weshop's Blog

It?s been nearly 20 years since the first publication of ?Disturbing the Peace?, Karel Hvizdala?s transcription of written correspondence with Vaclav Havel from 1985-86. With Havel recently announcing that he has commenced work on an autobiography, it?s an interesting exercise to view how Havel represents himself, his work and his politics before the tumultuous events of the Velvet Revolution in 1989.

Quite a lot of political water has passed under the Charles Bridge in Prague during this time and in his new book Havel will hopefully examine his legacy and impact as the first President of the Czech Republic in some detail. One interesting outcome of this will be how his views and opinions have changed or solidified since the mid 1980?s.

His interview with Hvizdala was carried out at a time when the U.S.S.R was still intact (albeit with the budding prospects of ?Glasnost? and ?Perestroika?) and Czechoslovakia was a highly regulated communist state.

In ?Disturbing the Peace? Havel is at the peak of his political dissidence and gives an honest and bold account of his life.

He fondly recalls him time learning how to write for the theatre and gives excellent insight and advice on writing in general. Regarded by many as one of the great post war playwrights in Europe, he also elaborates on his penchant for absurdist theatre and begins to define how his plays differentiate or contrast with the work of Beckett and Brecht.

Havel is candid when discussing his politics, philosophies and imprisonment in the 1970?s and 80?s. It must be remembered that this book was published in the West at a time when he was still under threat of further imprisonment and this in fact did happen a few years later.

Reading ?Disturbing the Peace? also highlights one of the major ironies of his public life. He became much more guarded in his political approach once he took on the office of President. A one time lightning rod for democratic change, Havel was faced in 1989 with the same realities that most western democratic leaders face ? how to manage the economy and build infrastructure whilst balancing civil rights and other democratic principles.

Havel stood down as president in 2003 and has spent much time since championing democratic causes in Cuba, the Ukraine and Burma. If nothing else, ?Disturbing the Peace? is a reminder of what Havel is capable of saying and achieving and this kind of voice never goes out of fashion.

Josef Grgas maintains a non commercial website relating to the work and philosophies of Czech playwright, dissident and politician V?clav Havel. Find out more at http://www.livinginthetruth.com

Reader Views is happy to be talking with Todd A. Hemming, author of ?College Predator: Missing College Students.? Todd is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor for Reader Views.

Juanita: Thanks for talking with us today Todd. Please tell your readers about the storyline of your new book, ?College Predator: Missing College Students.?

Todd: Juanita first of all I want to say thanks for the interview. I would say my storyline in simple terms is how three friends with all special gifts form a plan to catch a very intelligent serial killer. It also involves a serial killer that is very different from the typical mainstream predator.

Juanita: What inspired you to write ?College Predator??

Todd: I returned to college to get my graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems. During this time college kids were being abducted and disappearing. They usually were last seen leaving a bar or a college party by their friends. Most of the cases were never solved and I felt very bad for these kids that got abducted during their fun years or youth. They should have not been concerned about being abducted or serial killers.

Juanita: Who are the main characters and what do they have to teach your readers?

Todd: The three main characters are Mark a man with mental illness that gets blessed with a new gift of seeing the crimes take place or medium capabilities. William a rural sheriff?s deputy that puts the whole plan of action together to apprehend the serial killer. Matt is the FBI profiler that lends his expertise and training to apprehend the serial killer. The serial killer?s name is Steve and he is a vice president of a mapping software company, but when he isn?t working he preys on young college students.

Juanita: What brings these particular characters together to catch the serial killer?

Todd: Mark, the man with mental illness, has been keeping in touch with the Sheriff?s deputy William since high school. Once Mark started having the visions of the predator, he knew his best friend William would be the only person that believed in him. After William decided to have Mark move to Arizona, he called his old airborne buddy Matt who currently is a profiler for serial killers with the FBI. After discussing the situation Matt realized William and Mark would need his help apprehending the dangerous predator. So he took a long overdue vacation from the FBI and relocated to Arizona to join the team.

Juanita: How real, do you feel, are the dangers surrounding colleges these days? Why?

Todd:I believe the danger to college students are as real today as they were back in 2001. If you read the latest headlines, college students are still being abducted in various cities through out the nation. You can even use the Aruba disappearance for an example.

