This Genie ain't gonna be rubbed no more

Rubbing the lamp

When the news broke from the chambers of Judge Hutton that the government had been completely exonerated from the scandal of lying to the public about the 45-minute claim many could be forgiven for thinking that ended the whole issue.

Nay! My friends, Nay! What Tony Blair was cleared of narrowly pertained to the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly and nothing about the greater issue of why we went to war.

For one, Mr Blair might as well have been on a treasure hunt two weekends ago and had found the legendary Aladdin's lamp.

The two escapes relating to the tuition fees and Judge Hutton's report were the two stipulated wishes of the genie.

After too many rubs, releases and recaptures, the genie had renegotiated the escape clause of offering just two wishes instead of the usual three.

Methinks the lamp is ready for another rub to produce a lot of smoke but no wish.

Smoking out the facts

Dubbiyew having seen the amazing Houdini of Great Britain rolling lots of BBC heads instead of his and those of his cohorts asked for a rub of the lamp too.

He wants to know the facts about the intelligent or lack of it that was so strenuously argued before congress, before Americans and before the UN in the quest for a coalition of the cajoled who would not be cowed.

Dubbiyew, you cannot handle the truth – one risks quoting Jack Nicholson during a fiery cross-examination by Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men.

If any good men come of out learning the truth from the real facts of why we went to war, they are most probably deserving of a posthumous decoration.

The Awful Truth

The purveyor of a certain programme called The Awful Truth contends that the truth is too awful to contemplate.

The ex-chief of the Iraq Survey Group – David Kay – has unruffled too uncomfortably the feathers of the vested interests that rammed us into the Iraqi quagmire; like quicksand; we are stuck and the more we struggle the more the concrete solidifies well above the torso.

In a last gasp of credulity, symbolising that exclusively close relationship between Great Britain and the United States, Tony Blair and George W. Bush had decided to announce an inquiry into the whole intelligence debacle.

Wishing for a star

Only this time, the wishes have run out; to think they would weather the storm with the same aplomb as the British Houdini came out of last week is as wishful as the caveman who clobbered Beagle 2 as it landed gingerly on Mars. Evidence of life on Mars.

There is no doubt that the intelligence that supported the war persuasion efforts was unreliable, dated, exaggerated and uncorroborated.

Very much, like Andrew Gilligan's claims that lead to the death of Dr Kelly and the Hutton report.

However, if you are not in a position of great authority, you cannot get away with little lies, whilst those in authority can without scruples.

Like the Hutton report, expect surprises but be wary of the accepted truth.

Judge Hutton's "First stone" judgment

Next time just keep breathing

For weeks, we waited anxiously for the final words that would clear the air regarding the circumstances around Dr David Kelly's death.

After the verdict came, we could have continued breathing as normal all along, because none of the presumed guilty were daubed by the least of criticisms. Instead, the BBC, the public organ and bastion of global broadcasting found itself bereft of both a chairman and director-general in the space of 24 hours.

This was a pyrrhic sort of victory for the Mr Tony Blair, Mr Geoff Hoon and the maharajah of spin, the erstwhile Director of Communications – Alastair Campbell, in that they were comprehensively exonerated on all counts in view of the narrowest scope of the Hutton inquiry.

For one fault of the BBC, it was scalped, maligned, besmirched, debased and practically ridiculed. Judge Hutton might not have realised the repercussions but there be many, that he has nonetheless inflicted, which happens to be 70; just as he is.

BBC will still be here afterwards

For one, 70 years of BBC would go on to be 140 years with all the dramatis personae dead, buried and most definitely forgotten to the importance of the issues of the day.

Mr Blair could have stood 10 feet tall at the pronouncements, but it simply stressed with no let the need to realise that a man's life was forfeited for the sake of a failing government's honour. No much difference from the inhumanity meted out to women in the Indian/Pakistani rural areas regarding honour killings.

Why we went to war on the basis of evidence shaking to bits like a town hit by an earthquake registering 8.3 on the Richter scale.

Public opinion differs

In a court larger than the chambers wherein Judge Hutton had his deliberations, one is met with a certain bewilderment as to how the BBC took so much flack and everyone else got a sweet, a pat, a prize or a commendation.

Dr David Kelly who was sacrificed on the wobbly altar of the dodgy dossier might as well be offered up a sweet smelling savour of a judicial inquiry on the whole war debate and why we were so strongly persuaded to distraction about the elusive Weapons on Mass Destruction.

