Monday, February 28, 2005

Ever had one of THOSE days?

My partner insisted that we go to the movies - at 9 am on a Sunday. As you can imagine I was really thrilled about this idea.

So off we went, arriving exactly on time and ready to buy our tickets.

Alas the doors were locked.

There was a lovely sign in the doorway that indicated that the film was to be shown from 9 - 11 and also that the theatre would be open at 10:15.

A careful examination of the signs revealed of course that we were a mere 12 hour early for the session.

What a pity that people do not use the 24 hour clock or at least put some indicator next to the numbers that could give their patrons a hint that the hours are either in the morning or the evening.

That's the way the day started. Then it went downhill from there. Sometimes I think it is better not to get out of bed - probably safer too.

Whatever Next

AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 16, 2005 – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced today that it has developed a revolutionary commercial tire technology that repairs tire punctures when they occur, greatly reducing vehicle downtime and service calls.

Goodyear’s new innovative DuraSeal technology features a "built-in sealant" that allows truck drivers to continue operating after a tire is punctured. The technology allows the tire to remain in service until it is retreaded.

Pete's Points:

Why is it that new technology like this is only available to those in high risk driving situations like loggers?

For all of those people who like to drive in the outback and who have experienced punctures at the wrong time and very definitely in the wrong place NOW is the time to contact the Goodyear company.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Speaking of Terrorists . . .

GENEVA (Reuters) - Swiss authorities have ruled that a Geneva-based half-brother of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has the right to use the family name as a trademark.

But businessman Yeslam Bin Ladin said he had no immediate plans to bring out any goods under the name.

"I don't intend to exploit the brand Bin Ladin commercially for the time being, but registering it will prevent others from using my name to bad effect," the daily Tribune de Geneve quoted him as saying.

In July 2002 the Federal Intellectual Property Institute revoked the trademark which it had initially granted in August 2001 -- a month before al Qaeda launched suicide plane attacks on the United States that killed 3,000 people.

In revoking it, the Swiss authorities argued that the trademark could "morally wound" Swiss and disrupt public order.

But an appeals body, in a decision taken last June but only just published, said public order had not been disrupted and that trademarks should be revoked only in exceptional circumstances.

Pete's Points:

I guess that now that this name is once again under a trademark, when half brother Osama launches another attack on the West he will have to do so using only his given name or his half brother will sue him for breach of copyright.

What a good thing this would be. Western intelligence agencies would be able to follow the process server and arrest him at last. After all, they don't seem to be able to find him any other way!

Palestinian Problem? Nah it's the journalists or is it the Clergy?

If you have a look at the preceding three stories then you could rightly be led to the conclusion that reading the press is a dangerous business. Three reputable news agencies with three different takes on the same story. Each story seems to come from reputable spokespersons in three different middle east countries. Each story shares the basic facts, but each story casts suspicion on different groups of people in different locations.

Either the journalists are beating up a story and using sources that need some review or there are other explanations for the items.

The other explanations?

All of the governments mentioned in the stories are complicit in supporting terrorists, this includes Iran, Syria, Lebanon and of course the Palestinian Authority itself. Unfortunately the terrorists themselves and their spokespersons are so disorganised that they cannot get their stories straight.

What is clear from all of the stories published to date is that another young person, who is claimed by his relatives as a devout Moslem has once again been misled into the belief that it is a good thing according to the laws of Islam to kill and maim innocent and helpless people. He has taken this advice on board and he has exploded a device which has killed some people and maimed many others.

I am afraid I do not blame the people who undertake this form of suicide bombing, I am not even sure I blame the countries that harbour the perpetrators. I do however blame those members of the Islamic clergy who have so twisted and bent the words of the Koran and the teachings of the prophet that they are able to convince otherwise intelligent young people that they are doing the work of God.

It is often said that it is God's right to exact vengeance and to punish evil doers, so let's pray that appropriate justice is meted out to those members of the clergy of any faith who preach that it is a good thing to kill and maim your neighbour and use God to justify such an action.

Palestinian Problem? Nah it's Iran!

Associated Press Saturday February 26, 2005 (as reported in the Guradian)

Palestinian security forces have arrested at least three suspected militants in connection with a suicide bombing that killed four Israelis at a Tel Aviv nightclub, acting on orders from Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to track down and punish those responsible.

Palestinian security officials pointed to the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, which has been trying to disrupt an informal Mideast truce, as the apparent mastermind of the attack. Abbas hinted at Hezbollah involvement, holding a "third party" responsible for the bombing.

Hezbollah, which is funded by Iran, has hundreds of West Bank gunmen from various Palestinian militant groups on its payroll.

Pete's Points:

Of course if this story is true then everyone else has got it wrong and it's really the Iranians who fund the Hamas organisation that the Palestinians themselves think did the job.

Palestinian Problem? Nah - it's Lebanon!

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic Jihad carried out a suicide bomb attack in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that killed four people on Friday, a Beirut-based official from the organization said on Saturday.
Pete's Points:

Then again, if Reuters is right could it be Lebanon that is the problem and not Syria?

Palestinian Problem? Nah - it's Syria!

"Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad says it carried out Friday's Tel Aviv suicide bombing at a nightclub.

