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This Week's Meaningless Topic #7 (Oct 24)


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Hi all. It's time again to refresh our Meaningless Topic. This week will take will combine childhood memories with adult accomplishments. Without further ado, let us get to it.

 

THIS WEEK'S MEANINGLESS TOPIC:  What advice that you received as a youngster carried over most helpfully into adulthood? (For me, it was my father's advice to "always give $1.10 worth of work for every $1.00 you are paid--you'll never be out of work."  Dad's gift of a good work ethic paid off many times.)

 

How about you? 

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5 hours ago, Rodger Pettichord said:

 "always give $1.10 worth of work for every $1.00 you are paid--you'll never be out of work."

 

Hello Rodger, that works where promotion and advancement are based on ability and hard work.

In most (all) of the UK's government departments, these days the ability to amass paper qualifications is key,

regardless of how bad one might be at actually doing the job.

Once in possession of the qualifications, the sky is the limit, as one is promoted higher and higher to be got rid of.

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2 hours ago, Nick Cooper said:

 

Hello Rodger, that works where promotion and advancement are based on ability and hard work.

In most (all) of the UK's government departments, these days the ability to amass paper qualifications is key, regardless of how bad one might be at actually doing the job.

 

Hey Nick, glad to see that the above does not apply to Orbx. Obviously the cream has risen to the top in the Moderator category. :)

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2 hours ago, Nick Cooper said:

 

Hello Rodger, that works where promotion and advancement are based on ability and hard work.

In most (all) of the UK's government departments, these days the ability to amass paper qualifications is key, regardless of how bad one might be at actually doing the job.

Once in possession of the qualifications, the sky is the limit, as one is promoted higher and higher to be got rid of.

Sadly Nick it is not only specific to the UK anymore, but sprinkled amongst the detritus , one comes across quality people who are competent, friendly, service orientated folks who more than compensate for the ones who aren't .  Every organization always has its "jewels"  in my experience. 

 

The problem is though that you often have to "kiss a lot of frogs" before you find them:rolleyes:  

 

Cheers

Pete

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29 minutes ago, Rodger Pettichord said:

Hey Nick, glad to see that the above does not apply to Orbx. Obviously the cream has risen to the top in the Moderator category. :)

Couldn't agree more :) 

 

As the consummate professional , Nick  @Nick Cooper  always handles every thing he does with skill , respect and good humour . He makes what he does look so easy even though it is one of the hardest challenges in any organization. It is wonderful to see that his colleagues are to a person cut from the same cloth as well.:)

 

Cheers

Pete

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How true Nick. And not just with government jobs. I worked for 30+ years at what was once the largest company in the world and it was no different there. That said, one of the fastest paths to promotion was to quietly screw up a really important project. Then ride in loudly on your white horse and fix the problem you just caused..............Doug

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A wise mentor once told me to "be careful of the individual who tells you of all of the problems he has solved without coming to you, he probably created most of the problems!" Over my working life I have too often seen this to be true.

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12 hours ago, Nick Cooper said:

 

Hello Rodger, that works where promotion and advancement are based on ability and hard work.

In most (all) of the UK's government departments, these days the ability to amass paper qualifications is key,

regardless of how bad one might be at actually doing the job.

Once in possession of the qualifications, the sky is the limit, as one is promoted higher and higher to be got rid of.

Totally agree Nick. In the Australian bank I worked for over the last twenty years or so before I retired in 2015, because of a lack of banking experience from grass roots, if you had that experience you were kept in the current position "to do the actual work" whilst the graduates with the "paper" experience advanced. They did not even stay in a current position long enough for all their mistakes to be found out.

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My Dad advised me to get a job on the factory floor where he had started.  That, I knew was bloody hard work so I got an office job instead and did office managerial work until I retired.  My Dad finally retired as the Factory Manager so he didn't too bad either.  Just shows there are many ways to do things successfully.

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"Don't be humble, you are not that great" :) I like this one a lot, it's from Golda Meir

 

5 hours ago, W2DR said:

My daddy telling me that life was too short to dance with ugly women. That can be applied to a lot of things.

That's funny, my dad once told me a similar thing: life is too short to drink cheap wine :rolleyes:

 

 

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'if it can't kill you don't worry about it' was something we were told in the army....

 

also to break fear down, example, if you are going to an appointment where there could be bad news don't be fearful today, nor in the morning, not on the journey...you are in no danger...worry when you sit in front of the doc / boss / lawyer etc....good advice I remember.....

 

oh and the 7 P's that my daughters still now quote to their partners - Prior Planning & Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance....

 

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On 10/24/2020 at 11:41 PM, Rodger Pettichord said:

Hi all. It's time again to refresh our Meaningless Topic. This week will take will combine childhood memories with adult accomplishments. Without further ado, let us get to it.

 

THIS WEEK'S MEANINGLESS TOPIC:  What advice that you received as a youngster carried over most helpfully into adulthood? (For me, it was my father's advice to "always give $1.10 worth of work for every $1.00 you are paid--you'll never be out of work."  Dad's gift of a good work ethic paid off many times.)

 

How about you? 

 

My Grandfather gave me the best advice and I use it all day, everyday.

 

Do not involve feelings with the truth and the pleasures honesty brings. Always be honest regardless of other peoples feelings. But try to be empathetic at the same time.

 

I believe this advice has served me well, especially for gaining and retaining employment. 

 

As for friends, not so much.

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3 hours ago, wain71 said:

'if it can't kill you don't worry about it' was something we were told in the army....

 

also to break fear down, example, if you are going to an appointment where there could be bad news don't be fearful today, nor in the morning, not on the journey...you are in no danger...worry when you sit in front of the doc / boss / lawyer etc....good advice I remember.....

