Views in Verse on enforcing the law of the land

The Australian Prime Minister this week addressed  the United Nations. Impressive!  No-one can deny his statesmanship in attacking the Islamic State threat...but why oh why do we have to keep being sucked into handling these terrorist threats as religious matters?


They are not ...these people are criminals. Plain and Simple!

They take their positions by including their religious zealotry in their names as though this really has any significance ...it doesn't. And yet, as Mr Abbott has done again here, we make the mistake of routinely mentioning Islam and Moslem as many times as we can in response to somehow show that we aren't targeting everyday people. But in doing so achieve exactly what the terrorists lure us into doing ...addressing them on their terms and further blurring lines by bringing religion into our position at all. We only need to create and enforce laws in dealing with crime.

These people have taken up occupation in a foreign land and declared a sovereign state thereby breaking international laws. The local terrorist act we had here in Melbourne this week where two policemen were stabbed (before shooting their assailant in response) is simply a criminal act - why risk further religious zealotry by explaining away responses to a 'terrorist act'.

We have international, local and now terrorist legislations to deal with these matters in a straight forward manner.  Why risk unjustified retaliations by attempting to show how well we understand the varying implications of Islam and the Koran - we really don't know. But furthermore, we don't need to!

As for the media and their irresponsible 'stirring' of possible sensitive boundaries  in relation to such events - we should be legislating against this as well. Stirring up religious unrest in relation to 'breaches of law' is more irresponsible than what some of the rogue leaders can be accused of in their mosques. The latter may reach hundreds in one pass; the former can reach millions! And to what end the media...? Beats me.




And justice for all...?

A wild but stumbling rush
a thirst for brother's blood
a victim falls hard before a baying crowd
A lusty blow is struck
just one with any luck
roars of faith ring out for hours
good and loud

The wild group arrived
a sword strapped by the side
the verdict a prescribed but grisly fate
A rigid but cruel
right of tribal rule
it seems justice can be swift
no need to wait

A bunker lit up bright
well into winter's night
Top brass around a massive table
Seems the generals have their say:
"Sir,there is no other way...!"
"but to hit this region hard
to keep it stable!"

The cameras whirl and play
at church that very day
it didn't really matter it wasn't Sunday

"God bless this call we've made

there'll be so many saved"...
(except for thousands there trapped
along the way)

It seems the rules are clear
handed down o'er many years
for a phalanx to extol it's common call
It's well known far and wide
that with god at your side
his will is clearly done
through one and all


But is it really fair?
whose premise we compare...?
seems they'll all see fit to make a rightful plea
Appears there's justice there for all
for help with righteous cause
as long as one goes down
on bended knee


from my desktop Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on sights, sounds and tastes of summer

Great news on the radio today as I awoke to a beautiful spring morning in Sydney...

"The North Queensland Growers are calling a bumper crop of Mangoes for this summer!" 

Aussies love their summer salads on a hot day (to accompany the BBQ meat!) but there is nothing that sets off a summer's day better than a sweet juicy mango to cool you off.

The earliest shipments are often found in a few weeks on the city roadsides where the country opportunists sell the early picks by the box-load off the back of a truck to those (like me) who can't wait to get into them again! Everyone wins as each mango this way works out at less than a $1 each instead of the $4 you will pay once they eventually hit the retail stores.

To complement that news on the way through the city afterwards today there was some spring warmth in the air and the welcome sight on a warm day of the girls in their summer clothes around Sydney town. This week marks Fashion Week here in Sydney - so the ladies will be taking centre stage. Makes you feel alive again to shake off winter and look forward to a another hot Sydney summer!

As for the sounds of summer I will draw on one of my favorite pieces by the Australian country artist Sam Hawksley. We do look forward to our cricket on the ABC radio - it's an Australian institution!

Many prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch a test match on TV. One of the many delightful sounds of summer in Australia to look forward to 'cricket on the radio'... can't wait!!!

SOUNDS LIKE SUMMER

Sam Hawksley

Feelin still a little foggy in the head
Last night hanging over my bed
I've got no clue or no idea
Just what the time is dear?

At least I know where I am
that little, I understand
I listen closely and it’s oh so clear
just what day we have here

Oh it Sounds like a summer, Sunday to me
Cicadas and their symphony
Cricket on the ABC
Oh it sounds like Summer to me

Kids playing in the yard next door
Waves crashing down on the shore
The subs in some hotted up car
A coupla guys strumming on guitars

Ring pull cracking open a beer
Dogs barkin ,ringing in my ear
Mower blades on an uncut lawn
One thing I know for sure

Oh it Sounds like a summer Sunday to me
Leaves blowin in the breeze
Radio says its 40 degrees
Oh it sounds like Summer to me

Sunday morning it’s a sweet sound
Nothing to do got some friends comin round
Monday morning ill feel bad
But these are the best times I'll ever have

Oh it Sounds like a summer, Sunday to me

The Cicadas and their symphony
Cricket on my TV
Oh it sounds like Summer to me

Great song too!!! - download it today - GF

Views in Verse on the die hard fan!

The Sydney Swans last night powered into their second Aussie Rules Grand Final in three seasons as their champion Adam Goodes celebrated his 350th game for his proud club.