Casting the first stone

However, on another view, there was once a woman who committed adultery punishable by stoning to death. The man of the time was Jesus, to whom the accusers being great professors of law brought the offender seeking Jesus' of the law of the time.

Crime and punishment being the crucible on which society has burnished civilisation, Jesus pronounced the required judgement but one the proviso that the one without sin cast the first stone.

Now, He, Jesus could have offered to cast the first stone, being without sin, but He was not one of the accusers.

Let it be known, that the first stone may not have killed the woman, probably not even touched her, but each successive stone would have brought great pain and death so slowly and unfailingly – no man's heart being touched on the premise that the victim has been sacrificed on the altar of societal decency.

However, a conviction swept over the accusers and each one from the oldest to the youngest realised their frailty of sin and left without as much of a mutter.

Left alone with woman, Jesus enquired of her accusers having busied Himself with doodling in the sand all the while. Jesus then said, "Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more".

The caption picture

In the case of Dr Kelly, the BBC did cast the first stone in publishing the report about the 45-minute claim, which might have been unfounded, but that first stone was not what killed Dr Kelly.

It is the machinations of the Ministry of Defence; skulduggery of Downing Street; the lobbyist apparatus that pervades the politics of the day and the craving for credibility, which would have made no difference to our perception of the way New Labour has spun every event into a whirlwind tornado

Those issues altogether created the unbearable situation in which Dr Kelly found himself and led to his committing suicide.

In the name of justice and all it represents, for Judge Hutton to have seen only the slinging of the first stone and pronounced the victim dead regardless of the damage caused by other stones is wanting in judicious expertise to say the least.

Thankfully, the judge was never in the position that Jesus was in to pronounce the proviso to judgement; one might say in view of certain comments made about Dr Kelly by the judge –

"Shoot him down with a WMD for briefing beyond his remit".

He would have proclaimed from the bench.

The Dubbiyew Report Card - 2003

The numbers do not add up

The world waited anxiously for the State of the Union address, which was supposed to be the precursor to the Presidential re-election campaign in 2004.

After 56 minutes of one-sided applause that occurred 69 times containing more rhetoric than substance, the Americans were left asking, "What is in this for me?"

The numbers speak for themselves on the front-page spread of the Independent newspaper of the UK – The Real State of the Union.

Take a walk of the right edge

Enforcing the sanctity of marriage, encouraging abstinence, child discipline, faith-based institutions in the fore-front of social security and the renewal of the Patriot Act – this is the March of the Right over the whole of American.

Many of the issues whilst sensible did also expose the divisions of society in American. This leader leads to divide, the privileged from the under-privileged in every strata of society.

A closer scrutiny of all the presumably far-reaching announcements was sops to the privileged few in American.

The savings schemes for health and pensions to help the financial and insurance institutions, the energy issues to aggrandise the oil and energy lobbies, the faith-based institutions firmly placed in the polity to gain from the largesse of waste and tax cuts that benefit the very rich.

Choose your friends vigorously

The highlights of the speech include:

• There are more votes in the Hispanic population than the gays of America
• The war of terror enforces the Big Brother focus of the Patriot Act
• Iraq and the coalition of the cajoled masquerading as global consent - See Blog
• Healthcare issues should raise the stock profiles of the drug companies
• Spare the rod and spoil the child

Finally

Americans and friends,

The lobbyist groups are strong

The special interest groups are emancipating

The crusades are marching on

The union, I cannot fix but give to you but more of the same, division, friction, unilateralism and pandering to the contributors to my campaign funds.

God bless America.

Ineptitude unparalleled

A manager for the project-ile

You would be forgiven for thinking one has something against project managers. In fact, one does love project managers. Ones that know what a project is and then manage the project properly.

However, one has had a run of unkind fortune with a crop of the sort that defy commonsense in the face of reality and whose balls are too microscopic for observation with a microscope.

Nevertheless, there is a particularly nice person who happens to be yoked to the labour of project management, whose surname would remind you of that man-eating alligator you saw on National Geographic the other day.

His manager is of the view that he has a record of accomplishment of consistently delivering on projects in his care.

The track to ignominy or less

Indeed, he has a track record of delivering because many of the critical ends to his delivery end up on one's desk.

Being one whose personality of extroversion is too intertwined with one's job and professionalism as to be considered unhealthy, these things are done.

One cannot afford to be besmirched by the glowing incompetence of an individual ready to stitch you up for any of his failings.

