the Hedley Environmental Index to measure the financial and human costs. As example, in December 2011 a total of 785,865 doctor visits are attributed to pollution.

And today the overall air pollution index in Hong Kong is ‘Dangerous’ according to WHO guidelines.

Developing a response to air pollution outstrips the ability of Hong Kong alone. Instead regional solutions must be developed including the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzen to the north. These mega-cities have similar problems. Together the three cities are working to create practical, long-term solutions. The challenge is enormous.

Hong Kong is an amazing city and a great place to live,. It does turn out, however, that you need to be able to breathe to survive here. And today that’s getting harder and harder.

In late March there were changes at my old firm, and with new management I elected to resign. That allows me to pursue a role more in keeping with my expertise in corporate communications. There’s an oddly liberating feeling that comes with such a momentous decision. There’s also a sense of deflation and borderline delirium. Change is change and it isn’t always a guaranteed good thing!

Starting out exploring next steps had me rattling my network of business contacts and acquaintances. In early April all replied it would be best to wait until after Easter. The pending holiday allowed a three week period where decisions could be deferred. And after came the Federal Budget, so it made sense to delay meetings until after. And now some are considering delays until the new financial year.

Reflecting this new climate of indecision, The Australian and UBS hosted a seminar in Sydney yesterday featuring Prime Minister Julia Gillard and top CEOs. The only upbeat enthusiasm came from the government as it attempted to sell its budget. Meanwhile businesses warned of a growing downturn in Australia’s economy. (see today’s The Australian for full coverage).

Reasons for the concern? Increased cost of living leading to rising wage pressures is top of the list. Add to that rampant growth in the minerals and mining sector and you have upward pressure on inflation. To contain that the Reserve Bank has been steadily raising interest rates. The Australian dollar has gone from its laughable status as the “Pacific Peso” to a highly coveted currency worth much more than its American counterpart. Housing prices are on the climb. And don’t even mention bananas - these golden fruits became worth as much as the metal when a cyclone destroyed growing fields, while import restrictions mean foreign bananas remain banned. (Today’s price is $17 per kilo or $8 per pound.)

The two speed economy is really showing signs of strain. On one gear its in over-drive with rising ore prices sending the minerals sector into rapid growth. Back in the cities consumer fight to afford everyday items and businesses grow increasingly concerned.

Australia never experienced the full force of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) but it seems the aftermath is starting to pack a punch.

A recent advertising and public relations campaign by high-profile retailers has struck a nerve - unfortunately, it wasn’t the one they aimed for.

A coallition of big name retail stores banded together to demand a level playing field. Their argument is that on-line sales allow consumers to dodge taxes for purchases under $1,000. Graphs showcasing why Levi Jeans cost $69 on-line versus $95 in-store aim to educate consumers. The real goal is to get government to impose restrictions like duty or taxes on any Internet sales. The problem - says the government - is that collecting tax globally on $100 sales will cost more than is raised.

It’s more than uncompetitive. According to retailer Gerry Harvey it’s “Un-Australian.” We’re told paying more “is the right thing to do.”

SIDEBAR: Three years ago the Australian dollar was mockingly called the “Pacific Peso” - at one stage the Australian dollar was worth 50 US cents. Flash forward to today and we’ve achieve parity - the US and Australian dollars are worth the same. So instead of paying AU$150 for a US$100 item we’re paying AU$100. By year-end analysts say AU$1 will equal US$1.10.

The arguments against retailers are diverse - from poor service to high prices to limited trading hours to high prices (did I say that already?). Moving from New York City to Sydney involved a number of culture shocks. The worst was the lack of a strong retail culture. There are stores - but back in 1990 you’d pay 3-4 times what Americans paid. And while manufacturing in China has driven down prices, what hasn’t changed is the limited selection, abbreviated hours and poor service. If you want to shop after 6:00 pm there’s one night a week - or your precious weekend.

What’s most frustrating is the challenge finding what you want. On the weekend we went to Westfield Bondi Junction - a glamorous and wonderful mall in Sydney. We didn’t have much in mind spare wasting time. When we decided to buy the second season of “Glee” we were directed to three separate stores. None had it in stock. One had stopped selling DVDs but no one had updated the store directory. That afternoon Amazon.com had the product - and a lot more. Once again we over-spent.

Australian retailers need to take advantage of the on-line trend and provide a robust shopping experience in their web stores. Most are horribly antiquated. Buying a book? Good luck - one local on-line store took the credit card - then said after the book would ship in three months when stock arrived. That wasn’t a transparent experience at all.

