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Three Kings Day--Galette du Roi King's Cake and the lucky Bean Feve

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 2022

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Merry Christmas!!!

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Hungarian Revolution Remembered

During October/November 1956, Hungarians revolted against the Soviet occupation. For a few brief weeks it appered that the Central European country would be free. Then on 4 November the communists counterattacked and put down this revolt in a bloodbath. Remember and Reflect upon those free days in Budapest which signalled a shock to the Soviet Empire. The Hungarian flag pictured here represents the banner after freedom fighters tore out the communist symbol in the center. It recalls the spirit of 1956 now 65 years ago!

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UN's dreary General Debate Presidents, Prime Ministers and Kings came to New York for the 76th UN General Assembly debate. The annual rite of Autumn was sadly shadowed by the pandemic and a growing lack of interest in the proceedings, many of which were, you guessed it, Online. It's just not the same as we all know by now, but some of the UN's major speakers were via Webex, and not in person. Except for some rheotirical flareups between Pakistan and India the speakers droned on. Few delegates seemed to care. This is what a pandemic UN debate session looks like, now for the second year in a row.

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French Summer: Fear and Frustration

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Global Tourism Needs a Shot in the Arm

It’s Summertime and the living is easy, as the old song goes.  And vacations both domestic and international should be surging despite dark pandemic clouds still shrouding parts of the world.
But last year’s collapse in international tourism, seeing a decline by 74 percent in 2020, has still
not rebounded.  According to a new UN report, so far 2021 has actually “been worse for most
destinations with an average global decline of 88 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.” 

Tragically, the COVID-19 pandemic still runs rife over large parts of the world; more than four
million people have since died.  And it’s not over.  UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated somberly, “Vaccines offer a ray of hope, but most of the world is still in the shadows.  The virus is outpacing vaccine distribution.  This pandemic is clearly far from over; more than half its     victims died this year. ” 

A new report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on “COVID 19 and Tourism” warns, “Vaccines are a critical part of the solution, albeit with considerable uncertainty, even once access and distribution problems are overcome.”
 
Clearly vaccinations have slowed the spread especially in the United States, Israel, and Western Europe.  Yet shortages, haphazard distribution, and vaccine reluctance has plagued countries such as Brazil, India, and South Africa.  

Moreover travel restrictions, constantly changing and confusing even in Europe, have dampened interests in many destinations.  

For example, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) reports that key international destinations such as Thailand have seen a 83 percent visitor drop, Indonesia 74 percent, Turkey 73 percent and Jamaica 67 percent. China, the source of the Coronavirus has experienced an 88 percent drop.  Needless to say tourism forms a vital economic engine which is now largely sputtering.
The WTO reports that tourism experts don’t see “a return to pre-COVID arrival levels until 2023 or later.”  In fact, nearly half of those consulted only see a return to 2019 levels in 2024!  The group adds, that while “Domestic travel has increased, but this does little to help developing countries that are dependent on international travel.”

Indeed the group lists a number of scenarios for tourism growth; the more “optimistic” scenario reflects a 63 percent reduction in travel!  Based on this model, overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decline for example in Turkey would be 6.3 percent, Ireland 4 percent, France 2.3 percent, and the USA 1.5 percent.  

So what to do?

The UN Trade and Development and WTO report asserts, “So far, the vaccine rollout has varied greatly between countries, from almost complete to hardly started.  Rolling out the vaccine  globally as soon as possible is an economic priority.”   The report adds,  “Vaccinating 40 per cent of the global population by year’s end and 60 per cent by mid-2022 is an aspirational goal, but difficult to achieve and could cost $50 billion, according to International Monetary Fund.”  

Yet it appears that even well vaccinated countries such as the USA and United Kingdom may be adversely affected by new COVID strains such as the Delta variant.  This reality raises the specter of renewed restrictions to movement and international travel. 
 
Given the warmer weather and lifting of most local COVID restrictions, New York City 
is returning to its groove as a vibrant pace setting center.  Yet surprisingly despite open  restaurants and the return of insufferable traffic, large parts of the Big Apple seem strangely free of foreign tourists.  Many large hotels are still closed and the return of rampant street crime has dampened any true return to normality.  

At the start of the  Tokyo Olympics, Japan faces further COVID restrictions adding a spectator ban on Olympic sporting venues. 

While the U.S. government is again pushing for vaccine mandates and Americans have easy  access to the jabs, Dr. Matt McCarthy, staff physician at New York-Presbyterian Hospital,  stresses that vaccine acceptance among the population would increase with overdue FDA approval of the shots which would underscore their safety. “There’s no explanation for the holdup.”

In the meantime Vaccine Passports are planned as the world returns to “normal.”