You have to that one is only a fraction of the majority that cannot stand to countenance the alligator in a professional capacity – or the lack of it.

My civility tested

On more than one occasion, some emails, which might eventually feature as classics of professional put-downs, are cast as pearls to swine to our dear friend without impact; apart from highlighting his tomfoolery.

"This represents that worst set of data one has ever received in relation to data, please sort it out". Said one.

Another said, "We have to work to avoid situations where brinkmanship rules over procedural and methodical processes".

Yet again, "To now foist that error of judgment on me is completely disingenuous. Please reflect and reconsider your purpose and actions".

In a darts competition that would have been maximum points, considering this was circulated to a readership that would have cringed at the bluntness of expression.

Our friend is so thick-skinned he would have prevented the sinking of the Titanic.

I will tell you what is unacceptable

A number of instances have arisen where tin-pot little managers of no importance than heading departments in persistent vegetative state for the lack of creativity and innovative thinking.

Departments populated by a gene pool so diverse from the people who live down your street, it could give credence to evolution – God forbid!

After debunking some flawed and inadequate planning, the reply arrives – "It is unacceptable … Blah! Blah! Blah!

I will tell you what is unacceptable – It is unacceptable that

• You commit to customers without knowing the availability of your deliverables
• You leave out core elements of your project resources and then expect a last minute redress to sort out your mess
• You escalate issues to solve your problems when you should have communicated effectively well before it became an emergency
• You think you can demand goodwill having used up all political capital in pursuit of unachievable goals
• You remain immune to knowledge

Immune to knowledge

Some people are beyond teaching or just cannot learn, when put in charge of projects in which one has deliverables, one falls a victim of unparalleled ineptitude.

Time to see the company shrink – I am stressed!

When the Free Speech brakes fail

The right to self-destruction

Expressing themselves clearly

Just as people do not appreciate, the value of good health until when struck down by illness, so do people maintain an atmosphere of indifference until someone abuses the right to free speech or self-expression.

As it happens, the issue of freedom of speech never arises until someone says or writes something that excites commentary. The proponents then seek the refuge of free speech to no avail.

Two events stand clear in this rush to the free speech refuge but the caretaker refused entry for all the banging and pleading at the gates.

Senator Trent Lott, the former Senate Leader of the US Senate at a birthday speech in celebration of the late Senator Strom Thurmond's 100^th birthday.

Robert Kilroy-Silk, the talk-show host of a programme bearing his name, a former member of the British parliament and occasional newspaper columnist, the news column being the trigger for his misfortune.

Oops, that is offensive

Interest follows observing the similarities between both cases, in that the speech referred to the past and the column was once published eight months before.

Concerning the speech, the celebrant ran on a segregationist presidential ticket in 1948, Mr Lott in his speech apparently reminisced about how American might have been different if the celebrant had won.

Mr Kilroy-Silk had written the piece in the heat of the second Iraqi war, then focus was on events in Iraq, with a commentary by-line questioning the value of Arabs to modern society.

The comments caused great offence and an avalanche of recriminations.

Congenitally predisposed to pre-judge

The common saying that we judge others by their deeds and ourselves by our good intentions always fetches true in situations like this.

Nobody would feel elated when offered a frank assessment of his or her personality, creed, culture, views, identity, appearance or expression, which contains disparaging language that belittles, demeans and possibly offends.

Expression is not always necessary for a frank opinion, even though it might be true and valid. Everyone has a degree of subjective leaning, however, when expressed that becomes a kind of prejudice.

Frank is not necessarily objective; it is a facet of observation by the purveyor of the expression.

Be nice or be silent

Anywhere the free speech advocates rear their heads, the dichotomy of political correctness receives much commentary. For any issue, there is opportunity to project benevolence or malevolence; however, beneficence never attracts much attention except in recognition or award.

Malevolence demonstrated as a characteristic of the exercise of free speech is disingenuous at best and blatantly horrid at worst. It serves no particular purpose than to tug at the fragile seams of society and create division in an uneasy accommodation. It is the lit fuse to a bomb without knowing what would be the extent of the havoc caused.

It is no doubt that silence is never a virtue of the malefactors who are presumably expressing the views of the silent majority affected by the issue addressed. The expression is an incitement, though it may not receive enough momentum to spill into the streets.

Whose free speech?