In the USA on-line and physical stores co-exist beautifully. There have been massive changes to the retail sector however the addition of good on-line options has been “additive” - more is sold than ever before. Stores are happy. On-line retailers are happy. And the customers? Well the kings are happy too.

Kings of Retail vs Customer is King?

I’ve been in Auckland for two days now and no one has stuck out their tongue, crossed their arms, bent their legs and started chanting. Why is it Australians immediately think of the Haka - the warrior dance performed before rugby games?

Instead I have been wonderfully impressed with the capabilities of the local public relations industry. Eleven\PR is co-located with our partners WHYBIN\TBWA\TEQUILA. They have a great track record representing leading brands - global and local. What most impressed me was their ability to develop unique events that gain their clients widespread coverage.

I hope to be back soon. I’ll let you know if anyone goes Haka on me!

In my years in an office, I’ve never witnessed such a fast-acting and widespread contagion as has attacked our office this week. In a team of 16 there were seven sick. What was surprising was the speed and ferocity of the illness. Within a day I went from fully functional to flat on my back. This must be the contagion that scared the World Health Organisation. While we’ve not had tests to confirm, if it looks like a pig and acts like a pig, then this must be swine flu.

One hundred years ago the world was hit by a deadly virus.

The Spanish flu pandemic hit a world ill-equipped to handle maladies. Doctors were trained to Victorian era standards. Pharmaceuticals were nowhere near today’s grade. Masses of young men were barracked together in preparation for deployment to World War One. Add to that mix a fast moving flu and you have deadly consequences. Between 50 and 100 million died, and those most targeted were young and healthy. Today scientists are still trying to calculate the death toll.

Just 101 years later the World Health Organisation issued its strongest advisory possible for H1N1 - also known as Swine Flu. This fast traveling flu mutated from a fresh source - meaning any antibodies developed to previous flus were worthless. And just as in 1908 our office lost its young and healthy workers. While we were fine and working one day the next we were home racked with coughs, fever and lethargy.

Thankfully the strain hitting Sydney is nowhere near as lethal as 100 years ago, because if it was, I’d be dead.

This morning I’m in a Brisbane hotel room listening to Nick Clegg, leader of Liberal Democrats in the UK, on BBC TV after forming an alliance with the Conservative Party to form a government. The uncertainty of the last five days is over and finally England has a new Prime Minister. (It isn’t Clegg but instead David Cameron as his Conservative Party - aka The Torries - had more votes.)

Just yesterday the sitting Prime Minister, Gordon Brown of the Labor Party, had resigned. It was a last ditch effort to get Labor in a deal with the Liberal Democrats. Seems poor Gordon fell on his sword for nothing.

But while the machinations were underway in the UK, over in Greece negotiations were underway to rescue that failed economy. (Oh, and in the USA the worst environmental disaster is still spewing oil.)

All this uncertainty has made the stock markets around the world plunge. Seemed we were on the verge of GFC 2.0 (Global Financial Crisis).

 So back in London - as their currency seesawed and the FTSE dove - it seems the Greeks did what history could never do. Today the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats are in government together.

My friend Phyllis is an animal lover who shares emails with heart warming photos. Today I received post-tornado images of dogs rescued. In one, the back seat of a car is covered with beagles and other dogs. In pops a cat - who is warmly welcomed. In the aftermath of a tornado, even a cat can find a home next to a blood hound. Is Clegg the cat? Cameron is definitely a hunting dog!

And whle the post-tornado photos does show species clinging together against instinct, in a few weeks the UK election tornado will pass. The cat would be smart to realise the love in transitory. Clegg is going to need to keep his claws sharp, as Cameron will come back to his senses and return to his hunting instincts!

If you do NOT live in Indiana and know the title of this blog is the name of a song then you’re 45 or older. More like 50. Face it – the mirror and the high school yearbook photo look like chalk and cheese. It’s sad getting old!

But if you are from Indiana then you probably hear this song blasted in the Brickyards or while cruising up from Louisville or over to Indianapolis.

And if you’re one of Jim Bright’s students at Indiana University, you can leave comments on the topics or questions you have for an “around the world – twice” public relations guy!

Today the export of financial services from Australia accounts for merely 3% of that sector’s overall contribution to the economy. Perhaps that strong reliance on domestic business helped shelter Australia’s finance sector from the worst of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). In the world’s list of ten safest banks, four of them are in Australia. (Bizarrely enough we have a “four pillars” banking strategy and today have only four major banks.)

