Posted on 10/10/2012 9:22:07 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Machine tool gets hero treatment in N. Korea
A lathe was awarded one of North Korea's highest civilian honors for operating at full capacity over half a century.
By TechNewsDaily
Who says that a country's heroes have to be human? North Korea has bucked the trend by recently awarding a lowly machine tool with some of the highest honors and titles it can bestow.
The authoritarian Communist country's official news service announced that "Lathe No. 26" had received the title "labor hero of the DPRK" (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and the "First Class of the Order of National Flag." That odd news item published on Oct. 4 was discovered and publicized in a Gawker post.
But the machine at the Pyongyang Textile Machine Factory achieved much to earn its top honors. It operated at full capacity over half a century, transformed into a computer numerical control (CNC) machine as part of a modernization drive, and was personally operated by former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
(Excerpt) Read more at technewsdaily.com ...
P!
A little humour for ya.
Sometimes, the jokes write themselves.
Dad: Son, what do you wanna do with your life?
Son: I wanna be like Lathe No. 26; long may it spin!
We need pics in order to judge whether this tool is worthy.
Now that is a hoot!
Lathes can’t defect, or die of starvation.
The USSR used to honor workers (Stakonovite?), but not the machines,
So a lathe that has bad bearings gets beaten into scrap with sledge hammers, after all the handles are broken off?
“Dear Lathe”
It only makes sense, in a highly socialist society people are a one size fits all consumable commodity, to be used up and the remains cast aside like a lump of coal. A “Human Resource” if you will.
It was either that or a work bench but since the work bench had legs it ran away to the South.
did Kim Il-Sung design that too?
That is hilarious, the best satire.... wait, it’s NOT satire??
dang
whoever lathes last lathes best.
The tolerances on that thing must be so large by now you could probably do as good with a chisel and a hammer.
To every lathe
Turn, turn, turn
There is a season
Turn, turn, turn
The USSR used to honor workers (Stakonovite?), but not the machines,
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Stakhanovitz” - an individual routinely exceeding production quotas established for his/her industry.
“Veteran of Labor” - if I’m not mistaken a person who works at same industry for 30 (40?) years.
“Hero of Socialist Labor” - distinguished stakhanovitz (civilian alternative to a military “Hero of Soviet Union” which is an equivalent to American Medal of Honor.
All of the above titles were about some benefits and privelleges in socialist societies.
On the other side:
“Shturmovshik” - a bad “Stakhanovitz” or an incompetent employee who is lazy most of the time and only active at the end of planned period urgently producing substandard products (mostly rejected by quality control) just to formally fulfill a plan.
“Tuneyadetz” or “Parazit” an able bodied adult jobless person unlawfully using social benefits from government or living at his/her relatives’ expense. A person fired for being drunk, lazy or incompet from three jobs one after another considered “Tuneyadetz” as well.
“Parazit” or “Tuneyadetz” were fugitive individuals kept under police watch. Failure to get employed for a prolonged period of time was a federal crime under Soviets. It was punished by....forced labor:) (thus far from home city and free of wage)
” But apparently the machine tool fell short of demonstrating its complete devotion to the North Korean Juche philosophy that might have earned it the ultimate honor — the Order of Kim Il-Sung . . .”
That honor is being reserved for Kim Jong-un’s massage chair.
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