The affected in the debate about the exercise of free speech usually have no clear forum of advocacy to seek redress. Redress for where free speech is abused is the exclusive preserve of the rich.

The law offers censure for slander, libel, blasphemy or sedition, which are loose synonyms of the abuse of the free speech. Only those who can afford the expense of the legal process can exercise the right to challenge offense.

That group of people who are subjected to the pique of inconsiderate and self-serving pronouncements either grin and bear it, or may have the fortune of a representative organization that seeks censure.

Free speech becomes the property of the broad audience of society, ownership is exercised by the all sides that are affected by the commentary, no matter how strong the retraction, it cannot be wrestled back from the offended.

Speaking up for a demise

In the two cases that feature in this article, none of the advocates of free speech could save the proponents from the consequences of their machinations.

The great lament about the ascendancy of political correctness over freedom of expression serves no beneficial ends for the perpetrators. Instead, it creates a finer focus on the offense and a greater outcry for a lynching.

The offended usually demand incessant apologies, which do not go far enough to ameliorate the feeling of wrong. The thirst and baying for blood only gets sated with the loss of a valuable position.

Mr Lott resigned the leadership of the US Senate and Mr Kilroy-Silk resigned from hosting his own talk show, considering none of what they said or wrote happened at the Senate or on the BBC talk show.

If there is any morale in these episodes, people who express themselves without restraint or an understanding of responsibly enhancing a harmonious society stand to lose the pedestals from which they pronounced their opinions and folly.

Report Card - 2003

Excellent with room for improvement

The delivery

The Performance Review day arrived without much event apart from the fact that the initial hours provided scope for anger and resentment, but with a few long deep breaths, one relaxed.

For some reason evident to the boss, he had planned this for 09:00hrs knowing that I am not the best for early starts though I do hours well beyond the call of duty.

The hard feelings exacerbated on arriving just in time to find that he was a bit tardy, sometimes making a statement of principle requires inherent principles for starters.

Beyond all the carping and vituperation directed at the boss and his cronies over the last few blogs, he could at times be quite charming; you would be charmed out of your shoes, just as he could downright nasty.

One gave a general overview of objectives met and achieved with very good results; there was no need to spruce up any of the statements.

Then for some off-sheet accounts, a report of all the activities, achievements and successes for 2003 and then the goals and aspirations for 2004.

The Assessment

So far, the boss was quite impressed with one's performance and said so without noticeable restraint.

However, such assessments are rather two-edged, with proclamation come declamation and one had better to ready for that. It is standard practise to have room for improvement.

Well, nobody is perfect, neither is one, though one tries.

The Proclamations

A great asset to the team who applies meticulous discipline to all activities in which one has influence or input. Having a good grasp of how one's work fits into the organisation. Modesty is a virtue one would covet at this moment.

The Declamations

One does try to make it to work on time and have been on time most of the time. However, there has been occasion when one's presence has been needed earlier in the day and one was yet expected.

Somehow, some team members had turned that into a running joke implying one gets in after 11:00AM. That had precipitated into an assumed reality.

The work one does requires a lot of interaction between core skill personnel in our CIO team. Much of that is done by visiting the personnel at their desks rather than formalising meetings by booking time and rooms.

Apparently, one particular colleague with whom one has no day-to-day interaction had for a while taken a dislike to one's social interactions of which a majority is work-related.

In addition, some others had cited one's visits as impediments to their deliverables. Anyway, that is one area needing a radical character shift.

Finally, one's realism in the execution of projects unfortunately declines to antagonism by people who prefer to execute without weighing the risks. Whilst one is not utterly risk-averse, one only allows risk for the things within one's control.

One will not use other parties' assessment as a basis for taking risk knowing that failure never really accounts for the input of the third party.

True to type

Amongst other aspects, which need improvement, having the personality analysis introduced the boss to a new feature pf personality profiling and the scientific study of the individual as an individual of unique abilities and failures.

What made the most interesting reading was the career report based on the results of the Temperament Sorter analysis.

In producing the report below, one acknowledges the professional expertise of the Advisor Team in producing researched and detailed analysis based on responses to questionnaires that characterise character and temperament traits.

Under the topic of "Choosing the Best Occupation" read, ruminate and laugh – even the boss could not have imagined anyone would be well prepared to debate the declamations.

One would work on improving but not at the cost of personality aversion. That said, these assessments are the best independent analysis of who one is and in most cases rings true.

