Archive for November, 2012

Using Car Title Loans For Christmas Shopping Money

We’re past Thanksgiving and it’s officially the Christmas shopping season once again.

For some people this means spending money that they’ve been saving throughout the year.  Others will use credit cards now and pay off their debts after the New Year.  For some people desperate enough to spend money without the aid of a savings account, decent paying job, or good enough credit for a credit card, this means using an alternate source of lending such as a car title loan.

Yes, apparently people are desperate enough to spend money for Christmas gifts that they’ll actually use a car title loan to acquire such funds.  The root problem here is the massive commercialization of the Christmas holiday, but that’s a subject for another day.

At least, that’s what the most recent TV commercial for TitleMax wants us to believe.

TitleMax TV commercial – Christmas 2012

TitleMax is a car title loan company that provides a short-term loan based on the value of your car (or truck or SUV or whatever you’re driving on the roads).  You still get to drive your vehicle while paying back the loan.  The catch is that TitleMax (or whatever car title loan company you use) holds onto your car’s title during the period of the loan.

It seems all nice and innocent in the advertising and on the company’s website.  For those people who can pay off the loan within a month or two, the process may not even be that painful.  After all, the title loan companies encourage you to pay off the loan as quickly as possible.

If you need to have cash quickly and must resort to this method, then paying back the loan (plus interest and fees) as quickly as possible is your best strategy.  Sometimes this means acquiring a second loan from an alternate source to pay back the car title loan.

It’s when you pay only the minimum amount of the loan payment each month, or even miss a payment for whatever reason, that’s when most people find themselves spiraling down a massive debt hole.  Remember, the company holds your car’s title, and them repossessing it is a very real threat. Read more…

Chef Basket (kitchen accessory) – A Marketing Review

The minutes on the countdown timer finally reach zero and a loud beep echoes off the kitchen’s walls.

The eggs should be cooked by now, you tell yourself while walking to the stove.  You lift the lid from the pot and peek inside of the metal container filled with boiling hot water and several chicken eggs.  Sure enough, they look ready.

Now comes the tricky part — removing the cooked eggs from the boiling hot water.  It’s nearly irresistible to just plunge your fingers into the scalding hot water and remove the eggs.  However, the trip to the doctor’s office and bandages on your fingers from the last time you tried that method wasn’t really worth it in the end.  Perhaps there’s a better way of removing the items from the boiling hot water without too much of a hassle or an inconvenience.  After all, this is the future and things should be not only faster but also easier.

Just as you’re about to grab some coat hangers and attempt to scoop out the cooked eggs, a TV commercial catches your attention.

What’s this?  The Chef Basket?  Can it really make life in today’s overly complicated kitchen that much easier?

Chef Basket website — www.ChefBasket.com

According to the TV commercial (and the product’s box at Walmart), apparently this is the absolute best product to use when cooking in the kitchen.  You may as well throw out your colanders and slotted spoons right now because the Chef Basket wants to be your number one cooking accessory.

Chef Basket TV commercial

Let’s take a closer look and review the Chef Basket’s as-seen-on-TV commercial to see how it’s being advertised to us, the general public.

Chef Basket TV commercial – Look at that!  FIVE freakin’ stars for this product!  Amazing!

The Chef Basket’s TV commercial begins with a woman tells us that the Chef Basket is apparently the kitchen product of the year.  The five stars and “#1 Kitchen Product of the Year” graphics also try to get that point across to the viewers.  Of course, we don’t know who exactly gave this product five stars (my guess would be the marketers themselves), and just because a product is number one doesn’t mean squat.  For all we know this could have been the number one kitchen product of the year . . . . . that was returned by dissatisfied customers. Read more…

Book Review – Clive Cussler’s “The Spy”

Clive Cussler’s adventure novel, The Spy, returns ace detective Isaac Bell back into another deadly game with a criminal mastermind.  This is the third book in Cussler’s Isaac Bell series.

