I've moved - thanks Google

I woke up Saturday to three messages from Google informing me three posts had been deleted for violating their guidelines - I was gob smacked and pretty irritable. 

So, I decided this couldn't happen again and signed up for a WordPress account immediately. Three posts had been reported by anonymous sources, I then received three messages from Google on Sunday morning letting me know the three posts had been reinstated but it really not good enough. 

https://observationsinanundemocraticworld.wordpress.com/

I had more than a year of posts loaded into the scheduled folder, they have all been moved over to WordPress along with al the other drafts I have. A great feature of WordPress is the ability to import data and I have all previous work moved across.

Dive computer ascent rates

I have read a number of articles in regards to dive tables v dive computers and I am astounded to believe the vehement defense of dive tables. 

My first retort is the difficulty of dive table use for repetitive diving, the majority people can learn table use locking the procedures and terms into short-term memory but when tested three months later are unable to recall dive table use.

The ascent rates prescribed on the majority of dive tables are simply outdated, there is no defending an ascent rate that was a compromise in the 1950s and still used today.

Getting newly certified divers to follow an ascent rate without an ascent rate indicator is nearly impossible, getting back to a shot line isn't always practical and even then, the majority of divers still ascend way too fast on a line without dedicated training.

Training divers to follow the ascent rate of their computer has many benefits, from early on in their training, the instructor is able to reinforce ascent rates and safety stops. A number of dive computers now have safety stop timers so at least a three minute stop is incorporated into ascent procedures.

More modern algorithms utilising micro-bubble prevention strategies also incorporate deeper stops in direct contrast to neo-Haldanean models seeking the highest pressure gradients to reduce decompression obligations.

We seek technological advances to enhance our lives, we carry around more computing power in our pockets than the Apollo astronauts took to the moon. We need to teach divers how to use their dive computers, this is a great tool - use it.

Once upon a time, dive certification courses were around three months in duration and highly physical in nature. With better instructional techniques and learning materials, the process of instruction is enhanced.

I sometimes ask myself, do you need to know how an engine, transmission, drive-train, steering, brake and electrical systems operate to drive a motor vehicle or do you just need to know where to put the fuel and how to turn the key?

Does the average person understand electron theory to illuminate the room at night or do they just flick a switch? Do they require a working knowledge of refrigeration including the latent heat of vaporisation and thermal expansion valves to work the coolness switch on their fridge?

We no longer use J-valves, twin hose regulators or wear horse collar buoyancy devices in diving just like you no longer need a motor vehicle to mount a mobile phone; this is outdated technology that should be relegated to museums.

When was the last time anyone actually used an abacus just in case a battery failed in a calculator? I also laugh when people say what if a computer fails underwater? Dive computers fail, this is a fact of diving and divers should be prepared for this inevitability.

Then you follow the profile of the person or team you are diving with, then the response always is, but they could be following a different profile with depths and times - this doesn't happen on tables? Plenty of areas around the world only allow guided dives, the divers follow the dive guide around and they plan the dive profile.

If that is the case, then I would be asking more serious questions about in-water diving habits and less about dive computer use. This is why dive guides are employed, this is exactly their role, they plan and supervise diving activities.

I now advise new divers to consider their dive computer as their first item of equipment purchased. The prevailing wisdom is to purchase the mask, snorkel, booties and fins kit; yes, these are important but the most relevant dive planning and execution tool.

Many would argue you can dive without a computer but you can't dive without a mask, fins and other equipment - fair comment. Sure, people dived for decades without dive computers, I began diving on tables and used the PADI Wheel for multi-level dives.

If you follow your dive computer recommendations maintaining a slow ascent rate then you will reduce the incidences of micro-bubbles in your tissues and more than likely decompression sickness. Oh yeah, you can also maximize your bottom time and execute multi-level dive profiles - a great tool.

The Carrera Calibre 5

The Heuer Carrera of the 1960s and 1970s was always a chronograph, Heuer manufactured chronograph timepieces. Well every Heuer timepiece of that era was a chronograph apparently - that is what they did.

So when TAG Heuer has reinvented the three hand Carrera with a Calibre 5, one has to ask, would I purchase a Calibre 5 Carrera? The Calibre 5 is generally an ETA 2824-2 but could also be a Sellita SW 200 so one has to be a little cautious.

I am not a fan of the SW 200 based on previous experiences and whilst the ETA 2824-2 is a solid movement, the attempts to create greater competition between movement manufacturers has caused supply issues.

As far as a three hand Carrera, whilst it wasn't the original design, I find the three hand Carrera a clean looking design. My concerns are with the engine under the bonnet and I hope TAG Heuer is a little more transparent with serial number designations so the consumer can make an informed choice.

Losing my Bolle glasses overboard

So I lost my Bolle glasses overboard - what a hassle. I was out on the yacht and my lightweight Bolle sunglasses came off, rattled down the deck in slow motion before resting against the rear cleat before washing over the transom.

I wasn’t happy, not about the cost but about the glare, it really hurt my eyes. The problem was the glasses were too light, they easily unclipped from my shirt. I guess they were not suited to wearing out on the boat, not that I was actually wearing them at the time.

So I went into work and ordered some new polarised glasses online to replace them. Within the day I had a new package arrive with Bolle Raptor glasses. I then thought these are great for the boat, but not so good for riding my bike.

So when I was down at the local safety workwear shop, I found some Rush Smoke Lens for $6.95, so now I have some riding glasses and some boat glasses. The wrap-around glasses are great for the boat as they really keep the glare out.

The lightweight plastic glasses are for the bike, they don't bounce around on the bumps and fall down my face when contact is made with my helmet. Seems like losing my glasses overboard was a good thing, that was after my eyes recovered from the glare.

Premium Economy with Cathay Pacific

I try to be late to board to miss all the messing around but this time I decided to be in line early as I missed out on The New York Times and Financial Times newspapers on the first flight and I didn't want it to happen again.

As the staff came down to check flight details and passports she told me I was standing in the wrong line as she highlighted flight details. I needed to stand over there near Business Class for the Premium economy boarding - I had no idea.

Wow, what a surprise where to begin. There were larger seats with increased features and room, the entertainment centre was improved but had the same selection of movies. We started out with a glass of champagne before take-off, the drinks cart was promptly brought out when we were in the air.

Needless to say, the quality of the red wine was so much better than the red wine I drank in economy class the flight before. Likewise, the food could not be compared, the quality was at a different level altogether.