The Swans (or Bloods), as they are often known with their South Melbourne heritage, were far too good for their North Melbourne opposition and will now meet either Port Adelaide or Hawthorn in the big game next week. Adam Goodes - a greater player Sydney has not seen!

Goodes is a gifted and proud indigenous player and also current Australian of the Year! He seems to be belying his 34 years and had a wonderful game just when it was needed - igniting his side to dominate from that time. Tippett, Franklin, Rohan, Parker, Jack, Kennedy also had marvellous games.The defensive unit was also outstanding constantly blunting the oppositions forays to goal.

The Melbourne dominated media chaired by the irrefutable Eddie McGuire could not help but immediately decry the Bondi Billionaires tagline after the match. McGuire also the chairman of rival club Collingwood, who performed poorly this year, is desperate to redress the balance as Sydney (with their remarkable depth beginning to show) appear on the cusp of a golden decade.

Perhaps Eddie should be more respectful of the culture that this club has now on display at all times. This factor is the true envy of the other clubs regardless of how much money they have.

Next week may see the Swans ascendency really firm although they can seriously expect a tougher game than last night. Perhaps the North Melbourne Kangaroos played their grand final last week after qualifying in from the bottom of the draw.




The Die Hard Fan

What is this light
That dances round me?
My skin is cold within
Am I watching
Am I sleeping
Is this face my kin?
I hear soft grumbling
The image mumbling
There's no clear lines I see
What's this happening
Surely dreaming
A chill sweat covers me

I try to move
But nothing's moving
Confounded by the light
I'm now awake
On that I'm clear
Fumbling in the night
Blimey! ...not Dad?
...reaching out...
...he's long past skin and bones...?
Now he's touching
I feel his breathing
I hear his gravelly tones:

"Son, we worry about things
that our life brings
We're not happy till it's done
We lock ourselves up tight
Day and night
Much like a train we're riding on
I don't know the answers
As I'm telling you this
My life was lived the same
But I need to know
before I go...
Did the Boys win that last game?"

"Did they smother Plugger
That big hard bugger?
Did Kelly make them pay?
Did Tighe do it tough
Down the guts
To steal the game away?
No apartheid fall
No Berlin Wall...
My life wouldn'a bin the same
I've just gotta know
before I go...
Did the Bloods win that last game?"


Sent from my IPhone - Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on business transformation

It seems these days that everyone is transforming...or are they?

Transformation is a high level management initiative designed to deliver benefits within the business by the implementation of a mix of process, people and system. Always overseen by the planned and astute management of the desired change of related behaviours. It is always a serious challenge. 

Yet 'transformation' will soon become another of the dreaded management 'weasel words' and there is little that can be done to stop this happening as once 'everyone wants it' ...'everyone sells it!!!' Thereby... everyone is now transforming!!! But they're not.

I saw an advertisement last week for an IT switch capable of yes ...'transforming your business'. How many commodity products are we seeing today (enterprise or otherwise) that are being promoted as just this ...well? 

In recent years I have worked in several new CRM environments where in each case the transforming software product was effectively configured and rolled out in less than two months. Promoted as such over that period with assumed benefits flowing immediately thereafter.

The sponsors in each case saw the 'proof of the pudding' payback was to be in the 'all singing, all dancing' dashboards that would 'thumbnail sketch' everything important going on in the sales & marketing businesses. Each project I joined just after the perceived transformation (each IT implementation complete with basic app training).

We were able to deliver generalised yet meaningful dashboards (the best kind) in about twelve months in each case. The major stumbling block - the behaviours of marketing and sales people - which are not conducive to being simply 'changed' at the push of a button. They already believed themselves to be working 'at the top of their game'. Therein your behavioural challenges.

The real transformation period was indeed a year. But when there is so much hype going around about a new piece of 'transforming' software - in this case: Salesforce.com - who wants to talk about reality? 

Each of these projects began without even a basic understanding of the reporting required by key managers - thereby there was no 'user engagement' even requested. Only a packaged solution served up. Thereby, immediate (but often unstated) resistance.

Many splendid management philosophies and methodologies lie within the 'transformation paradigm' yet (much to my regret) within a year or two all this this work will be condemned to the 'weasel words' lexicon like many other splendid management tools & techniques. And why...? Because of us!

We are quite simply not ever willing to stand up to these quick fix merchants. The same merchants who will by that elapsed time be firmly attached to whatever they see is 'the next big thing' with all the right pedigrees of integrity to which they believe this can complement their next campaign release of commodity X product.

Or indeed we are so willing to embrace the rose coloured glasses approach proposed, we fall into thinking we can pay less than we really n e e d  to. 

Somebody throw open a window and start screaming or something ...p l e a s e! 

There is no substitute for originality, research, investment, hard work and governance. But there is 'sweep real change under the carpet' if we let industry mavens and quick fix internal merchants get away with it. 

