Useless information #2- Famous Accountants - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

Spamkebab · Expert

Useless information #2- Famous Accountants

Spamkebab · Expert

Shaun, you might want to check out Knowhere.com.

There seems to be some comparison going on between Manchester and Birmingham and who is the 'Second City' lol. I just stumbled across it although

i do know of the website.

It may not be your cup of tea but it made me giggle

http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Birmingham/West-Midlands/Midlands/info/worstthings

http://www.knowhere.co.uk/Manchester/Greater-Manchester/Northern-England/info/worstthings

As for 'Off piste' my initial intentions were genuine lol.

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Monday 5th of November 2012 03:49:26 PM

Amanda · Expert

Sorry not the brummy accent for me!!!! They all sound so 'thick', excluding you of course Shaun, and any other fellow bookkeepers out there. I just find the accent a little boring and sounds like they always need to blow their nose.

I've known a few over time, and us southerners in the office use to take the p@*% out of their accents.

Anyway thought it was London the capital!

I'm not from London in case you are wondering, but I am a southerner, in fact Howard Jones, Benny Hill, were in my area. You young bookkeepers on the site will be saying whos that?..........

-- Edited by Amanda on Monday 5th of November 2012 04:59:59 PM

Spamkebab · Expert

Been at the cooking sherry again Timbo? lol

At least she didn't have a thing for Benny Hill Steve lol.

-- Edited by Spamkebab on Monday 5th of November 2012 05:54:09 PM

TRAINING LINK · Senior Member

Lol I see it is Brummie time again, the quarterly debate. Manchester are in for it up for it mad for it and Brummies according to Amanda have the worst accent in the history of accents, of course accents are a regional thing and for me scouse has to be the worst especially scouse women but as a born and bred brummie BKNers need to understand Birmingham is the second city and Amanda we all have these accents to hide the fact we are all members of mensa, after all was it and is it not a Brummie who runs BKN and BookCert as in Steve Hillman? Birmingham 1 rest of the UK 0. lol

Dave

Of course the 2nd edit confirms that bred is not spelt bread and you dont need to be a good speeilerrr to be a member of MENSA lol

-- Edited by TRAINING LINK on Monday 5th of November 2012 07:00:45 PM

-- Edited by TRAINING LINK on Monday 5th of November 2012 08:17:42 PM

Spamkebab · Expert

I love reading John Grisham as most of his books are based on real life events.

1. John Grisham. While this red-hot novelist is well known for being a lawyer prior to his writing career, what is less well known is the fact that his first degree was in Accounting from Mississippi State University. It wasnt until later that he went to law school and watched a 12-year-old rape victim testify and inspire his first novel.

2. Kenny G. The famous soprano saxophone player graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Washington with a degree in accounting. Although hed already been playing semi-professionally since high school, he wasnt sure hed make in the music world so accounting seemed like a much safer bet.

3. Bob Newhart. This funny man got his first job out of the army working as an accountant in downtown Chicago. He claims to have invented his own system for balancing the petty cashwhen the drawer was short, he replaced any missing money from his own pocket. When his boss accused him of not using sound accounting practices, he decided to try something else. Ironically, it was while he was working as an accountant that he began doing his famous telephone routines.

4. Gibby Haynes. It might be hard to believe, but this outrageous lead singer of the hot punk band The Butthole Surfers went to Trinity University and earned his degree in accounting. In fact, he was captain of the basketball team, president of his fraternity, and was voted Accounting Student of the Year. After graduating, he worked for over a year at an accounting firm before starting the band.

5. Tim DuBois. You might not know this name right off the bat, but hes known as The Singing Accountant. Hes written many a hit country song, including Love In The First Degree, She Got the Goldmine, I Got The Shaft and the Vince Gill hit When I Call Your Name. While currently the head of Arista Records, he taught accounting at Owen University for many years.

6. Walter Diemer. Another name you might not recognize, he worked as an accountant for the Fleer Corporation in the 1920s. But in his spare time he tinkered with recipes until he invented a little something we know today as Bubble Gum.

