The Joy of Beirut
Peter Sullivan recently celebrated a milestone birthday with his daughters in Beirut. He shares some interesting insights about his trip with us in the following article.
Before going to Beirut to celebrate my 70th birthday with my daughters, I met Lebanon’s Ambassador to South Africa. He asked what I knew of his country. “Not a lot” I confessed.
“It is smaller than the Kruger Park. Sea and beach one side, then mountains, then a valley, then higher mountains for skiing. On small west side, Israel border. All around rest of country, Syria. “You will feel you are in the Western Cape. Wine estates, green, lovely valley, mountains.”
Rugby Fever in the Land of the Rising Sun
The last time that Peter Sullivan, retired Editor-in-Chief of Independent Newspapers wrote for us, it was from Mogadishu where he was an information officer working for the African Union and the United Nations in Somalia. He continues to enjoy his ‘retirement’ and more recently, he has been in Japan to check out what is in store for fans planning to go to the 2019 Rugby World Cup. What he found was quite eye-opening.
Our Man in Mogadishu
We have a new dispatch from Peter Sullivan, “Our Man in Mogadishu”. Peter, former Editor-in-Chief of Independent Newspapers, is retired, but has taken the opposite paths to the pitfalls, both financial and mental, which lie in allowing retirement to become a time of boredom. Peter heads up a communications unit, working under the auspices of the United Nations and the African Union, in war-torn Somalia.
Our Man in Mogadishu
The point has been repeatedly made on this blog – most retirees need to find a way to supplement their income, or if they are financially secure, they may still need to find ways to keep life stimulating after retirement.
Peter Sullivan, retired Editor-in-Chief of Independent Newspapers, has taken this advice to heart – although in ways which not many may be keen to follow. He is working for a United Nations agency in Mogadishu, capital of the desperately dangerous nation of Somalia. In a newsletter to friends, he shares his experiences:
Going “green” Is No Longer an Option for Big Business – It Is an Investment Must
Going ‘green’ is no longer an option for big business – it is an investment must, writes Peter Sullivan, one of our contributors.
The environment jumped this year from the fringes of economic theory, plonk, into the centre of the real economy. Like any pebble thrown into placid waters, environmental matters are making waves, and waves hitting the banks create new counter-ripples. Bank is the right word. Because the environment, and our new concern with it, has resulted in billions or even trillions of dollars being invested or diverted to meet those concerns. Bunny huggers and talkers to trees had little effect on our lives in past decades. Many of us chose to ignore, deliberately or forgetfully, soft issues like climate change, global warming, conservationists bemoaning species loss or environmentalists crying about habitat loss. Now these very issues occupy the minds of retailers’ top executives, appear on mining companies’ agendas, influence prices of everything from shampoo to fuel, food to platinum.
Enjoying Retirement: A Letter to My Daughter
I mentioned when I started the blog that I would post the occasional light hearted article. This is one of them. Peter Sullivan, former Editor-in-Chief of Independent Newspapers and one of our contributors, is someone who is particularly adept at living a portfolio life (click here to read “Life Can Be Good in a Portfolio Life”). He is retired but is as busy and active as he’s ever been (have a look at our recent article “Rethinking Retirement”). He recently celebrated his 65th birthday by going on a cycle tour through the Karoo with a group of friends. Here he describes the joys of the experience in a letter to his daughter, Helen, who is working in the United States…
My darling daughter Helen
What a pity you couldn’t join my 65th birthday cycle ride through the Karoo. You would have loved it. Happy as you are in New York, South Africa is still special to you I know, and the Karoo a very special part of it. Your great-grandfather was born there. Cycling is the best way to see it, specially with friends.