It had joined a month-long ceasefire but a spokesman in Damascus said Israel had not honoured the truce."

Pete's Points

If you believe this story on the BBC, and the spokesman for this terrorist group that practices indiscriminate killing is in Damascus then how believable is the claim from the Syrian government that it does not condone or support terrorists on its soil?

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Any Port in a Storm

Just as soon as my partner and I have finished off paying for the rental on a camper van this news emerges:

Hotel discounts for bad weather

An Austrian website is offering up to 60 per cent off on hotels to holiday-makers willing to travel when the weather is bad.

The Weather Bonus website offers discounts of between 20 and 60 per cent on four and five star hotels following bad forecasts.

Wolfgang Krainer, director of the Arabella Sheraton Hotel in Fuschl, Salzburg, says he is thrilled by the new service.

He said: "People need that extra incentive when the weather is bad. And then there's the gambling element: Some people book at the bad weather price and hope that the weather will turn out better than expected."

On the News - Families

Earlier today, the Minister for Family and Community Services was interviewed on Channel 7 about the lack of places in child minding centres and the cost of child minding.

I think a valid point was made by the people doing the interview. If the government is concerned about the lack of workers in the work force and is hell bent on "encouraging" sole parents, child rearing parents, the disabled and indeed anyone else they can think of to boost the ranks of the 'available for work' group as part of their effort to increase work force participation then it should provide incentives and not disincentives to the people they are "encouraging".

It was pointed out during the interview that in NSW the average cost of child care was around 300 dollars per WEEK for a single child. This is more than some people pay for their weekly rent!

Why on earth would you go to work for an average wage from which you are likely to lose at least half if not more, in taxes of one form or another and THEN have to pay around $300 per week to have someone look after the kids while you are slaving away at a job so that you can return home and become even more exhausted than you already are looking after the kids from then on with none of the quality time you had before you went to work?

Let's hear a round of applause for the sound social policy decisions which seem to be emanating either from certain research groups in the community or perhaps the Minister's department or perhaps just from the minds of those around the Cabinet table who have money to burn on their tax payer funded salaries.

Recycling In Style

"SEOUL (Reuters) - Some South Korean homeless are dressing in style after the government gave away thousands of fake designer garments confiscated by customs agents.

The Korea Customs Service distributed more than 3,500 fake pieces in the southern city of Pusan this month with the permission of the fashion houses whose designs had been pirated."

Pete's Points:

As the government ponders what it is going to do for its citizens when it adjusts welfare payments it could do well to consider the example of the customs department in South Korea. If our Customs department recycled the goods that it has confiscated to those who are the have nots in our society we would be able to advantage the disadvantaged.

Just imagine the effect on the streets of Sydney, Melbourne and the other capitals.

No longer would our homeless be capable of being considered a disgrace in our large cities, no longer would they be able to alarm or bring concern to the eyes of tourists. Instead they would be dressed in rip off Gucci, Pucci or Fiorucci fashions.

What were previously called 'bag ladies' would now acquire the height of fashion and only store their only belongings in rip off bags that look as though they are from all of the famous labels.

The shopping trolleys would have to go of course but I am certain that there are rip off designer shopping carts on wheels that could substitute at a pinch.

Allied with the cardboard housing developed by design school students in Italy and of course recycled fake CDs played on confiscated MP3 players and boom boxes our modern day homeless persons could even become the object of a faux fashion parade as they parade their new finery in front of this new and most definitely affordable housing.

Then again, the government could consider what it really wants to do to assist the poor, homeless and destitute in our society.

If the government can afford to spend hundreds of millions of dollars assisting our poor Japanese neighbours to the north to feel safe as they restore some of the damage caused at the cost of more millions of dollars in Iraq, and billions of dollars in assisting our neighbours in the immediate north with restoration after their devastating earthquake, then it can afford a few million to look after its own citizens.

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

An attack of conscience?

The announcement yesterday from our Health Minister that he has been reunited with the son that he put up for adoption some 27 years ago has made a touching story for television viewers.

Known by his reputation for being a 'head kicker' for the coalition government, this revelation about his past is supposed to help us see the vulnerable, if self admittedly "callow" man behind the façade - or is it?

A cynical person could see the sudden revelation in a different light.

Mr Abbott is a man who trumpets his anti-abortion views to anyone who will listen and who is trying, once again, to convince parliamentary colleagues to follow his example.

How convenient then, for his recollection about his first encounter with his natural son to be framed with the comment that his son said, "Thanks for having me."

Would it be simply too crass to see this as a most poignant comment about abortion? After all had he and his girl friend opted for abortion instead of adoption, this touching scene could never have happened.

Incidentally, as the government in which he is a senior minister is about to embark on revamping the welfare system, cracking down in particular on people who are sole parents and disability support pensioners it would be timely for Mr Abbott to exercise his conscience once again and recall that he was responsible, by his "callow" actions, for the creation and abandonment of a mother and a child some 27 years ago. A mother and child who were then forced by circumstances and lack of support from him to be separated by means of adoption for 27 years.

Perhaps he will have a more sympathetic concern for those people who, unlike himself, choose to take personal responsibility for their actions and face the hardships of bringing up their offspring on their own.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Speaking about work . . .

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed the way that some bosses behave?

