Hi Eva, I just couldn't get to the computer today at school.. Had a couple quizzes... accounting and MS Word. Remember, tongiht (let me re-spell that!) "tonight" we have Dance Moms. I think you and I are the only Ponders that watch that show.
I need to tell a story, give thanks, and whine just a little bit.
At 1:00 this afternoon, the building right next door to where I work had a big explosion. It's a chemical company. It shook our building. Within minutes, fire trucks arrived and made a mandatory evacuation. Our buildings are tightly close to each other, with a firewall between us.
Long story short, we all spent from 1:00 to 4:30 this afternoon, in sweltering heat and no shade, standing across the street and watching it. We prayed that nobody in the building where the explosion happened was hurt or killed. We prayed that no toxic air hurt anyone North of us (the wind was blowing that way). We prayed that our place of work would not be lost, that the family who owns our company would not suffer, and that we would have a job tomorrow.
Surrounding buildings (including ours) suffered some damage, but can be fixed. Red Cross came with water and Gatorade for firefighters and those of us evacuated and stuck in the sun. We couldn't move our cars out of harm's way. They were all safe and not toxic.
My face is sunburned. Some people with fair skin were really sunburned. Nobody died. Nobody got seriously injured. It could have been a lot worse, and for that I am grateful.
Now I'm going to complain. How does a chemical company that services the oilfield let a worker drive a forklift with a propane take into a warehouse full of chemicals (which started the explosion)? I saw the guy all day long today, and he was surrounded by "suits" the whole time. How long will it take for the LameStreamMedia to blame this on domestic oil production, fracking ... take your pick. OH, WAIT ... I'm in flyover country, so this might not make the news.
I'm sunburned, have a stress headache, and out for the night.
Surfie, and all Ponders, your stories are always welcome here. It was lucky that no one was killed in such a blast. Sometimes it's just common sense about how to work with chemicals and tools and machinery. Personally, I wouldn't want to drive a propane tank anywhere.
Looks like you should keep one of those umbrella hats at work...just in case you get stuck in the sun. It really doesn't take long to burn in the sun. Froggy can burn through a car window.
Take care, Surfie. Rest and the A/C should help you a lot.
Wow, Surfie, what a blessing that everyone is okay! I work at Hanford in WA state, and we have so many regulations relating to nuclear work. In fact, today I had to take an all-day class and two tests, just so I could be certified to make a delivery of bioassay samples to a certain building once a month! All I do is bring samples into the building and deliver them a couple of hallways into the building. My co-workers, (health physicists) often say that the real danger is with the chemical companies, and it seems that they aren't regulated nearly as much as they should be.
Hi Phooey, You snucked, or is that sneaked in ahead of me. I'm a slow typist. I like your suggestion of NCIS and wine. That will fix everything.
I came home today, and Froggy is sleeping in the livingroom in front of the TV. Wolfie is stretched out on the carpet. Summer, sunny, warm weather will do that to ya.
I found a story I want to post on here. I will just post a part of it as a "comment" and youse guys can read the article if it's interesting.
"Nearly one in 10 employers to drop health coverage" July 24, 2012
About one in 10 employers plan to drop health coverage when key provisions of the new health care law kick in less than two years from now, according to a survey to be released Tuesday by the consulting company Deloitte.
Nine percent of companies said they expect to stop offering coverage to their workers in the next one to three years, the Wall Street Journal reported. Around 81 percent said they would continue providing benefits and 10 percent said they weren't sure.
The companies, though, said a lot will depend on how future provisions of the law unfold, since most of the key parts are scheduled to take effect in 2014. One in three respondents said they could stop offering coverage if the law requires them to provide more generous benefits than they do now, if a tax on high-cost plans takes effect in 2018 as scheduled or if they decide it would be cheaper for them to pay the penalty for not providing insurance.
While small business don't face fines for failing to offer coverage, companies with 50 or more full time employees face a penalty starting at $2,000 per worker.
Two comments on this article... 1. I see more jobs for China. 2. Obama will be arriving in Seattle any moment now. He will be staying the night at the home of Costco founder, James Sinegal.
Wog, Interesting article. I sure am disappointed to see that Obama is friends with the Costco founder, since I like Costco! Hmm, I wonder if James Sinegal knows that he didn't build Costco?
Wolfie, understands how to look at the world.
ReplyDeleteI know the two of you will turn his world rightside up again!