Yet compare us to London – one of the world’s leading finance centres. There the global rump of business contributes 50% of the sector’s contribution to the economy. Clearly Australia has room for growth.

Prior to the full impact of the GFC, the Ministry of Finance commissioned a report to examine Australia’s potential as a global financial centre. Also included was an examination of the regulatory framework that would be required. Are we headed the way of Lehman Brothers by unravelling our rules and regulations? Apparently not, according to Mark Johnson, former Macquarie Bank deputy chairman and architect of the report, “Australia As A Financial Centre.”

“We are not trying to build a financial system on steroids with artificial inducements,” Johnson said in today’s The Australian.

What we could expect was more banking competitiveness, an increase in financial products, and a boost to financial services jobs growth.

While it is some time before Sydney overtakes Hong Kong or Singapore as a financial centre the drive to boost our country’s importance can’t be a bad thing.

I can’t get family to visit me. It’s not my hospitality. My partner and I are renowned hosts. We have a spare room always on the ready and a bevy of activities for newcomers and old hands alike.

What keeps family away is the journey. From the East Coast of the USA to Sydney is approximately 24 hours travel time (perhaps longer with the new security measures going into place). There’s the flight to LAX which is really a warm-up act to the 14.5 hour flight to Sydney (six movies! four meals!).

When you come to Australia you fly over the International Date Line. If you leave on a Monday you arrive on a Wednesday. What happened to Tuesday? Hell if I know. I think you lose it – forever. (Apparently you get it back when you fly to the USA as your plane lands in LAX several hours before your take-off time/day in Sydney.

Go figure.

Tonight is a lot like flying across the date line. With the tick of a clock hand we say farewell to a year – and a decade. Time Magazine called it the “Decade from Hell”. Reflect back. Enron, September 11, Paris Hilton, Lehman Brothers, George Bush (twice). Won’t go down as my favourite years.

New Year’s Eve is a bit like an Etch-A-Sketch or absolution after confession. Your slate is clean and you get to start again. Fresh starts! New thinking! Changes to the old me!

To me it’s like a flight across the Date Line. It all seems slightly artificial. I won’t drop 5 kilos tonight or have a refreshed bank balance. I’ll wake tomorrow in the same bed with the same family. And that’s really, really okay by me. It’s good.

What tonight is good for is promoting Australia. As New Yorkers freeze in winter we’ll showcase our beautiful city and its amazing displays of fireworks.

Get ready world – Sydney gets to dash first into the new year and the new decade. Feel free to follow!

As an island nation Australia is bound to attract illegal immigrants via boat. Under Liberal leader John Howard mandatory detention of all refugees stemmed the flow. Under Kevin Rudd, the Labor government has softened the stance. And that’s lead to an influx of refugees.

In total the numbers are quite small. More visa over-stayers are already in the country having arrived by long-haul jet. Yet the dramatic imagery of small boats on massive seas filled with desperate people is ripe for national television.

This week the issue escalated due to a running issue and a new problem.

Today 78 refugees remain aboard an Australian Customs ship docked in Indonesian waters. They refuse to leave for fear of persecution under Indonesia’s shaky human rights regime. Another boat has 255 people seeking asylum in Australia. This is the long-running issue. Refugees have been aboard boats for three weeks.

Yesterday another boat sank in the Indian Ocean on its way to Australia. Twelve people are known to have died and another 11 are still missing. Opposition minister Tony Abbott blamed the Prime Minister for the deaths:

“You look at this terrible tragedy that’s unfolding in the Indian Ocean at the moment and you’ve got to say this is a comprehensive failure and it’s all the Prime Minister’s fault,” Abbott said in a radio interview.

Talk Radio is filled with views supporting a tougher stance – and others crying out for Australia to take responsibility for these people. By docking Australian flag ships off Indonesia and hoping to disembark their problems, the government is seeking to transfer ownership of refugees to Indonesia.

Clearly a regional approach is mandated – and Australia must play a lead role in directing policy and resettling refugees. When Hungarian children were evacuated in the 1950s amnesty by that country’s Communist regime they were greeted as heroes. When Vietnamese fled after the fall of Saigon they were welcomed – The Smithsonian Institute has one of the boats on display. Jews fleeing war-torn Germany were similarly shuffled from country to country – with one boat returned to Nazi Germany when the USA wouldn’t accept refugees.

The debate will continue for months to come. And in that period refugees will continue to attempt the water crossing to Australia. After covering rough seas in shoddy craft I hope they’re greeted with a sound policy and a welcoming government.