The Night Mail

[SM42]

10 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Not to mention the enormous influence of social media these days, especially upon the young, whose future is tied to political outcomes, but who are often politically apathetic for good reason.....

 

Social media is s very effective tool I agree. 

 

I consider myself to be reasonably well seasoned on spotting BS, but even I find myself taking "facts" expressed on line as the truth. 

 

Thankfully I catch myself doing it and realise I'm assigning "fact" to some random assertion an anonymous person had posted.

 

It's so easy to do. 

 

I wonder how many just take what they read at face value. 

 

Andy

[Happy Hippo]

2 minutes ago, SM42 said:

 

Social media is s very effective tool I agree. 

 

 

 

It may be, but it's bloody useless when compared to a new tin of fresh flower and a decent brush and roller combo.

 

Ditto digging a deep hole in a flower bed.  What you really need is a spade and a wheelbarrow, not an influencer who is doing a paid promotion for JCB.

[Winslow Boy]

2 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

It may be, but it's bloody useless when compared to a new tin of fresh flower and a decent brush and roller combo.

 

Ditto digging a deep hole in a flower bed.  What you really need is a spade and a wheelbarrow, not an influencer who is doing a paid promotion for JCB.

Do you mean there's a difference. I'm shocked. Truly shocked. You shouldn't be allowed to make such false statements. Good heavens what every next. You'll be saying the earth's not flat next. 

 

Yours of the edge of the earth Manutopea.

[jjb1970]

If a story is genuinely important to you then I think the only thing is to do your own research looking for source documents and reports if possible. I often read news stories about the UN say's this or some politician said that or an incident investigation say's that and when I go to the reports referenced or find a copy or recording of the full comment the story as reported is at best out of context and misrepresenting it, at worst deliberate and dishonest. Especially when there's a click bait quote which is really outrageous, most politicians are clever enough not to say something completely ridiculous and as often as not when placed in context the quotes are nothing like as silly as reported. Two classic examples in British politics are Margaret Thatcher's comment about society and Michael Gove's comment about experts. People might not agree with either hen read in context and that's absolutely fine but they should be read in full rather than snipping or misquoting.

[jjb1970]

Where doing your own reading is especially true is reading papers and reports. I regularly read reports in the media that such and such a report demonstrates this or that, when it does no such thing.

[Happy Hippo]

The national service scheme is going to have about as much impact as the much lauded 'Big Society plan from some years back.

 

All p*ss and wind with no real thought as to the practicalities of setting it up and then administering it.

 

From what I can gather it is going to be on a volunteer basis and those that refuse will not be punished for refusing.

 

 

 

[Happy Hippo]

7 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Do you mean there's a difference. I'm shocked. Truly shocked. You shouldn't be allowed to make such false statements. Good heavens what every next. You'll be saying the earth's not flat next. 

 

Yours of the edge of the earth Manutopea.

When hippos rule the world, we will will apply our considerable weight to the issue of the earth not being flat.

 

By the time we have finished stamping and rolling around, it will be!

[Oldddudders]

2 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

The national service scheme is going to have about as much impact as the much lauded 'Big Society plan from some years back.

 

All p*ss and wind with no real thought as to the practicalities of setting it up and then administering it.

 

From what I can gather it is going to be on a volunteer basis and those that refuse will not be punished for refusing.

And it would cut right across the present policy of getting as many young people into further and higher education. Qualis matter more now than ever before, in a narrowing job market.

[jjb1970]

The system here is that boys do their two years in the armed forces, Police or civil defence force (paramedic and fire fighting service) either after GCSEs or A levels/IB before going to college or university depending on whether they remain in education. It means boys lose two years relative to girls, though they get some of that back from the value the society places in having completed national service.

[Happy Hippo]

1 minute ago, Oldddudders said:

And it would cut right across the present policy of getting as many young people into further and higher education. Qualis matter more now than ever before, in a narrowing job market.

I believe when National Service was in last in full swing, and was compulsory, education was taken into account.

 

Those that had a place at University could go and take their degree and then carry out their military service afterwards. Other further education courses were afforded the same privilege

 

There were also differing types of service.