Juanita: How have the drinking habits changed for college students?

Todd: I went to a few parties when I was getting my graduate certificate. And the drinking on campus has definitely changed from social drinking or partying to all out binge drinking.

Juanita: Do you have any stats on the amounts of real life missing college students?

Todd: I currently do not have any stats on the missing college students. But during the span from 2001 to 2003 there were at least 5 missing college student in two states up north. I also believe that one missing college student is too much. It causes too much pain for the relatives, friends, and family that are left behind.

Juanita: What happens to the atmosphere around a college when a student goes missing?

Todd: Everyone in the community gets apprehensive and worried. The police and law enforcement are on high alert to catch the predator. The news media brings it up on the news everyday and the citizens of the community get worried. Mothers and fathers start rethinking schedules for their children and the purchase of personal firearms skyrockets.

Juanita: What statement are you making to your readers casting your serial killer as a successful, well educated member of the community?

Todd: I believe that the cases that haven?t been solved have a different type of predator. He most likely has some law enforcement training and is involved with the education system or has graduated from a college. He is no drifter or loser. I believe he is very intelligent and meticulous in his planning, and he knows where college kids hang out after they have had a few drinks.

Juanita: Tell us a little about how the community and law enforcement react to reports of missing students and how this is portrayed in your book.

Todd: The community pours there whole heart into finding the missing college student. They search endlessly through woods, swamps, lakes or whatever remote areas the community has. A lot of these people have kids the same age of the missing student. So they do everything in their power to find the missing college student.

Law enforcement coordinates all of the activity. They call the FBI, they put a helicopter in the air, and they coordinate search teams. They go door to door looking for the missing person.

Juanita: What makes college students so vulnerable?

Todd: I am a little older now but I was young once. I believe when you are young you believe you are invincible. That nothing bad can happen to me. I can handle anything that comes my way. But alcohol gives you a false sense of security. It also affects your judgment and I believe some of these college students were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Juanita: Todd, who should read your book?

Todd: I believe anyone who is concerned about past and future abductions of college students. I believe the age group should be at least 18 years old and up. It is not as graphic as today?s horror movies but there is some violent content in my book. But I wanted more of a storyline than blood and gore. I guess the readers will have to read the book and make their own mind up.

Juanita: Reading your book will undoubtedly bring insights for readers regarding protecting themselves. Can you give your readers a few tips on how to minimize the potential of becoming the victim of a predator?

Todd: I guess this brings up memories of me and my shipmates in the navy visiting foreign ports. My chief always said use the buddy system and never be alone. Also never drink to much alcohol where you lose all of your reasoning and judgment. Always tell someone when you are going to come home or where you are going. At least if something happens, they will have a starting point to look for you. Lastly, carry a cell phone. Though you may not have time to use it, if you see someone else being abducted, you can call 911 immediately.

Juanita: What type of research did you do to prepare for ?College Predator??

Todd: I read a lot of newspapers on missing college students from the past and the current abductions. I talked to a lot of people when I was in school regarding their thoughts about the missing college students. I went to few college parties myself and saw how drunk some of these students got. I researched and read some articles about some of the notorious serial killers that have been in America. I also listened to some interviews on CNN from the missing college student?s parents - they broke my heart.

Juanita: With all your research, did you get any type of understanding into the mind of a serial predator ? what motivates this behavior?

Todd: Juanita I am no expert, but I believe once these predators kill their first victim, the only thing that will stop them is being killed or being locked up in some maximum security prison. I believe they don?t have a normal conscious like most human beings. Predators are only happy when they are planning and then killing their next victim. Most of them even keep small trinkets from the victim so they can relive the abduction and murder.

Juanita: There seems to be a growing amount of information exposing predators in our society today. Why do you think this is?

Todd: I believe the American public is sick and tired of these scavengers on society. People on the whole are good, honest, hard working individuals. They are trying to raise their family and enjoy life because we are here for a very short time. Then some predator takes or murders their loved one and it turns their whole life upside down. People want to have freedom and security to walk the streets at night and not worry about some madman killing or hurting them.

Juanita: How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors?

