National Asset of Kimberley

The West Australian, in its editorial of 27 Jan 07 (p.22) has got it wrong. Their headline reads, "PM's plan must help unlock national asset in Kimberley".

Wrong, wrong, wrong!

When will we ever learn?

Forests are destroyed, water polluted, cities grow beyond human liveability. Yet still we see the Kimberley as an economic resource. According to The West, we "need to get the productive benefit the nation needs from one of its great assets." What a load of short-sighted rubbish.

..o0o..

Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

What we need is to survive. We -- people, plants, animals, environment -- need to survive. Sure, we could turn another great natural asset into an economic asset and an unnatural desert. But why?

Will we really be richer for destroying an area of natural beauty? Will a short-term flow of money adequately balance us for the cost of environmental destruction? No.

Sure, we could consume, consume, consume... until our children find there is nothing more to consume. What then?

Here's a better idea: Let's practise conservation.

Let's save something. Not for the future -- save it for now.

The Kimberley is a vast area, a natural asset. Just knowing that it's there makes me feel good about the world.

Is money the answer to every problem? No.

The Kimberley is a great natural asset. It has potential to be a great economic asset. Let's just stop and think: Is money the answer to everything?

I say, let's keep the Kimberley as a natural asset. If you want to visit it, great! If you are not able to visit the Kimberley, well: at least it is still there!

Forget the money potential. Let's just enjoy nature as it was created.

..o0o..

Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com

An Insult to Dolly Parton

Oliver James is not impressed by Sydney. James, a "British psychologist and author" (The West 27 Jan 07 p.11) "found a city slavishly following American values and a puritan work ethic that robbed life of joy and real meaning." Sydney is "packed with career-obsessed workaholics."

Okay, nothing wrong with that.

But why would anyone insult Dolly Parton by calling Sydney the "Dolly Parton of cities in Australia"?!

..o0o..

Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

On the Other Hand

With no comparison to singers, Dolly or otherwise, I can tell you a story of a Sydney office. A story which reflects a culture, an ethos, which is totally at odds with anything that we think of as "Australian".

I worked for a company with its head office in Sydney, north of the bridge. Head office occupied two floors of a large office building.

Fifth floor was management, sales and customer service. (This is an old story, from the days when "customer service" meant staff who would help the customer, rather than sit in a phone room. Customer service staff were reasonably important people.)

On the fifth floor was a big, wooden wall. The wall extended from floor to ceiling, right across the office. It cut off management from sales and service.

The big, wooden wall protected Management. Management had the side of the office facing the views of Sydney and its harbour. Management had its own space; each Manager had his own office. (Yes, "his" is correct.) To visit Management, you had to go through the one door in the big, wooden wall. That door was always closed.

The rest of the fifth floor was open plan. Sales and service mixed in: sharing office space, sharing second-class views, sharing the tea room.

Customers? Well, they could visit sales or service. If they were very, very important -- customers could be escorted through The Wall, to visit with Management.

Where was the Product Produced?

Sales sold a service. Service staff helped the customer to use that service. (Well, when they were not too busy developing convincing demonstrations for use by Sales staff.) But where was the service created?

... down on the third floor.

I visited there, once. People on the third floor actually did things. They wrote code. They fixed code. They made and maintained network connections.

..o0o..

Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com

I visited the third floor, once. When I returned to the fifth, I washed my hands, checked my second-class-but-two-floors-higher view, and was glad to be working on the fifth floor.

"If only," I thought, "If only I could get an office in with Management. Behind The Wooden Wall. How much nicer that would be... But at least -- thank goodness -- I'm not stuck down there with the workers."

Hospitals Inefficient: Professor

Gavin Mooney is at it again: blaming hospital inefficiencies for an inability to cure the ills of the world with three loaves and just one fish.

"Professor Mooney said an investigation was needed into how the big hospitals used their existing resources before they were given more." (The West 27 Jan 07 p.4) This is obviously a man who makes his money -- and reputation -- by running "investigations".

