Comments on: Conrad Black

By: dodgyknees

dodgyknees — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 18:45:00 +0000

Re: Steven_L said: “…protocol…”

Read “The Rats of NIMH”? It strikes me that most people love puzzles, and some of them think you can extend that to all spheres of human interaction, including work. Conflicting demands, as shown by Skinner et al, leave lesser-brained creatures helpless, unable to make any choices at all. If you could apply that to human behaviour you’ve got your robots – but the point is we aren’t lesser-brained, so fight back with actions that mirror theirs. We’re all human. Tell them what’s what, and spread the word! Bad work practices left unchecked and unmentioned spread like cancer. No company likes it to be known they suffer from poor administration which dents confidence and, more importantly, profits.

With regards to mental ill-health, the reason why it’s increasing is the broadening of the spectrum of what’s considered to be mentally unhealthy, which is part of the movement to prevent mental ill-health in the first place, mainly on grounds of cost. Get them early enough, I suspect is the logic, and hey presto! problems solved.

But little doubt a crippling lack of self confidence is a major factor in underachievement (which can become pathological) – so address it by giving people the confidence that their own efforts will reward them through learning from experience, and sussing out what is shoddy by teaching them to be objectively self critical, thus automatically capable of objective (and constructive) criticism of others. Who knows, this may eventually enable them to look a manager in the eye and tell them what is what, and win the argument…There’s no magic wand that will solve it, just plain dogged determination and sheer bloody-mindedness (or persistence if you prefer).

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By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 15:19:34 +0000

Joe Gill

yay to your first point but your second… – what about the vote?

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By: nasrin azadeh

nasrin azadeh — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 14:46:08 +0000

Something meant to be – I have just been able to tune in Radio Oxford after one year and the music was playing “something meant to be and cant help falling in love with you.” Isnt this amazing.

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By: idlex

idlex — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 19:35:32 +0000

Oi, we think to ourselves, what about me? Why am I just a drudge, a wage slave,…?

Hang on a mo’. Who’s writing this?

Is this Boris the common man, wearily cycling miles to work every morning between the enviable Hansom cabs trotting past, to take his place as some drudge at the benches of the work-house of Poorly Men, and scrawling mostly-rejected pamphlets by candlelight at night to supplement his meagre earnings, while the trouble and strife boils up the oxtail giblet soup yet again downstairs over the coal fire in the rat-infested scullery, and the ragged children fight over who gets to sleep in the single straw-palleted bed tonight?

I thought so.

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By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:21:39 +0000

I say old chap, were you sitting on the opposition benches on the day Gorgon Brown treated us to a live display of picking his bogeys and eating them? Beware of the “pick and flick” I say and never shake hands with the new “dirty digger”!

It seems the French have already been treated to a display of Gorgon’s eating habits on TV. Old Sarko will be turning the French presidency down if he realises he has to get up close to the grumpy green giant.

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By: joe gill

joe gill — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 14:49:33 +0000

Solution to all this materialistic, advertising imposed status anxiety? Take up a musical instrument or singing – it’s the best solution to melancholy and it is its own reward. Oh, and don’t vote Tory or New Labour, ever.

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By: Peter Moronson

Peter Moronson — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:38:11 +0000

Yes, I think I need to go and lie down. Here, boy!

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By: Stephen Jones

Stephen Jones — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:34:25 +0000

Congratulations Boris. The only thing that improves the oh-so-English feeling of Schadenfreude is a traditional tipple of Liebensfraumilch.

And when it happens to your ex-boss!

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By: F0ul

F0ul — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 09:21:21 +0000

What a fantastic piece of writing!

It is so true – uncomfortably vulgar, but too true for words!

Greener grass is a simple analogy but the truth is, we much prefer to aim for something than to actually get said item.

However, learn to be content, and the world is your lobster!

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By: Robert Morgan

Robert Morgan — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 15:34:20 +0000

The only reason I used to shake the packet was to find the toy!

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