Dec 31, 2016, 11:30 am
Last edit by: tcook052
This new annual thread has been carved out of the previous thread in an effort to reduce the number of megathreads on the AC forum. For those interested previous versions are the original 2004 - 2014 thread , 2015 edition , and 2016 edition.
The original thread started by accident but quickly became a popular place to come and discuss off topic things such as hockey, new movies, or almost anything that wouldn't fit into existing AC forum threads. More Air Canada or Aeroplan topics such as flight feedback, in-flight services issues or mileage earning/redemption are all topics that should go into existing AC forum threads so others can benefit from this information. Topics about hotels or airlines and/or their loyalty programs or should be posted elsewhere on FT as should topics better suited to other forums such as Travel Products for questions about luggage or Travel Photography for discussion about cameras.
While the conversation is more relaxed as it would be in a lounge that doesn't mean however that the FT rules don't apply her as they definitely do so please refrain from controversial topics such as politics or religion, avoid profanities and treat other lounge patrons with the same respect you expect.
Sean Peever
FT Poster
The original thread started by accident but quickly became a popular place to come and discuss off topic things such as hockey, new movies, or almost anything that wouldn't fit into existing AC forum threads. More Air Canada or Aeroplan topics such as flight feedback, in-flight services issues or mileage earning/redemption are all topics that should go into existing AC forum threads so others can benefit from this information. Topics about hotels or airlines and/or their loyalty programs or should be posted elsewhere on FT as should topics better suited to other forums such as Travel Products for questions about luggage or Travel Photography for discussion about cameras.
While the conversation is more relaxed as it would be in a lounge that doesn't mean however that the FT rules don't apply her as they definitely do so please refrain from controversial topics such as politics or religion, avoid profanities and treat other lounge patrons with the same respect you expect.
Sean Peever
FT Poster
The Forum Lounge Thread (2017)
Mar 24, 2017, 4:04 am
#826
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: AC SE100K-1MM, NH, DL, AA, BA, Global Entry/Nexus, APEC..
Posts: 18,877
@Adam Smith
Thank you for a most enlightening series of posts. I learned more from you than my uni economics course. Had you only been my prof.....
Thank you for a most enlightening series of posts. I learned more from you than my uni economics course. Had you only been my prof.....
Mar 24, 2017, 6:05 am
#827
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: YKF
Programs: AC Elite 50K, Amex AP Plat, Choice Privileges, National Exec Elite, Via Prefrence
Posts: 2,996
Mar 24, 2017, 6:25 am
#828
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 2,494
My contribution to the economic discussion
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm a schizophrenic
and so am I
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm a schizophrenic
and so am I
Mar 24, 2017, 7:02 am
#829
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: YYZ, MNL, WAW
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Lifetime Plat, (now an AC nobody)
Posts: 1,978
"Small is the new big."
You missed a few other posts after that...(since been deleted), but the quote of the night remains, and shall forever remain in our memory when reading/ignoring kwflyer's posts.
kwflyer will forever be known as "small is the new big"
Last edited by CanRulez; Mar 24, 2017 at 7:13 am
Mar 24, 2017, 7:15 am
#830
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: PHX
Programs: AAexp, AC75k, HertzPC, NationalEE, Accor/MariottP, Hilton/HyattG
Posts: 3,614
I went from working for a very corporate(typical drink the koolaid, rah rah, we are the best corporate culture) fortune 500 company into a smaller, private company. Both had politics but I had a much better experience working for corporate. Small company was sooooo cheap and since it was so small, politics were even worse. Was hard to adjust to smaller expense accounts and not having information readily available to me. Plus their technology and way of conducting business was so far behind my last job. Management keeps blaming turnover on staff rather than looking at themselves lol... Can't do anything because owner friends with all the C-Suites. YMMV but I peronally had a terrible experience working for the smaller guys.
Mar 24, 2017, 8:00 am
#831
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: May 2002
Location: YEG
Programs: HH Silver
Posts: 56,449
Folks, the forum lounge thread is meant to have a little more latitude than other forum threads but even it has its limits so please play within them. Further snark exchange will result in post deletion and member discipline so if there are any personal beefs either let them go or contact a forum moderator. Now, go have a Friday.
tcook052
AC forum mod.
tcook052
AC forum mod.
Mar 24, 2017, 12:09 pm
#832
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Canada
Programs: AC E50k, A3*G, UA*S, MR Titanium, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold, NEXUS
Posts: 3,669
Hey Jack, did you see this one? I thought it was a parody https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1468031353215153&id=128765076 4586547
S/he's the premed we deserve, but not the one we need right now. Or ever
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1468031353215153&id=128765076 4586547S/he's the premed we deserve, but not the one we need right now. Or ever
Mar 24, 2017, 12:13 pm
#833
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,954
Hey Jack, did you see this one? I thought it was a parody https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...87650764586547
S/he's the premed we deserve, but not the one we need right now. Or ever
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...87650764586547S/he's the premed we deserve, but not the one we need right now. Or ever
Mar 24, 2017, 1:23 pm
#834
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,954
#FRIDAYFEELZ
Mar 24, 2017, 3:59 pm
#835
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,255
Jack, what's with your hate-on for Wall Street? Not everyone who works there is a shyster and it's a bit tiring to hear you drone on about it incessantly. There are shady people in every industry. Deal with it.
