The Cocktail Party Thread (a.k.a. The "Jack This Thread" Thread)

[Fencergrl]

Originally Posted by Louweasel

There's another one...holidays. When you say holiday to a brit, we think of going somewhere sunny for a break from work;

That's why I clarified. "Holidays" can also mean your summer vacation or time off from work, but often it can be a short way of saying "The Holiday Season"... meaning the time around Christmas. Many offices close from Christmas Eve to New Years Day... at least in Canada (in the US they make the poor buggers work 24/7/365 me thinks)....

[Louweasel]

Originally Posted by Epee_Pox

Chocolate, eggs, cornstarch, whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla and sugar, boiled into a thick sauce, then refrigerated. Very smooth when finished, creamier than custard, thicker than mousse.

What on earth is blancmange? Sounds like a disease that makes your dog's hair turn white then fall out in clumps.

Blancmange is exactly what you have just described (needle too) - although you can get pink (strawberry flavour) as well. From the old French, "white food" it is a very old dish and originally was savoury and contained chicken, It was apparently the victorians, known for their sweet tooth, who rejigged it and made it into the dessert we know today. (Don't ask me how I know all this.)

In england it's rather old-fashioned (reminds me of my grandma) and is something that you'd make for children, like jelly. Or for someone who has had their tonsils out.

[pronounced: blomonj - the first vowel is pretty neutral though; stress is on the second syllable]

[JackOfHearts]

Originally Posted by Fencergrl

That's why I clarified. "Holidays" can also mean your summer vacation or time off from work, but often it can be a short way of saying "The Holiday Season"... meaning the time around Christmas. Many offices close from Christmas Eve to New Years Day... at least in Canada (in the US they make the poor buggers work 24/7/365 me thinks)....

At Target, we're only closed on two days, easter and Christmas. Although we close earlier on Christmas eve and open later on New Years, though the latter is more due to the rose parade passing by in the morning.

[Louweasel]

Originally Posted by Fencergrl

Many offices close from Christmas Eve to New Years Day... at least in Canada (in the US they make the poor buggers work 24/7/365 me thinks)....

Here too.
I hear terrible things about employment law in the US though - apparently they get comparatively little annual leave and maternity leave is abysmal. Here you get 21 days holiday at least; 25 is pretty normal (I actually have 32 due to time in service and some other contractual issues, although this is unusual) and statutory paid maternity leave is 26 weeks (after that you can usually get some time off unpaid though and still keep your job, and ths is the basic minimum; your contract might have better terms).

[Fencergrl]

Here 2 weeks is standard plus all the civic holidays which there are about 10 -12 per year. My husband gets 6 or 7 weeks. I think pregnancy leave is about a year and the company has to hold your job. You get paid about 75% of your wages and it comes out of your unemployment insurance. Yeah... I think I read somewhere that Americans get the least amount of vacation time.

[Nicksmom]

Originally Posted by Fencergrl

Here 2 weeks is standard plus all the civic holidays which there are about 10 -12 per year. My husband gets 6 or 7 weeks. I think pregnancy leave is about a year and the company has to hold your job. You get paid about 75% of your wages and it comes out of your unemployment insurance. Yeah... I think I read somewhere that Americans get the least amount of vacation time.

I agree. I get 80 hours off a year. That's vacation and sick time. If I take time off due to childbirth, I have to use 40 hours of vacation and then get 5 weeks of short term disibility at 75% of my pay. I get six holidays off. My husband, who works for the government, works all holidays. his office runs 24/7

[needle]

I get 24 days, plus 7 days for holidays, and the company shuts down for 6 more days between Christmas and New Year.
Of the 24 days, I can't really take more than one week continuously though. Well, technically I can, but it is likely to have career consequences.

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot, I don't get pregnancy leave
We do have something called "daddy leave", but I think it's unpaid, not sure.

[Fencergrl]

Originally Posted by Nicksmom

My husband, who works for the government, works all holidays. his office runs 24/7

Opposite here... government workers get the most holidays and the best benefits and pension. <shrug> I have been told this is because the government set an example for private industry to follow.... I shutter to think that's what your government is intending.

[Epee_Pox]

Here in America...

For those in low-level wage-paying jobs, the amount of vacation and sick leave one gets depends entirely on the individual employer. Some give as little as 2 weeks total, some give two weeks of vacation and a week of sick days, some let you earn a day or two of each per month, and many other permutations.