7. J. P. Morgan. This famous financier and banker began his early career as an accountant on Wall Street. But after his father died and left him the family business, J.P. Morgan went on to become a banking and corporate pioneer. He began buying distressed businesses, in particular railroads, and merging thema common business practice still today.

8. Walter L. Morgan. A name well known in the business world, Walter L. Morgan was a CPAand is considered the father of the mutual fund industry. His fundThe Wellington Fundbecame the flagship fund of the Vanguard Group, the second largest mutual fund company in the world. When he died in 2000 at the age of 102, he was the oldest living accountant and CPA.

9. Arthur Blank. Today best known for owning the Atlanta Falcons football team, he started his early career as an accountant. But he worked part-time in a hardware store and along with another employee went on to found Home Depot, the famous chain of hardware stores. This little company made him a billionaireand his accounting know-how taught him how to spend it.

10. Josiah Wedgewood. Yes, that Wedgewood, the famous potterhe invented what we now call Cost Accounting. Thanks to a lucky combination of an embezzling clerk and a depression, Josiah was forced to come up with a system of tracking bottom line costs and profit. He used this system to determine the costs of his product, and was only one of hundreds of potters to survive the depression.

NickCraggs · Guru

Hi,

When i was doing my teacher training we had to come up with someone famous in our fields. Most of the chefs and hair dressers came up with some vacuous fools who had probably been on big brother and not actually achieved anything, but i was told that as an accountant there probably wasn't going to be any famous accountants!

To be honest i did have to think but i came up with David Gill CEO of Man United (who obviously i would not lower myself to supporting) but he trained as an accountant and now deals with transfers for footballers for the (alledgedly) biggest club in the world, (cough, cough!)

Spamkebab · Expert

I wonder who started that rumour Nick lol.

Man Utd, i'd love to have the money they make from shirt sales, in Japan alone.

That's a really good example of a famous accountant.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Also Alan Freeman (the DJ)

And what about people who fell by the wayside on their way to a career in accountancy? I'll start the ball rolling on that one,

Eddie Izzard
Robert Plant (Led Zep)
Mick Jagger (Stones)
Janet Jackson

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

I've got a 14 years old brought up on Floyd, AC/DC, Zep, Skynard, Sisters, etc. and if he mentions any band member at school he just gets a blank stare.

I was including the names simply for our younger readers.

I'm going to regret asking this but whats the new picture of? I suspect it's Manchester but it looks a bit like St. Nicholas Square in Prague.

Spamkebab · Expert

Yeppers, 'Tis Christmas time in Manchester (The Capital city of England)

I wish it looked that cool at street level lol.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Now, I think that we all know that for its central position that would be Brum.

Also, if you want to take it on population there are 1,016,900 of us in brum (that have admitted to it!) and only 503,739 in Manchester.

Also, we talk proper.

Spamkebab · Expert

But if we go on cleverness Manchester is superior,

As you just pointed out, the population of Brum is dense lol.

And we have 10cc and of course The Hollies leading us into Crosby, Stills and Nash.

You give us Ozzy who dumped us with Sharon Osbourne.

God i'm depressed now.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Don't forget our Slade, Judas Priest, Tonni Lommi (Sabbath), Jeff Lyne, Stevie Winwood, UB40, Toyah Wilcox, Roy Wood, Duran Duran. And then there's Jasper Carrot, Tony Hancock, Felicity Kendal, Julie Walters and Triumph motorcycles, Birds Custard, Cadbury's, British Small Arms.

Surely by definition it's everyone else that is dense for not realising that Brum is the best place to be :)

Don Tax · Expert

Sources please Moderator biggrin only jokin.

If this is from Wikipedia then I have to think that a Yorkshireman compiled it -- Sheffield being bigger by population and Leeds is one and a half times the size! Of course, this is because if you walk 20 yards over the very central river Irwell, you are in the City of Salford.

Spamkebab · Expert

I did mention Sharon Osbourne didn't i?

I mean, how on earth can anything cover that up? If baby Jesus was born in Brum instead of Bethlehem it wouldn't wipe that smear away.

