How good is Buzz Aldrin?

How good is Buzz Aldrin? Not only is Buzz a highly credentialed MIT graduate in astronautics, Aldrin is also a mechanical engineer and fighter pilot downing two Migs in the Korean war. His right is pretty decent for an old guy.

Buzz was an astronaut piloting Gemini 12 including a number of spacewalks and his best known achievement was on the lunar surface with Neil Armstrong on Apollo 11. Despite his achievements, Buzz still doesn’t get the respect he deserves when moon landing conspiracy theorist Bart Sibrel challenged Aldrin in 2002 with a TV crew claiming this was an elaborate NASA hoax.

Calling Aldrin a thief, liar and coward - Sibrel demanded Buzz swear on the bible. Instead, 72 year old Aldrin reacted by punching Sibrel in the jaw. It could be claimed Sibrel is the liar, he was the one who lured Aldrin to the Beverly Hills hotel on the pretext of a Japanese TV interview - he got exactly what he deserved.

The revival of the butcher

Perth used to have a local butcher in every suburb, maybe a couple of independent butcher shops in each area until about the early 1980s when the large supermarket chains forced them out of business.

We are now seeing a revival of the independent Butcher, at the very least, the supermarkets are being forced to lift their game and provide better options. Consumers are demanding more choice, better quality, a more extensive range and higher levels of service.

With more competition, the supermarkets are under pressure to meet consumer expectations and are investing heavily to maintain market share. Forgetting about the convenience of purchasing all their goods from a single retailer, consumers are avoiding the large shopping centers for more frequent smaller purchases.

No longer are consumers engaging in large weekly shopping habits, they now quickly drop down the local shops for small purchases on the way home from work. They want fresh and healthy and shops providing pre-prepared ingredients are winning back consumers.

This is where the local butcher is able to gain business, excellent cuts of meat, pre-prepared and marinated options that are ready to cook are gaining customers. Fast to react, quality products and personal service are making a comeback - great news.

Scuba Physiological

I was sitting in a vehicle driving from Ubud to Kuta with Simon and his wife Sophie discussing current projects and future work, Simon was due in the recording studio to convert one of his publications into an audio book when one of his earlier works became a topic of discussion.

I have hard copies of a number of his books and asked why Scuba Physiological was not available in hard copy; for me, the answer was intriguing. Initially, the book was written by scientists and based on their research into decompression theory. As scientists, they had written their publication based on their scientific principles and publishing requirements.

For anyone who has been required to read through a scientific publication, usually due to study knows these publications can be very arduous. Although technically correct, working through the calculations, formatting style and descriptions might not officially be classified as torture by the Geneva Convention, it is closer than one thinks.

As was explained to me by Simon, he was discussing dive publishing with co-authors Professor Costantino Balestra and Dr. Peter Germonpre who was a little miffed as to why the book was a poor seller.

He requested Simon take a look at it for him and Simon came up with a number of poignant observations In essence, whilst the research was sound and the findings no doubt valid but the book was just unreadable for anyone who isn't a scientist.

As Simon was asked to critique the book as to determine why it was not selling, he not only came up with a bunch of issues, he also offered a solution. As a technical diving instructor, he found the work important as peer reviewed decompression theory is imperative for technical diving, he felt this research should be brought to a wider audience.

There were issues though, this book already had a publisher and there are naturally copyright issues. Simon's solution was simple, he would simply take the existing publication, reorganise and restructure along with rewriting in a manner that the layperson would understand so now we have a research based book that is readable.

Winnie the Pooh

So, the image of Winnie the Pooh is banned in China, the CCP, that’s the Chinese Communist Party adamant that mocking President Xi Jinping is not funny - I, along with many others disagree.

The resemblance is uncanny, when Obama met with Xi Jinping in 2013, the censors ensured this image was removed from Chinese consumers. The Great Firewall of China swung into action and banned these funny portrayals of Xi Jinping and Barack Obama in 2013 when Xi Jinping visited the US. Whilst the CCP complain that this is a serious effort to undermine the President and the dignity of Xi Jinping, they will work out that the more you ban it, the more we will share it. 

The visit of Xi Jinping to Manila in 2018 sparked the ire of Filipinos, they resent the CCP ignoring the 2016 International Tribunal ruling in The Hague for their island claims in the South China Sea. They further invoke international condemnation by pursuing militarisation of the islands.

Significantly, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte is displaying a lack of leadership by not questioning Xi Jinping and their intentions - submitting to CCP rule is nothing but weakness by Duterte.

Publishing my second training book

I have a training book ready for publishing and I am working on my next training book, although that has stalled somewhat.

I am busy compiling trainee workbooks for my actual employment, that takes mental exertion and I come home in the evening and the words just don't flow. I am physically and mentally tired and I find it difficult to write fluently.

