Insurance and The Engineer. Demystifying Gift Cards.
The world is no longer right when the two words, Engineer and Insurance are used together, side by side in a conversation. Individually they are words that justify their use, with their own explanations and own meanings as those that compile dictionaries see fit! They each serve their own purpose until such a time as when they are used in the same sentence or even on the same page. Engineer and Insurance cannot be used together anymore, yes there was a time when this topic had no base but here and today it can be seen that the words are not in any sense synonymous with each other.
The dictionary tells
us that, insurance is "a thing providing protection against a possible event" or "money paid to insure against something or by an insurance company in the event of damage, injury, etc". Well, that tells us something although it is a bit confusing.
The dictionary tells us that an Engineer is "a person qualified in Engineering" and also it says that an Engineer is "a person who controls an Engine or a Machine". And there we have it. It is sad that one cannot now look up "Insurance Engineer" or Engineering Insurance" to gain some valuable insight into what is involved and to shed some light on this matter.
What sadly and inadvertently sparked this subject was by what an Engineering Superintendent once said to a Ships Engineer whilst they supped beer in a bar one night.
The Engineer was naturally complaining about the lack of spares that are made available to the ships he was on. NB: This is a frequent grumble of Engineers and probably does have value and meaning the world over, no company liking to part with expensive spares if they can help it. Anyway, the Superintendent, true to form agreed with the ships Engineer and blamed everything on the paper pushing bosses upstairs, current ships budgets and the economy, thus he followed all the usual avenues that Superintendents typically use in this regard. The superintendent unfortunately took one too many sips of his beer and forgetting that he had long since crossed the fence from Ships' staff to Office staff, let slip a snippet of conversation that he had either been party to or that his big ears had accidentally sounded out.
The statement was relayed like this: "It is not our policy to purchase spares for our vessels, we would rather wait until the equipment fails and then claim it back on Insurance".
Stunned is the word that comes to mind. Shock, disbelief and outrage could follow close second. The Engineer and the Superintendent naturally turned to other topics like discussing fellow Engineers and their faults before finally retiring to their respective beds and forgetting all about what had been discussed. Except for the Engineer who for some reason or other could never quite rid the Superintendents "slip" from his mind. And can anyone blame him?
Engineers struggle to perform their duties within parameters given and in often harsh and unforgiving environments but given the essential shore back up they invariably perform their duties well and to a high degree of end performance and safety standards. The dictionary states quite clearly that Engineers are qualified persons looking after machinery. Machinery needs both adequate spares and Engineers to provide a safe working environment and to keep the machinery and equipment in satisfactory working order. A machine that is awaiting a future Insurance Claim is not a safe working machine and the Engineer has failed in his duty to keep the Machine or Engine functioning. From an Insurance point of view an Engineer and required spares are the "things" that provide protection against a possible event.
Due to modern systems of communication and the fact that spares are readily available in most ports of the world it is not common practice to build up large stocks of spares on vessels. It is largely entrusted and accepted by Engineers and Office staff alike that when the Engineer orders spares he does so because he needs them. He orders spares through the company whilst retaining the knowledge that they should arrive at the next port of call or at the latest within one month or so. The Engineer furthermore orders them because he predicts a use for them. By placing such an order he is, without his being fully aware of doing so, enacting Insurance on the Machinery that he has ordered spares for. He is providing protection against a probable event, which in this case is his Insurance to keep the machine or engine in a functional and safe working condition - as prescribed by the duties of an Engineer.
To recap in simplified form: The Engineer insures his machinery by replacing worn or used parts as he sees necessary to maintain a certain piece of equipment in a satisfactory working and safe condition.
The Company in this regard have failed in their duty to the Engineer, by not supplying the necessary spares as the Engineer deems necessary to fulfill his duties.
Insurance contributions or money paid to an Insurer is a costly business when considering the size and scale of what is involved. To wait for failure and thus save money on spares and to have the cost attributed to failure, with the subsequent repair of the equipment paid for by the Insurance Company, must seem "great" to the Ship Owner/Manager. There he is having his money returned to him by those who take most out of his budget and into the bargain the Insurance Company pay for all damages invoked by the failure, stoppage times and subsequent replacement of the failed equipment.
An Engineer who is working on a vessel where spares will not be sent out upon request becomes a useless Engineer.
Now preferably called a Caretaker with no skills or interest in insuring his property simply due to a lack of usable items to effect such. An Engineer is (was) Insurance against equipment failure as long as he has at his disposal the spares necessary - without these he negates any Insurance that goes with the title of Engineer. He is qualified to maintain and look after engines and equipment, but he only becomes Insured (the &thing') if he has the necessary backup from ashore. Take that back-up away and we are left with a qualified yet uninsured Engineer. He cannot perform his duties satisfactorily, he cannot give insurance that his machines will perform well and safely under his care, he cannot fulfill his duties in any shape or form whatsoever and thus is a liability to all concerned.