What ever happened to Jasper Carrot, i know he has his fingers in quite a few pies but for stand up he was untouchable and them insurance letters were just brill.

Julie Walters may just get you a pardon.

Spamkebab · Expert

How on earth Salford got City status i don't know, mind you so has Preston.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Jasper went into partnership with Chris Tarrrant in creating the worldwide Who wants to be a millionaire franchise and it's made them all very happy little puppies indeed.

On the Sharon Osbourne front, she's nowt to do with us. She's from Brixton down South. She had a short visitors pass to Brum but we then exported them both to Los Angeles.

Tim,

yep, just looked up Sheffield and its got a bigger population than Manchester.

Note for Brum I was only counting Brum whereas the reality is that you cannot really tell where Brum stops and Dudley, Walsall, Wolverhampton, etc. begin. So taken as a keep counting population till you spot tree's its a lot bigger than the million quoted (probably the bulk of the 5.5 million quoted for the West Midlands region)

Also, if you also count the people that the council don't know are there you could probably double it again! lol

Source is Evi.com. Haven't trusted wikipedia since the black death was spread by beavers handout that one of my boys teachers took directly off there! (and they wonder why schools are failing)

Spamkebab · Expert

And for any folks just tuning in, i hope you brought your ski's.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Off piste, lol.

Well, we do have three of the usual suspects in the thread.... Wonder when Steve will turn up.

Think that I need Stuart in this thread to back up my defense of Brum (where the sun always shines and the streets are paved with gold).

Don Tax · Expert

Quite accepted, Shaun. It's a hundred years since Manchester could claim to be the second city, and even then, Glaswegians would have had something to say about it. The fortunes of cotton went down just when cars became widespread.

Now, where's me salopettes :o)

Spamkebab · Expert

How could Glasgow claim to be the second capital city of England?

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

lol, not read all of either of them but the bits that I have seem to have a few truths in the humour.

Am I the only person in the world who finds the Birmingham accent attractive! Must be a born and bred here thing but there's nowt wrong with a lass with a sing song voice... Then again, from anyone outside the area they wouldn't know the various accents and we've got some of the worlds worst... Just not the central Brum one.

If ever you want to hear bad Midlands accents just watch the Jeremy Kyle show. Bound to be someone on from Cannock which appears to now become the Kyle show waiting room.... I really should move out but you get so much more house for your money here!

Spamkebab · Expert

My sister-in-law has a Brummie fetish, her last 2 fellas have both been from Brum.

Personally, i find myself drifting off into a deep sleep when her latest fella starts talking. It has to be the least threatening accent ever.

Hypnotic.

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Yer, that happens to me too... Then I wake up married and they've metamorphosised into their Mothers!

Darn those soft lyrical tones :)

Spamkebab · Expert

Maybe you should have moved...oh...i don't know...5 or 6 wives ago lol.

The percentages say that you must have slept half your life away lol.

Rhianrach · Expert

Amanda wrote:
Sorry not the brummy accent for me!!!! They all sound so 'thick', excluding you of course Shaun, and any other fellow bookkeepers out there. I just find the accent a little boring and sounds like they always need to blow their nose.

I've known a few over time, and us southerners in the office use to take the p@*% out of their accents.

Anyway thought it was London the capital!

I'm not from London in case you are wondering, but I am a southerner, in fact Howard Jones, Benny Hill, were in my area. You young bookkeepers on the site will be saying whos that?..........

-- Edited by Amanda on Monday 5th of November 2012 04:59:59 PM

Howard Jones was the man with crazy hair Benny Hill was just plain crazy. My sister had a thing for Howard Jones.

Don Tax · Expert

Spamkebab wrote:
How could Glasgow claim to be the second capital city of England?

We.... errr... no... it... wait... bugger. Shuffles off with tail between skis.

Spamkebab · Expert

Shaun started it

Don Tax · Expert

TRAINING LINK wrote:
.................. BKNers need to understand Birmingham is the second city .............

So in other words, London 1 - Birmingham 0

smile

TRAINING LINK · Senior Member

Don 1 Dave 0

And no effort????? I am humbled NOT lol

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Don Tax wrote:
TRAINING LINK wrote:
.................. BKNers need to understand Birmingham is the second city .............