For those of management, executive or professional rank, the amount of vacation and sick leave is usually something that the employee and the business negotiate between themselves. I've worked at places where two people in the same job had widely differing time off (and pay) because one simply asked for more and got it. Notably, however, the higher up one goes and the more time off is allotted, the less time off is actually taken. This usually translates into cash payments at the end of the year, or saving up time to cash in for earlier retiremet.

Best leave policy I ever had was 4 weeks vacation, 2 weeks sick, 3 months paid paternity leave followed by 3 months unpaid paternity leave. Didn't even have to negotiate for it, it was office policy. They figured happy employees were better workers. And they also figured (rightly) that none of us would ever take that much time off, ever. I never knew anyone who ever came close to taking all their leave in a year.

[Go? Fencing?]

This conversation is getting too serious. Who wants to play Twister?

[Neinteen]

Pigs in a blanket.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by needle

I get 24 days, plus 7 days for holidays, and the company shuts down for 6 more days between Christmas and New Year.
Of the 24 days, I can't really take more than one week continuously though. Well, technically I can, but it is likely to have career consequences.

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot, I don't get pregnancy leave
We do have something called "daddy leave", but I think it's unpaid, not sure.

That, to me, sounds like awful conditions. I'm happy I don't live in the US!

What is good 'for the country' may not be good for its citizens, in the long run.

In Sweden the minimum amount of holiday days are (I think) 25. Depending on your employer and age you can have more than that. I have 31 paid holiday days in a year.

Some who works in factories etc. may be not me fortunate enough to choose their own holiday periods, due to when factories shut down etc, but most people can choose when.

Maternity leave is 480 days with payment depending on your wage (calculated by a tarif of some sorts). When the child is born the father -- in case there is a present one -- has the right to take 10 days off from work to be together with the child and mother. These days pay are also calclulated by a tarif and will in no way affect your regular holiday days.

If we're ill we're ill. This does not affect your holiday days. You are also not supposed to be ill during your holidays, so should you fall ill (sickness, injury etc.) during eg. your summer holidays you should inform your employer of this and let them know your period away from work will be extended. Some employers may ask for a doctor's certificate for this.

I hear you go "Whoah?!" at this. Yes we do pay high taxes in Sweden, but we get something for it.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Louweasel

I ony know when that is when I hear the bangers go off.

Does the mash go off as well?

Heh, more fun with British slang!

Originally Posted by needle

The one I was referring to is the English version as I got to know and refuse to eat:

Uh...so...you are not in the pudding club, then...

Cough.

ZZ: Yes, you "get something for it". It's called low productivity growth.

There is a reason Sarkozy was elected in France on a platform of increasing the number of possible hours worked and reducing vacation time...

[Louweasel]

Originally Posted by Zilverzmurfen

If we're ill we're ill. This does not affect your holiday days.

Similar here - I can't believe they set a certain amount of days aside for americans to be ill! What happens if you are ill for longer than they want?! I can take up to five days off sick, self-certified, then after that I have to get a doctor's note. But then, I guess that could cause a problem in the US because medical care isn't free so you'd effectively be paying for the note...dodgy.

I work in the civil service and as fencergrl says the government is sipposed to set the standard.

Inq - not surprised re the french. They have a much shorter working week than most people - even if they do more hours they'll still be behind us. But they are notoriously stubborn and protective of employment conditions/taxes etc so sarkozy; good luck with that.


*goes off to play twister*

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by Inquartata

ZZ: Yes, you "get something for it". It's called low productivity growth.

I repeat what I said: What is good for the country is not always good for it's citizens.

And...

Sweden achieved the highest growth of productivity among leading industrial nations in the 1990 decade, according to statistics of the United States Labor Department.

Sweden's productivity increased five percent between 1990 and 2001, which was greater than that of France, U.S., Belgium, Japan, U.K., Germany, Canada and Italy, according to the Labor Department study.

Study is from 2002, so I admit it's getting old now.


Edit: If you 'd like to see a comparison of labour productivity growth between USA and a number of different EU countries I refer you to this study, see page 5.

[Inquartata]

Originally Posted by Zilverzmurfen

I repeat what I said: What is good for the country is not always good for it's citizens.

I disagree. Ultimately, the citizenry IS the country...

Perhaps you really meant to say that "What is good for the political leadership of a country is not always good for it's citizens". Which is certainly irrefutable.

The figures you post leave me somehow...unsatisfied. If Swedish productivity growth is really so great, I am at a loss to explain why its comparative GDP growth is not:


http://www.scb.se/templates/tableOrChart____75454.asp

[Neinteen]

more pigs in a blanket.

goat cheese.

[ ] <--- Closet

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Yes, i got your PM inker, but i couldn't keep it confidential.