The Premium Economy cabin was separated from Business Class and Standard Economy and although I had walked through the section many times before I had never really taken notice. I guess this was an upgrade as I didn't intentionally book this flight.

To execute a strategy

Naturally, attempting to implement a poorly designed plan is indeed a poor idea, yet the reality is all too often we are asked to do exactly that. The requirement of a good plan requires extensive preparation based on extensive research.

The culture of the organisation is imperative to successfully implementing the strategy. All too often failed strategy implementation rests with the personnel tasked with driving a strategy they don't believe in. Professor Huy cites the culture of the organisation as the primary reason why strategy implementation fails, my experience is very similar. The importance of organisational behaviour understanding is closely linked to strategic implementation.

Overqualified for the job - what bullshit

Overqualified for the job, what does that really mean? It's absolute rubbish and I like to call it out for what it is.

Does this really mean this person will take the job to leave when a better opportunity comes along? What about this scenario, if the enterprise is efficient, then this person has the ability to pursue a career path in the company.

This is the goal of talent management, the acquisition of human capital to achieve strategic outcomes. This is a future high-performing team member that could learn from our mentoring and coaching to become a high-performing member driving the team.

A hiring manager should recruit, select, remunerate and retain the highest available talent. This attitude of worrying about whether this person outshines them is rubbish. How about this scenario? As the hiring team, we identified a star performer and made sure they didn't accept mediocrity, we recruited the best available for the company.

A republic or not

Every few years, the republic debate gets reunited in Australia and it is by the people pushing for a republic and not by the people. Eventually they believe if they keep chipping away, they will finally achieve their utopian dream of an Australian republic.

Some people are irritated that we still officially have the Queen of England as our head of state or that the Union Jack is still on our flag. We have a functioning government based on the Westminster system that is a proven model of stability.

My attitude, apparently like so many others, is who cares? We care nothing about this idyllic bullshit, what we care about is a functioning government. The Commonwealth Government works absolutely fine, this is why we are a successful western nation in the South East Asia and Oceania region.

The republican movement forced us to vote on the issue in the 1999 referendum and change the constitution of Australia. My girlfriend at the time [from overseas] thought it would be fun to write a new constitution, but I knew full well we would not be doing that.

This would involve high priced lawyers, special interest and lobby groups; the rest of us would just be drowned out in the noise. The Swiss get to vote on everything, the average person would not be involved, there would be no involvement for the majority of us.

The republican movement wanted a president but we have seen the power and overreach of successive US Presidents, there is no way we would want to create a dictator. The role of the Governor General is to provide stability to the government.

I am not conservative by any means, these idiots wanted us to vote for a republic first then once they have a majority work on the details - utter crap. There was no framework, no plan and certainly no analysis apart from some feel good bullshit where we vote for change. 

Put your case forward and we will look at it; I am no monchaist but I do not want to create an unstable government model when a stable government already exists. You analyse the model before you propose to the public, the public analysis then begins and we consider the consequences of the action.  

No mask strap and no fin straps

I had an interesting dive guide on Mactan Island, he got around underwater with half foot fins, no booties and no fin straps to hold his fins in place.

He just used water pressure to hold his mask in place as he had no mask strap. Easy enough entering the water, he just held the mask in place and then let go of it once below the surface. To be fair, they never went far from the dive shop, it was mostly close diving.

Interestingly, many years ago I did two dives when a client I was guiding broke a mask strap once we were already in the water after entering the water from a long pier. Too difficult to get spares at that point with the whole group in the water so I just swapped masks for the two dives.

My dive guide on the other hand began every dive without a mask strap, more a gimmick than anything as every dive shop has spare mask straps as they are a cheap item. This was a relatively small operation but they had a number of decent size banca boats to choose from.

I dive for myself now

My days of employment as a dive guide and dive instructor are well behind me, I still dive but not in a professional capacity anymore.

I'm fine with this arrangement, I don't want the responsibility of looking after other people and want to dive for myself these days. That makes me less than an ideal dive partner if you are inexperienced and just starting out; as a paying customer I am there to maximise my dive experiences.

The role of the dive staff are create memorable experiences for their customers, the last thing they want is customers getting in and possibly causing issues with how the shop is run. Further complications such as insurance then arises if something goes terribly wrong.

Legalisation such worker’s compensation may not cover customers taking it upon themselves to instruct divers and any injuries based on your advice may see you with a legal bill. The dive shop may have preferences in terms of the continuing education they offer, it is, after all their livelihoods at stake here.

The Omega Skywalker X-33

In some respects the Speedmaster has remained fairly static over the years, as a watch enthusiast we are still able to go out and purchase a moonwatch with close to NASA specifications.

There have been modest changes over the last 60 years with enthusiasts arguing over references but you are still able to purchase a moonwatch with a hesalite crystal and 1861 hand wound movement.

The older collectible series feature the Lemania 321 and 861 movements with the 321 particularly sought out among collectors as these references were used in the Gemini and Apollo missions.

The Speedmaster has moved forward with the Skywalker X-33 whilst maintaining some of the aesthetics that people related to the original Speedmaster. For me, this timepiece is more aesthetically related to the TAG Heuer Kirium of the 1990s than it is to the Speedmaster. 

The Skywalker X-33 maintains a combination of digital and analogue housed in a titanium case. Astronauts had input with the next generation of Speedmaster targeting the aerospace and aviation industries.

The Skywalker X-33 was developed for European Space Agency specifications featuring three time zones, a chronograph, mission elapsed time, phase elapsed time, three alarms, a timer which I translate to a stopwatch and a perpetual calendar.

Regardless of whether the Skywalker X-33 was specifically developed for the European Space Agency, $7100 is pretty expensive for a quartz movement. I understand development costs are involved; still, that's a pretty hefty price tag.

Will I go out and purchase a Skywalker X-33? The answer is no, but I may try one on next time I am in an Omega boutique. That's a lot of money for a digital watch, I am old school and love mechanical timepieces.

Unintended consequences - this is really hurting who?

The trade war started by China against Australia is escalating; however, Xi Jinping has seriously underestimated the consequences of his actions. The intention is to subdue Australia into submission, the Chinese government view is they cannot succeed as this undermines Chinese prestige around the world. 

This is really a case of the rule of unintended consequences, Winnie the Pooh might be achieving his political aims, the economic losses are mounting. China does not wish to be questioned by a much smaller nation in terms of population and economic size. This is very much an embarrassment to the CCP. 

Yes, industries are hurting from barley, lobster fishing to wine, this is devastating to the people employed in these industries. This is off-set by iron ore exports with the iron ore price rising to seven year highs. This is affecting Chinese steel mills, yes, their output has increased as they recover from their Covid-19 downturn.