Set in 1908, The Spy begins with Yamamoto Kenta conducting a black ops mission at the Washington Navy Yard.  His ultimate target is Arthur Langner’s office.  Using his specialized skills, Yamamoto forges a suicide note and places a small amount of explosives in Langner’s piano.  He then makes his escape from Langner’s office and then has to avoid the soldiers guarding the Navy yard.  A soldier surprises him, but Yamamoto manages to make a getaway.

The next day, Arthur Langner has a meeting with some co-workers in his office.  He beings playing the piano to mask their voices in case somebody is trying to listen to their conversation.  Once the piano hits a certain note, the explosives detonate, killing Arthur Langner and injuring the other people in his office.  The police find the suicide note and consider it a closed case.  But when Langner’s daughter goes to the elite Van Dorn Detective Agency and pleads her case, Isaac Bell is sent to investigate her father’s death.

The problem is that Arthur Langner is a gifted engineer who specializes in designing the cannons on battleships.  His latest designs are going to put the American navy’s firepower ahead of rival navies in Great Britain, Germany and Japan.  According to character witnesses, Arthur Langner was a happy person and not depressed or suicidal.  Isaac Bell begins to believe his daughter was correct as more and more evidence supports her theory.

We quickly find out that Yamamoto is working for a man who keeps his identity concealed.  You’ll keep guessing throughout The Spy as the mastermind’s true identity won’t be revealed until nearly the end of the story.

The master spy isn’t here in the U.S. to steal ideas or conduct espionage.  Instead, this person is set about humiliating the country and destroying future naval projects.  In a word, sabotage. Read more…

False Advertising With Arby’s Peppermint Stick Swirl Shake

It’s that time of the year again when the restaurants and fast food establishments are rolling out their “holiday” items.

Of course, we ALL know what “holiday” everybody refers to but hardly anybody has the guts to say any more.  ‘Tis the season, I suppose.

Anyway, today my girlfriend and I stopped by an Arby’s in the greater metro Atlanta area for some lunch.  On the counter and tables the restaurant has signs advertising the new Peppermint Stick Swirl Shake.  For the most part, Arby’s milkshakes are pretty good.  I’ve had a few of them in the past and they’ve always been delicious.

The Peppermint Stick Swirl Shake sounded good so I tried one today.  I ordered a “value” sized shake being well aware of the cup’s small size.  No issues there.  The problems arise when the cup was handed to me across the counter.

What I received was a pinkish glob that looked absolutely nothing like the shake in the advertising.  The advertisements clearly show a pink milkshake with red swirls, and it’s topped with a generous amount of whipped cream and what looks to be tiny chunks of candy canes / peppermint sticks.

The main color for what I received looked correct, but without a clear container it’s impossible to see if there are any red swirls.  There was NOT any whipped cream as clearly shown in the advertising, and there were NOT any chunks of candy anywhere.  It was just this pinkish looking milkshake.  To add insult to injury, the “value size” cup wasn’t even close to being filled.  I was missing probably 15%-20% of the shake. Read more…

Movie Review – Red Dawn (1984)

Imagine one day you’re out and about, whether it’s at work, at school, out running errands, whatever.  It’s an otherwise normal day.

You glance into the sky and see soldiers parachuting to the ground, landing about a hundred yards away.  It doesn’t matter who the soldiers represent.  They could be Russians, Chinese, Hispanics, Eskimo warriors, giant walking boogers from Venus, etc.  The soldiers scramble to assemble weapons and then begin firing on anybody who approaches, killing people right there on the spot.  Chaos erupts and people flee for their life.

You and a few of your friends manage to escape to a safe area.  While hiding from the soldiers, you ask yourself what you’re going to do next.  Do you stay in hiding and wait out the conflict?  Do you keep running and try to find safety?  Or do you fight back, fighting not only for your country but for your friends and town as well?

That’s the dilemma facing a group of high school students moments after Soviet troops take over their town in 1984′s thriller, Red Dawn.  The teenagers are suddenly placed unfairly in the middle of a battlefield.  The Soviet troops seize their town and send many of the parents and “troublemakers” to an indoctrination camp.  As tensions escalate, the teens make the decision to take matters into their own hands, conducting guerrilla warfare against the enemy and fighting to save their town.

