What's the latest in people's lives?

[Reliant121]

Just waiting on the vetting checks and to get a contract in my hand but, I've just accepted a job offer for a new role! Finally get's me out of the umbrella of LBG.

I'm going to assume from your tone that a) by "LBG" you mean Lloyd's, and b) separating yourself from them is a good thing. So, congrats! I too am waiting for some bureaucracy to get sorted before taking a banking position. It will actually be the first experience in my life working outside of some sort of retail, but I'm intrigued by the idea of leaving work while it's still daylight all the time.

Yes, and yes. While they've been great to me in terms of they've recognised achievement and allowed me to very quickly accelerate to a decent wage position from starting as a call centre hack, they haven't been great to all our staff. Last year they TUPE'd (effectively, sold our contracts) on to an Indian resource management firm and it's rapidly gone downhill since. We play by LBG rules without any of the benefits and having loss an awful lot of pension benefits etc in the process. Time to get out m'thinks.

This time I'm working for a small start up Small-Medium Enterprise bank. It's Invoice/Cashflow Finance, just like I do now, but with a waaay smaller more personal corporation. Much less "drone in the machine" mentality; opportunity to be a big cog in a small machine. Can't wait!

[Mikey]

Best of luck!

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Indeed. good luck, Reliant.

[Reliant121]

Thanks guys

[Mikey]

Well, congratulations, Captain Seafort. Not that I thought the outcome would be much in doubt, but I have to admit that both goals were suitably dramatic and Origi's in particular was one of the great displays of one-on-one ankle-breaking that I've seen in a long time. BTW, though he didn't have a goal tonight, I (as a viewer who isn't that familiar with the team) was very impressed with the raw athleticism of Sheyi Ojo. By the time he gets a few years under his belt and attains the wizened experience of the age of 22 or 23, he's going to be a real game-changer.

[McAvoy]

Well as of tomorrow I will have lived in NJ for four yeas after I moved out of Virginia Beach, VA where I lived there for almost 10 years.

Now I got the job at Jet East Aviation, I want to move to PA because the commute would be quicker. However the bridge that 295 ends, is going to be a toll bridge so they,can,pay for the,expansion of it.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Well, July on the average wasn't too bad for me. Let's see how August plays out.

[Mikey]

Well as of tomorrow I will have lived in NJ for four yeas after I moved out of Virginia Beach, VA where I lived there for almost 10 years.

Now I got the job at Jet East Aviation, I want to move to PA because the commute would be quicker. However the bridge that 295 ends, is going to be a toll bridge so they,can,pay for the,expansion of it.

Just remember - you can't buy beer at a liquor store, you can't buy wine at a liquor store, and you can't buy liquor at either a beer or wine store.

[Graham Kennedy]

What? Are you joking and I'm missing it? You really can't buy beer and wine at a liquor store?

[Mikey]

What? Are you joking and I'm missing it? You really can't buy beer and wine at a liquor store?

No, I'm not joking - Pennsylvania is truly an arcane and obscure place, only connected with our reality by weird gateways and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Where to begin? Well, not knowing the customary usages in your land, I will explain that beer over here is commonly sold in six-packs of 12-oz. bottles, cases (24) of bottles or cans, or barrels (quarter-kegs for large parties, full kegs for bar taps,) and many craft brewers or brewpubs will sell growlers (re-sealed 64-oz bottles filled from draft taps.) In Pennsyltucky, you can buy beer at the "beer stores" - state-run stores which sell cases or kegs. No six-packs. You can buy a six-pack at a grocery store or gas station in certain counties, but NOT at a liquor store. Wine is likewise sold at wine stores, but not at liquor stores OR groceries.

Of course, this is the same state in which I've driven through areas in which "county coroner" was an elected position, and areas in which open bonfires were the preferred method of trash disposal, and areas in which "in-house butcher" was an advertising come-on featured on a restaurant's sign. The same state which includes Philadelphia, the city whose sports fans actually booed Santa Claus and are so awful that the football stadium needs an on-site courtroom.