An Engineer has thus become through no fault of his own an Insurance liability to all concerned and that is why we cannot use Engineer and Insurance in the same sentence - it hurts and badly.
Author and Webmaster of Seamania. As a Chief Engineer in the Merchant Navy he has sailed the world for fifteen years. Now living in Taiwan he writes about cultures across the globe and life as he sees it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
Buying a greeting card for the woman in your life can be a daunting task. I have seen more than one man with that deer in the headlights look on his face heading to the greeting card racks. Being the dominant creature that he is, he summons his strength and moves with cat-like prowess... only to find himself thumbing through card after card, toying with one card, then on and on through the others. It is not a pretty sight, this cat-and-mouse hunt for the perfect expression.
Any man can master the fine art of greeting card selection if he's willing to follow a bit of female advice.
1. Know the occasion. If it's her birthday, buy a birthday card. She won't appreciate a one-size-fits-all-occasions card on her anniversary either. All greeting card displays are organized by occasion. By reading the category signs, you can go directly to "Birthdays", "Anniversaries" or any other particular category, saving precious time. It works just like the beer case at the supermarket...domestics and imports each have their own section.
2. Know the woman. This is a do-able task, even for men in new relationships. Pay attention when she opens gift cards and shows them to you. File her reaction in that "stuff-I-gotta-remember" area... right there between "all babies are beautiful" and "fuchsia is not pink". If you've just met the woman and absolutely don't have a clue about her tastes, choose a very generic card, but always include a handwritten note to personalize it. Women treasure greeting cards like men treasure power tools and hang on to them forever.
3. Never, ever... also for your "stuff-I-gotta-remember" file... buy a card that mentions the age of the woman or makes any reference to her age. It's an across-the-board given that women in general don't appreciate sentiments of this type. Nor do they find humor in greeting cards that make any reference to weight issues.
Avoid these types of greeting cards however appropriate you may think they are for the occasion. Remember, you're buying a card for a woman here. Think of a greeting card for her just like she thinks of shoes. Just because they fit doesn't mean she'll enjoy wearing them. If you have any doubts, just look in her closet...her most favorite pair of shoes may be a size too small, but she feels like a million dollars when she wears them.
Greeting Cards to avoid like the plague:
Themes making reference to cooking mishaps... so she set off the fire sprinklers, she was trying to make your favorite meal. This includes no fire trucks, smoking food, or blackened ovens.
Themes making reference to driving mishaps... so she can't parallel park her car or any car, but she was running an errand for you. This includes no police cars, tow trucks, or bent fenders.
Themes making reference to organizational proficiency.... so she did put your socks in the wrong drawer, at least she did put them in matching pairs. This includes no messy desks, crammed closets, or cluttered purses.
Themes making reference to any personal appearance crisis...so her hair did have that glow-in-the-dark effect. You're the one who said she'd look great as a blonde. This includes no pictures of women with fuzzy perms, hair curlers, or green hair.
Guys will be amazed at how much easier the greeting card selection process is after eliminating the above categories.
4. Do consider a humorous card, if appropriate for the occasion, but only if the woman has a good sense of humor. Not sure? Then leave it in the card rack...better safe than sorry.
5. Humorous cards with animals are often a good bet especially if the woman has a beloved pet. Use your head here guys, if you despise her dog, don't buy a card featuring the animal control dude with a net.
6. Use sexy cards sparingly and only if you have a close, intimate relationship with the woman. Never give a greeting card with sexual connotations to a woman with whom that is uncharted territory or to a woman with whom you have no intentions of entering that territory. It doesn't do much for the image of the male gender.
7. If you find more than one card that is appropriate buy more than one. Store the others for next year. You can even go out on a limb here and give her more than one card. She'll love that you have so much to say.
8. Never just sign a card and give it to a woman. Remember that like me, most women cherish cards and keep them to reread, especially when a thoughtful personalized message is added by the giver.
Now get
out there you beasts of jungle and show women that you can rule those greeting card racks like the kings that you are with the same finesse that they wave a wand of mascara.
If my guidelines are too tedious or you're truly too busy to shop for cards consider using Hallmark.com to personalize and send your cards for you. They offer a very affordable and convenient service if you don't mind having the card sent separately from any present you may give. You can find out more about their card sending service at www.Hallmark.com.
(c) 2004. Davis Virtual Assistance. All rights in all media reserved. Reprint permission granted so long as article/by-line remain intact.
About The Author
Bonnie Jo Davis, also known as the Gift Guru, has taken gift giving to a new level in order to help men stay out of the gift giving doghouse. Her new website eliminates male shopping jitters by helping men select the perfect gift for every woman in their life.
Bonnie@DavisVirtualAssistance.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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