Todd:I have a website http://www.toddhemmingbooks.com/. The website gives a bio of me and it also tells about my first book ?What I have learned since 1976.? It also gives a synopsis of ?College Predator: Missing College Students.? I have a guestbook on my website that visitors can sign. Also they can e-mail me at hemm64@hotmail.com. I will try and write everyone that e-mails me.

Juanita: Well Todd, we really appreciate you talking with us today. Are there any last thoughts you?d like to share with your readers?

Todd: Juanita, I want to say thanks again for the interview and I hope the readers really enjoy my book. If my book makes the difference in one life I will be satisfied. I believe there have been enough killings and abductions for now and forever. I hope and pray no more abductions take place. In closing, I would just like to remind everyone be safe and have a long and happy life.

Juanita Watson is the Assistant Editor for Reader Views. http://www.readerviews.com

Finite Capacity Scheduling
by Gerhard Plenert PhD and Bill Kirchmeir

I met Gerhard and talked with him for an hour at a customers office of one of our franchisees in Reno NV, which specializes in antique car restoration and maintenance. Gerhard was in the waiting room reading what may have been Steven Hawkins, so we began talking. Imagine my surprise to find he had worked with so many great companies in the early computer days and with the automotive industry and many other heavy Equipment Industries. Well since I had him there for 1 hour, I barraged him with questions from converting Space Energy (radiation and different light spectrums into energy for our planet), to taking his methods to the service industry. He too barraged me with questions on franchising, and later we talked about the status of expert and we both laughed when we found out we were both published in our fields of expertise. He admitted to writing books about his subject so I ordered one and it shocked me that it was $55.00 plus tax, after reading it, I was shocked that so much information on the reality of efficiency had ever been compiled in one place.

First off I would like to say that this book is not just for Manufacturing Executives. I believe this book should be read by our Military for infantry Logistics and moving forces into a hostile area for possible future engagement. It should be read by NASA who occasionally has missed appointments with Asteroids or launches. As NASA learns how to attain multi-dimensional space travel it will be imperative to be a the right place at the right time and to jump dimensions of space time otherwise it does not appear that travel beyond the speed of light will occur in our life time. Computers are here to stay and they can help us streamline efficiency and allow all business models to work in real-time. The new way of manufacturing will be FCS and not Infinite Scheduling Backwards Pass (ISBP). Many aspects of this book dealt with the implementing of such a system and also with the reality of change and the fear and roadblocks by conventional wisdomers.

Great Quote;

Newtons Law to manufacturing;

For every expert with a perfect solution there is an equal and opposite expert with a perfect solution.

Now, there in lies the problem. How to get there. We all want the same results in government, we want utopia. In Economics we want stabilization, in manufacturing we want the ultimate efficiency. So in US governments we have Democrats, Republicans and now we have CHADs. In Economics we have Friedman and Keynes. In manufacturing it use to be Deming and TQM vs. the old way of thinking. Today it is finite capacity scheduling (FCS) with software scenarios vs. other systems we have been taught, such as Material Requirements Planning (MRP). Supply Chain Management (SCM), Schedule Based Manufacturing (SBM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) all of which may appear to be viable on first glance and work for a limited purpose if all things are equal. However it does not appear that in the history of our Planet all things have ever been equal. In theory maybe, yet even on the most level of playing fields, they are skewed in one way or the other, by size, weight, strength, materials, wind, etc. There is always a variable or a gray area (thank god otherwise attorneys would all be out of work eyh?). Incidentally god did not make attorneys, otherwise they would still be arguing if Adam and Eve should receive belly buttons, and with no supreme court yet established to kick it back to a lower court the human race would never have come to be, during those last days before the rest. Or maybe god got so tired of dealing with attorneys he had to rest.

