I was somewhat surprised when captured Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins was broadcast by Russian military sources. The Australian government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT] made a statement when Jenkins’ capture was broadcast in November. DFAT demanded Jenkins was not abused and held within the provisions of prisoners of war. They know they are dealing with Russians here so grave concerns were expressed by DFAT.

Video emerged where Russian soldiers were interrogating and abusing Jenkins, I was immediately surprised Russian sources would allow the release of such footage. Then I thought more about it, the Russian military has been well documented committing war crimes and they feel they will not be held to justice. Oscar Jenkins was captured in Ukraine’s eastern areas, whilst the exact area has not been reported, it was the Donbas area.

I would think it more than likely that the reports where Oscar Jenkins was executed not long after the video footage was released is accurate. Whilst DFAT demanded Jenkins be treated as a prisoner of war in conjunction with international requirements, we all know the Russians are undisciplined and poorly trained. The Russian soldiers that are well known to be poorly led may have tortured and executed Jenkins as they were required to flee the area and retreat. Likewise, Russian soldiers may have wanted to make an example of Oscar Jenkins and executed him as a deterrent to other potential soldiers.

I am sitting on my lounge chair at home watching the southern California wildfires unfold on my television screen and it is almost beyond belief. We already know about the Santa Ana winds, these offshore winds blow strongly during winter. These dry winds from the inland US lack moisture, they dry out the plants and you have the conditions for a really nasty fire. Coupled with drought, this is almost a disaster waiting to happen although I read there was actually enough water, the issues are the distribution system it seems.  

The drama unfolding on television screens could be written into a soap opera, it has it all. There are dry fire hydrants, fire hydrants that lack water pressure, a fire budget stripped by $17 million, politicians infighting, even President elect Donald Trump is bashing Californian politicians including Governor Gavin Newsome calling him incompetent. Now the Governor is concerned Trump is not going to withhold federal disaster relief funds – I hope he is wrong. I read the fire department is under funded, not enough firefighters, not enough equipment and not enough fire stations, this severely damages both capability and morale. 

I am amazed and shocked at the complete devastation caused by these wildfires, whole neighbourhoods are wiped out. So what we have learned is that there have been water issues in southern California, whilst I really do not know the history behind the water shortages. However, southern California is similar to south west Australia in many respects, our rainfall has declined so we have desalination plants to supply water for the city and region. Unlike Perth, the water comes from outside Los Angeles, this has to be pumped in from way out of the city, any issues with the pumping infrastructure and I see why they are having water pressure issues.

I think back to personal experiences in my workplace, there have been some real interesting situations stemming from some of the jobs I worked. Whilst workplace bullying if rife in my workplace, I prefer the term harassment, this is allowed and even promoted by the management and their merry band of lackies who are happy to implement this style of management.

We have all worked with some interesting people, on the other hand, working in the government has exposed me to some of the dullest people I have ever met. I can’t remember the reason why I moved from the private sector to the government, it has advantages though. I gained experience in the training sector, that has been a positive and I also earned formal tertiary qualifications in training, business and management. I managed the compliance of the strategic portfolio and although our management did all they could to undermine me, I will always possess the knowledge I gained.

What I really learned in the government is the difference between strategy and tactics, how to negotiate from a position of weakness. I have learned research skills, the ability to thoroughly prepare for a meeting, documenting these meetings and events and how to influence the team to resist poor management decisions. I have never been in the army but I have read about ambush and counter-ambush tactics, you need to know how to apply this knowledge in a business setting. I have been involved in change management initiatives in the private sector from strategy formulation, planning and implementation.

I am a big believer in reviewing decisions and seeking improvements. This is very hard to do in such a spiteful working environment, but that is what you sign up for in the government. The government is all about stealing ideas, claiming the work of your peers as your own and basically undermining people. You would think this would be an easy turn-around for a seasoned manager, but the back-stabbing is phenomenal, the unwillingness to perform at anything above minimum level is engrained and the management are not up for the challenge.

I was watching a video online where the presenter Tae Kim used the term Quiet Millionaires, a bit of a derivative of The Millionaire Next Door terminology where high net worth individuals wish to remain reasonably anonymous. Generally self-made individuals tend to be pretty reclusive about money and showing off wealth. I have a large amount of respect for these quiet high net worth individuals, they are typically self-made and quiet achievers.

I picked up another term from the video, that is wealth is quiet, rich is loud, poor is flashy and I have to agree. High net worth individuals, especially self-made individuals tend to be discrete and are generally not flashy in appearance. Sure they purchase quality made garments, that does not necessarily mean designer garb, just quality that does not follow the latest fashion. Style never goes out of fashion, they tend to have the confidence to remain an individual.

What I see with self-made individuals is a quiet confidence excluded, they are not loud and brash and I have picked upon another aphorism , that is insecurity tells, confidence shows. I do like the quietly confident individuals I meet, I am not a fan of the fake it until you make it ideals. Instead, just be honest, spend your time working on yourself, some self improvement always pays off and the people around you are enhanced as well. Tae Kim has some reasonable material on YouTube so I decided to take a look at what else he had to offer, he has some interesting points of view and I will check his material out some more.

Through the wine club I am involved in, I get the opportunity to try out some different wines I would not normally try. The Yarra Yerling is exactly one of those wines that I am not exposed to, and I took a while to learn their numbers. The No. 1 is cabernet sauvignon, the No. 2 is a shiraz that are both full bodied and the No. 3 a medium bodied wine.

The 2018 Dry Red No. 2 is a blend of 95% shiraz and rounded out with 3% viognier, 1% marsanne and 1% mataro, so one could argue this is pretty much a shiraz. A 20+ years cellaring potential for a shiraz is huge, normally 10+ is a pretty good guide for a premium wine. I have ordered a carton, some will be drinking now with my father and some will be cellared, I have to really organise a spreadsheet with wines and vintages along with preferred drinking times.

The Dry Red No. 2 is drawn from the original 1969 plantings of shiraz, further shiraz was planted throughout the 1990’s, with the mataro and viognier sourced from vines planted between 1984 to 1995. As a premium winemaker, this was hand-picked fruit and destemmed before fed into the fermenter with some stems added later to contribute to structure.

Frozen vionier and marsanne skins were added to the bottom of the fermenter to round out the flavour. The No. 2 was matured for 12 months in French oak barriques with 30% of the barriques being new. The aroma is plums, violets and spice with some cigar box in the aftertaste. I suggest there is a fine oak structure that is not overdone, this happened a few years back where some wines were over wooded, this imparts enough fine oak flavours.

One of the most famous of all business schools is Harvard Business School at Harvard University, Boston Massachusetts. Deeply entrenched in the ivy league, Harvard Business School, or HBS is one of the most prestigious business schools in not just the United States, but worldwide.

Notably, the Harvard MBA is one of the most difficult business schools to be accepted with an 8% acceptance rate, or really, a 92% failure rate. Harvard Business School Publishing creates some highly sought after reference books, clearly aligned to their subject matter. HBS sells their used case studies to second and third tier universities, some like me have been exposed to former HBS case studies, but the academic leadership and competency of team members is nowhere near the level at HBS.

The case study method pioneered by HBS in the 1920s is aligned to motivated professionals who are already experts in their field. The early Harvard MBA course was pitched at professionals such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects and accountants who were self-employed running business enterprises. The case study method suited highly educated and highly motivated professionals who engaged in postgraduate study. Likewise, I can purchase and read the same textbooks that HBS students read, however, the tutorial experience and interaction is not at the same level as a HBS tutorial.

The purpose of educating professionals with in demand skill-sets was to develop leadership skills for subject matter experts. They needed to learn the language of business, the principles of business such as finance, accounting, economics, decision-making, marketing, operations management, human resources, general management, organisational behaviour, change management, negotiation, problem-solving, leadership, and strategy.

What makes HBS a first rate business school is their alignment to industry, their work experience program [internships], their employment channels and their alumni. HBS keeps former students engaged and offers excellent networking opportunities. This is where HBS excels, their graduates are carefully selected and the HBS name alone provides great employment opportunities.

For me the TAG Heuer S/el is the most iconic of Eddy Schöpfer’s designs. I like the case, bezel and dial, but the S/el is mostly known for the rounded integrated bracelet. I love the curved lugs that seamlessly merge into the two link bracelet. The S/el was the flagship range for TAG Heuer until the 6000 series came along, for my tastes the S/el is the leading model of the era.

The S/el is all about the bracelet, the beautifully rounded design of the case works for me. Yes, the dial is a little smaller than what I wear now, case sizes have increased in the last number of years with oversized cases now the norm. This is just a trend, 44 mm to 48 mm cases will eventually be relegated to design school history.

Eddy Schöpfer designed the 2000 series for TAG Heuer, this is now the Aquaracer. The 2000 series is the exact opposite design to the S/el with sharp case edges and bezel. This is what makes both these designs interesting, two totally different designs for the same watchmaker, the S/el is the pick of the designs, the 2000 series has its merits too.

I like the chronograph complication found on wrist watches, the chronograph function was a highly useful tool back in the 1960s. Ok, so we live in the 2020s now and the digital age with cheap stopwatch functions on mobile phones, tablets and the smartwatch offers a low-cost solution. Any digital watch has a stopwatch function, they might be a little difficult to access and operate, but they are available.

The Speedmaster is in my opinion the best chronograph on the market, the aesthetics of the dial and case offer the best proportions. The design is endearing, although a 1950s design style never goes out of fashion. The Speedmaster is the best timepiece ever produced by Omega. Sure, I love the versatility of the Seamaster, but between all the models, the Speedmaster is by far the more pleasing design.

The Speedmaster is flight qualified by NASA, the testing process is arduous and the Speedmaster is the only timepiece to meet all NASA testing requirements. There has been two testing regimes and the Speedmaster is the only mechanical watch to pass these tests. I have to hnd it to NASA, they are absolutely unwilling to compromise standards regardless of the political pressure applied. So the Speedmaster is expensive, no doubt about that, but still a significant discount to chronographs from other luxury watchmakers – go figure.

I have been fortunate enough to be introduced to the Victoria’s Yarra Valley despite having never visited the region. The Yarra Valley produces some excellent wines, I was never previously aware of this so it came as a bit of a revelation. The Yarra Yering winery is an excellent example of Victorian wine making, they have a premium product that comes at a premium price. Given 98 points by Jane Falkener from James Halliday’s Wine Companion, she rates it highly and I can see why.

I have tasted the Yarra Yering No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 over a number of vintages. The No. 1 stands out as the premium wine in that range, that is the pick of the three I believe. This is a deep dark red wine packed with black current flavours, some mulberry that is a tad earthy. This is a style that works for me, a little French in construction. There are hints of tobacco and vanilla oak, this is a pretty big wine with 13.5% alcohol.

The Dry Red No. 1 is pretty much a Bordeaux with a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 24% merlot, 11% malbec and 5% petit verdot. As I love the Bordeaux style, this is a full bodied blended wine style that works for not just me but plenty of others. The tannins are fine and gives this wine some legs with a ten to fifteen year cellaring potential.

When the wine merchant rang me offering the Yarra Yering Dry Red No. 3, I was interested. I had tried the Dry Red No. 1 and Dry Red No. 2 and liked both their offerings. The Dry Red No. 3 is much softer than I saw with the No. 1 and No. 2 and that is pretty simple as the No. 1 is a cabernet sauvignon blend, the No. 2 is a shiraz with the No. 3 a softer style.

Naturally, I checked the tasting notes and learned these were the last grapes picked. These were hand picked, so I am guessing these are older low yielding vines, they even had the first working with the feet as per traditional Portuguese style. This wine was matured in old oak barrels for 10 months before bottling so a much softer oak style with a 12.5% alcohol content.

This wine is a blend, and I must admit, I am not familiar with these varieties. So, the No. 3 is 28% Touriga Naçional, 28% Tinta Cão, 17% Tinta Amarela, 11% Tinta Roriz, 11% Alvarelhão and 5% Sousão, that is quite a mix. So I need to review Portuguese table wines, we all know their Duo Valley port blends, this is a dry style wine.