Early this year Cyclone Yasi struck northern Queensland. As this is one of the two major banana growing regions in Australia we were warned that prices of bananas would go up for a while.
Now, 6 months later, banana prices sit at $14/kg with no price reduction on the horizon! It is abominable that in a country with several banana -growing regions prices can be so high. During a non-shortage period, a typical price for bananas in Australia is between $1.50 and $3.50 per kg. Now it is 4 to 8 times more. Ouch!
Nearby New Zealand is comfortably importing its bananas from Ecuador. Banana prices in Kiwiland are around a $2 mark.
Due to protectionist policies in Australia, neither of the two large grocery chains are willing to import inexpensive bananas from Asia or Latin America. They figure that we'll just suck it up and pay the high prices.
Well, they won't be getting a single penny from me at these prices. I have not eaten a banana in over 5 months, so please, have one, or two, for me. You can even send me a picture of yourself eating a banana. I won't mind it. :-)
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Android goodness
As I mentioned in several previous posts, I have a Google's Nexus S phone. The phone runs the latest phone version of Android (2.3.4) and is one slick device. You can ogle the specs in more detail on the web. In this post, I wanted to share several very useful and convenient apps for Android that I use regularly.
Pulse
This is my favourite news reader. It is smart enough to preload news so that when I am not using WiFi (or too cheap to use my 3G connection) I can still read the latest news. Pulse has a large number of preset news sources, and you can also add your own.
IMDB
I usually use IMDB on my computer when deciding whether I should spend an hour and a half watching a specific movie. It's ratings are a godsend. The Android app also makes it EXTREMELY easy to watch previews for upcoming movies. It is so easy that I have watched more previews over the last two weeks than I have in the past two years.
Qik
This app was brought to my attention by my brother, who was using the iPhone version of Qik. Qik allows you to record a video, then share it extremely easy to your Qik account. Once the video is posted, you can automagically share it with others. Other features of Qik are uploading to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Very, very easy, but powerful. I loved how I could see my nephews enjoying a gym class, only minutes after the video was taken.
Gmail
It is just SO EASY to read your email on your Android through Gmail. Android and Gmail are tightly coupled, so you better get a Gmail account if you want to use all that Android has to offer. You can full push-email (Blackberry style) capabilities, some offline reading support, and tight integration with your Gmail Contacts and Calendar. I LOVE IT!
Pulse
This is my favourite news reader. It is smart enough to preload news so that when I am not using WiFi (or too cheap to use my 3G connection) I can still read the latest news. Pulse has a large number of preset news sources, and you can also add your own.
IMDB
I usually use IMDB on my computer when deciding whether I should spend an hour and a half watching a specific movie. It's ratings are a godsend. The Android app also makes it EXTREMELY easy to watch previews for upcoming movies. It is so easy that I have watched more previews over the last two weeks than I have in the past two years.
Qik
This app was brought to my attention by my brother, who was using the iPhone version of Qik. Qik allows you to record a video, then share it extremely easy to your Qik account. Once the video is posted, you can automagically share it with others. Other features of Qik are uploading to Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Very, very easy, but powerful. I loved how I could see my nephews enjoying a gym class, only minutes after the video was taken.
Gmail
It is just SO EASY to read your email on your Android through Gmail. Android and Gmail are tightly coupled, so you better get a Gmail account if you want to use all that Android has to offer. You can full push-email (Blackberry style) capabilities, some offline reading support, and tight integration with your Gmail Contacts and Calendar. I LOVE IT!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
May update
It has been a really busy May, more so than any May before.
First, I had to file Canadian taxes for the last tax year. Living in Australia and tying up loose tax ends in Canada can be pretty tricky. It is doubly tricky when you are doing the tax research and filing yourself. I looked into having an accountant do this for me, but it would cost thousands of dollars. No thank you!
Second, I have been living in phone hell. My super-duper Nexus S phone started making crackling noises all of a sudden, making it practically unusable. As the phone was purchased in the US, I had to ship it to my brother in the US. My brother then UPS-ed the phone to Samsung for repairs. After two weeks of repairs, the phone was sent back to my brother, who then sent it to me to Australia. $100 in shipping charges and 1.5 months later, Nexus S is in my hands and working splendidly. I did not realize what a difference in quality of life a good phone can make.
Lastly, we've been making several household purchases through Ebay and local online classifieds. That involved lots of research, careful negotiations and some expensive decisions. Thankfully, everything we bought worked great and cost us a lot less than retail price.
I almost forgot, I had to travel for work a couple of times, which always tires me out and sucks up free time. Work travel is not really enjoyable, as you spend full days with your colleagues (tiring!), eat bad food, and spend a lot of your personal time getting to and from the airport/clients.
First, I had to file Canadian taxes for the last tax year. Living in Australia and tying up loose tax ends in Canada can be pretty tricky. It is doubly tricky when you are doing the tax research and filing yourself. I looked into having an accountant do this for me, but it would cost thousands of dollars. No thank you!
Second, I have been living in phone hell. My super-duper Nexus S phone started making crackling noises all of a sudden, making it practically unusable. As the phone was purchased in the US, I had to ship it to my brother in the US. My brother then UPS-ed the phone to Samsung for repairs. After two weeks of repairs, the phone was sent back to my brother, who then sent it to me to Australia. $100 in shipping charges and 1.5 months later, Nexus S is in my hands and working splendidly. I did not realize what a difference in quality of life a good phone can make.
Lastly, we've been making several household purchases through Ebay and local online classifieds. That involved lots of research, careful negotiations and some expensive decisions. Thankfully, everything we bought worked great and cost us a lot less than retail price.
I almost forgot, I had to travel for work a couple of times, which always tires me out and sucks up free time. Work travel is not really enjoyable, as you spend full days with your colleagues (tiring!), eat bad food, and spend a lot of your personal time getting to and from the airport/clients.
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