The Chinese construction industry faces increasing costs, China has increased iron ore imports from higher cost suppliers with lower grades. Now Chinese industries are being hurt, costs are increasing and from an Australian government revenue perspective, this is increasing taxation receipts and decreasing pressure on government revenues - well played.

European train journeys

I love train journeys, we have some decent train journeys in Australia from the Indian Pacific, the Ghan and there is even a Perth to Bunbury service. I haven't used the East coast trains much, I have seen more of Europe and South East Asia than the East coast of Australia.

The train from Singapore to Bangkok interests me, So far I have only taken it as far Butterworth to get to Penang. I will take more trips through the East coast of Malaysia stepping off every so often to visit islands and through to Bangkok in the future.

When in Europe my preference is catching the various train services from the ICE, that's Inter City Express. There is the IC, or Inter City (national reisezug) trains, the S-bahn in German that is local trains.

The choices don't end there as the Eurocity (EC) is the international service between countries, the Regional Express (RE), the Inter Regional Express (IRE) and the Stadtbahn that doesn't offer First Class coaches.

There is an advantage of driving, you can go where you want when you want, but for me, the train is the best option as I can relax, read a book and gaze out the window. That being said, I have been on more than enough car journeys through Europe.

I can enjoy the sights and not concern myself with parking hassles, dents, dings and scratches. Then, the issue in the larger cities is actually finding the vehicle again, they have to be parked far from the centre so you need to remember where you actually parked the car.

Was Covid conceived in a Wuhan lab?

The WHO investigation into the origins of Covid-19 was a bust, China is accused of withholding vital raw data and not assisting the WHO investigation. 

The interim report has now been withheld and a new team needs to go back in and investigate with further powers. Basically, the report is scrap and headed to the shredder, this requires a far ranging scope with powers of investigation that it currently does no possess. 

The United States is pushing the Wuhan lab theory, but do they have the evidence to back up their claims? Given the US response to Covid-19 was possibly one of the worst in the world, the US President totally mismanaged the response.

Furthermore, Donald Trump’s statements have been less than presidential, it has been argued that this has led to attacks on Asian [particularly Chinese] people in the US. The statements Trump made about the Chinavirus could be claimed to deflect from the absolutely useless response of his government.

Was the Wuhan market the origin of the coronavirus? Well, it certainly needs to be investigated as the Wuhan market might not have been the origin of the virus, but where cases first showed up. We need more than potential causes, we need the truth.

What is known is the CCP has a biological weapons capability and conducts research. What has already been discussed is the Wuhan Institute of Virology has been involved in biological research. Whilst many nations engage in biological weapons, they need to come clean on their research.  

What has been reported was Wuhan Institute of Virology lab workers were falling ill around August 19. The US State Department has released a fact sheet on January 16, the US State Department has revealed that the CCP has prevented interviews with Wuhan Institute of Virology staff.

What is concerning is the State Department released this information was released in the last days of the Trump Administration. So this gives us two real options, they were being vindictive and released unsubstantiated reports as fact. Or, they needed to release this information so the incoming administration couldn’t bury the details.

Do I have an answer? No, I do know know the reasons for the timing of the US State Department release in the last days of the Trump Administration. What we do know is the CCP has not been open and allowed the virus to escape Chinese borders.

Regardless of the origins of Covid-19, would the CCP intentionally release the virus, I would absolutely say no. This has hurt the very markets China sells into and causing damage to the output. Was it an accidental release, that is of course a possibility and needs proper investigation.

If this is proved to be false then that would vindicate the Wuhan Institute of Virology, that is the intention of the enquiry. The world needs to know the origins of the coronavirus to prevent further pandemics and to assist in future preparation. 

If the CCP continues to prevent an open discourse, then it would tend to indicate they are actually hiding something and the more they cover up, the more suspicious the world becomes. This is causing damage to the credibility of the CCP and their ambitions of becoming a world superpower.

Hanging out in Zurich

Having a place to stay really makes a holiday, you can spend time in a city relaxing and getting to actually know a little bit about the city. The days spent on the top floor of the building hanging out on the balcony in the afternoon and evenings sipping on Bordeaux were memorable.

Looking out from the balcony over the street, a morning coffee leaning against the rail being careful not to dislodge the plants, it was a quiet street for vehicles but had plenty of interesting pedestrian traffic.

When Iris headed out to work, it was time to wander around the city of Zurich exploring; although her apartment was not in the city centre, I really enjoyed the daily walk to get to my destination - the longer the better and I enjoyed the exercise.

No camera

When I started travelling in a serious manner, it was before the internet, mobile phones and digital cameras. I never took a camera with me, there were rolls of film to carry around with you to later develop. It was a hassle I didn't need.

My philosophy was back then that I would keep travelling and not worry about past trips, that way I would always be seeking new adventures and destinations to visit. That was when I was young, fit and muscular, I was in pretty good condition - this is no longer the case.

My memory is still good, I admit, I don't remember every day of a trip as those trips went for three to six months at a time. Back then, a two week trip was just a short break from work before getting back into it. A three to six month trip meant resigning from my job before returning to Perth to earn some money to pay for the next trip.

As I was either working flat out, well over eighty hours per week when I returned, I never much thought about photography or where I had just been - there was just work and rest. When I was away overseas - I was living. I felt back then I was too busy doing it to ever bother photographing these activities.

Funnily enough, the rare photographs I had of this period were taken by other people and mailed to my parent’s address in Perth, they then had an idea where I was and what I was up to, who I was with and what I was doing. This is the only records I have of these trips. Apart from passport entries and stamps, I have no other record of these trips.

Never rely on the age pension

The pension age in Australia has been bumped up to age 67 previously from age 65, it was expected to be further hiked to age 70 but the new Morrison government in one of their first moves was to resist pressure - at least for the time being.

One suspects this was more a political move than a financial consideration, they are acutely aware of their voting cohort and likely poll results in 2019. For this very reason, they decided to reverse the previous decision to raise the retirement age to 70. Blue collar workers such as shearers, welders, construction workers and labourers will really struggle those final 5 years and need all the assistance available.

This is exactly the reason I believe all blue collar workers need to educate themselves on the intricacies of superannuation and retirement options. They above all should be organising their retirement plans and seeking financial advice or alternately getting involved in educational programs to learn retirement planning as an important life skill.