One minute make you feel that you are immediately replaceable. The next minute you are considered to be simply irreplaceable and so your recreation leave simply has to be changed to suit 'work requirements'.

Some of us feel the pressure of such changing views and expectations more than others. We can become depressed when we are not valued and angry when we feel that we are being exploited.

The reality is that in the work place everyone has to fend for him/herself. If you truly have expectations that someone higher in the food chain will look after you and care about you then it is most likely that you will experience disappointment.

If you expect the opposite then you can be pleasantly surprised when you actually encounter a boss with the right attitudes to the work place and to the people that they work with.

Stress in the work place is a choice!

When your boss next tells you that you simply HAVE to work overtime or have to delay your holidays or something similar consider what is really going on. While it seems as though the pressure is on you to have to do something, the reality is that the boss is one under pressure to get something to his or her boss and you are simply the pressure valve.

If you have been doing your job properly it is not necessarily your job to bail your boss out of the situation that he/she finds herself in.

Don't choose it!

Please sir, can I have some more ?

Monday 16 February Management Issues

"Contrary to what some people believe, employees who have too little work are actually less satisfied with their jobs than those who are burdened with too much.

A study by attitude research specialists Sirota Consulting has found that the most satisfied employees are those who say they have just the right amount of work."

Pete's Points:

Oh dear!

With the increase in the spate of people who complain about stress in the work place this research has no doubt given heart to them all over again. Instead of just being able to complain about the stress of too much work, they can now complain about the stress of too little work.

Most of us respond to a lowering of the work load by getting up and considering the work of the colleagues around us and offering to assist them if they are pressed.

Some of us respond to this situation in another way as well. We look forward to these times and recognise that in this ever changing world where our ability to keep up with new developments, new ideas and new ways of doing things is constantly under pressure, such times provide the opportunity to undertake some self development, an opportunity to keep up with what is going on in the broader world around us.

If the research is right then I have a nasty feeling that the people who were interviewed are not the people I would want to work with.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

More Trivia

Today seems to be a day for trivia!

Once again a piece from Reuters headlined:

Hot and Bothered Spiders Head Indoors
Fri Feb 11, 2005 09:00 AM ET

". . . . The redback is one of the most common of Australia's seemingly endless supply of poisonous pests. A distant cousin of the American black widow, it is distinguished by a red stripe on the shiny black, thumbnail-sized body of the larger female.

Scientists describe the redback's existence as "amoral" because of their unique mating behavior in which males give themselves up to the deadly females to be killed and eaten after mating.

"It's all about foreplay. If he doesn't have the moves, she's not going to be interested," said Sydney Taronga Zoo exhibit supervisor Warrick Angus, who said he kept a redback as a pet."
Pete's Points:

While the story is ostensibly about these arachnids getting into homes what is more interesting is the lack of quality editing of the material provided.

Describing the spider as "a distant cousin of the American black widow" the article goes on to describe what it calls the "unique mating behavior" of the redback.

I suppose only a pedant like me would note that one of the reasons that the 'cousin' in America is called a WIDOW spider is because it has the same noxious habit of eating its mate after the act of mating. Thus our own acclaimed redback's behaviour is not so 'unique'.

In addition the writer claims that only the female of the species has the "red stripe" on its back. Alas, for this hapless and ill informed journalist both the male and the female of the species have a tear drop shaped red marking on their backs - hence the name.

The author then goes on to criticise Australia as having a "seemingly endless supply of poisonous pests" - perhaps if he or she came to Australia for a visit to see what is really going on and to get the facts right, he or she might well be added to the list!

Tsk Tsk!

While on the subject of "news of the week" look at this offering from Reuters:
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Wine labeled with a photo of brutal Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin was pulled from shelves in the Canadian province of Manitoba this week after complaints from the local Ukrainian community, a spokeswoman for government-owned liquor stores said.

The sherry and port from the Massandra winery in Ukraine featured a photo on the bottles' labels of Stalin seated with former U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The wine commemorated the Yalta Conference, held at a castle near the winery 60 years ago this week, where the leaders decided on the shape of Eastern Europe after World War II.

"I don't want Stalin to be forgotten. I want him to be remembered for exactly what he was: a genocidal mass murderer," said Lubomyr Luciuk of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

The Yalta agreement forced hundreds of thousands of Eastern Europeans living in Western Europe to return to countries controlled by the former Soviet Union, where many were killed, Luciuk said.

"I don't think anyone in Canada would welcome a Hitler Riesling or a Stalin sherry or a Pol Pot port or a Mao Tse-tung merlot," Luciuk said.

About 3 percent of Canadians, or more than 1 million people, identify themselves as ethnic Ukrainians in census surveys. About 40,000 Ukrainian political refugees moved to Canada after World War II, Luciuk said.

The Manitoba Liquor Control Commission had ordered 14 cases of the wines, priced at C$38 ($30.60) a bottle, but only six bottles had been sold before the wines were pulled, said Diana Soroka, a spokeswoman.
Pete's Points:

The headline reads: "Why Not Just Put Hannibal Lecter on the Label?"

The comment; "I don't think anyone in Canada would welcome a Hitler Riesling or a Stalin sherry or a Pol Pot port or a Mao Tse-tung merlot." is not one that I would make so boldly.