 

Alan and Tom Hill were both GWR apprentices, and on finishing their apprenticeships, were offered the option of working in the Merchant Marine for four years rather than the NS of 3 years.  They were also guaranteed their jobs back with the railway when they finished with the merchant service.  They both enjoyed the work mainly on coasters, and both ended up as Chief Engineers.

 

I don't know what Tom did but Alan was quite happy to return to the railway, and BR, true to their guarantee, re employed him after a considerable time gap.

 

Br2975 will remember Alan from his frequent visits to Canton Depot.

[polybear]

1 hour ago, Happy Hippo said:

The national service scheme is going to have about as much impact as the much lauded 'Big Society plan from some years back.

From what I can gather it is going to be on a volunteer basis and those that refuse will not be punished for refusing.

 

So little different to how it is now then?

Join the:

Army Cadets

Air Cadets

Sea Scouts

Oodles of Charities to volunteer for.

[Northmoor]

6 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

So little different to how it is now then?

Join the:

Army Cadets

Air Cadets

Sea Scouts

Oodles of Charities to volunteer for.

"Compulsory Volunteering" is surely an oxymoron?  It has some rather unfortunate precedents in many parts of Europe.

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Compulsory Volunteering" is surely an oxymoron? 

Not sure if policy was being made up as it went along but there has been a suggestion that public service careers would not be available to those who had avoided the national service, just like the plot in Starship Troopers!

[Happy Hippo]

3 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Not sure if policy was being made up as it went along but there has been a suggestion that public service careers would not be available to those who had avoided the national service, just like the plot in Starship Troopers!

We used to parody that song:

 

'I lost my *rse to a Paratrooper, he whopped me up my hyperspace....'

[jjb1970]

Making policy up on the hoof, wot could possibly go wrong?

 

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

When hippos rule the world, we will will apply our considerable weight to the issue of the earth not being flat.

 

By the time we have finished stamping and rolling around, it will be!

Couldn't you just go and stand at the edge and wait for it to bend.

[rockershovel]

The "National Service" thing is like the Rwanda Bill... check the actual numbers involved, it's totally inconsequential 

[jjb1970]

22 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Not sure if policy was being made up as it went along but there has been a suggestion that public service careers would not be available to those who had avoided the national service, just like the plot in Starship Troopers!

 

Pretty much the social credit idea which we are told demonstrates the evilness of China then. 

[Happy Hippo]

12 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

Couldn't you just go and stand at the edge and wait for it to bend.

I'm going to jump up and down on the top, because as it flattens the edges get further out.

[Tony_S]

11 minutes ago, jjb1970 said:

 

Pretty much the social credit idea which we are told demonstrates the evilness of China then. 

Isn’t the RMweb “reputation” score a similar scheme?

[jjb1970]

On a matter of infinitely greater importance I am pondering whether or not to buy a model of a JNR DD11 diesel shunter in the rather nice vermilion livery. The model highlights a quirk of auto translate, the model is by the Japanese company  More (commissioned from one of the Korean manufacturers). Despite the name on the box being More, in Roman characters, autotranslate from Japanese results in it being Moa.

[Dave Hunt]

17 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I've been invited to take PN to the Telford RMG one day exhibition this coming October.

The venue is about 3 miles from where we live, so is not a very early start or far to travel.

 

There is a spare operator slot for DH if he wants it.

 

Provisionally (and as long as there is cake) yes but it depends when in October, which is a month that often sees us booked up.

 

DaveI

[Dave Hunt]

9 hours ago, polybear said:

 

DH has a reputation to protect......🤣

 

I see it as an opportunity to carry out some much needed crimson lake missionary work in this heathen (Greasy Wet and Rusty) part of the country Bear.

 

Dave

[J. S. Bach]

Speaking of National Service, President Kennedy started the U.S. Peace Corp in 1961 which (although really was not set up to be) was an option to the draft. It must have been successful as it still functions 63 years later.

 

https://www.peacecorps.gov/

 

 

EDIT: And the draft is history (so far).

 

 

Edited May 27 by J. S. Bach

[Dave Hunt]

Believe me that the last thing the RAF will want is twelve months national servicemen in its ranks. The chances of any of them reaching a useful degree of knowledge and training in under twelve months so they could be of use for any appreciable time is about the same as a whelk in a supernova and all it would do would be to take up the time and effort, as well as funds, from those who can be of much better use.

 

Dave