The Arabs are coming!

[Michael Alexander]

     I'm gonna tell Michele what you guys did to me, and she won't let you come and play here no more...



Just wait till the Arabs come, then at least we won't have too look at SHeena anymore, they will put her behind a nice veil.... Phew!

I am really brave at this time of the morning....

[Rhona]

You may be brave but you are also on your own

[Clive Symes]

Spoken like a true woman, push the guy and let get dondered again.

Mike  you need help

[Paula Gottsch (Willson)]

the only help you two men will need is paramedics, so bring them with!!!

[Patricia Lotte]

    I'm gonna tell Michele what you guys did to me, and she won't let you come and play here no more...



Just wait till the Arabs come, then at least we won't have too look at SHeena anymore, they will put her behind a nice veil.... Phew!

I am really brave at this time of the morning....

Not only will the women be veiled Mike, you'll also be allowed to have 4 of them . . Don't worry Michele, that 4 times more hell for him too . party0031.

[Sheena]

 grab
Okay, that's it.  Mike, I am going to be your second veiled wife!!!  Michelle, please forgive me, but I will donner him every day.  He will be one of the men writing to "Huisgenoot" telling them his sad story about his 2nd wife donnering him.  Oh boy Mike, you are in for it!!!

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

Mike will not have to worry, there is now still 2 wifes left.

Soon the girls will have a fight 

[Michael Alexander]

Don't worry, I am a big guy, there's plenty of me to go around!   

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

Wow, wife # ?  women

[Michael Alexander]

Ok.... drawing at straws.... A reliable source informed me yesterday..... wait for it....wait for it...... I know I'm clutcjing at straws in the hope that Oranjemund can be saved....... But it seems that a few Arabs from Dubai will be indeed taking a chartered flight from Windhoek to Oranjemund, to come and look at any potential...... I do not have dates yet...... but will let you all know if I hear something....... I hope this is not a case of here we go again.....

[Bertie Horak]

Please explain the "dates" you don't have yet, Mike?  As in time, fruit, or candle-lit dinners? 

[Patricia Lotte]

Are you sure these are guys from Dubai and not Abu Dhabi? Dubai has been severely hit by the current economic crisis. Thousands of workers are being laid off and billions of dollars worth of projects have been cancelled or delayed until further notice. With their attitude of always wanting to build bigger, higher and better than anywhere else, it was doomed to collapse at some point. It just happened a bit earlier than planned. Anyway, Dubai has massive debts and I really don't see them investing in a project like Oranjemund at this stage. Abu Dhabi on the other hand is still doing well with the financial aide of the ruling family.

[Michael Alexander]

Even though I find it hard to believe, after all these fairytales doing the rounds..... I do know the Namibian Trade and Industry Minister, Prime Minister are/were a fews day ago in Dubai....

..... I have no dates, but if anything else surfaces, I will inform you guys...

[SandyB]

 Patricia .. such well  formed opinion of where the  "bigger  and  better than thou" Dubai would  end up ...  such a lot of  senseless  excess ..  money that could have been better  deployed elsewhere ,,,  and a  fragile equation, if it was  sound the  current crisis  would not have hit  it too hard ..

[Patricia Lotte]

This article was in one of the local newspapers today. There clearly are discussions between the 2 countries. Not sure whether it's a good thing though.

Namibia is keen to strengthen trade and economic relations with the Gulf countries especially the UAE, said Hage Geingob, Namibia Minister of Trade and Industry.
Namibia recently opened an embassy in Egypt and now in the process of opening a commercial office in the UAE, informed its trade minister at Arab-Americas-Asia-Africa Business Summit 2009 in Dubai.

The event is being organised jointly by the Commonwealth Business Council and Dubai Group, the leading diversified financial services company of Dubai Holding. The Summit is themed 'The Commonwealth in Dubai - driving trade and investment through the Middle East'. It is examining the role of Dubai and the Middle East region in promoting economic development.

The minister said, "We look to East notably to China, India and the Middle East as important emerging economic powerhouses. In this connection, we have established full-fledged diplomatic missions in some of these countries which are considered as strategic locations. In Namibia we have a market oriented government that has ensured that the people and business are cared for; that personal security and private property is safeguarded; that health care is proper and accessible to all and that there are recreational facilities for the people and investors."

He informed, "Our national debt stock is kept low at 25 per cent of our GDP. Our fiscal deficit is also managed within the limits, this year it's at 1.8 per cent and our inflation has been in single digit." Without any doubt coun tries with commodity-driven economies, weak currencies and high inflation such as those in Africa will carry the brunt of the global financial crisis. Weak currencies in turn will negatively impact on the import bill and on the foreign exchange reserves.

The impact current financial crisis on Africa is mostly in the form of declined demand for commodities and other products by buyers in the developed world, who now experience constrained access to finance and credit terms to finance their economies activities.

The resultant effect of the reduced demand on commodities is widespread job lay-offs especially in the mining and export-oriented sectors, thereby worsening the already very high levels of unemployment and poverty. The global economic turmoil raises the risk that resource flows such as private capital, foreign direct investment, migrant remittances, trade opportunities and even aid essential for fuelling the continued growth of the continent would decline.

A top official of Mozambique government said, "Our power sector has huge opportunities for investment because there is shortage of power. We are interested to promote south-south trade." Mozambique has special economic zones in the southern part.