The Report

Artisan-Performer (ESFP)

Your motto is, "Let me entertain you. Let me make you smile." Bringing playfulness to any situation is your greatest contribution. In your ideal job, you have the opportunity to apply your talent for perfuming-improvising communications so that they appeal to the individuals or groups of people in you environment. You are very expressive and feel stifled in reserved and formal environments. When you are stuck in such environments, you may entertain yourself by playing the "class clown."

Your Ideal Job:

1. Makes use of your charm and your kindness.
2. Lets you make a "splash."
3. Takes place in an expressive, personal setting.
4. Lets you and the people around you have fun.
5. Exposes you to a lot of people.
6. Provides variety in projects, tasks and experiences.
7. Provides a little bit of drama everyday.

Things you're good at:

1. You make your workplace more enjoyable for everyone.
2. You are good at the social aspects of work: interviewing, service, relationship building.
3. Others recognize and appreciate your kindness.
4. You can be powerfully persuasive.
5. You enjoy interviewing, public speaking and other opportunities to represent yourself and your company.
6. You probably get along with everyone you come in come in contact with.
7. You are extremely resourceful in times of crisis.

Things to be aware of:

1. In some arenas, you may not be taken seriously.
2. You become restless when you have to work alone, with no one to interact with.
3. Your expressiveness may be perceived as disruptive or "inappropriate."
4. You have a tendency to play "class clown."
5. You tend to avoid tedious work.
6. Socialising at work and your social life outside of work may be sources of distraction.
7. You may rely too heavily on information you get from people and fail to do your own research or make your own judgments.

Dubbiyew the Delusionary

Headed for the Cosmos

Who writes those lines?

After the infamous "Axis of evil" words of the President Bush's 2002 State of the Union address, one could be forgiven for expecting those delirious prosaic nauseating conjurers to be dropped off at Mount Rushmore with air rails for support.

Though some have gone off to greener pastures where the wolves are bigger; the decision for KLM to accept the use of air marshals on their American-bound flights could only lead one to speculate that there is a booming trade in the best brand of smoke.

Bush unveils Moon and Mars plans

Bush unveils vision for moon and beyond - Jan. 14, 2004

The speech about bouncing man off the moon unto Mars and the world beyond smacked of pogo-stick astronomy egged on by hopscotch astrology.

The speechwriters were definitely on something rare and undiscovered, because it put Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 – A Space Odyssey in the shade, this diatribe being the sequel – for argument sake, the prologue to George Dubbiyew Bush's 2004 – A Space Fantasy.

Kubrick 2001

2001 A Space Odyssey

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow

The conspiracy junkies have already begun picking out the fault lines in this uncharted Martian terrain. In an election year, with a haemorrhaging budget deficit, a dollar falling like lightning from the heavens and the Nemesis of Iraqi body bags ever hardening the pliable and docile Soccer Mum, Mars in a different orbit can do no harm.

No view of earth was evident when the Hollywood machinery of American genius kicked in with first a speech from space and then a space for weightless jokes attracting vacuous applause.

By the time the landing craft found a solid platform of quicksand, we had found life in the Andromeda galaxy on Planet Zorg, cosmic radiation and hypoxia in a Space Museum could set the imagination alight.

A new International Space Station; American fulfilling its obligations to its 15 partners for this purpose; a commune on the moon and then a weekend break to Mars travelling on a scooter. Bah!

One remembers lines from the current chart topper in the UK – The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had – it is a mad world no doubt. Gary Jules' cover of a Tears for Fears classic.

No ploy so devious

At the risk of sounding cynical, this is Desperately Seeking Re-election, in a shameful Houston to Apollo X dialogue …

Houston: History calling on sentiment, Rover!

Apollo X: Spirit of emotion seeking credibility, we hear you!

This attracts opprobrium so contemptible; shame is now a glowing compliment.

Whilst it is visionary, the cost is unquantifiable, possibly running into billions, mortgaging future Americans to a craze that has no neither purpose nor aim. Life might as well be on the moon but not in ways, our science can detect the life forms.

A simple lesson in invisibility can be either clothed in black in pitch-black darkness or being accelerated beyond the speed of light. We have the science for the first, but not yet for the second. Much as there can be other life forms and civilisations on this earth that, we have not begun to understand.

There is no cash for this dash,

once Americans note how rash

though this idea is flash

would send Dubbiyew's stash

out of the White House with a crash

A last word from Dubbiyew

"This one small step for re-election politics and a great leap for White House politicians."