After all, people around the world have been eating croissants as a way of commemorating the rout of the Turkish forces at the gates of Vienna by metaphorically eating the Turks or at least their symbol - the crescent for simply ages.

I have not seen this creative pastry (now unfortunately claimed by the French as their own while we all KNOW it was created by a Hungarian) being lambasted or being withdrawn from sale.

I think that Lubomyr Luciuk of the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association is in fact partly correct, although taking certain liberties of his own.

No one would be welcoming a Stalin Sherry or a Pol Pot Port - but not for the reasons stated.

Since Portugal and Spain have been actively protecting the names of their famous produce, anyone who dared to label something with the words PORT or SHERRY would in all likelihood be part of a massive court case seeking damages for daring to use these words in their label.

I suspect that having been alerted to the fact that the Massandra winery in the Ukraine is selling something which is called port and sherry may get it into more trouble than simply not being able to market 14 cases of the produce in Manitoba.

In addition the news article is most disrespectful.

It mentions the titles of both President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill but refers to Mr Stalin (better known to some as Dugashvilli) merely as "the brutal dictator".

Most unkind don't you think?

Perhaps he too should have been given his full title - even if he was a "brutal dictator"

Then again, it may be interesting to reflect on the old adage - "you are known by the company you keep" when considering that he was seated in between the former President of the USA and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Been There Done That!

"Berlin Shows There's No Business Like Porn Business"Mon Feb 14, 2005 09:21 AM ET

By Erik Kirschbaum

BERLIN (Reuters) - Pornography has been elevated to an art form as never before at the Berlin Film Festival, which has spotlighted the industry and its commercial success.

Pete's Points:

Oddly enough, this is NOT news! Anyone with a little familiarity with history will recall that during the period of the Weimar Republic in between the two World Wars, Berlin was the epicentre of pornography and sexual deviation practised on a scale that up to that time had not been reported before.

People from all over the world flocked to that city to participate in its gay abandon (and this was before the word 'gay' obtained its current connotation).

We will not even begin to mention that stories that have come to us from the wild days of the Roman Empire or from the Moghul and Japanese histories in which pornography really reached an art form.

Why is it that journalists want to sensationalise something that is really old news?

WHAT RUBBISH!

SYDNEY (AFP) - "The Australian government has conceded allegations by former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Mamdouh Habib that he was tortured in Egypt may be true."
Pete's Points:

Look at this article CAREFULLY to see the sort of rubbish that some journalists use to get a headline. Conceded that allegations MAY be true is in the main text but the HEADLINE reads:
"Australia concedes ex-Guantanamo detainee was tortured in Egypt"
Can you see the difference? In the headline the fact that what has been alleged MAY be true has been converted into a certainty. The editor of this news item needs to have some discussion with whoever looks after journalistic ethics!

I have very little of a positive note to say on behalf of Alexander Downer beyond the fact that I am grateful to his father who was the person who signed my Naturalisation Certificate enabling me to become a citizen of this country. That said, on this occasion I have to say that he has been maligned and misrepresented.

We have Mr Habib's allegations and we have no proof at present of the veracity of his statements either way. There are those who would like to believe that he is right in which case they can maintain their outrage about Australia, America and of course at Egypt and Pakistan. There are those who do not believe him and would like to believe that this is all a propaganda initiative from the terrorists who want us to think that they are not alone in committing unspeakable acts which violate some of the basic human rights.

Whatever you believe, it is simply not right to twist words to give an incorrect impression about what someone said.

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

On the news today there was a discussion about Cristo and his works of 'art'. As most people know these works of 'art' comprise the wrapping of some object or place.

Personally I have never considered the way I wrap a Christmas or a birthday present an 'art' form. Hence I have always been bemused by the attention that this 'artist' receives.

With the work of Michelangelo, or Dali I can make some comments about whether I like it or not, whether it has some aesthetic appeal or not, whether it creates within me some emotional reaction or not.

With Cristo's work all I am able to see is a giant parcel that seems to serve no purpose.

I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

If anyone would care to explain to me what aesthetic value his work has I would be most grateful for the lesson.

Friday, February 11, 2005

The Royal Engagement

The revelation that Prince Charles has proposed to Mrs Parker-Bowles has made front page news. Questions about whether this marriage will create a constitutional crisis in the same way that the marriage of a former king to a divorced woman required his abdication are on the minds of some. These people of course want an assurance that Charles will not be permitted to take the throne. Others are of the view that it does not matter whom he marries in this day and age provided that she cannot become queen. Yet others point to the fact that Charles will be the head of the Church of England and the 'defender of the faith' and that this makes it inappropriate that he marries someone who has been divorced. Can we all recall for a moment that Henry the Eighth who started the Church of England had a somewhat chequered career when it came to wives?

Can anyone answer the question about why those of us who are not Royal watchers or are not in any way affected by the monarchy and what they do need to care about all this?

Since the man has been having an 'affair' with this woman for 35 years why should anyone care?

Skills Shortages and Lack of Money?

I have seen some really interesting things happen in this country that appear one day in the press and then somehow, die, never to be mentioned again. Take for example the brilliant idea that someone in a TAFE had in Western Australia.