Red Dawn begins with text explaining the deterioration of conditions around the world and how the United States became an isolated country with the dissolving of NATO, the alliance of countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.  The Warsaw Pact, on the other hand, was spreading aggressively and expanding through Central America.

Red Dawn (1984) – (c) Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer Studios, Inc.

It’s an ordinary September morning for residents in the small town of Calumet, Colorado.  Jed Eckert (played by Patrick Swayze) drops his brother, Matt (played by Charlie Sheen), and friend off at school.  Jed heads off to work at the shop as everybody else heads to class.  While teaching the class about Genghis Khan, their history teacher, Mr. Teasdale, sees soldiers parachuting and landing outside the classroom.  He thinks they’re just ROTC cadets and way off course, but when the teacher tries to talk to the soldiers, they open fire and kill him.  They’re really Soviets.  The soldiers then fire upon the school, killing some students and sending others running for their life.  Cars are shot and most of the students are captured. Read more…

Movie Review – Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)

As I child, I was one of many who often fantasized about flying around on jet packs or riding rockets to distant planets (often during math class).

That’s the kind of spirit prevalent in 2001′s CGI animated movie, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.  Jimmy Neutron, a genius and inventor still stuck in elementary school, gets to fulfill that science-fiction adventure and more in this animated film.

I honestly don’t remember Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius when it was released in the movie theaters back in 2001.  The top movies back then were DreamWorks’ Shrek along with Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.  Actually, the only reason I decided to watch and review the Jimmy Neutron film was that the Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast ride was just added to Florida-Project.com, a website dedicated to the history and future development of the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks.

The ride at Universal Studios Florida was a lot of fun, so I figured I might as well see what the movie was like.  I don’t watch the Nickelodeon cartoons any more (not since those glory days back in the early 1980′s), but I will check out the occasional animated movie if it looks interesting.  Or if there’s heavy influence of it in a theme park.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) – (c) Paramount Pictures

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius begins with an Air Force base detecting an unknown presence in the skies.  The base commander scrambles four fighters to check it out.  The unidentified flying object turns out to be Jimmy Neutron and his friend Carl going on a rocket ride (it looks like the Mark II rocket they use in “Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast” at Universal Studios Florida).  The boys fly into the upper atmosphere and Jimmy launches a toaster that was converted into a satellite.

Back at home, Jimmy’s parents are wondering if he’ll be on time for the school bus.  The boys race back home and Carl parachutes back to the ground.  Jimmy, meanwhile, makes a crash landing in his rocket, skidding across several roofs until he finally stops.  His mom is angry with him being on the roof again.  Whatever.  Jimmy uses his inventions to help him get ready for school.  He still misses the school bus, and Jimmy has to use yet another invention to make it to class on time. Read more…

Book Review – James Rollins’s “Sandstorm”

Last night I finished reading James Rollins’s novel, Sandstorm, the first book of his SIGMA Force series.

Sandstorm beings at a British Museum in London, England.

A security guard is making his rounds one night when he spots what looks to be an intruder in the prestigious Kensington Gallery, a section of the museum that deals with Arabian artifacts.  He follows a mysterious blue light towards one of the museum pieces when suddenly there’s a tremendous explosion.  The guard is instantly killed by some sort of unknown blast that originated inside the Kensington Gallery.

Dr. Safia al-Maaz, curator of the Arabian artifacts in the British Museum, is awakened by the explosion.  She heads over there and tries to understand what happened and why most of the priceless artifacts were destroyed.  Lady Kara Kensington, billionaire and sponsor of the gallery in her late father’s name, arrives at the museum and is equally devastated by the sudden destruction.  Safia and Kara are childhood friends, both of them growing up in Oman on the Arabian Peninsula.