One should never rely on the age pension, this is purely a contingency plan for those unable to support themselves once their employment life has ended. The 9.5 superannuation levy imposed upon employers is really our money, we were forced to forego current pay rises for future retirement planning.

Really, all employees should at least match employer contributions and/or negotiate improved retirement plan participation. One can not rely on the age pension, this is especially true when Australia has an aging population that can either be remedied by increasing migration or providing greater conditions for families.

The age pension was never designed to provide a quality of life expected by many, this is a payment to protect vulnerable older people who do not possess enough assets to support themselves. It is not a right for years of paying tax through work, people who have never worked a day in their life are still eligible for the age pension once they hit the age requirements.

Pension payments for a large portion of the federal budget and governments are unlikely to be raised to levels expected. The age pension is a payment that keeps the majority of pensioners on or slightly below the poverty line, it has served its purpose and I can't see it raised to levels pensioners desire or expect.

Paid toilets

I still can't get used to paying for toilets, coming from Perth, this just isn't something that we are really used to. I understand running facilities comes at a cost, but every property owner pays rates in their locality. I don't think we should start back charging non-locals is the answer.

I recall a line up at the train station in Cologne, there was a long line for the toilets with an entry barrier requiring €1 to enter. There was even a change machine at the entrance where a separate line was required to have the right change ready, then for the women, a new line existed.

This was a serious money making exercise, I didn't hang around long enough to do the maths, but if 15 people went through in the minute I was lining up and I multiply by sixty, we can see they are turning over €900 per hour - this is a pretty decent little business.

Setting my nephew in the right direction

After my nephew turned eighteen, he completed secondary school better known as high school here. He won't be attending university, I was looking to help get him an apprenticeship in a technical trade as soon as he completes high school, that didn't happen right away unfortunately, but he got there.

Now he has an apprenticeship, I will be making sure he signs up to an industry superannuation fund. I would choose Australian Super for him and will advise him on such matters. I will hope he will match employer contributions so he won't face the issues his father or myself faced when we began paid employment.

He will initially complain about a lack of disposable income no doubt, this especially hurts on apprentice wages. But setting the foundation of saving for retirement at the beginning of his working life will pay dividends in the long-term. A little short-term pain for long-term gain is required, setting him on a path of saving that will change his life.

He enjoys the folly of youth, he has a pretty full social calendar. Sure, he spends a little too much on the party lifestyle, he burns through his money. As his uncle, I need to exert some influence making sure he is headed in the right direction in life. Ultimately, it is his life to lead - I am pretty sure he will strike a balance between living and saving. 

Countering cyber attacks

When the Australian government announced during the covid-19 pandemic Australia was under cyber attack by a state based actor, it didn't take a great deal of detective work to identify the potential culprits.

Firstly, you need to ask yourself which country has both the capability and motivation to launch these cyber attacks. The state based actors with the capability and motivation include Russia, North Korea, Iran and China and without too much analysis you can narrow it down to two potential adversaries.

As China has been displeased with Australia for demanding, then succeeding in organising an official investigation into the origins of coronavirus, so there is pretty much one potential state based actor.

Ok, cyber attacks have previously been traced back to a location in China, so we need to ask ourselves, what is next? The Australian government didn't name the country launching these attacks in what can be viewed as a diplomatic protocol.

The government was sending a clear message, we know who it is but we won't yet name you in a public forum just yet. We do reserve the right to publically name and shame the regime in the future if these attacks do not stop.

Apart from the international humiliation, what options does Australia have? Is it possible for Australia to retaliate and coordinate a cyber attack on this facility? If so, what are the ramifications?

Is this an act of war? Pretty much future conflicts will include taking out assets and infrastructure and rendering them inoperative. What about another scenario, we know China has been engaging in cyber attacks and intellectual property theft of private corporations, universities and government agencies.

So, if we retaliate, what don't we target Chinese businesses, facilities such as educational institutions and scientific organisations? The question has been asked of us, what are we going to do about this?

The TAG Heuer S/el

I have been a fan of TAG Heuer for a while, my friend Steve owned a magnificent example of a gold TAG Heuer and I decided I wanted one too. 

We were working on the island of Guam in the mid to late 1990s, the local shops were happy to do deals with locals who could provide proof of living on the island and an addition discount if you were employed on the island too, I was pretty happy as I met both criteria.

Being a diver, an S/el chronograph was my choice of timepiece at the time. Back then we were decompression diving from tables and needed to accurately monitor the time of each decompression stop and the S/el was an excellent choice of timer.

A Golden Gaytime

Well, it has finally happened, a much loved ice cream that only certain members of the community believe an individual would dare eat in public will soon suffer from cancel culture - unbelievable. Is everyone so easily offended?

The Golden Gaytime from Street’s Ice Creams has been petitioned to be renamed as it offends the gay community. Give it up, I have been known to eat a Golden Gaytime in public on a hot day and I’m straight.

The ice cream was released in 1959 with a Streets Ice Cream spokesperson stating the term gay had not yet been applied to sexual preference. Possibly the gay community needs to rename their activities to not confuse the terminology.

Based on his petition, Brain Mc, the petition organiser stated. “As a part of the LGBTQIA+ community I believe my sexual identity is owned by me, not a brand and that the outdated meaning no longer applies. Isn’t it time for this double entendre to end?”

The term gay was listed as [dated] as light-hearted and carefree but has now been reassigned as homosexual. The Cambridge dictionary listed gay as an abjective that means happy, I am guessing this individual and not the community is unhappy and maybe a Golden Gaytime on a hot day might just calm him down.

An insurance policy of sorts

I was told "I have been reading your blog, but you really haven't written anything controversial for a while" so that got me thinking. I was printing and laminating pages from the Public Interest Disclose Act [2003] at the time, so I thought, just go with that and that is the context of this post.

I have not pursued the individual; for me, he absolutely did the wrong thing engaging in acts by committing a series of offenses carrying two years imprisonment or a $24,000 fine. So where do I go from here? 

Well, this is kind of an insurance policy; sure, I have been discriminated against in terms of promotion, but I have reinvented myself consulting for businesses not connected to my employer. We have to coexist now - I need to make the most of this situation. 

Within reason, I can pretty much do as I like now. I choose to work hard so if they have any issues with me, it is easy to document. I won't ever bother to apply for any internal jobs anymore, that is a waste of time. Instead, I will concentrate on external options.  

The clauses are clear, I cannot be dismissed, no disciplinary action under a written law or services dispensed with. I make sure they are aware that I have the document in my possession and I am well versed in the clauses. 