The book went into detail the cost to expedite a job, and to deliver on promises made by sales staff to acquire the order, which were impossible considering all the other promises, which were to be scheduled simultaneously. This caused over time and accidents and problems with compliance issues with many agencies and still did not get all the jobs done so the customer base was in constant attrition. In wartime you need to expedite everything and one of the reasons that we beat the Germans was because we built 96,000 aircraft to their 30,000 that last year of the war. It was not that we had better aircraft. They had equally brilliant minds on their side, and a hell of a head start. We of course had the desire to win. And we had the manufacturing and the resources as Germany was running out of everything. Charles Lindbergh warned us on his visit of the Luftwaffe and their incredible planes and weapons of war that the Germans already had pre-war (many called him a NAZI sympathizer, which is hard argue, but we should have still listened. He was definitely enthralled with their innovations). It truly was the manufacturing and the great American push to move mountains that won us the war. Everyone participated and helped in the war efforts. Breaking the backs of the Germans was not easy, breaking their manufacturing abilities and running them out of resources is what helped almost as much as the actual fighting. It will be hard to fight waving sticks when B-1 Bombers are flying overhead; because by the time you see them it is too late. Saddams army never had a chance since we had logistically won the war before it started. Many battles in history, even our own civil war was about train tracks, supply and troops moving and feeding armies. The South had factories but found it hard to match the output of the North. Larger Armies more guns, better stabilized currency. Innovation helped when they changed the bullets and muskets, which could shoot farther with better accuracy yet within months both sides had all the same technology. In WWII Germans were working on the hydrogen Bomb and so were we, at least Einstein in his letter to the president indicated he believed they were working on it when he asked for funding of the Manhattan Project.

Innovation in Manufacturing is important it helped Pirelli and Firestone and a few other tire manufacturers increased production and leap frogged other technologies. But in the end they all had the new technology and the real problem was who could build the most using the same technology. Cold War days, we simply out spent and bluffed our way into winning the cold war. We may have to do this again. We and the Russians both had the technology, and the resources, yet our great economic machine was too powerful, probably due to the productivity derivative of a capitalistic society vs. a communist one. Even though none of the last three paragraphs were in the book, it is necessary to further point out why this book is so important.

Another great quote in the book;

Behold the turtle who only makes progress when he sticks his neck out.

I believe that FCS is the solution to DaimlerCryslers dilemma in Europe. Many countries there and their citizens favor a customized car like a Dell computer delivered in less than 30 days. Not the one size fits all car, which has been Fords answer to profit taking in Europe. Tomorrow and todays new demands are for zero inventory and immediate delivery with maximum efficiency; this can all be achieved with FCS. It also can work in training of new Army recruits, Navy pilots, and third world dictators. I believe car wash guys can easily implement such a training version of FCS even though no one has ever done it before. I also believe that we can deliver real time services to our customers and allocate the necessary resources without wasting by GPS tracking, real time scheduling changes, labor, supplies, equipment and crews. There is no difference fundamentally between labor at a manufacturing facility and labor on a job site or multiple jobs sites for that matter. A computer does not cry when you add perimeters and does not need more food or coffee to run by the seat of its pants. It is not an emotional issue, it just is. Likewise a computer can calculate many equations simultaneously, many can easily do 10,000 possibilities per second. Still want to play chess with a computer? So does that mean the death of the entrepreneur?

Does that mean the Howard Hughes days of innovation and flying by the seat of your pants are done forever? No there will always be prototypes, with no parts available yet, but what it does mean is that the entrepreneur can see his dreams come to fruition better because they may actually make a profit. Does it mean that there will be no more defective units? No, there will always be defective parts from manufacturers who rely on sub parts, which are not built in the same way. In Taiwan many company have experienced up to 35% more productivity by only changing to the methodology of Finite Capacity Scheduling. So for America to complete its productivity without affecting its bottom line we simply produce more with the same amount of labor and manufacturing abilities. Think of it. Even if the dollar is strong a shit we can still sell for less because we are producing more with the same fixed base costs. This means we can beat everyone still.

Let the innovators innovate and the manufacturing Schedulers schedule using FCM systems and we will increase our output and win, even if we are all using the same secrets stolen from our scientific communities. The book refers to Peter Drucker who stated that the true measure of productivity is the output per unit of time given the finite resources. Yes I believe this to be and have always said the money is in the time and not the completed job.

This should be obvious to anyone who has bid a job to low and later completed the job quicker than anticipated due to a new method of operation discovered upon commencing of the job. Sometimes it takes a few times to see how to actually do the work and then refine the technique, in actuality you are performing manual Finite Capacity Scheduling even though it is the most elementary part of the actual FCS model. Now add jobs, labor, and resources to the equation and then try to factor in all the materials and times the materials, soaps, supplies, etc are needed and what do you have? A complex mess, which requires lots of thought and time.

Lance Winslow