The Troubadour

He came to us
as one of us
With a want to try to sing
His songs
were not 'the usual'
but long complex things

He spoke out
on looking out
from beyond your own back door
His call was to lead
not follow ...as before

With no concession
to class or place
as our fathers readily bore
But as an uncompromising
bringer of change...
revolution at the door

Using words
Powerful words
That spoke of freedom and truth
Thoughts he shared
with a growing army
of anxious wide-eyed youth

Enter the Troubadour
Let him sing
for he has something to say
We yearn for change
we're pained by war
He's brooding there back-stage
A tidal surge
of youthful thought
We need this better way
The guards are sleeping
The tower rests
We'll leave this very day
As we go
we won't look back
There's little good we see
When they awaken
The only clue given
Will be one hand waving free

Luther King
The Kennedy's
All praised in their own way
For their part
in social change
the heroes of their day

Yet no engine starts
without a key
The facts are plain to see
A new dialogue
was required
for open thought to breed

Dylan surfaced
He provided that spark
in his shrill compelling voice
Truth spoken out
again and again...
it served enlightened choice

Establishment frowned
...in time gave way
leaving Richard Nixon alone
We all answered
in the western world
J Edgar took a long walk home

Enter the Troubadour
Let him sing
for he has something to say
We yearn for change
we're pained by war
He's brooding there back-stage
A tidal surge
of youthful thought
We need this better way
The guards are sleeping
The tower rests
We'll leave this very day
As we go
we won't look back
There's little good we see
When they awaken
The only clue given
Will be one hand waving free


From my I-pad - Grahame J Flynn

Views in Verse on 'carpe diem'

 The economists keep telling us consumer confidence is low and that all we Aussies are transfixed by the economy! Frozen in our tracks perhaps? And yet despite the diatribe of last month: new high unemployment!!! This month we find: highest number of job advertisements in 40 years





As mentioned in my recent blog release these figures can be deceptive - even misleading on their own - but 'dynamite' of course in the hands of a politician of any persuasion - as we all know!

So what are Aussies really doing? Well, I reckon we are just getting on with it. The residential building boom on the back of the new government coming to town has been 'wild'. The canny ones among us have seen the record low interest rates on offer and seized the moment - how's that for stretching the budget?. The others, too indifferent perhaps to bother but... hardly 'transfixed by the economy'.

In truth, in my view, the average Aussie Joe & Joan are a pretty hardy lot and to my mind in almost any circumstance will be found just 'getting on with it'! And when you do that - great things happen ...more times than not!

 

 Life in the slow lane

I was shopping at Coles
as my story begins
The usual line
a trolley full of things

Waiting my turn
Way back in the queue
With my mind in neutral
as you so often do

When a word from 'Fi'
changed my life
That sees me now
With a brand new wife...
And yes a new family to boot

But it wasn't long before this
Cindy left me
Feeling alone and very empty
With little else in life
than my much loved teenagers three

Singing, live life as you take it
Take life as it goes
Cos no matter what you're facing
Everyday is gonna go
Better days are waiting for you
Just you wait and see
Turn around you'll find me waiting
Come a come a long with me!

Back to Coles
and the day I met Fi'
Who grabbed
the chance to charm me
On a whim and an offer
she found too hard to resist

She knew of a deal in the adjoining cafe
Where you get a free coffee
and the cake of the day
All we needed do
was rock on in and join the fun


But wait again...
None of this happened right to plan...
In fact ...we gulped our drinks
and scoffed our flan
Both a little preoccupied
with each new day
and the crisis that it brings...

As it turned out
we hadn't spoken at all
When Fi told me about her
'bluebird call'
that had come from our trip
to the Café Amor that day

They entered our names
in a lucky draw too
For a prize by Terry
the travel guru
'Life in the slow lane
- a tropical cruise for two!"

In truth it was a bit awkward
for Fi and me
Several months had gone by
without a chance to meet
or even chat about
a planned night out together

But look...
we opted to go
and consider it all
Back to our cafe
and a chance to jaw on
whether we were ready
to sail away and party
like two 'old friends'

But hey we thought
...why say no?
What's the risk
 ...friends said go!
And so we went
with best wishes
from all of our kids as well

Fi as it turns out also has three...
But would take the ten days
with me
to test the whim she had
when she
grabbed me by the arm
that day...

As things go
...we fell silly in love
Under the ocean stars above
We told the kids that week
that we really just
couldn't wait to wed

They met us there
in Nandi town
Where we quickly
got on down
to planning
the best damn wedding
that there has ever been...

 And so it was!

These days...
we still support the local shops
And share a big trolley
and coffee 'opps'
While our kids
are warming to each other more
with every passing day

We also share
a brand new house
Our cats and dogs
they scuttle about
Like the rest of us here
on this wild, wild ride...
such is this
...our brave new family

So ...we all seem to be fitting in
And Fi and me could only but grin
on how it all came to be
after almost missing our chance
on starting all over again

One day we were just
struggling along...
the next thing we are
growing strong
...now in Rome
celebrating the anniversary

But for this trip
we surely have paid
our now mate Terry,
a master of his trade;
sees us in Paris too
for only a little more money
it seems

With a 'rental car'
Thrown in for free
Such great luck for sure
have we
It promises a great life ahead
for Fi, ...the family ...and me!!'


Sent from my iPhone - Grahame J Flynn