Should they want to make poor decisions, my options are to dealt with under the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 in the Equal Opportunity Commission. Not only that, I would have the opportunity to question these individuals under oath and I would suggest that would be career ending for them. 

I don't think it will ever come to that, I now keep to myself as we have an agreement where I won't speak out in our open plan office. I will continue to take leave without pay when consulting projects come up and return when the project is completed. 

I used a line out of Wall Street II: Money Never Sleeps where Michael Douglas' character Gordon Gekko quips "You stop telling lies about me; I’ll stop telling the truth about you" to Josh Brolin's character Bretton James.

I am aware that this is really detrimental to their internal planning, this is their problem of their own doing and not my issue though. To be fair, I wasn't the one who committed an offense taking detrimental action against a person who should have been protected under the whistleblower provisions.  

So let's take a look at some of the provisions of the Public Interest Disclose Act [2003]. This is a 27 page document so I have concentrated on the clauses that relate to protection under the Act. While I have excluded some non-relevant passages, this is the main points unedited. 

I feel a little like Kim Jong-un, I have the nuclear option but the real power is restraint. You don't mess with someone who has the power to create absolute devastation and is rational enough to only exercise that option in extreme cases of personal threat.

Part 3 - Protection

13. Immunity for appropriate disclosure of public interest information
A person who makes an appropriate disclosure of public interest information to a proper authority under section 5:
(a) Incurs no civil or criminal liability for doing so.
(b) Is not, for doing so, liable:
    (i)To any disciplinary action under a written law.
    (ii) To be dismissed.
    (iii) To have his or her services dispensed with or otherwise terminated.

14. Reprisal an offence

(1) A person must not take or threaten to take detrimental action against another because anyone has made, or intends to make, a disclosure of public interest information under this Act.

Penalty: $24,000 or imprisonment for 2 years

(2) A person who:
    (a) Attempts to commit an offence created by subsection (1).
    (b) Intending that an offence created by subsection (1) be committed, incites another person to commit that offence.

Commits an offence.
Penalty: $24,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.

15. Remedies for acts of victimisation
(1) A person who takes or threatens to take detrimental action against another because or substantially because anyone has made, or intends to make, a disclosure of public interest information under this Act commits an act of victimisation which may be dealt with as a tort.

(2) Proceedings in tort under subsection (1) may be taken against the perpetrator of an act of victimisation or any employer of the perpetrator.

(3) In proceedings against the employer of the perpetrator of an act of victimisation, it is a defence for the employer to prove that the employer:

(a) Was not knowingly involved in the act of victimisation.
(b) Did not know and could not reasonably be expected to have known about the act of victimisation.
(c) Could not, by the exercise of reasonable care, have prevented the act of victimisation.

(4) An act of victimisation under this Act may be dealt with under the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 as if it were an act that was unlawful under section 67 of that Act but, if the victim commences proceedings in a court under subsection (1).

16. Confidentiality
(1) A person must not make a disclosure (an identifying disclosure) of information that might identify or tend to identify anyone as a person who has made an appropriate disclosure of public interest information under this Act unless:

(a) The person who made the disclosure of public interest information consents to the disclosure of information that might identify or tend to identify him or her.

Penalty: $24,000 or imprisonment for 2 years.

Tipping - just pay your staff correctly

In Australia we have a high minimum wage, you don't need to tip service workers, they are already paid at least the minimum wage. We don’t have a tipping culture and we don’t want a tipping culture - it promotes underpaying workers.

In short, pay your people right. You are able to run a business and pay your staff, if you can't then the business isn't viable. The minimum rate of pay in Australia is $18.93, this needs to be reflected in the pricing structure incorporating overheads and a reasonable profit margin.

I'm a capitalist and believe in the principles of free market economics. Capitalism requires a degree of regulation as we tend to see the formation of an monopoly or oligopoly. Issues such as price fixing and market manipulation common occurs in a totally unregulated market.

I’m also a market based socialist in many respects, I also believe in an equitable society where workers can lead not only productive lives but meaningful lives in terms of opportunity. We need to not only promote inclusiveness, we need to support vulnerable individuals and groups.

The Longines VHP Conquest

I am really interested in the Conquest range of sports watches, this is a long running range I had always thought the quartz watch movement was high precision; well that is compared to mechanical movements anyway.

The VHP allows ± of five seconds per year, less than half a second per month. A really interesting feature of the VHP is the gear position detection system allowing the hands to automatically resync if they are displaced by an impact or by a magnetic field.

I have nothing against quartz movements, I have owned both hand wound, automatic and quartz movements. There is certainly the convenience of quartz, you can take your watch off without resetting. Sure, there is a power reserve on many automatic watches of 38 hours but that doesn't beat the ease of quartz movements.

Whilst I am not in the market for a quartz movement right now, the Longines Conquest VHP is certainly a watch I would look at for a rugged yet stylish sports watch. The case and bracelet are unmistakably from the Conquest range and I believe Longines offers excellent value in their category.

Incompetent and unaware of it - the manifestation of the Dunning-Kruger effect

As a strategic business unit, we ended up in a major audit due to a student complaint. The student complained about the quality of learning materials he had to endure and he was absolutely right - yet our idiots couldn’t see it.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a hypothetical cognitive bias stating that people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. Instructional design is a university degree, tertiary education facilities such as universities require all courses to be designed by instructional designers but colleges are not that professional.

What happened was a staff member acting in a position that was not awarded through a competitive merit selection process had highly modified the learning materials that I had originally created. This was the basis of the student complaint and they just couldn’t see how this affected his learning.

This action negated the instructional design principles I had embedded into the learning program. The poorly formatted materials were grossly insufficient in terms of quality, structure and validity. These people have no idea what they are doing and it shows.

So not only are these self-absorbed people incapable of producing an original thought, they are more than willing to lay claim to other people's work. But of course, they have absolutely no idea about instructional design so they make a total hash of it. Why a management allows this to occur is based solely on their own biases.

This is a stunning example of the Dunning Krueger effect in action, an incompetent management is willing to put student learning at risk by engaging in cronyism. Placing incompetent people in important positions where they have no clue what they are doing is destructive to not only the moral of competent people, it damages everybody.

We are seeing a pretty stunning example of the downsides of groupthink, only people who agree are promoted. This yes man syndrome rewards the incompetent but when that have negative effects on student outcomes and learning then they should be called out.

Calculating my MBA return on investment

Calculating a return on investment for an MBA isn't as straightforward as some people might think, my case is a little more difficult. Most potential candidates need to calculate time lost from work, course fees and potential opportunity lost.

In my case, this calculation is made all the more difficult as I used the increased salary awarded from my job promotion in 2011 and a further promotion in 2012 to fund my tertiary education. A ROI for me only makes sense after securing a higher paid position as a result of the education.

To further complicate the calculations and the potential ROI; I first completed an undergraduate bachelor degree in Training and Development so the salary increase from 2011 funded so that cannot be counted in the ROI calculations.

When I started makin my initial calculations I had twelve years to retirement age; so I also need to calculate the cost of the funds invested where a capital gain (or loss) is achieved plus a annual dividend.

So now I'm down to ten years to retirement age, but now I have secured a new position on a international project. The first year of MBA graduation resulted in no return on my investment.

My opportunities within a state government institution were halted by whistleblower allegations unsupported by any metrics whatsoever. However, unlike my former colleagues, I am able to move freely from a government position back to private enterprise - I love it.

Observations in an undemocratic world plagerised

I was doing a Yahoo! search and much to my surprise, I see my blog is being plagerised. At first I didn't believe it, I thought this is funny. This person had been to the Italian island of Elba, it is quiet a small island and not frequently visited. 

Even stranger is being on Morcone Beach, a very small beach on a small island before returning to Zurich. Then it was hang on, this is my story, this is the break-up of myself and my then girlfriend. 

What really annoys me is if I do a Yahoo! search, this plagerised material is further up the search rankings than the original material that was clearly published before. What piece of shit search engine is Yahoo? This is why a google search is used and Yahoo! is now a shell of a company.

I have contacted Yahoo! to report and these losers did nothing. Yahoo! was once the leading search engine, now this crap product is a relic of history. Poor management, useless marketing and a product that is dated and past its use by date is just embarrassing.  

Personal abuse in a toxic work environment

I worked in a toxic environment, or I did anyway and I was so happy to leave. This was a workplace filled with angry nasty people who displayed a jealousy of anyone who was even remotely successful.

Needless to say, I had and continue to have little respect for these fools, they thought they could all gang up and bully me, they found out that whilst this tactic worked on the majority of people that didn't fit into their little toxic circle. This brought them more stress than they ever imagined - they lost big time.

I would like to say this never affected me but that would be incorrect. However, what I can say is I made sure I served up three to four times the stress I received - returned with interest. I was one of the few who took a pay cut for this job; the vast majority received a large pay rise as they had never received before remuneration like this previously.

They have no options, they are well aware they will never get a job like this again, it is fair to say they are holding for dear life and never letting go. Unlike them, I have options, I took a pay cut for this job and I know I can perform in the private sector. Even worse for them, I was paid at a much higher than they were - this really annoyed them

A large number of these guys have spent their whole working life in government employment, they complain how little a pension they receive after twenty years in the military. There was nothing to stop them gaining suitable qualifications and training to become an officer - their lack of ambition cost them.

Apart from this organisation dominated by former military personnel and church officials, there is no chance of improving the culture without leadership. They are institutionalised, they can't cut it in the private sector where both output and accountability are measured.

We are all heavy duty diesel mechanics by trade, but I know I will never return to swinging spanners again as a mechanic. Mine is a leadership position, I am a technical advisor on an international contract paid in US dollars with a net income in USD higher than their gross AUD income.

Oh yeah, I made sure they know all about that as I was always paid significantly better than them when we worked together, so this step up in pay would really sting - ouch. That's how professional jealousy works.

Jollibee and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

It was a sad day a year ago I learned Jollibee purchased the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, this horrible fast food company taking control of one of my favourite coffee chains - surely, it can't get any worse.

Jollibee is a fastfood chain from the Philippines, Filipinos love the chain, they all head off to Jollibee and eat this sub-standard fast food that they dish up. It isn't much to get excited about, I try to avoid their outlets at all costs.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf on the other hand is an excellent chain serving decent coffee, cake and food. My concern is the Jollibee management want to get in and mess around with the concept, marketing, product or service in a vain attempt to display their leadership and make changes for all the wrong purposes.

If they leave it alone then great, I care little about the ownership of the business in that regard or where the profits go. This is a good business, they have a premium product, a certain ambience, a loyal customer base and a quality consumer experience - I hope they don't mess with a successful business model.

Photographing inside churches

If the church you are visiting asks you to not take photographs, then you should respect their request and not take photographs in their church.

Then why then do people insist on pulling their camera out and snapping these fine works of art? At the very least it is disrespectful, at worst, the flash fades the priceless artworks adorning the walls. I just can't understand the attitude of some people, they are so arrogant.

Generally speaking, the quality of the shots are poor anyway. Wouldn't it be better to actually purchase the books on offer with professionally shot photographs using lighting techniques that don't damage artworks?

To make matters worse, I can't believe it when I wander around the inside of these beautiful works of architectural art to see people walking around with hats on their heads, this is the ultimate sign of disrespect.

As a bald 50 year old, I have to wear a hat to prevent sunburn but I am more than happy to carry my hat around in my hand whilst visiting a church. If I can do this, taking a hat off your head is a simple task, why can't other people show the same respect.

The art of watchmaking

I was having a conversation at work in our open plan office about watches when a colleague who overheard me then informed me he owned a Rolex.

He had my immediate attention and I had a ton of questions of model, age and cost. The next day he brought in a slip of paper with some details scribbled down and I was straight onto the Rolex website searching for details.

I had his DateJust all speced up and printed off a picture when I showed him and he confirmed to me that this was indeed the watch he owned. I asked him if he wanted to know the cost of a new DateJust and let him know that the going rate was $10,800 for a brand new purchase.

He then informed me he purchased his in 1991 when he was working in Karachi for $2000 off a dealer secondhand but in new condition. Apparently, back then locals were having difficulty getting their hands on hard currency so they would purchase precious commodities such as Rolex watches only to sell them to dealers for US dollars.

I share a desk with a guy and he was exasperated on how anyone would pay $10,800 for a watch, it was just a watch he said, he could buy two mountain bikes for that type of money. My first thought was who would pay $5000 for a mountain bike?

I believe a mechanical watch is a work of art in both aesthetics and engineering. As we are both engineering tradesmen, I thought he would appreciate the level of engineering precision required to ensure this series of springs, sprockets, drive mechanisms and balance wheels work in unison to accurately measure time.

As a business student, I loved researching the business of the Swiss watchmaking industry. Watchmaking companies such as Rolex, IWC, Breitling, Heuer and Omega produced timepieces for occupations, these roots in occupational timekeeping developed a heritage of utility.