ReplyDeleteHi Eva, I just couldn't get to the computer today at school.. Had a couple quizzes... accounting and MS Word. Remember, tongiht (let me re-spell that!) "tonight" we have Dance Moms. I think you and I are the only Ponders that watch that show.
DeleteI need to tell a story, give thanks, and whine just a little bit.
ReplyDeleteAt 1:00 this afternoon, the building right next door to where I work had a big explosion. It's a chemical company. It shook our building. Within minutes, fire trucks arrived and made a mandatory evacuation. Our buildings are tightly close to each other, with a firewall between us.
Long story short, we all spent from 1:00 to 4:30 this afternoon, in sweltering heat and no shade, standing across the street and watching it. We prayed that nobody in the building where the explosion happened was hurt or killed. We prayed that no toxic air hurt anyone North of us (the wind was blowing that way). We prayed that our place of work would not be lost, that the family who owns our company would not suffer, and that we would have a job tomorrow.
Surrounding buildings (including ours) suffered some damage, but can be fixed. Red Cross came with water and Gatorade for firefighters and those of us evacuated and stuck in the sun. We couldn't move our cars out of harm's way. They were all safe and not toxic.
My face is sunburned. Some people with fair skin were really sunburned. Nobody died. Nobody got seriously injured. It could have been a lot worse, and for that I am grateful.
Now I'm going to complain. How does a chemical company that services the oilfield let a worker drive a forklift with a propane take into a warehouse full of chemicals (which started the explosion)? I saw the guy all day long today, and he was surrounded by "suits" the whole time. How long will it take for the LameStreamMedia to blame this on domestic oil production, fracking ... take your pick. OH, WAIT ... I'm in flyover country, so this might not make the news.
I'm sunburned, have a stress headache, and out for the night.
Surfie, and all Ponders, your stories are always welcome here. It was lucky that no one was killed in such a blast. Sometimes it's just common sense about how to work with chemicals and tools and machinery. Personally, I wouldn't want to drive a propane tank anywhere.
DeleteLooks like you should keep one of those umbrella hats at work...just in case you get stuck in the sun. It really doesn't take long to burn in the sun. Froggy can burn through a car window.
Take care, Surfie. Rest and the A/C should help you a lot.
Wow, Surfie, what a blessing that everyone is okay! I work at Hanford in WA state, and we have so many regulations relating to nuclear work. In fact, today I had to take an all-day class and two tests, just so I could be certified to make a delivery of bioassay samples to a certain building once a month! All I do is bring samples into the building and deliver them a couple of hallways into the building. My co-workers, (health physicists) often say that the real danger is with the chemical companies, and it seems that they aren't regulated nearly as much as they should be.
DeleteWe are all grateful you are still with us Surfie! Do NCIS and a glass of wine.
ReplyDeleteHi Phooey, You snucked, or is that sneaked in ahead of me. I'm a slow typist. I like your suggestion of NCIS and wine. That will fix everything.
ReplyDeleteI came home today, and Froggy is sleeping in the livingroom in front of the TV. Wolfie is stretched out on the carpet. Summer, sunny, warm weather will do that to ya.
I found a story I want to post on here. I will just post a part of it as a "comment" and youse guys can read the article if it's interesting.
"Nearly one in 10 employers to drop health coverage" July 24, 2012
ReplyDeleteAbout one in 10 employers plan to drop health coverage when key provisions of the new health care law kick in less than two years from now, according to a survey to be released Tuesday by the consulting company Deloitte.
Nine percent of companies said they expect to stop offering coverage to their workers in the next one to three years, the Wall Street Journal reported. Around 81 percent said they would continue providing benefits and 10 percent said they weren't sure.
The companies, though, said a lot will depend on how future provisions of the law unfold, since most of the key parts are scheduled to take effect in 2014. One in three respondents said they could stop offering coverage if the law requires them to provide more generous benefits than they do now, if a tax on high-cost plans takes effect in 2018 as scheduled or if they decide it would be cheaper for them to pay the penalty for not providing insurance.
While small business don't face fines for failing to offer coverage, companies with 50 or more full time employees face a penalty starting at $2,000 per worker.
LINK:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/jul/24/nearly-one-10-employers-drop-health-coverage/
Two comments on this article...
Delete1. I see more jobs for China.
2. Obama will be arriving in Seattle any moment now. He will be staying the night at the home of Costco founder, James Sinegal.
Wog, Interesting article. I sure am disappointed to see that Obama is friends with the Costco founder, since I like Costco! Hmm, I wonder if James Sinegal knows that he didn't build Costco?
Delete