h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here, along the Texas Gulf Coast, having a "Go Bag" is pretty good advice. I haven't actually made one for myself, but I probably should. Hurricanes are not a matter of "if" but "when". They SUCK!

But I'd probably not completely pack it. One of the most important things to take with you if you have to evacuate is you medications. And you don't want to have meds sitting in a bag for years. Prescriptions change and some drugs expire quicker than others. Also, water. I'm definitely not drinking year-old bottled water. And that's something that bothers me endlessly. Whenever a storm is threatening, the news outlets always make a point of showing folks making runs to the local stores to stock up on cases and cases of bottled water. This is inane! It reminds of that scene in _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_ where Struther Martin realizes he has morons on his team.

>>Morons. I've got morons on my team. Nobody is going to rob us going down the mountain. We have got no money going down the mountain. When we have got the money, on the way back, then you can sweat.<<

Before the storm, the water supply hasn't been contaminated or the mains haven't burst, so fill up containers (I use an 8 gallon water cooler) with tap water. After the storm, folks that didn't prepare or are driven from their homes into shelters will need all that bottled water that morons are hoarding in their homes.



Anyway, yeah. Pack a bag with a couple of days of clothes, radio, charging cables, etc. (Keep the batteries out of the radio so they don't swell and destroy the radio.) But also keep a list of things like medicines and water to toss in at the last moment.

what no favorite bottle of brew...or case?

Ooh... yeah... While I don't trust water that's sat in a phthalate leaching plastic bottle, my 21 yr bottle of scotch should be fine.

Another one today - unusual 'industrial accident'?!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-49662134

Wow...


I can't agree with that ruling. What responsibility did the employer have in this AT ALL? Even if he were actually "working" when he had a heart attack, I don't see what responsibility the employer would have in it. And I don't believe anyone really WANTS employers to be responsible for our hours off-the-clock, do we? That would mean the employer should have done something to prevent it which means they would have control over our entire lives.

At least it will be a consolation (financially) to the remaining family.

I suspect this could only have happened like this in France.
What does this say about the showering habits of French employees?

Let's hope French showers are nothing like French toilets

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"The firm had argued the man was not carrying out professional duties " so he was not employed in the entertainment business

I guess the argument may be that, had he not been on this business trip, he wouldn't have had "an extramarital relationship with a perfect stranger", so it was the company's fault, a bit.

Time on a business trip is basically working time, even the evenings, because the business trip is the very reason you're not going home.

A less controversial example, maybe :
Crashing your car while going shopping / on holiday / to visit your grandma: company not responsible.
Crashing your car while going to / coming back from work: company responsible.

Surely daily commuting wouldn't be firm's responsibility, only if you were traveling by car on firm's business.

"commute accident" is a thing here.
Of course, for it to be declared company's responsibility, you have to prove that it was your usual route, and the shortest / most efficient one. But yes.

Sorry, car crash may not be a good example. But if I trip and fall and break my leg on the way to work, I can get compensation for the loss of income due to being on sick leave.

If you're on company property and your accident was caused by negligent safety procedures or conditions then, sure, company is liable. If you're off company property doing company business and your employer fails to provide you with proper safety equipment or asks you to do something in unsafe conditions, sure, company is liable. If you're on a business trip and the hotel they put you up in collapses, the company is NOT at fault unless they own the hotel. The Hotel owner is at fault (or "god" if it's a natural disaster). If you're on a business trip to a Mexican border town far away from the coast and you choose to order raw oysters in a Chinese restaurant and die. The company is not at fault. Maybe the restaurant is but you made a very bad decision so that's a mitigating issue.


So many lawsuits are more about who has the deepest pockets and not about who actually is at fault.






A friend's father did exactly this, not on a business trip but on vacation, in Nuevo Laredo. He lived. Didn't even get a tummy ache. What the HELL was he thinking!?

I read the article to Hubby and he wasn't surprised by the ruling. (He used to be an insurance broker, so he's used to questions of liability.) It sounds like French companies have greater responsibility for employee safety during business trips. He said it wouldn't happen in the UK because the lawyers would have to prove that the company was negligent, which they obviously weren't in this case.

So despite being in the EU we can make our own laws....

Speaking of legislation: Maybe the suspended MP's can write a proper constitution in their free time?

Paradox: Tesla is trying to win back the lap record for electric cars on the Nürburgring that was just claimed by Porsche. The neighbours complain about the large diesel powered generator Tesla uses to recharge their electric car…

Why not strap rocket boosters to it?

Now that's a challenge for an Enfield 8000: http://insideevs.com/news/326596/tesla-besting-enfield-becomes-europes-quickest-electric-car-w-video/

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Nice...

Taking that car to the Nürburgring might pose problems with cornering though.

I absolutely love it.

Normally a report on a drag-strip winner wouldn't get much of a reaction from me. That car had me saying, "Want one!" I visited the website for the project, but unfortunately I couldn't find any information on how much the transformation cost. As my mum used to say, if you have to ask the price you can't afford it. So I'll have to stick with my 2007 Smart fortwo.