The Rolex Submariner and Sea Dweller were standard issue for commercial divers, Breitling produced timepieces for aviators, IWC supplied the Luftwaffe during the second world war, Omega supplied NASA timepieces and Heuer produced timepieces for motorists and racers.

During the 1970s, the quartz crisis nearly derailed the Swiss watchmaking industry with cheap products forcing the industry to reorganise. The Swiss watchmaking industry reinvented itself seeking the upmarket luxury goods sector.

Heuer was purchased by TAG Industries in 1985 to form TAG Heuer before being sold to luxury goods manufacturer Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 1999, Omega is now owned by the Swatch Group and Rolex remains an independent company.

The art of watchmaking is not limited to solely the mechanical specifications, the beauty of the art of the watch cannot be underestimated. How do you value art?

There is a market for fine art from Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso that could be described as simply as just oil on canvas or watercolour and paper. Likewise, Tchaikovsky created the masterpiece of the 1812 Overture, Vivaldi created the four seasons and then there was Beethoven and Mozart.

Can the sum of the parts be simply calculated in terms of value; Van Gogh, a man who couldn't sell a painting within his own lifetime is now strongly represented on the list of highest prices paid for art. Artists like Willem de Kooning, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Rembrandt or Jackson Pollock fetch outstanding prices.

The brilliance of Rolex is their marketing; their relative rarity creates a market as people are willing to place an order and wait two years for timepiece - that's pretty special.

This also supplements their design that doesn't change much, the Rolex Explorer I is pretty similar to the 1953 design. The Cosmograph Daytona only just upgraded from a manually wound movement to an automatic movement.

The 1957 design Speedmaster Professional still utilises the 1861 manually wound movement and is pretty much identical to the watch worn on the moon by NASA astronauts.

For a reasonable price, the average citizen is able to purchase identical hardware that not only traveled to the moon, NASA still issues the Speedmaster Professional to the current crop of astronauts.

Fixed interest investments

A balanced investment portfolio includes a percentage of fixed interest securities, this is considered a conservative portfolio structure - but is it really?

With Australian equities comprising between 16% to 25% and international shares from 20% to 30% of an investment portfolio, equities are viewed as the more volatile investment class offering greater returns albeit at higher risk.

The definition of fixed interest is an income derived from a pre-determined payment allocated by the issuer at regular intervals with the principal returned after a set period. As such, fixed interest is a debt instrument allowing no ownership in the firm ranking in front of equities in the case of liquidation.

Whilst government issued bonds are the most common form of fixed interest instruments, corporate bonds form secondary fixed income sources. Differing levels of government from federal, state and local issue debt securities raising cash to finance both day-to-day operations and projects.

Fixed-income investors receive a set interest rate of return in the form of interest in exchange for lending money to the enterprise. Investors are repaid the principal, the original sum at the maturity date. I reckon 15% to 25% is the correct ratio depending upon the degree of conservatism investors require.

An introduction to understanding economic policy making

2020 was looking to be a reasonable year for both equity and bond markets, international financier George Soros spoke after a recent Sri Lankan economic forum and spooked markets with his prognosis that we will be faced with a similar financial meltdown to what we experienced in 2008.

Professor Gayle Allard guides budding economic students through excellent online course material explaining the basis of economic policy making. This course builds on macro-economic policy taught by the best international business schools.

Run by Madrid's IE Business School, this online course draws on actual course material utilised in her face-to-face economics course taught at the business school.

Speaking to the producer of this online course, he believed Gayle holds the ability to just stand in front of the camera and explain the concepts - such is her grasp of the material and ability to deliver to an online audience.

With current economic policies confusing the lay person, this online course gives the average non-financial person a chance to dissect government policy.

The rule of unintended consquences

When planning a strategy, one expects senior management to acquire advanced planning techniques yet this didn't happen in my organisation. The state government was offering a severance package to reduce personnel in the public sector, a tried and proven technique - so far, so good.

A severance differs to a redundancy insofar as a severance is generally voluntary and the position itself doesn't become redundant. As such, a person may accept a severance package and apply for further positions within the organisation that may include the same job under different pay and conditions. Needless to say it includes a pay out of some form.

In their wisdom, our mob stated there will be no severance packages offered as the package includes three weeks pay for every year served capped at seventeen years plus an immediate payout of a further 12 weeks if the package is accepted immediately.

Naturally, the strategy was to not offer a package with a pay out instead relying on redeployment to minimise payments so staff can walk away with nothing after six months of redeployment if no other offers of employment are available.

So when the only severance package was offered to union representatives within the organisation one has to question their motives. However, if the current union representatives accept the package then when we reconvene our employment in 2018 there must be union representative positions available.

Naturally I would have to be nominated and then endorsed by a vote by the members but such a group of people require an individual who is well versed in such techniques and unafraid to confront senior management at their level. It didn't turn out that way, I was nominated with no one else putting their hand up so no vote was required.

So, here we are at an unusual situation where the current union reps are gone but willing to step up into the position is the chief protagonist who is well researched, has uncovered and reported corruption, has uncovered and reported selection and hiring practices that are in breach of the industrial award and public service guidelines.

By denying an individual to fair workplace selection practices, I have the energy to address these issues for all union members to fight for a fair system for all. The rule of unintended consequences is ironic on this occasion, they have provided me with the vehicle to pursue organisational change.

Dairy Queen - great product but terrible service

During trips to South-East Asia I am exposed to an array of American products yet to be seen in Australia, this is great as I had advanced knowledge of franchises such as Krispy Kreme, Tony Romas, California Pizza Kitchen and Dairy Queen.

I have to admit, during sojourns to SE-Asia I don't mind slurping on one of their ice-cream cups mixed with crushed kit-kat or crunchie chocolates. I see the Oreo biscuit mix is pretty popular too but I have never drifted too far from my favoured chocolate kit-kat blizzard drink. I'm sure the major brands are more than happy to support this company as their sales of product would make them a major client with plenty of bargaining power.

I was in one of their branches where a sign informed us that if no receipt was offered then the purchase was free. Bringing to their attention the failure to produce a receipt resulted in no free ice-cream drink. Now while I am not worried about the cost of the ice-cream, they advertised their code of conduct and they failed to deliver. Really, this is pretty pathetic, the cost of an ice-cream is negotiable but the loss of trust is difficult to repair.

The hunt for yield

I recently read an article about dividend yields and the correlation between yield and share value. Investors such as myself are attracted to shares paying strong and sustainable dividends. It has also been argued that dividend yield is a stronger indicator of value than the perennial price/earnings ratio (P/E).