I am not writing posts either, I lack the external stimulation and influences. As soon as I leave site, the ideas will flow and I am busy coming up with new ideas. This is even though I have a long list of topics to write about, I just can't do it. I don't think it is solely connected to being tired, the 4 am rise isn't the only factor that wears me out.

So, my first training book will be published independently, based on author friends I have a publisher identified so I just have to get the draft to them. That is already completed, this will be the next book in the series addressing different issues on setting up an enterprise based training system from an engineering perspective.

So my book is compiled slowly, whilst I know the material, I am struggling somewhat, but I am fine with that. It takes time, I need to get a move on at some stage, there is no external pressure, it is all internal.

BLM protests in Perth

The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked worldwide protests, this is all bullshit of course, insofar as this is an American internal issue based on the actions of their police force. Should the police officers involved be charged with murder? The video footage was very clear, Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck leading to his death - this was disgusting.    

Jaylen Dimer is seen at the BLM march in Perth, he is protesting black lives matter but let's take a closer look at Jaylen's actions. Outside the Paramount nightclub in Perth, nightclub manager stepped outside at around 4.30 am to grab a kebab before he was attacked by Jaylen Dimer with a coward punch. 

A coward punch, once known as a king hit is a punch thrown at an unsuspecting person who is not looking. Giuseppe Raco was knocked unconscious by coward Jaylen Dimer by the coward's punch, he struck his head on the footpath and died a couple of days later in hospital whilst on life support. He is survived by his five month pregnant wife and two year old daughter.  

The charges against Jaylen Dimer have been upgraded from grievous bodily harm to assault causing death, this charge carries a potential 10 year sentence. He remains remanded in custody but one asks, is this enough? You throw a coward's punch with the sole intention of knocking that person unconscious, this could and should be attempted murder. 

It is likely Jaylen Dimer won't serve the full sentence, the law was brought in to curb the rise in one punch attacks. According to the preamble, these are characterised by the victim and perpetrator not being acquainted and the attack unprovoked. The prosecution previously had trouble proving manslaughter due to the nature of the law so new laws were enacted related to the public outcry. 

So Jaylen Dimer attended a black lives matter rally in Perth, but the life of Giuseppe Raco mattered little to him. The police need to step up their presence in the nightclub district, they need to come down hard on these thugs who act in an anti-social manner. These people who attended the BLM rally are no doubt annoyed by the police presence curtailing the criminal behaviour. 

Well, the issue is, stop acting like arseholes and the police will leave you alone. It is difficult to claim you are being singled out when you act in a criminal manner. The police have come out and stated that they will increase their presence in the entertainment precinct where drugs, alcohol and violence are almost accepted. 

The police have stated they will be targeting trouble-makers so be warned, stop crying about being targeted - stop acting like an arsehole and you will no longer be targeted. You can carry on at a rally, if  you are a loser who acts as a thug, then you will come under increased attention of the police and you get everything you deserve.   

White Levi's T shirts

I was pretty amazed, kicking around in Europe was young women wearing white Levi’s t shirts with the red logo brazing across the front.

As a Gen X, we all wore Levi's in our youth - that is pretty much what you wore where I grew up. We wore them to school, we wore them out for leisure and yes we wore denim jackets with denim jeans. So I was pretty surprised to see the young set embracing this mature brand.

I have read Gen Y are ignoring the brands worn by their parents, that’s understandable. This is a trend I am seeing more of; the younger generation are wearing their parent’s brands and listening to the music of Gen X. I reckon this is a great trend, the white T shirt with Levi’s brand on the front is a pretty decent fashion trend.

What is a numpty?

A numpty is described as a stupid or ineffectual person that acts foolish or idiotic and is a Scottish word. In the context where I use the word numpty, it is when a person receives an honorary position within a business that hasn’t met merit selection criteria in a formal process. 

The employment standard in the Western Australian Public Sector establishes the minimum standard of merit when filling a vacancy. The merit principle requires employment decisions to be based on merit where a competitive field is established where knowledge, skills and abilities are assessed to a standard.

The equity principle requires employment decisions to be free from bias, nepotism and patronage. Patronism is a practice embedded in business where personal relations is required for promotion. Powerful people within an organisation determine or influence decisions based on their own interests.

So, in a state government organisation, any internal promotions that don’t meet merit selection and equity principles result in the informal or formal promotion of a numpty. Should this individual receive personal financial benefits then corruption has occurred and it is the duty of senior employees to report this situation.

The Lonesome Jubilee - John Mellencamp

It was a mistake I vowed not to repeat, John Mellencamp was supporting his 1987 album The Lonesome Jubilee with a concert tour.

