Staring down failure, ok, so I was a little premature writing this post, I began on a Friday night at a lonely suburban bus stop. The message is clear, union membership is worth the cost, if you want to take a union member down, then bring your A game.

So the General Manager waltzed into the office sprouting how we were best practice, I have to admit, I nearly fell off my chair laughing, I was glad I was sitting down. Only the night before, I had sent her an email citing our actual deficiencies. The terms of reference in the communication were scathing, our safety record moved from shambolic to a low standard where we were inspected by Worksafe and were served with formal improvement notices.

This dragged on for some time but they had to come up with a response, if you require a staff member to justify their actions, then human resources has to review and provide feedback. They were unable to justify their actions as the defence I devised was simplistic as it was effective. How could the accused be held accountable for breaching safe systems of work when the organisation had no formal safe systems of work, there was no training, no internal skills assessment or accreditation.

Furthermore, I had been advising the management of our deficiencies and provided solutions to how we can become compliant. Yet, instead these safety and risk mitigation strategies were ignored and not acted upon. This indicates an indifference to staff safety requirements, state legislation and the core foundations of a safety culture. So, this is where we find ourselves, we are under increased scrutiny and we seek to find individuals at the shop floor responsible.

What I am viewing under the Marcos Administration in the Philippines is interesting. I was initially suspicious of having the son of Ferdinand Marcos as president of the Philippines. I was really concerned this could once again end up in martial law. However, under Marcos there has been the expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) first negotiated in 2014 enhancing the Philippines strategic importance to South East Asia.

The major alignment with China under Rodrigo Durerte was a disaster for the Philippines strategically. There were concerns the new Marcos Administration could take the Philippines even closer to China given his ties with Duterte. Rodrigo Duterte made no qualms about his disdain for the United States, but as a leader of a nation Duterte should have put his personal feelings aside and acted in the best interests of the Philippines.

What Marcos has done was side with the US, unlike Duterte who was very pro-China, Marcos has widened ties with the US and opened a whole bunch of military bases throughout the country. Now the Chinese need to think and respond differently to Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. The US military presence in the Philippines now acts as a strong deterrence against Chinese aggression with naval and air force assets once again stationed on Philippines soil.

The Philippines once again acts as part of the first island chain preventing Chinese naval forces from breaking out into the western Pacific. With expanded bases in Lal-Lo air base and Camilo Osais in the north and Antonio Bautista air base in Palawan and Balabac Island south of Palawan where the US can bring in equipment and construct infrastructure. The naval bases and airfield to the north of the Philippines are an ideal location to defend Taiwan and the bases in the west defend Philippines interests in the Sprately Islands.

I view the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, looking at what is happening to the people who live in Gaza. They have been told to move south, that move was fraught with danger. We all knew Israel would engage in a military assault of Gaza, there is no way they are going to just bargain to get their hostages back. These are Israeli citizens, there is no way they are going to not use every resource available to bring them home to their families.

I am watching news bulletins and seeing the faces of the people is difficult to watch. Palestinians are losing their lives when bombs are dropped or missiles land. Yes, they have had fair warning and they knew how intense the Israeli response will be. They did not help their cause by cheering in the streets when the hostages were paraded around Gaza, they need to think a little further forward past this point.

The utter distress of the Palestinians as the full realisation of the bombs dropping and destroying their homes is devastating. The Palestinian people have been played by Hamas, these people are just pawns to be sacrificed. When a tunnel network has been dug under hospitals, schools and mosques with entrances opening into these facilities, you can bet Hamas is using Palestinians as human shields.

Senator Katy Gallagher made a real name for herself in a Senate Estimates Committee on June 4th 2021 attacking Linda Reynolds over the Brittany Higgins case. Having seen the Senate committee, it is clear Senator Gallagher was really going for Linda Reynolds, she didn’t hold back.

Naturally, Senator Reynolds could not answer the questions as they were part of an active police investigation, Reynolds answered the questions accordingly. When Reynolds responded with a little offense calling into question Katy Gallagher’s motives, she was met with a “how dare you” when it was pretty clear what stunt Gallagher was trying to pull. Her body language throughout the questioning was outrageous, Senator Gallagher did not attempt to hide her bias.

It was clear after the sms messages between Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz were leaked that Katy Gallagher was not only informed, she was briefed on the matter. Despite her denials, Senator Gallagher used the Senate Estimates Committee as a conduit to further their political motives. It would appear Senator Gallagher misled parliament. This is now a significant matter for Senator Gallagher, she could and should be censured.

I am keen to learn about Russian Web Brigades, better known as Russian bots. The Russian bot factory, officially known as the Internet Research Agency, was charged by the US Department of Justice with interfering in the 2016 US federal election. There is concern that the 2024 US presidential election will be similarly targeted by foreign interests seeking to influence the presidential election outcome.

The Russian bot factories are pumping out disinformation at a prestigious rate, sometimes you really have to look hard to see if these are real accounts. Unlike the Chinese Wuamo who pay public servants to flood social media accounts with intentional disinformation to undermine democracy, the bot factories are automated. The bot factories have been set up with Kremlin funds and no doubt technology to distance themselves from official government channels.

So how much money has been funnelled to Yevgeny Prigozen and his backers to set up, and orchestrate a Kremlin funded disinformation campaign? Based in St Petersburg, the Kremlin organised and funded Prigozen’s unlawful activities. The Kremlin turned Yevgeny Prigozen into a billionaire, he has vast wealth and influence in not just Russia, eastern Europe and Africa.

Now Prigozen is gone, government agencies are a little unsure how the bot factories will operate. Kremlin trolls have infiltrated social media sites, why would anyone with any sense argue with these automated responses? Surely, no rational person would be influenced by such propagandists – yet many are. So one could argue Russian trolls are successful, their simplistic arguments are supported by disaffected individuals who lack the critical thinking skills to distinguish between Russian propaganda and fact.

So, what do we expect from Kremlin funded disinformation sources? Well, apart from the standard moon landing deniers, vaccine dodging patriots and Washington election denial rioters, there is only the US constitution standing in the way. Russian interests clearly support the Republican party and Donald Trump over the Democrats and Joe Biden. The Democrats have shown they will not tolerate Russian aggression in Ukraine and whilst they have been slow to provide the weapons for Ukraine to win the war, they have eventually provided support.

What the Republicans have done at every opportunity is block every initiative and play domestic politics. This has been the Republican stance, they have been unable to distinguish between domestic politics and strategic outcomes. The Trump Administration set the scene for the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that the Biden Administration inherited. The Republicans, if elected, seek to sell out a democratic nation to Putin’s imperial moves. I would suggest further European nations are at risk from a revitalised Russian dictatorship.

In what would be considered a 70s supergroup, Fleetwood Mac was one of my favourite bands of the era. The relationship of Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks really drove the songwriting and the tempo of the band. Yes, there was drama, there was conflict and they made a way to make the drama work. The conflict in this band was legendary, the songwriting was superb, you could sense and feel the tension.

Whilst You Make Loving Fun was the song that really got me interested in the band as I was too young to know the Rumours album in 1977 when it was released. I do know all the songs off this album, this is a classic album. The dynamics of Buckingham and Nicks on stage was brilliant, they were the show. The lyrics of “Tell me why, everything turned around, packing up, shacking up is all you want to do” really cranked up the tension on that song.

I loved Christine McVee’s voice, her tone was brilliant but when Lindsay Buckingham wrote Go your own way and Stevie Nicks had to sing back-up vocals where she shacked up and packed up, that’s all she wanted to do according to Lindsay. She was not thrilled with the words and wanted them changed but as we have seen were unsuccessful. As Buckingham sung the lyrics, Nicks would turn and stare at Buckingham and the stare was brilliant – the song was the highlight.

What happened to Israel on October 7 was unbelievable, the absolute gall of Hamas to plan and attack Israel in such a manner defies belief. The brutality of the attack left many shocked, we were not ready for it, so it really took the world by surprise. After the brutality of this attack, we all knew what the response of Israel would be, they would not be taking a conservative approach.

I was watching the start of the offensive, the responses of the Palestinians in Gaza have been hard to view. Hamas is a terrorist organisation, but do they represent the views of the Palestinians? They certainly did not help their cause when they spat on the half-naked and abused body of Shani Louk around Gaza.

Still, what I am seeing is a very pro-Palestinian following on social media,especially the millennial generation who are adversely anti-Israel. I really don’t think I need to remind anyone who attacked who on the 7th of October. Has the IDF been indiscriminate in targeting Palestinians in Gaza? South Africa has even taken the step of filing a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice citing genocide yet gives Russia a free pass in Ukraine.

I would suggest no, Israel is not targeting Palestinians. There is horrible death and destruction in Gaza and that is due to Hamas embedding their terrorist infrastructure in general infrastructure including hospitals, schools, mosques and private residences. That death is on Hamas using Palestinians as human shields, there are still 139 hostages including women and children still held in captivity and that is the issue.

When I think about the chronograph, I think about 1950s and 1960s motorsport where lap times were recorded with stopwatches. The wrist mounted stopwatch, or chronograph complication was particularly suited to motorsport and other racing events where lap timing was required by team members. This classic design is highly sought after, a mechanical chronograph is a work of engineering art.

The Omega Speedmaster was originally a motorsport chronograph, that was until NASA astronaut Wally Shirra introduced the Speedmaster to the NASA hierarchy. What ensued was a series of strict testing protocols that saw the Speedmaster meet every test. Every other brand that submitted a timepiece failed the testing process. There was only one timepiece that passed all tests and that was the Speedmaster. What I like about the Speedmaster is the design barely deviates from the original 1957 design, Omega got the design right the first time.