As for crashing the economy, it appears you lack an understanding of how banks work and what precipitated the financial crisis. There were plenty of hard-working people who did their jobs with integrity and didn't contribute a whit to the meltdown - the vast majority of the mess derived from the simple fact that too much money was lent too aggressively against real estate, especially residential real estate, in the US.
Ireland and Spain's problems largely stemmed from the same thing. For the Greeks, it was a matter of excessive government borrowing, but for the most part, it was US real estate that brought things crashing down.
A lot of that was built on faulty assumptions more than malice. There were some people who figured it out and continued to do crappy deals anyway, but most people were just trying to do their jobs.
The reason the Canadian banks didn't get caught up in it has a lot more to do with prudent regulations than it did any innate superiority of our bankers, moral or otherwise. In Canada, anyone with less than 20% for a down payment has to have their mortgage insured. If banks could have originated 105%, negative amortization subprime mortgages here, they might well have done so because the money was great.
So can we take a break from all the "scam street" vitriol for a couple days?
Big companies are rife with office politics, but small companies aren't immune.
Those who are supremely skilled in "human relations", as you put it, may navigate office politics more successfully than others, but the politics don't magically go away.
The only company that's truly free of office politics is a sole proprietorship.
As for crashing the economy, it appears you lack an understanding of how banks work and what precipitated the financial crisis. There were plenty of hard-working people who did their jobs with integrity and didn't contribute a whit to the meltdown - the vast majority of the mess derived from the simple fact that too much money was lent too aggressively against real estate, especially residential real estate, in the US.
Ireland and Spain's problems largely stemmed from the same thing. For the Greeks, it was a matter of excessive government borrowing, but for the most part, it was US real estate that brought things crashing down.
A lot of that was built on faulty assumptions more than malice. There were some people who figured it out and continued to do crappy deals anyway, but most people were just trying to do their jobs.
The reason the Canadian banks didn't get caught up in it has a lot more to do with prudent regulations than it did any innate superiority of our bankers, moral or otherwise. In Canada, anyone with less than 20% for a down payment has to have their mortgage insured. If banks could have originated 105%, negative amortization subprime mortgages here, they might well have done so because the money was great.
So can we take a break from all the "scam street" vitriol for a couple days?
Big companies are rife with office politics, but small companies aren't immune.
Those who are supremely skilled in "human relations", as you put it, may navigate office politics more successfully than others, but the politics don't magically go away.
The only company that's truly free of office politics is a sole proprietorship.
I went from working for a very corporate(typical drink the koolaid, rah rah, we are the best corporate culture) fortune 500 company into a smaller, private company. Both had politics but I had a much better experience working for corporate. Small company was sooooo cheap and since it was so small, politics were even worse. Was hard to adjust to smaller expense accounts and not having information readily available to me. Plus their technology and way of conducting business was so far behind my last job. Management keeps blaming turnover on staff rather than looking at themselves lol... Can't do anything because owner friends with all the C-Suites. YMMV but I peronally had a terrible experience working for the smaller guys.
Last edited by tcook052; Mar 24, 2017 at 4:33 pm Reason: merge posts
Mar 24, 2017, 4:39 pm
#836
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
I work for a mega corporation (100k+ employees). My previous two jobs were startups (<20 people, less than 4 years in business). I appreciate the fact that because there's now 30 layers of management between me and the top people, I don't have to show everyone that I'm drinking the kool-aid and buying into the "vision" and whatever. For all the levels of the company that I interact with regularly, it's just a job not a lifestyle. I come in, I do my job, I collect my paycheque and that's it.
Mar 24, 2017, 4:51 pm
#837
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: Only J via Peasant Points, 777HDPeasant or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance and Narcissism.
Posts: 5,954
On the topic of office politics....
Brutal expose by Recode. Civil War : UBER edition
http://www.recode.net/2017/3/24/1473...nick-civil-war
Brutal expose by Recode. Civil War : UBER edition
http://www.recode.net/2017/3/24/1473...nick-civil-war
Mar 24, 2017, 5:30 pm
#838
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,346
On the topic of office politics....
Brutal expose by Recode. Civil War : UBER edition
http://www.recode.net/2017/3/24/1473...nick-civil-war
Brutal expose by Recode. Civil War : UBER edition
http://www.recode.net/2017/3/24/1473...nick-civil-war
In a perfect autonomous car, I would expect it to do things that scare humans, because it can see things humans can't. An abrupt lane change, for example, because it looks like someone's going to rear end you. A human might say "no screw that", take over, and keep it in the lane. But that's not a flaw in the car.
Mar 24, 2017, 6:47 pm
#839
Moderator, Air Canada; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: YYC
Programs: AC SE MM, FB Plat, WS Plat, BA Silver, DL GM, Marriott Plat, Hilton Gold, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,775
Jack, you want a tech company to bet against, forget Snapchat and Twitter, Uber at a $70 billion valuation is nuts. If only it were public.
Mar 24, 2017, 8:55 pm
#840
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: YYZ, MNL, WAW
Programs: Marriott Titanium, Lifetime Plat, (now an AC nobody)
Posts: 1,978