The General Chat Thread (2024)

[The Velvet Curtain]

We have similar problems on the Somerset levels which fortunately I’m elevated and away from.

Hope it starts to drain soon

Won’t stop there being hosepipe bans in the summer

I jokes about this earlier, I suggested at least it will delay the hosepipe ban until July. From my photos, the flooding on the fields is as deep as I have seen, but the flooding in the streets is a lot to do with the council not road sweeping and clearing the drains due to budget cuts.

 

[The Velvet Curtain]

It always seems odd with disasters. We have full insurance for everything. Floods in north island recently people lost their houses by the 100s. The government set a price to reimburse owners that didn't have any insurance. So why doni pay for insurance????
I get p@##$^ off about it.

Russ

In the photo you see the houses at the end of my lane flooded, now my front door is a good 3m higher than theirs and will never flood (unless all the polar caps melt), but as we share the same post code my insurance premiums will rocket as a result.

 

[caseydog]

Nope they’re busy ruining peoples lives by allowing insurance companies to refuse to insure for flood and making the homes unsalable due to mortgage companies refusing to lend without It.

I have plenty of swear words available for what they‘re doing to ordinary folk.

Commercial Insurance companies don't pay for flood claims here. You have to buy Federal Flood Insurance. It is not terribly expensive. I don't have it, but if my house ever floods, the world is coming to an end.

In flood prone areas, especially in Hurricane country, mortgage companies won't lend without Federal Flood Insurance.

In the case of a Hurricane, your Homeowners insurance covers wind damage, and FEMA insurance covers the flood damage.

CD

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Commercial Insurance companies don't pay for flood claims here. You have to buy Federal Flood Insurance. It is not terribly expensive. I don't have it, but if my house ever floods, the world is coming to an end.

In flood prone areas, especially in Hurricane country, mortgage companies won't lend without Federal Flood Insurance.

In the case of a Hurricane, your Homeowners insurance covers wind damage, and FEMA insurance covers the flood damage.

CD

They discussed making insurance companies offer flood insurance then did the usual - nothing.

There’s a strong anti state help stance amongst certain political parties and sections of society in the UK (usually from people who are doing just fine), to the extent they even try to erode the help that’s available to the less fortunate.
Starting anything new like assistance with flood insurance is never going to happen until it affects enough people it threatens re-election chances.

There’s a strong blame culture here. If something happens to you there tends to be an immediate search as to why that’s your own fault - you’re poor because you’re lazy, you’re sick because you have a poor diet or don’t exercise enough, you’re not unlucky - you made stupid choices etc etc.

 

[Lullabelle]

Sounds like a typical New Year scenario in the office

Sounds like a typical New Year scenario in the office

Not sure if it a generation thing or just how people are raised but when I was a kid you had no excuse, if your leg hasn't fallen off then you are ok to go to school, I have carried that with me into work, only had time off if really really necessary. Last time I was off sick comments were 'blimey, you must have been bad, you are never off'. I take a certain pride in that but some people just don't seem to care.

 

[TastyReuben]

Last time I was off sick comments were 'blimey, you must have been bad, you are never off'.

Here, it’s up to your employer how much “personal time off” you’re allowed each year (they don’t call it “sick time” any more), and it’s up to your employer how it’s managed.

For example, the last place MrsT worked for an employer, she got something like 40 hours a year in PTO (so, a week), but what she didn’t use could be banked indefinitely. That’s how her coworker, when she got breast cancer, was able to take a solid five months off work with pay and no threat of job loss. She’d saved her PTO for years and rarely used it.

The downside of that, of course, is that it incentivizes people to come to work with colds, the flu, etc and get everyone else sick, because they don’t want to use their PTO.

For me, I get 48 hours PTO a year, and that’s it - it doesn’t roll over year after year, so there’s no reason not to take it, so sick or not, I take mine.

Of course, with MrsT’s and my own health issues, it’s getting easier and easier to burn through that 48 hours in no time. 10 years ago, I’d look for reasons to call off work for a day, just to keep from losing a free day off, but now, it’s more like, “Here it is August and I’ve already used all my PTO - guess I have to dip into my vacation time to get over Covid this year.”

 

[caseydog]

They discussed making insurance companies offer flood insurance then did the usual - nothing.

There’s a strong anti state help stance amongst certain political parties and sections of society in the UK (usually from people who are doing just fine), to the extent they even try to erode the help that’s available to the less fortunate.
Starting anything new like assistance with flood insurance is never going to happen until it affects enough people it threatens re-election chances.