Somehow they recognised that they were training people in business and in the building and related trades and who needed experience. They approached the Australian Defence Forces with an idea. The idea was simple, the military needed housing and had funding for this available to them. The students needed practical knowledge about how to do the work they were being trained to do. So what if, under strict supervision, they were to build the properties required by the military?

There was no doubt considerable discussion, but eventually it was agreed, the students would build the houses. The project would be managed entirely by the students in the TAFE under the supervision of their teachers. The houses were built.

What was the result? Wonderful new housing for military families and a group of students who had not only learnt their trades, how to run a business, how to manage projects, how to manage the accounts, how to build houses, to equip them with roofs, plumbing, electrical connections etc.. but also made a contribution to the community through their work.

The taxpayers were happy in that they got the best value for money that could be obtained. The military were happy as they managed to get fine housing and at a price that was better than they could get elsewhere. The people in the TAFE were happy as with the funding obtained through the project they were able to provide genuine work experience for their students that they would otherwise have been unable to afford to do.

Why did this innovative program cease? Why have we heard nothing about similar programs in the rest of Australia?

Just imagine what it would be like if we had students all around the country putting their learning into practice to undertake some of those jobs that are considered 'too expensive' by local councils or State governments, jobs that would create a better life experience for the people in the community.

Everyone would benefit and no one would be worse off. Certainly tradesmen would not be worse off - they would not have been able to undertake the work - as there was not enough money available to pay them to do the work. The community would be better off having some additional facilities which would otherwise have remained on drawing boards. The industry would be better off because it had new graduates of courses that had not only academic training but also some real practical experience. The students would be better off because they could point to their real achievements in their CVs and so enhance their opportunities for work upon graduation.

Surely someone in authority can see the benefits that are to be derived for all concerned from similar schemes? So why do we not have them around the country?

Thursday, February 10, 2005

"WORK" is a 4 letter word

I was almost ecstatic seeing an older couple (advanced baby boomers) driving their camper van (or are they all now called by their American name "Recreational Veehicle"?) on the road. Their sense of humour was displayed for all to see at the front of the vehicle "BUGGA WORK"

I thought about that for some time.

I guess for many people work is a means to an end. It is way to put food on the table, pay off the mortgage or just the rent, pay for the kids' schooling etc. If you are in this situation then I guess that looking forward to retirement is a big deal. Having survived all the hazards of life including marriage, children, in laws and work you hate you can finally have a life that YOU want to have. Each day filled with all of those things you could not find time for when you were engaged in working for a living.

Then again there are those for whom jobs mean being able to do something each day that you love AND get paid for it! These people I guess are living to work. What they do is fulfilling, enjoyable and creative.

I have always wondered what the statistics are on the ratio between one type of work situation and the other.

I suspect, given the large number of people on the road enjoying retirement that most people fall into the first category. Still it would be interesting to know.

Anyone care to comment on whether his/her life fits into one or the other category?

Speaking for myself I have been extremely fortunate. I started off in Social Work and had working with computers as a hobby. Then, just when I was dreading reaching the age where I would have to confront my mid-life crisis I was offered the opportunity to be paid to do what I had up to then done as a hobby so I could then make my profession into my new hobby.

Since I have always enjoyed both of these interests I fall into the second category.

What about YOU?

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Going for Broke

"Going for Broke" is the headline in the article by William Keegan in the Guardian on 8 February 2005. His commentary on the latest Bush budget indicates that the poor will be bashed while the rich are assured that they can feel OK about their wealth.

Several things that need to be said in addition to his views. In the first place, all of the urban poor will have an opportunity over the next four years to express their dissatisfaction with the people that their votes helped to put in power and the American rich will probably have the experience that they do not want - namely first hand experience of what it is like to have the dispossessed revolt against their oppression.

Terrorist do not just happen. They are created by the forces that create increasing levels of difference between the rich and the poor and that force people into situations in which they feel that they have no future and have no access to the freedoms accorded to others. With nothing to lose, they fight to attain those things that they have been denied.

The "war on terrorism" that is portrayed by the Bush administration as a struggle against Islamic fundamentalist forces would be better directed against himself and those forces that create the great divides of inequality that give rise to the sense of hopelessness that drive fanatical attempts at redressing the balance.

While the current crop of fundamentalist terrorists among the Islamic community have been created by the oppression of regimes in the middle east put into place by the western powers that won two world wars and then trained by the Americans as a cheap fighting force against the Soviet incursions into Afghanistan the future crop of terrorists may well be experiencing their birth pangs as we speak among the the dispossessed at home in the United States.

Let's hope that the administration there will have an 'aha' moment and realise that what they are doing to their own citizens is sowing the seeds of a revolution. If they are successful, that revolution, when it comes will have an effect on the rest of the world as well and so it is in the interest of all of us to try and head it off now by objecting to policies which emasculate people and put paid to any ambition that they have for a decent future.

Going for Broke indeed - in many senses of that phrase.

The luck of the draw . . .

I met someone yesterday that I have not seen for some time. The last time I saw her, she was looking forward to retirement and to all of the wonderful things she and her husband would be able to do now that their kids had grown up, their financial future assured and their health and youth still sufficient to enable them to do the things that they have been putting off for years.

Unfortunately, a collision with a truck has put paid to all of that!