The Rolex Daytona was ironically a failure of sorts when first released, what I read is retailers were unable to sell the Cosmograph Daytona at the time, they were notoriously hard to move by all accounts. Now, if you can get one, you will be paying a huge premium. First you need to be placed on a waiting list, this could be two or more years and even then, you need to be a known customer of the autherised distributor.

The Zenith El Primero is an interesting timepiece, in the 1960s when watchmakers were racing to develop a wrist mounted chronograph, Zenith was well advanced in design and development. When the quartz crisis hit the industry in the 1970s, Zenith went under and if it was for a highly motivated Charles Vermot who refused to destroy the drawings and hid the tooling, the reference 16500 series movement would not have been the success that it is. The modern incarnation of the El Primrro is a fantastic looking chronograph with ceramic bezel and three colour sub-dials, this is a modern version of a classic design that has improved over time.

Jack Heuer was behind the development of the Carrera, inspired by the Panamerican road race, the Carrera design managed to get all the proportions right. Through the years, there have been many versions of the Carrera, some too big and garish, but you dtill cannot beat the classic design of the early Carrera designs.

Steve McQueen wore the Heuer Monaco in the 1971 movie Le Mans. Whilst I believe the Carrera is the iconic Heuer chronograph, the Monaco deserves special mention as the square case is so distinctive. This chronograph will not work for everyone, but what I like about the Monaco is the wrist presence that the square case provides.

Heuer features heavily in motorsport, in the 1960s and 1970s Heuer released a multitude of motorsport styled chronographs. Pretty much the entire Heuer offering was the chronograph at one stage. The Autavia launched in 1962 was based on dash timers, so the Autavia was very much a functional timer. The name Autavia itself comes from aviation and automotive heritages, this could possibly be the most functional of the Heuer chronographs.

Whilst the chronograph is traditionally aimed at motorsport, the Breitling Navitimer is very much aviation inspired. A circular slide rule, the Navitimer was a pilot’s timepiece and used to assist pilots calculate a whole host of functions. To be absolutely honest, these calculations are beyond me, but I still love the aesthetics of the dial even if I cannot use the circular slide rule to its potential.

The current public sentiment is anti-Israel, but we really need to ask how hostages were fed through Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza? Video footage shows the hostages being ushered through the hospital, this is an outrage. Instead of improving the medical facilities, Gaza infrastructure and the lives of Palestinians, Hamas chose to attack Israel.

We will not fall for the Hamas explanation that they were seeking medical attention, what we need to find out is if hostages were transferred through the hospital to the tunnel network. Whilst some hostages have been released, there are still hostages being held with children drugged and women sexually abused. One assumes the hostages are being moved around the tunnels as the fighting rages overhead.

Hamas broke the last ceasefire and hostage exchange, this was to their advantage. Hamas were trying to look like the good guy here, doing the right thing and releasing hostages. Really, drip feeding hostages back to Israel was a means to prolong the fighting. I am not really sure of the Hamas strategy, the IDF are destroying Hamas and slowly dismantling their terror network. One has to remember Hamas was overwhelmingly supported by Palestinians, this was their choice and they have to live with this.

Heading into the final weeks of the hiking season, I knew I had limited opportunities to view Mt Fuji up close, I had to take my chance, so I did. This was not a planned trip, this was impromptu, this idea was put together at the last moment.

I had viewed Mt Fuji from afar on my first trip to Japan more than twenty years ago, the mountain is pretty much a symbol of Japan along with cherry blossoms, bonsai trees and geisha girls. It was incredible that I had viewed Mt Fuji from a distance, this was my opportunity, you never know when another opportunity arises.

It is generally accepted to allow five and a half hours to get to the peak of Mt Fuji. When I started hiking in a Billabong T-shirt, denim shorts and half a bottle of water, I hadn’t planned to head to the summit. Although I was wearing hiking boots, this was just a lucky confidence, this turned out to be great luck. 

I was constantly quizzed to make sure I wasn’t planning on heading to the peak and I answered a resounding no, I wasn’t planning that at all. Clearly, they were concerned as the temperatures are sub-zero on the summit even during summer but that wasn’t a problem. I had to push a quick pace, no chance of getting cold, I was covered in sweat. I spent 45 minutes at the summit, that was enough time to enjoy the amazing views, rest and recover so the descent wouldn’t be a problem. 

But, there is always a but – once I got going, I wanted to see the summit. So I knew I needed to crank up and that is what I did, in under 3 hours I was gazing over the temple and through the clouds. It is never that simple, the race to the summit was a challenge of personal endurance. I was making some fast progress, I was overtaking people and really cranking up the pace.