..o0o..

Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

How many years has the government been cutting health funds? How many "investigations" have there already been, into "inefficiencies" in the public health system? How many times have we all agreed, this is what we must do to make it all work?

Unfortunately... the answer to that last is, Never.

Doctors have this crazy idea, that they know how to cure sick people. Sick people have this crazy idea, that they want the government to pay for their cure. Governments have this crazy idea, that they won't spend even a penny -- unless it guarantees a win at the next election. So there is never agreement.

It seems to me, though, that (1) the governments have put a lot of effort into telling hospials to get by with less, and (2) the complaints about public hospitals are increasing. Does that tell you something?

What it tells me is, that the past efforts -- cutting funds and demanding efficiencies -- have not worked. What it tells me is, that it's time to try something different.

Sure, doctors think that they are, each one of them, god. But at least they try to cure the sick. I would think that curing the sick is at least as important as winning the next election. Perhaps we could give doctors -- through the public hospitals -- more funds for use in curing the sick?

Sure, it will cost money. But what if it works?

Cutting funds is certainly not working. Perhaps it's time to try something different.

..o0o..

Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com

The Frogs in Boiling Water

Water Corporation will cut water pressure to several suburbs. Just a bit... then a bit more, and a bit more...

When will the frogs notice that the water is starting to boil?

To tell the truth, I think it's a great idea. Sure, there will be lots of complaints in the first month. Then lots more in the second month. But then people will get tired of complaining... it does no good anyway...

..o0o..

Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

Water pressure "will be cut incrementally each month while the utility monitors the level of complaints." (The West 27 Jan 07, p.2)

After the sixth... eighth... tenth successive water pressure reduction -- who will still have the strength to complain? No many! So what will Water Corp report? What about this:

"Consumers have accepted that they can run the house with less water pressure, reports Water Corp. After some initial comments [comments!? yes, that's what they will be called], consumers are satisfied with the current levels of water pressure. There are virtually no complaints, so Water Corp will extend the trial to further suburbs..."

"Virtually no complaints," they will crow. Well, when compared to the initial level of outrage -- which had no effect whatsoever -- the current level of complaint will be "virtually" none. The first complaints will have no effect; very few people will continue to fight.

Isn't it amazing what we can learn to put up with?!

Well, that's what Water Corp are hoping...

..o0o..

Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com

Tim Flannery, Australian of the Year

Gosh, wasn't everyone surprised when Tim Flannery was chosen as Australian of the Year?! Look, said the journos, Howard has to shake hands with Flannery... How embarrassing!

Why is that embarrassing?

..o0o..

Thinking Lateral
Need new thinking for your own problems? email nick leth at gmail dot com

Well, say the journos, Flannery is a staunch conservationist. He attacks the government for not signing the Kyoto agreement. He's a greenie, through and through. Directly opposed to all that Howard wants and does.

Or is he.

Flannery is a conservationist. We're heading for disaster, he shouts. Protect the environment, he calls. The government has failed us, he cries.

What shall we do? What should we do? What can we do? cry the eager listeners.

We must go for nuclear power!

says the Australian of the Year.

What? Nuclear power?! Yes, nuclear power. But that's exactly what Howard wants the government to do... against the good sense of every thinking environmentalist...

And now we can see why Flannery is Australian of the Year...

He's a "conservationist". He sees disaster just around the corner. He attacks the government -- on topics that have been thoroughly thrashed in the past. So he's a popular conservationist.

More importantly -- he supports nuclear power. Look! says the government, Flannery attacks us (ha ha) so he obviously (again, ha ha) is not "one of us". Yet Flannery supports nuclear power. So it must be the right thing to do!

Right.

..o0o..

Independent Thinking
Independent analysis of your problems by Agamedes Consulting. Support for your thought: email nick leth at gmail dot com