Lars Karlsson: CapacityNow

Today I am participating in World Freezones Organizations (World FZO) Annual Conference and Exhibition in Dubai.

The official opening session of World FZO AICE 2018 was visited by H.E. Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

We are working with World Freezones Organization developing an AEO compatible compliance management concept for the orgabizations members, SafeZone.

The Chairperson of the World Customs Organization (WCO), my good old friend Enrique Canon – Director of Uruguay Customs – was also speaking at the conference.

Dr. Mohammed Alzarooni, Chairperson, Board of Directors of World Freezones Organization delivering his Key Note Address.

The first panel session, an excellent discussion on thebuse of new technology thorughout the supply chain. Good first day.

World FZO 4th Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE 2018) in Dubai starts today with the theme ’Free Zone 10X – The Path to Prosperity’.

I am speaking about security/compliance and modeerating a panel.

I love music and especially rock and pop. People who write their own songs, has a specific spund and singers with charachter.

These are the five best rock sibgers ever in my mind:

1. Don Henley

I love the voice of Don Henley, the enigma of the legendary Eagles, later a solo artist having written and sang some amazing songs.

We have all heard Hotel California, Wasted Time, The Last Resort, but my absolute favourite is New York Minute. Maybe since ot was the song playes on the radio in the hospital when my son was born.

The last sentences of Wasted Time says it all. He is not singing, itbis the voice of an angel.

For me Henley is the best male singer ever.

2. Jimmy Barnes

I was in Australia in 1998. I had listened to Australian music for some time; Midlight Oil, INXS, AC/DC. I wanted to see the artists live in their backyard. I wasn’t prepared for what I was anout to meet.

The first time I heard Jimmy Barnes, was in Janis Joplins Piece of my Heart. It was mindblowing. I remember thinking, who is this guy? The Force. The Power. The Madness. Tjis is rock’n roll.

In Australia Jimmy Barnes was a superstar. The former lead singer of Cold Chisel. Now he was solo. It didn’t matter. Barnes is a thunderstorm. Unstoppable. On Christmas Eve 1988 I saw him live the first time. It was a show in a stadium in Sydney. Maybe the best concert I have ever been to.

Jimmy Barnes is the best rock singer the world has seen so far.

3. Paul Bono Hewson

Ther is nobody like Bono. He is larger than life. My hero. The voice of my generation. Political. Intelligent. Saving the world. The feeling in that Irish voice. The storytelling. The Songs. Enormous songs. Out of the ten best songs ever made Bono has written five. In my book. But it is about the way he sings them. Like it is all or nothing. The last song ever to be sung. Every time.

Bono is The Singer. Up there, on the line – living, acting, interacting, reacting.

Did I ask too much? More than a lot. You gave me nothing, now it is all that I got

He took bis name Bono from latin, a sentence he saw in the wondow of a record shop. Vono, means ‘Good Voice’. He certainly has that.

4. Bruce Springsteen

I read an article in New Musical Express. It was 1977. About this working class man who played four hour shows since his audience might only see him once in their lives and he wanted to give them something to remember. I thpught, I need to öisten to this artist. So I went to my öocal record shopnin Simrishamn, Österlen, Sweden and I asled for Bruce Springsteen. The guy behond the desk said that tjey had to order it. I said, please do. Three weeks I held the best rwcord ever made in my hand. Darkness on the Edge of Town. The power, the darkness, the strenght in his voice singing.

Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king

And a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything

You believe him. His voice is telling stories, the truth. They call him The Boss, but he never liked that nickname. He is a priest of rock’n roll singing the gospel.

Badlands, you gotta live it every day

Let the broken hearts stand as the price you’ve gotta pay

Keep pushing till it’s understood

And these badlands start treating us good

The records were amazing. But ot was as a live artist Bruce Springsteen became who he is. As Jon Landau said, ‘I saw the future of rock’n roll and it’s name is Brice Springsteen’.

I went to my first Springsteen in 1981. I have seen twentyone more since then.

5. Kurt Cobain

One day I turned on the radio and I heard it. Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana. Seattle.

I thought, I have to know what that is. I need to klow who that singer is, somce I had never heard anything or anyone like him. It was Kurt Cobain.

A Voice. The Anger. The Pain. The Abuse. The Bullying. The Love. All the anger, pain, abuse, bullying and love in the world. All in one voice. You could hear it. The voice of Kurt Cobain.