She is now a full time carer while he is having a most difficult time just coping with the results of the accident and struggling to stay alive.

My heart went out to her and her husband and I was reminded of how unkind the fates can be.

I guess adages like, "never put off until tomorrow what you can do today" make a lot of sense in this context.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

I wonder . . .

I was reminded the other day of the use by the USA of depleted uranium in their weapons of destruction. I checked to see whether this had actually had any impact on the populations where it has been used.

Apart from the obvious immediate impact which resulted in American shells being able to go where no shell had gone before, the most lasting impact seems to be in the major increase in cancer in those areas where the shells were used.

I wonder if this could be a coincidence?

After all, when depleted uranium surrounding a shell casing explodes, when the weapon explodes, it turns into a form of lethal radioactive dust that is inhaled by those who are exposed to it. Immediately at the time of the explosion or of course at some later time as they stir up the dust into which it has fallen by such dangerous activities as heading to the privy, sweeping the floors in their houses, or just simply breathing!

Given that the people who are now dying in droves just happen to be the people who have been given a taste of the freedom that is being spread by American troops sent to evangelise the current form of American democracy around the globe, I guess it lends a new dimension to the notion of 'freedom'.

When they are dead, they are after all free from any of the problems that they might have encountered while living on this globe.

The latest news from the Washington Post and out of the Pentagon is the discussion that the Americans are thinking of building baby nukes that can be effective 'terrorist bunker busters'. In spite of the evidence that most of the terrorists who have been caught have actually been living in cities, there is yet another myth that is being spread by the US administration that such bunker buster baby nukes are needed to get to where the terrorists are hiding.

The fact that you can also use such weapons to demolish entire buildings with a single bomb does not seem to raise a mention. The fact that you would also have considerable 'collateral damage' from the use of such a weapon does not seem to faze anyone and of course the fact that using nuclear weapons in a first strike way, however much it is condemned is not going to worry Uncle Sam - after all it is the only country in the world that has in fact used a nuclear weapon in this way and then against a non nuclear Japan.

Where is America headed under the direction of Bush and his right wing cronies?

Monday, February 07, 2005

Amazing but True

While out for a walk today I saw something that non one would believe except for the fact that I have witnesses!

Two pelicans flew at water level from one side of a settlement pond to the other and one ducked his head underwater to spear a fish - a carp which he then took sideways in his beak. The other pelican tried as hard as he could to get his share of the fish - to no avail. The first pelican ducked his head underwater and with a flip of the beak managed to get the fish positioned correctly - head facing down the throat ready to swallow. With a further flip of his beak he was about to swallow when the other pelican simply clamped his beak around the outside of the other's throat preventing the swallowing action.

Winded the first pelican opened his beak and allowed the fish to slide back into the water. Quick as a flash the second pelican made a grab for the fish.

While this action was taking place, walkers, bikers, joggers and runners were all lined up along the shore - agog with expectations about what would happen.

What did happen?

Both pelicans found that the fish was simply too big to swallow and left it there, dead, floating on the surface.

So much for the adage about pelicans - namely that their beaks can hold more than their belly can.

The Year of the Rooster

Happy new year to all of my Chinese friends. Today marks the beginning of the new year of the rooster.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons for Mark Latham's sudden departure from the leadership of the Labour Party and from politics.

He has often referred to people who did not like him as 'roosters' and maybe he just recognised that this was to be their year and got out of the way before they pecked him to death!

English

For those who like me have been fascinated with the evolution of the English language, the recent show by Melvyn Bragg on the subject has been simply illuminating!

English, spoken by well over a billion people around the world has now replaced the old 'lingua franca' or French as the main language used in diplomacy around the world. It has grown from a little known and cared about tongue to become one of the main languages of the world. The HOW of this is fascinating enough. The WHY has been simply stunning but the WHAT is perhaps the most interesting of all.

I noticed a long time ago, as someone who speaks both German and French as well as having studied Latin many years ago, how bizarre it seemed that English took on many of its traits in direct relationship to the invasions that it suffered over the years.

Thus in the language, the history of these invasions is still ever present. As the German based language spoken in England was replaced by the Norman French in 1066 this became more and more evident. The common words for things retained their Germanic roots while the more refined things took on the character of the conquerors.

For example, a "stool" or a primitive 3 legged sitting implement was derived from the Germanic "stuhl" and the moment it had four legs and a back it became a "chair" from the French "chaise". Many farm animals went the same way so "cow" from "kuh" but "beef from "boeuf", "sheep" from "schaf". but "mutton" from "mouton".

Bragg's story unfolded many more of the insights into how the language had changed and developed and his most recent episode which linked the settlement of America brought out a few things which I have to confess I was not aware of . I always knew for example that that Levi Strauss and his famous work trousers were made from a cloth called denim which of course was originally made in France in a town called Nimes and since the word in French for "from" is "de" it is hardly surprising that the cloth came to be known as "denim". However I did not know the origin of the word "Jeans" and was surprised that the original cloth from which the trousers were made was manufactured in Genoa and hence the name. Bragg mentioned much of the inheritance that English has received from the American Indians and also from the wild wild west. He did not however mention some of the delights that have come down to us from the American Civil War.

Did you know for example that there was a General Hooker who permitted camp followers to attend his forces and who became known as Hooker's girls and hence the derivation used for prostitutes in the US - hooker? I guess it is ONE way to be remembered by history. Then again there are the mutton chops which were made famous by Elvis Presley called sideburns. This was named after an unfortunate general called Burnside in the Civil war who managed to get things very very wrong and who also wore them. Because people wanted to remember his back to front adventures they renamed his whiskers to sideburns and so he too is remembered by history but largely forgotten by most.

For the refugee, 'wog' that I was called when I first arrived in this country, learning this language was a challenge and a triumph when acquired.

For those who have learnt it at their mother's knees and who still find it difficult to spell, parse a sentence, or string together some words to make a sentence I feel great pity. However I feel even more sorry for those who have no understanding of the richness of the language, its nuances, its ability to convey shades of meaning that appear to be unavailable to many other languages that have not been so intensely influenced by other tongues.

I am rather glad that I speak several other languages as they have been my key to understanding English. I am also glad that I speak English as it is my key to understanding so much about the history of the countries in which it is spoken and about the countries that have contributed to its evolution.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

Parental Rights and Obligations

I have never been surprised that in Jewish law (and perhaps in the law of other religions as well,) the child takes the religion of the mother and not that of the father. This piece of common sense legal interpretation takes into account the reality that you can ALWAYS know who the mother of a child is, but certainty as to the identity of the father is moot.

In Australia there is legislation which seems to be more than fair on the surface - in that it requires both of the parents of a child to take responsibility for the maintenance of that child. Thus when the parents split up the non-custodial parent has maintenance requirements for the child which are then calculated by what is known as the Child Care Agency according to a formula and the payments taken care of by means of deductions from salary etc. and paid directly to the custodial parent.

What is fascinating is the information coming from the Canadian jurisdiction which seems to be suggesting that even if the father finds out through DNA testing that he is NOT the natural father of the child he should continue to pay the mother and child maintenance on the grounds that he assumed the responsibility of paternity when he was living with the mother. The courts there seem to maintain that it is not about the money but more about commitment.

I have no idea how this idea would play in Australia or what other people think of the merits of such a decision.

I think it SUCKS!

If one of the reasons for the dissolution of a relationship is that one of the parties (in these cases the woman), has been unfaithful and has as a result of that betrayal with other partners has a child then I do not think that the partner that has been betrayed should have to pay for that 'privilege'.

Rather I think it should be up to the mother of the child to take the necessary action for maintenance against the person who got her pregnant in the first place.

Or to put it into the language that the court would no doubt agree with - it would be in the best interests of the child to get to know her real father and to establish a relationship with him (even if it was just a fiduciary one!).

Happy to hear contrary opinions - but I am afraid I doubt if I will listen to them.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

For those among us who are Catholic - I'm sorry but . . .

A new young monk arrives at the monastery. He is assigned to help the other monks in copying the old canons and law of the church, by hand. He notices, however, that all of the monks are copying from copies, not from the original manuscript. So, the new monk goes to the head abbot to question this, pointing out that if someone made even a small error in the first copy, it would never be picked up. In fact, that error would be continued in all of the subsequent copies.

The head monk, says, "We have been copying from the copies for centuries, but you make a good point, my son."

So, he goes down into the dark caves underneath the monastery, where the original manuscript is held as archives in a locked vault that hasn't been opened for hundreds of years. Hours go by and nobody sees the old abbot. So, the young monk gets worried and goes downstairs to look for him. He sees him banging his head against the wall, and wailing "We forgot the 'R', we forgot the 'R'." His forehead is all bloody and bruised and he is crying uncontrollably. The young monk asks the old abbot, "What's wrong, father? "With a choking voice, the old abbot replies, "Celebrate, the word is Celebrate!"

Friday, February 04, 2005

More on Benefits Realisation

I was in conversation with someone today and the topic got around to Benefits Realisation. [I know I lead a weird life - what can I tell you!]

I was asked to try and explain my understanding of the concept and I floundered around desperately looking for an explanation that could clearly articulate my current thinking on the subject.

I flung my mobile phone on the table and suggested that it was a perfect example I could use to explain the concept.

If a company was to invest in the development of a mobile phone network and the building of handsets for its staff then one way of looking at the value for money equation would be to determine the cost of the project to build the network and the handsets and of course all of the hardware and software to manage it all and charge the customer for the cost of the development and production.

On receiving the goods the customer would have met his/her expectations and had a mobile phone network and handsets for all of its staff - thus it could be argued that it had received value for the money invested at this point.

Is this Benefits Realisation?

I guess it is, in part!

Then again, you could ask "What use is a mobile phone sitting on a desk without being used?"

The answer is, "Unrealised benefits."

Thus if you actually USE what you have built then over time there are more measurable benefits that accrue. In this case the obvious productivity enhancement for the company employing staff who are available even when they are not at their desks.

Who would have thought 2 . . .

While on this theme, has anyone got an explanation for the amazing weather in Australia these days. We are in the middle of our SUMMER here and it was 34 degrees Celsius one day and then the next it was SNOWING in the mountains and the temperature was a windy, wet 8 degrees Celsius the next!

I simply could not believe it. For the first time in something like 50 years I had to get into my winter woollies and actually contemplated turning on the heating in the middle of an Australian summer.

The world is going to hell in a hand basket and I suspect it is all the fault of those organisations that have warmed the earth with their pollutants, buggered up our ozone layer and in other ways managed to change the earth's climate!

I am happy to be convinced it was a 'coincidence' however if anyone has any EVIDENCE!

Who would have thought . . .

I received a letter from someone completely out of the blue the other day telling me that they knew me when I was mere youth. Furthermore I was told that their parents knew my parents, lived together in our country of origin and then migrated to Australia at around the same time and met accidentally and all this from discovering my name on the Internet and going to my web pages seeing some photos and making the BIG discovery!

Ain't that simply amazing!

Apparently the last time I saw this person was in 1970. Obviously I have not changed all that much since then - cause I was recognised!

We have of course started to correspond and no doubt this could lead to some interesting stories being shared between us leading to a much richer life experience for all concerned.

I am continually amazed at the uses to which the Internet can be put.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Planning for overseas?

I don't know what happens in your house when you plan for a trip. In my house it used to be chaos!

So many options to consider.

Do you travel within Australia, do you travel overseas? Do you use the car, hire a camper van, travel by train or bus or plane? Do you stay in Youth Hostels, Hotels, Motels, B&Bs, or do you just give up on all of this and pack a tent?

Do you plan your own itinerary or do you let some travel agent plan it for you? Do you take a tour with some company or other doing the planning for you and if so which one and why?

Whatever you decide be assured that the person or people you are travelling with will have their versions of reality and will insist that they are right and you are wrong. It's inevitable so be prepared.

My 'solution' to this testing time is to use the matrix management model of trip planning.

This is where you can do the comparative analysis of each of the options in a spreadsheet like mode comparing costs, comforts, timeliness, the pros and cons of what you can see and do within each option showing the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

The beauty of this mode of planning is that it literally forces each proponent of one or more versions of reality to undertake his or her own research and come back with the facts which are then fed into the model. The more ideas someone has the more work they have to do.

Wonderful isn't it?

THEY do the work while you sit back and help to direct the development of the matrix.

When it is finalised the choices become remarkably clear and easy to make. What is perhaps more important, most people are so exhausted by the efforts they have made in the process of obtaining the data that they are willing to compromise on virtually anything so that the process can come to and end at last.

Try this notion the next time you have to plan a trip with family or friends. You will never look back and do it another way again!

The Benefits Realisation Approach

"This approach is said to focus on integrating technology into the business system. Its central tenet is that IT alone, no matter how technically powerful, cannot deliver business results.

The mindset underlying this approach is based on the following premises:

Benefits do not just happen - a benefit stream flows and evolves over time as people learn to use and apply new technology after its introduction into a production environment

Benefits rarely happen according to plan - a forecast of benefits in support of a business case for an investment in some technology is an early estimate. The organisation has to keep checking just as it would with a financial investment that fluctuates with market forces.

Benefits realization is a continuous process of envisioning results, implementing, checking intermediate results and dynamically adjusting the path leading from investment to business results.

The benefits realisation process includes traditional project management processes. However it reaches well beyond the traditional project management life cycle. Upstream from the traditional project design, it reaches to the initial hatching of the project concepts. At the other end of the cycle it includes the ultimate harvesting of end results which occur far downstream from the traditional project completion landmarks such as delivery of new software, networks and information systems.

In contrast with the traditional project management cycles it reaches from "concept to cash" rather than from "design to delivery"

The benefits realisation process gives senior management a clear understanding of what business results are to be achieved through a major investment, and of IT's contribution to those results. It gives middle management a clear idea of what resources are required to get these results and of their role in achieving this goal. All employees and work groups develop an understanding of they will contribute to results and how they will use new technologies to do their work in new ways. With the benefits realisation approach organisations will only embark on an IT enabled change with both a clear road map depicting the paths that lead to beneficial results and the capabilities required to realise those benefits.

The Benefits Realization Approach is not just another academic theory. It is a practical approach, much of which was developed, tested in the field and successfully used in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand in organizations that include telecommunications companies, energy utilities, banks, insurance companies and manufacturers. It has been used to meet a variety of business transformation challenges, such as:

  • ensuring that benefits are understood and realized from large, complex and expensive software investments, including enterprise application packages such as SAP, Internet related applications and Knowledge Management initiatives
  • understanding, managing and realizing benefits from major business process re-engineering programs
  • managing complex portfolios of investment programs and projects
  • providing a focus on results to guide major organizational change programs"
I have made some judiciously chosen extracts from a portion of Chapter 2 of a book on the subject which was listed at http://www.businessweek.com/adsections/dmr/parabene.htm

I would like to believe that this advert for this approach is as useful as its proponents DMR consulting make out. It would be nice if there really was a 'silver bullet' out there which supported a higher number of project successes.

Do readers have some familiarity with this approach and if so do they have any comments which they would like to make - based on their experiences?

I would be particularly interested to hear from people who have found ways to use it successfully in the management of complex portfolios of investment programs and projects. I would be particularly encouraged to hear HOW someone implemented this successfully.

Of course I would be equally happy to hear from people who have tried this approach and found that it does not work. In these instances I would of course like to have some idea of what happened that resulted in the failure.