[Graham Kennedy]

Huh. Here you buy alcohol in an "off-license" or standard shop like a supermarket. You can buy pretty much any type of alcohol anywhere that sells alcohol, subject only to the range they choose to stock.

Typically you'll buy beer in a four pack of cans but there are also six packs, twelve packs, and larger. Can size also varies. You can't usually find kegs in shops, least I don't recall ever seeing any.

[Mikey]

Yes, in my state you go to a liquor store for beer, wine, or liquor. Full kegs are usually only available through wholesalers but some stores offer quarter-keys. Some bars have storefronts, and many microbreweries/craft breweries sell their own products bottled or in growlers.

[IanKennedy]

Here any shop with a licence can sell any (legal) form of Alcohol. Typically they do. You do get the occasional wine only shop but they tend to sell very high end items. Equally there are specialist Whiskey websites, but generally everywhere that can sells everything. Anywhere can apply for a license but they have to be approved by the licensing authority, which is usually a local council. They will take advice from the police, if you intend to serve it on premise for example in relation to noise that may be caused at odd hours of night. Almost every supermarket and convenience store has a license. Pubs, clubs, restaurants etc, obviously, also have them. Outdoor events like concerts, shows etc can also apply for a temporary one for the duration of the event.

There are shops that just sell booze called an off-license. Not because they're selling without a license, but they are licensed for sales for consumption off site only. They can do things like offer tastings but not setup a bar. They can, of cause apply a bar license if they want to do that, subject to the usual rules. Kegs are typically not available right there in the shops, but can often be got via prior arrangement. You do sometimes get small keg like things around special occasions, for example you can get 4 pint cans with a little tap on them. There used to be things called a 'Party-Seven' long long ago. They held 7 pints and had to be opened by piercing the can lid and poring through the hole you made:



Beer sales is also another of those whacky unit things in the UK. Off sales can sell in just about any volume they wish, however, pubs and other drink in establishments are required by law to sell in multiples of half pints. They are also required to sell in approved glasses with volume markings on them. Typically you have half-pint and pint glasses. They're assessed by the guys from "customs and excise" (now HMRC) part of who's job is to ensure that you are not selling short measures. They also check that you are up to the stated alcohol content per labelling.

It's basically a highly controlled free for all. Designed to ensure that they public is protected, that the revenue man gets his cut and that you can't just open a pub in your house and annoy the people who live in the area. No it doesn't stop you having a party. It a license to sell alcohol, not consume it in a given location.

[Mikey]

Yes, we have so-called "liquor-licenses" as well, and I'm not sure if there are different varieties of license for package stores (what you'd call an "off-license" shop") vs. a bar or pub. In my state, liquor licenses are not granted to groceries and the like, and they are expensive to obtain so many restaurants operate as BYOB establishments. A lot of craft breweries operate their own small taprooms, but brew pubs are not allowed to sell their products except for on-site consumption.

Surely the pubs there must have all sorts of glasses available to serve beer. If, for example, I ordered a porter and had it served to me in a tumbler/pint glass, I'd a) be annoyed and b) correctly presume that the bartender was a moron who didn't know anything about the beer he served and couldn't find his own ass with both hands and a hunting dog. Likewise a pilsner requires a - you guessed it - pilsner glass, and most types of wheat beer and lambics will need a weizen glass. I'll admit that a tumbler or nonic will do for a wide variety of beers, include the most popular English, Scottish, and Irish styles, but I don't really understand a ban on the proper glassware for other types of beer.

[IanKennedy]

It's not about the shape, you can have it elephant shaped if you want. You can only get it in 1/2 and full pint sizes, with approved markings on them. The liquid must come up to the marked line.



As yo usan see some have lines to allow room for a head, some don't and fill to the top. Shapes vary wildly but they are always marked with their volume. If you buy bottled beer it can come in any size and the glass you get can be anything you want, as the volume is indicated on the bottle. The point is to prevent this sort of cheating, where the customer doesn't get what they've paid for: