Letters to the Editor:- "Have you ever been in a quiz in the
pub?"
"HAVE any of
your readers ever been in a quiz in the pub or at work and thought that
the correct answer and the best answer to a question are not
necessarily the same thing?
I can recall examples of this, such as:-
Question:-
Which Australian landmark was designed by a Danish architect and
opened in 1973?
Correct answer:- Sydney Opera House. Best answer heard Ayres Rock. Or;
Question:-
Which is the most famous aria from Puccini's 1926 opera Turandot?
Correct answer:- Nessun Dorma. Best answer heard Just One Cornetto.
There is a deep reservoir of amusing ignorance out there that
deserves to be brought to the public's attention. It doesn't
automatically equate to stupidity, after all, the Ayers Rock answer
was only about 550 million years out.
We are compiling a book on the subject and are interested in any
examples of this that readers of your letters page may have come
across.
Please email us at the address below with any corkers you may have
heard, intentional or otherwise, first or second hand, along with
the name of the establishment in which the quiz was staged, the
town, the county and, if known, the correct answer.
Any amusing quiz related anecdotes in general are also welcome,
especially if they concern inept quiz masters. We will not name
individuals.
Your assistance is greatly appreciated." Donald Sinclair / Tony Gillan
Donaldsinclair1@aol.com
Donald Sinclair /
Tony Gillan,
4 Cedric Crescent,
Barnes
Sunderland,
SR4 7QP Phone:-
0191 5671783. |
Can
business afford not to have HR help?
"Employers often
lose, even if they win employment cases" says former
Employment Minister
A new website
established by former Employment Minister Phillip Oppenheim aims to
help small and medium businesses with employment regulation at far
lower cost than employment law firms.
Employment regulations are now one of the biggest brakes on British
business according to several recent surveys, the regulations
employers have to abide by have increased exponentially since 1997
and the cards are often stacked against employers. That may be
a big headache for large firms, but at least they can afford
in-house HR professionals or top employment lawyers to fight their
corners. It's not so easy for small and medium businesses,
according to former employment minister Phillip Oppenheim, who
founded the
website to
help.
"There's a maze of regulations which employers have to get
right, or they're automatically in the wrong. Most smaller
businesses cannot afford an in-house HR professional. And if things
go wrong, their friendly local lawyer will almost certainly not have
the expertise and will just pile on the costs by passing the brief
onto an expensive barrister." said Phillip Oppenheim.
Employers "lose, even if they win"
"That makes fighting an employment case disproportionately
expensive. It becomes a
lose-lose for many employers, even if they win. What employersfriend.com does is first to reduce the risk of an
employment claim by giving employers a quick reference in layman's
language, with downloads of crucial contracts and letters." says Phillip Oppenheim.
"Use the system, don't lose by it"
"Employersfriend.com also advises how to tackle any claims and
reduce the impact in time and money, without necessarily using
expensive lawyers. Employment tribunals are user-friendly to
employers and they should not be afraid of using them if they have a
reasonable case." says Phillip Oppenheim. |