But NO! that is not a typo. You're thinking of the film adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel, featuring a horribly mis-cast Peter Ustinov, aren't you? Well, no, we're not going there, but it does allow me to use a related illo. Art!
Nothing against Pete, a fine actor and raconteur, just not good for this role.
ANYWAY I bet you know nothing about industrial acoustic tile moulding, just as I didn't before I came across an example of Malicious Compliance on 'Ripe's Youtube channel. Let me disabuse you of anyone being killed in today's Intro, but there were a few narrow squeaks. Art!
That's a pretty meaty piece of ceiling decoration. The tale was narrated by Acoustic Tile Man, hereafter ATM. He explains at the start that these large, heavy panels need 'curing' at the right temperature and have to adhere to a very strict chemical combination, or the tiles shatter or warp in place. The chemicals involved are pretty toxic and dangerous in themselves. He developed a special process for curing acoustic panelling that made it lighter yet stronger than any competitors. Art!
Then he did a deal with
I mentioned a deal with Old Nick, tongue in cheek, as things continued merrily on their way for ten years, coining it in with ATM's industry-wide top tier panels.
Then CCC's CEO retired, and sold the business to a venture capital firm, which was very definitely a deal with the Devil, and all his minions, too. Art!
Enter VIPORG, or VIce President Of Operations, Gary. He was put into the workshop and had one aim: cut costs, by using AI and offshoring to cut costs, and did I emphasise cutting costs? 'Trimming the fat' as he elegantly put it. He was full of bright ideas about using AI to design the acoustic tiles, getting rid of ATM's team and - you may be ahead of me here - cutting costs. He had to be gently educated in how acoustic tile design worked. The next bee in his bonnet was outsourcing tile production to a factory in South-East Asia, in order to
This is how VIPORG saw ATM - as a 'gatekeeper' who was 'afraid of the future' and guilty of 'legacy overhead', and matters came to a head 6 months after VIPORG turned up. ATM came into work and found his gate access didn't work. Then he was called into a meeting with VIPORG and HR and sacked, alongside his entire department od thirty people. VIPORG, looking smug, and tweaking his moustache ends*, informed ATM that the acoustic panels were being outsourced to that Chinese firm at only 40% of his cost.
When ATM countered that CCC only retained Distribution rights, not Production rights, VIPORG merely insulted him, doubtless not having bothered to read the contract itself.
"I am ordering you to shut up and get out," were VIPORG's parting words.
So ATM complied, maliciously. You see, they - but I get ahead of myself. Art!
They enjoyed sleeping-in and fishing for two months, well aware of how long the Chinese firm would take to make the tiles from scratch. Then a competitor of CCC's hired ATM and his whole team.
Ten weeks post-firing, the container ship from China carrying the acoustic tiles arrived in the Port of Los Angeles, the tiles were offloaded, US Customs inspected them and, as per the letter and evidence ATM had sent them, seized them as illegal counterfeit goods. Millions of dollars-worth of product, all confiscated and unable to be sold.
VIPORG rang ATM, absolutely frothing with rage, screaming insults an demanding the goods be released.
ATM calmly informed him that his legal counsel was preparing a suit for copyright infringement, per unit, being applied to 5,000 units. Art!
CCC defaulted delivery on three sports stadia, whom promptly actioned the punitive clauses in their contracts and gouged the company, which cost them hundreds of thousands. The Chinese company rushed production of re-designed panels, hoping to get around the copyright issue, and air-shipped them over to avoid port seizure.
The rush meant QA was not properly done. Panels began failing and falling - hence today's title. These panels weighed up to three hundred pounds. No snowflakes they!
CCC's reputation instantly tanked. VIPORG was fired, possibly from a cannon. The company was hit by lawsuits from clients suffering from dud tiles. Two years after ATM being fired, CCC filed for bankruptcy. Or should that be 'tiled for bankruptcy'?
A Million Conspiracies Are Born
You will undoubtedly have heard of the gunman arriving, uninvited, at the White House Correspondent's Dinner, and the ensuing kerfuffle. Shots were fired in the reception area and matey was brought down without getting into the event space.
What's realllllly interesting is the reactions from the Secret Service and the police. Art!
Flat-Top here isn't mucking about, he grabs Just Dismal and physically drags him away, backed up by another agent. However, with King Piggy, it was measured at 15 seconds before he was dragged off his seat. So the title ought to be 'Vance and Trump' and I bet DJ Tango is irked about Vance getting priority.
There is more to come on this, O yes indeed!
Mordorvia Welcomes You To The Latest 'Mount Doom Installation'!
A picture can tell a thousand words, and this particular one manages a good hundred thousand of them. Art!
Whomever posted this is taking a risk, as the FSB doesn't like any publicity about successful Kozaky drone or missile strikes being put up on social media. Normally they would track down the location and bully the poster. For this one, I doubt they'll bother, because it's blatantly obvious that the Tuapse refinery is aflame, again. I'm frankly amazed there's anything left to burn. Art!
Being a resort city, you'd expect people to be heading there for holiday. Instead locals are being evacuated and the shoreline is coated with oil. It truly is the Black Sea.
And where is Bunker Midget Grandad? Nowhere to be seen.
A Little Gentle Shoeing
I only took a sidelong shot at Donnie Dorko in the Item above, so I'm going to put this one up there as well, because I'm horrid that way. Art!
That he wears adult diapers is well known, and it's rash to stand behind him at press conferences. The 'Daily Star' is hardly a beacon of outstanding journalism, so if even they are critical then the retirement home beckons. Art!
He looks as if he carries his own bathtub around with him. Reminds me of a certain cartoon character - Art!
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| I think they expand indefinitely |
Which is interesting but not amazing, in my opinion.
Giving Yestice
There was a pithy Comment on a Youtube channel I'd been watching, where the main focus had been on bottomhole manglement trying people taking leave. In South Canada, of course, as I've often remarked their managers seem to think employees are indentured slaves. Art!
Thank you AI Art Generator, for your interpretation of a bottomhole manager.
ANYWAY AGAIN, the Commenter's mother worked for a manager who continually denied her leave, because reasons stated above. He did this over many years, until she hit age 63 and went to inform him that her retirement date was in two years time. He was puzzled as to why she was informing him so far in advance; she told him she was taking all her accumulated leave from the next day onwards and would never be in the office again. Then left. Boss!
* He may have been clean-shaven but I'm adding this detail in. Because I can.
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