There’s a strong blame culture here. If something happens to you there tends to be an immediate search as to why that’s your own fault - you’re poor because you’re lazy, you’re sick because you have a poor diet or don’t exercise enough, you’re not unlucky - you made stupid choices etc etc.

In the US, you still purchase Flood Insurance through your insurance agent, but it is a separate policy backed by the Federal Government that only covers flood damage from natural causes, such as hurricanes.

CD

 

[TastyReuben]

For me, I get 48 hours PTO a year, and that’s it

Oops, correction, I get 64 hours of PTO/year. I forgot they upped it last year.

 

[Lullabelle]

Here, it’s up to your employer how much “personal time off” you’re allowed each year (they don’t call it “sick time” any more), and it’s up to your employer how it’s managed.

For example, the last place MrsT worked for an employer, she got something like 40 hours a year in PTO (so, a week), but what she didn’t use could be banked indefinitely. That’s how her coworker, when she got breast cancer, was able to take a solid five months off work with pay and no threat of job loss. She’d saved her PTO for years and rarely used it.

The downside of that, of course, is that it incentivizes people to come to work with colds, the flu, etc and get everyone else sick, because they don’t want to use their PTO.

For me, I get 48 hours PTO a year, and that’s it - it doesn’t roll over year after year, so there’s no reason not to take it, so sick or not, I take mine.

Of course, with MrsT’s and my own health issues, it’s getting easier and easier to burn through that 48 hours in no time. 10 years ago, I’d look for reasons to call off work for a day, just to keep from losing a free day off, but now, it’s more like, “Here it is August and I’ve already used all my PTO - guess I have to dip into my vacation time to get over Covid this year.”

We all get paid holidays but some people take many 'sick' days which are unpaid. Bearing in mind the price rises on everything I am surprised they want to loose money.

 

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

In the US, you still purchase Flood Insurance through your insurance agent, but it is a separate policy backed by the Federal Government that only covers flood damage from natural causes, such as hurricanes.

CD

I’m happy to hear you can.

In the UK they are removing it left right and centre from places that have never been flooded.
Mr SSOAP’s family have lived here for over 150 years, it’s never once flooded and has a large sea wall yet they still decided to refuse to insure against flooding.

 

[TastyReuben]

We all get paid holidays but some people take many 'sick' days which are unpaid. Bearing in mind the price rises on everything I am surprised they want to loose money.

To me, I’d think being that they’re not getting paid, they’d be apt to come to work come hell or high water.

Who’m I kidding…human nature what it is, they’ll come to work when they’re sick, then call off work (*cough* *cough*) when it’s 22C, bright blue skies, and shining sun!

 

[medtran49]

BTW, with the help of a covid mask, and a big slathering of Vick's Vapo-Rub around my nostrils, I was able to clean my shower. I had to drag a garden hose through the bedroom window, and use two gallons of chlorine bleach. I do not EVER want to do that again.

CD

I would have told the city person I wanted a hazardous material cleaning crew if for nothing else to add to the contractor's bill.

 

[rascal]

Here, it’s up to your employer how much “personal time off” you’re allowed each year (they don’t call it “sick time” any more), and it’s up to your employer how it’s managed.

For example, the last place MrsT worked for an employer, she got something like 40 hours a year in PTO (so, a week), but what she didn’t use could be banked indefinitely. That’s how her coworker, when she got breast cancer, was able to take a solid five months off work with pay and no threat of job loss. She’d saved her PTO for years and rarely used it.

The downside of that, of course, is that it incentivizes people to come to work with colds, the flu, etc and get everyone else sick, because they don’t want to use their PTO.

For me, I get 48 hours PTO a year, and that’s it - it doesn’t roll over year after year, so there’s no reason not to take it, so sick or not, I take mine.

Of course, with MrsT’s and my own health issues, it’s getting easier and easier to burn through that 48 hours in no time. 10 years ago, I’d look for reasons to call off work for a day, just to keep from losing a free day off, but now, it’s more like, “Here it is August and I’ve already used all my PTO - guess I have to dip into my vacation time to get over Covid this year.”

My wife was the same. When having her double hip replacement she had all on full pay with accumulated sick pay.

Russ

 

[TastyReuben]

My wife was the same. When having her double hip replacement she had all on full pay with accumulated sick pay.

Russ

My brother retired a week ago today, but his official retirement date isn’t until mid-June - that’s how much vacation and sick time he had banked.

 

[caseydog]

My brother retired a week ago today, but his official retirement date isn’t until mid-June - that’s how much vacation and sick time he had banked.

My sister retired two days ago. She used her vacation time every year. She does two cruises each year, and takes some "staycations" from time to time.

She leaves on another cruise tomorrow.

CD