 

oh and the 7 P's that my daughters still now quote to their partners - Prior Planning & Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance....

 

Ok, be honest, how many of you decided to count the "P" words?:P

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Coming a little late here for once 

During the war (WW2) getting hold of a packet of fags in the UK was like pulling teeth

 

I was with my Mam when she went into a shop that had a notice on the counter that read

 

"No Cigarettes - please do not ask" ------  Mam said -   "20 Woodbines please"

 

The owner said - "We Have None - Can' t you Bl@##y well read "

 

Mam said - "Aye! - of course I can --- but I can't see under the Blo#$y counter !!

 

The owner said - "OK here's a packet of 10 for your cheek'

 

outside the shop - she turned to me - 7 years old - That will teach you 

 

That you will never get far in life if you let " Them" tread on you         

 

Try to envisage the whole thing in a Lancastrian dialect       :D                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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9 hours ago, John Heaton said:

Coming a little late here for once 

During the war (WW2) getting hold of a packet of fags in the UK was like pulling teeth

 

I was with my Mam when she went into a shop that had a notice on the counter that read

"No Cigarettes - please do not ask" ------  Mam said -   "20 Woodbines please"

The owner said - "We Have None - Can' t you Bl@##y well read "

Mam said - "Aye! - of course I can --- but I can't see under the Blo#$y counter !!

The owner said - "OK here's a packet of 10 for your cheek'

outside the shop - she turned to me - 7 years old - That will teach you 

That you will never get far in life if you let " Them" tread on you         

Try to envisage the whole thing in a Lancastrian dialect       :D                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Wonderful story, John. Cheeky! :lol:

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That reminds me.  After WW2 we still had the air raid shelter my Dad had dug into the garden and my Mum used it to store odd and ends in.  Anyway, I was quite friendly with the girl next door about the same age as me and we got talking about smoking.  Both her parents smoked and so did mine.  Anyway, I asked her if she had tried it;  "No bloody fear." She said.  My Dad would kill me.  Cut the story shorter, we saved our pocket money and I went to the corner shop and bought 10 'Surf', the cheapest available.  Then we waited.

 

When both sets of parents were out, although I was a bit uncomfortable Joan reckoned this would be the best chance we'd have to practice,  so I purloined a box of matches from our kitchen and we went down there.  She said; "You light up first."  so I struck the match and touched end the cigarette in my mouth and sucked in.  It gave me an immediate uncontrollable coughing fit and expelled the lighted cigarette on to the blankets on the bunk which immediately started smoldering.

 

Joan, good friend that she was, screamed with laughter and immediately scrambled up the steps and out of the shelter.  By this time there were flames and I had nothing to put them out with except the almost uncontrollable urge to pee.  So I did the obvious and the fire was soon out and so was I.  I then strolled down the garden as if I was just coming from the grass bank at the back of our garden.

 

A  few days later I heard my mum talking to Joan's across the fence.  She said;  "You know I store some old bedding down the shelter Flo'.  I went down there yesterday intending to give it an airing and I only found that some of it was burned.  I reckon one of those bloody tramps came down off the bank and dossed down there one night and set it on fire!  I dread to think how he put it out!  Anyway, I've taken it all out now and given it to the 'rag 'n bone' man!  I've asked Bert to padlock the door now until he digs it all out."

 

So the story ended happily ever after and Joan and I continued our friendship until we were parted when her and her family went to live elsewhere.

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On 10/26/2020 at 10:58 PM, John Heaton said:

Coming a little late here for once 

During the war (WW2) getting hold of a packet of fags in the UK was like pulling teeth

 

I was with my Mam when she went into a shop that had a notice on the counter that read

 

"No Cigarettes - please do not ask" ------  Mam said -   "20 Woodbines please"

 

The owner said - "We Have None - Can' t you Bl@##y well read "

 

Mam said - "Aye! - of course I can --- but I can't see under the Blo#$y counter !!

 

The owner said - "OK here's a packet of 10 for your cheek'

 

outside the shop - she turned to me - 7 years old - That will teach you 

 

That you will never get far in life if you let " Them" tread on you         

 

Try to envisage the whole thing in a Lancastrian dialect       :D                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Will's Woodbines and Players Capstan were our cigarettes of choice as a youngster in Scotland in 1950.

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When I was overseas in the army we used to get a tin of 50 cigarettes each week with our pay!  We turned our noses up if we didn't get Senior Service or Players No.1.  Anything cheaper or smaller would go to the Char-Walla in part payment for what was owed!

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8 hours ago, olderndirt said:

Will's Woodbines and Players Capstan were our cigarettes of choice as a youngster in Scotland in 1950.

Just in case the youngsters and non Pommes are wondering what woodbines were - 

here they are with another blast from the past

 

As wartime kids we cut up the front of the pack along all straight lines and jumbled them around in a jigsaw

Woodbines and Capt Webb.jpg

Woodbine Packet.jpg

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John Heaton, is that your lipstick on the ciggie?:P Packets of 10, all us school kids could afford them. 1966 pack of 10 Viscount   20c (2 shillings Australian). But the tobacco companies never targeted children:rollmyeyes:.

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1 hour ago, Bassman said:

John Heaton, is that your lipstick on the ciggie?:P Packets of 10, all us school kids could afford them. 1966 pack of 10 Viscount   20c (2 shillings Australian). But the tobacco companies never targeted children:rollmyeyes:.

 

Bassman 

 

nahh!!!! - it were my mam's 

 

BTW that pic is a packet of 5 Woodbines - which being a poor kid was more affordable and/or - 

easier to hide in the pants pocket when it was nicked from the newsagents :)

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