Currently, bank deposits are paying between 1.5% to 2% with no capital appreciation, government bonds fare a little better with closer to 3% yields with equities offering reliable and stable yields ranging from 4% to 6% with the possibility of capital appreciation. Then there is the franking credits of dividend imputation, that is a strong incentive to chase high yielding equities.

This strategy is enhanced in the low interest rate environment brought about by central banks to stimulate growth with quantitative easing strategies. One has to be careful as dividend yield may rise as share prices plummet without earnings per share (EPS) and dividend per share (DPS) revaluations. In such a case, share price growth still correlates P/E ratios with rising EPS and DPS mirroring revenue growth.

With more people setting up self managed superannuation funds (SMSF) as baby boomers are nearing retirement, the search for yield whilst protecting capital is a huge consideration. For me, it certainly is as my strategy revolves around generating a future income stream whilst currently reinvesting dividends as a compound interest strategy.

We are tired of fund managers not only unable to beat a market index but also charging outrageous fees to underperform benchmarks. We are able to outperform fund managers although the average SMSF does lack the diversity of retail funds.

That is mainly due to the requirement of a critical mass for each investment, yes diversification is good but if each individual investment is so small that even a doubling of capital ensures such a small return that people can't live on in the future then it just isn't worthwhile.

Costing a job opportunity

These are pretty damning numbers from CareerOne; poor interview etiquette is costing job opportunities, with that comes personal likability. We are in a tight job market, getting shortlisted is difficult enough in this current subdued economic environment, let alone actually picking up the prized position you have applied for.

This tends to indicate that the job candidate held the necessary skills and experience to win the job but somehow managed to sabotage themselves through their conduct.

I was not shortlisted for a government position; now anyone who has worked in the government service knows a very formal process exists. This is primarily to stamp out the nepotism that has occurred in the past preventing talented personnel moving forward and instead protecting the well connected already embedded in the organisation.

What really happens is the management place their person of choice in the position in an acting role; they are required by law to advertise the position externally and potential candidates are required to dislodge the incumbent from their position.

The day I formally lodged my grievance application, I immediately noticed the organisation's lawyer and lead investigator viewing my LinkedIn profile. No doubt they had also taken the time to view my Facebook, Google+, Tumblr, Pintrest accounts and blog to build a case against me.

Notwithstanding, I was immediately concerned at this development, this organisation was treating me like a criminal as I was now required to defend myself against their accusations.

Rapidly flicking through my Facebook account, did I have anything posted that would implicate myself? I wasn't too concerned about LinkedIn, it is a professional networking site and you generally don't post anything defamatory or engage in idle chit chat.

Facebook on the other hand is the social networking site you post drunken statements about footy games, that include team selection, umpiring decisions, any current racism and drug or rule changes.

Then you have to think, what inflammatory videos have I posted in the past? Are they likely to incriminate me in any way, shape or form that is inconsistent with the values of their organisation? Job hunting is rapidly changing - that's for sure.

An interest in German watchmaking

I have an interest in Swiss watchmaking, French watchmaking, British Watchmaking, United States watchmaking and German watchmaking. Whilst my greatest interest has traditionally been in Swiss watchmaking, I respect the innovations of the British and I love the reemergence of German watchmaking skill and design excellence.

I was lucky enough to be able to visit the town of Glashütte, the centre of German watchmaking prowess in Saxony. After the disaster of the second world war in regards to the division of Germany, this region fell under the control of the Soviet Union. Whilst West Germany prospered, the authoritarian control of the Soviet regime waned.

German watchmaking wasn't totally dead, the factories were rebuilt and knowledge was retained, the watch manufacturers produced timepieces for the Soviet military. When the communist regime collapsed, East Germany was liberated and the free market once again reigned supreme.

German timepiece manufacturers such as A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Union Glashütte, Nomos Glashütte and Muhle Glashütte are up and running again. Whilst I would love to be a proud owner of a A. Lange & Söhne, I need to be realistic, this is so far out of my price range and whilst I can appreciate their engineering excellence - it's not going to happen.

The TSA - now there is inefficiency

My observations of the TSA began at New York's JFK airport, then later at La Guardia and then back at JFK again. They only seem to appear at check-in, swarming around the entrance to the gates for departure, mostly standing around doing what appears to the naked eye as nothing.

What I viewed was inefficiency, disorganisation, arrogance and rudeness - they do not answer to the public, it is if they are dealing with the sworn enemy.

Even fellow TSA officers don't trust each other's propriety, let me explain. I was taking my wallet out of my pocket, my watch off my wrist and belt to walk through the metal detector, I had placed the items in the tray but not yet in my bag.

A TSA officer came up behind me and told me to put my watch back on my wrist and wallet in my bag, he looked at me and said "don't leave this in full view" before looking at other TSA staff screening bags.

The way they spoke to the people they were screening was incredible, these are members of the public, they created the pandemonium, it was their lack of organisation that had people confused. There was enough officers standing around, they could have set up with officers directing people, instead, there was 9 officers standing around doing nothing and 1 working the scanner.

What is lacking is leadership, someone needs to take control to get a steady flow of people moving through the scanner having been briefed on what to do and how to prepare. I get the feeling America's best and brightest aren't being recruited into the TSA, they are probably paying minimum wages, providing minimal training and fueling a culture of them versus us.

When I arrived at the baggage collection at LAX airport, I saw the shape of my bag knowing full well it had been tampered with, the shape was all wrong and straps hanging off. The locks had been cut with a TSA note inside, they had rummaged through my bag and messed everything up.

I had purchased a bottle of vintage port in Porto for my nephew's 21st birthday, he is from a Portuguese background and the year matched his date of birth. I had packed the bottle in such a manner to ensure it does not get broken, I view baggage handlers with the same disdain as TSA officers, that is, dumb and dumber.

So the bottle of port was unwrapped from its protective layer of clothing, its position in the middle of the bag was shifted to the edge, it is like these fools wanted my fragile goods to be broken. I lock my bags because I have had items previously stolen straight out of my bag.

They are actually making air travel less secure as minimum wage baggage handlers now have access to previously secure baggage. Most people are aware of the levels of commitment, levels of training and screening of potential hires, this is particularly disturbing.

Every other airport in the world screens baggage and allows travelers to secure their baggage, after all, x-ray of baggage, is more valid as a search strategy as hidden items are discovered more readily.

This is taking us back to the 70s, the physical search is the last option as it is the most inefficient option, the TSA really needs to get its act together, the TSA is just an expensive joke - that's all it is.