I was down the shed working away on Sunday afternoon refurbishing a cylinder head and the radio announcer was raving about how great the concert at the Perth Entertainment Centre was. John Mellencamp played the The Lonesome Jubilee tour Friday and Saturday nights on the 9th and 10th of April 1988 and I missed it - I was full of regret.

All my friends wanted to do was the same thing every Friday and Saturday night, that didn't interest me and I was looking to change my life, that happened in 1989, the year I completed my apprenticeship. I graduated to a tradesman and opportunities presented allowing me to move away from Perth. Moving to remote areas, my social life plummeted and I lived a mining existence as Western Australia is a huge land mass with next to no population.

Back in the 1990s we were not on the family friendly rosters that workers now enjoy, I was working away on long rosters, it was really very different to current work rosters. I was drive in/drive out, now most workers enjoy fly in/fly out contracts. So I filled my vehicle up with my belongings driving 600 km east to Kalgoorlie before heading a further 410 km north to Bellevue mine site.

So I had limited belongings packed into my ute, that included just 10 CDs owing with The Lonesome Jubilee making the cut. When you only have a handful of albums to listen to, you learn each and every song, you want to learn the story of the song. John Mellencamp is described as heartland rock, I love his mid-west background and his songs of middle America - he has my attention.

The challenge of leadership

Building on Jime's ideals on leadership, a manager is a title and work function; it is nothing more than a role - leadership is so much more. The challenge of leadership is to influence the team in a positive and productive manner.

The challenge of leadership is to provide purpose to team members by setting achievable goals, also providing direction when required and the motivation to achieve team goals. 

We spend a great deal of our lives at work, what team members do not need is an arrogant and self-centered manager who makes work miserable for all involved. 

Instead, businesses need leaders who make work both fun and productive so that people are happy to show up day in day out - then they earn the respect of their peers.

Embracing the online MBA

Do employers view the online Master of Business Administration as any less an advanced degree than full-time institutional MBAs? Feedback from employers is online students are impressive insofar as they maintain current business knowledge and implement contemporary practices in the workplace whilst they undertake their MBA studies - so the answer is no.

The method of study matters little as compared to the quality of the program, online MBA programs utilise the same content as institutional MBAs. What students miss out on is the face-to-face networking opportunities and the ability to engage in face-to-face teamwork whilst undertaking case studies possibly limiting verbal communication skills.

However, this is balanced by the tendency by companies engaging virtual teams due to the increased utilisation of technology in the workplace; this is mirrored in the online MBA delivery embracing technology. Online students actively engaged in the workplace hold high levels of commercial awareness intimately understanding actual workplace challenges and issues.

Major universities and business schools have all embraced technology as a means to deliver effective tertiary education. Workplace experience counts, previously MBA candidates have about three years work experience with executive MBAs holding ten years or more experience in senior leadership positions.

The average age and experience of online MBA students is higher resulting in richer learning experiences for all students to take into account. An online MBA lacks networking opportunities but is a cost effective method to gain a business education. 

Strategy in Practice - George Tovstiga

Kicking around Changi Airport in Singapore between flights, I always love to check out the business books section of Terminal 3. A publication that took my interest was Strategy in Practice by George Tovstiga.

The Singaporeans are a pretty business minded bunch; Singapore has been the economic miracle of South East Asia for some time now so a strategy book is going to be a popular read in Singapore.

The study of business strategy along with associated textbooks is somewhat similar in nature. We all pretty much study the same theory no matter what institution you are enrolled. It could be argued the difference between the top flight business schools is not learning materials but relationships formed through peer to peer interactions.

We will all spend our evenings going over SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces, Porter's generic strategies, value chain analysis, competitive advantage, the resource based view of the firm, VRIO analysis and core competence.

Whilst not a text book per se, George Tovstiga views strategy from a different perspective than that of standard reference texts. Strategy is not new, the ancient Greeks coined the term and applied such processes in their military campaigns and this book offers perspectives not covered in standard texts.

The author is a professor of strategy and innovation management instructing advanced level courses for MBA programs at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

I not only referenced this text during courses, I found it to be a pretty handy reference citing passages a number of times and I reckon pretty easy to read. Well worth looking at if you want something different from a standard text book.

A late lunch at the Breakwater Tavern

Getting out and about on a warm winter day in Perth, you get these days where the sky is clear, there is little to no wind and the temperature is 23 C. This was one of these winter days so I wasn't going to waste it.

So, I decided to drive up the coast from Scarborough Beach, driving up the hill along West Coast Highway allows some pretty decent ocean views. Then we need to cut inland for a section losing the view before heading West Coast Drive towards Hillarys Boat Harbour.

The Breakwater Tavern is located right on the water, suspended on piles above the water in the boat harbour, this is an excellent bar above the water. I don't mind a drink and a meal in the afternoon, I like to go here when the sun is shining and I never go there at night.