So in other words, London 1 - Birmingham 0

The water levels are rising and Londons lower than Brum. We're not so much thinking second city here as natural progression :)

Birmingham 1 - London... what London!

Amanda · Expert

Dave - I forgot about the scouse women, god they are bad, in many ways as well as the accent!

Maybe I was being harsh on the bruumie accent, in my days of working in an office and we had another office in brum, from memory it was the people from the ''Black country' that had the worst accents! It was where all the industry took place years ago, not sure if there is still any about up there?

Over to you Shaun, that's my only bit on geography! Your now going to tell me that's where you are from!

Amanda · Expert

Whilst we are at it, do you brummies still say 'Bottle of pop'?

I worked with someone (a brummie) and instead of saying he was getting a can of 7 up or cocola, he would say bottle of pop. Us southerners always found it amusing when he said it!

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

Amanda wrote:
Whilst we are at it, do you brummies still say 'Bottle of pop'?

Act-choo-loi (lol), absolutely yes... What's wrong with that then.

Bottles of pop, crisp sandwiches, bannana custard. Our culinary wonders are so diverse I'm surprised we're not twinned with Paris wink (ooh, forgot, Balti's are from Brum as well).

At a risk of doing a Boris and alienating myself from all cities in the UK (except Brum of course) I have to agree on the Liverpool accent.

As with Brum though I'm sure that there are good and bad versions of the accent but as outsiders we just lump the whole lot in as a single accent. (In brum it seems there are some streets with different accents on either side of the road!).

TRAINING LINK · Senior Member

Now if I am ever in the Black Country I am told I am posh lol when I say a bottle of pop I mean a bottle of pop can honestly say that I have never said I am off for a bottle of pop and came back with a can lol. AM YOW ALRIGHT translates to are you OK. Lots of good things about Birmingham including the fact that Training Link and of course I reside there.

Well off to London today for the ICB Awards dinner, good luck to all nominees and hope to see some of you at the conference tomorrow, will update BKN Fantasy Football on Thursday.

Dave

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

TRAINING LINK wrote:
Well off to London today for the ICB Awards dinner, good luck to all nominees and hope to see some of you at the conference tomorrow

For non Midlanders I am now offering a translation service. The above in other parts of the country would read :

"Get your hands off that prize cos it's ours".

On the "Am Yow Alright" I can tell that you're closet posh Dave. That should read in the proper venacular "Am Yow Ar Roit ar kid?". lol

Best that I've heard was bumping into a young lady that I used to have a thing with, my wife of the time was with me and quite in shock my old girlfreind came out with "Yow hey his woife am ya?". (translation "OMG you've not married her have you!").... Always wondered, do women notice other women shoes or wedding rings first?

For all the talk of accents though there is no doubt that Midlanders generally are some of the most open hearted, freindly, accept anyone, wear their hearts on their sleeves bunch in the country and when I worked in London it used to give me a real feeling of pride as you come up the M6 (when I didn't take the M40/M42), over that hill and Brum is laid in front of you for as far as the eye can see.

Shaun.

p.s. joking aside, good luck at the Luca's Dave... If worst comes to the worst just remember this line "Just back away from the prize and nobody has to get hurt here".

gbm · Guru

Nice one Shaun, my wife's family are from Dudley (Dud-loi) and always thought "Am Yow" was highly entertaining!

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

gbm wrote:
Nice one Shaun, my wife's family are from Dudley (Dud-loi) and always thought "Am Yow" was highly entertaining!

Sure you've heard the phrase Nick but we refer to people from Dudloi as Yim Yams.

Lenny Henry used to do a sketch on the difference between Brum and Dudley.

If greeted by someone from Brum they will say "Wher'm yow gooin"

Some one from Dudloi will say "Cun Oi cum too"

Sounds better coming from Lenny Henry. lol.

all the best,

Shaun.

Amanda · Expert

Christ, need some translating!! Are we still on a UK forum?................

Shamus · Forum Moderator & Expert

becoming bi lingual is just one more site benefit Amanda :)