Both of the women study the surveillance tapes from the security cameras.  What in the world was that blue light, and how could it have caused such an explosion?  Did it have anything to do with the thunderstorm that was over the city at that time?

Over in the U.S., Painter Crowe of the elite SIGMA Force, a division of DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – part of the Department of Defense), is working a case with his partner, Cassandra Sanchez.  Crowe is posing as a security guard in a hotel casino while trying to capture a Chinese hacker who recently stole classified information.  The operation goes sour and Crowe is forced to leap into action, using his firepower and help of the police force to stop the hacker from escaping.  After stopping the hacker, Painter Crowe learns a sickening secret — his partner and trusted friend, Cassandra, was a traitor and tried to help the hacker.  She’s hauled away in handcuffs though we later learn that she escaped from police custody.

Painter Crowe is called back to SIGMA for an emergency meeting with his boss.  Word had already spread about the explosion in the British Museum, and Painter Crowe was being assigned to research it.  It doesn’t make much sense until it’s explained that the source of the explosion may have been antimatter.  What little evidence of the explosion at the British Museum is quickly lining up with the mysterious Tunguska explosion that occurred in Siberia back in 1908.  One of the theories about the Tunguska explosion is that the comet fragment was actually composed of a small amount of antimatter which caused the tremendous explosion over northern Russia.

If the explosion at the British Museum was caused by antimatter, then there may be more of the extremely powerful material elsewhere in the world.  More importantly, it must also be in a stable form as antimatter normally explodes when it comes in contact with matter.  If the U.S. could acquire the antimatter, the energy potential from such a material would be virtually unlimited.  If antimatter of any size were to fall into the wrong hands, the effects could be catastrophic. Read more…

Movie Review – Shrek (2001)

Continuing with yesterday’s animation talk of Despicable Me, today we’re taking a look at DreamWorks Pictures’ hit 2001 animated movie, Shrek.

Back in the late 1990s and early part of 2000, computer animation was still on the rise with hit CGI films such as Antz (1998), A Bug’s Life (1998), and Toy Story 2 (1999).  The Disney films were still generally considered to be the better of the animated movies, but little did the public know what kind of animated movie DreamWorks was about to release.

For the most part, the heroes of animated movies and kids films were always clean cut characters, people who were admirable and looked up to because of their personality and appearance.  2001′s Shrek introduced kids and adults to a new kind of hero in animated films, something generally revered to as vile and disgusting —- an ogre of all creatures.

Shrek is a DreamWorks Pictures CGI movie set in a fairytale world.  But as we quickly see, this movie is more of a parody of fairy tales.  You’ll see some of your favorite classic fairytale characters cast in a new light, most of it being hilariously funny.  With the help of talented voice actors and actresses such as Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow, Shrek is one wild ride of a movie experience.

Shrek (2001) – (c) DreamWorks Pictures

Shrek begins innocently with the main character, an ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers), reading a fairy tale out loud to himself.  We quickly realize that he’s doing so while sitting in an outhouse, taking care of “business.”  He rips off a page an uses it for toilet paper.  We’re then briefly introduced to Shrek’s daily life in the swamp as he takes a mud bath, farts in a pool of water, and cooks himself dinner.  Angry villagers form a mob and try to rid the ogre from the swamp, but Shrek quickly sends them running back home.  Essentially, he seems like the complete opposite of what you would expect from a hero. Read more…

The Legalization of Marijuana and the War on Drugs

As part of this past Tuesday’s polls in the 2012 presidential election, residents in the states of Washington and Colorado had an important matter on their ballots concerning the current War on Drugs — the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

In the state of Colorado this was known as Amendment 64.  In Washington this was Initiative 502 on the ballot.

And in both states, the legalization of marijuana was approved by a majority of the voters.

Of course, many details need to be worked out by the state legislatures before people can safely enjoy a joint without worry of being hauled off to jail.  Following the approval of marijuana for medicinal use, this passing of marijuana for recreational use is a major step in finally ending the War on Drugs.

Wait a minute!

Ending the War on Drugs?  Aren’t drugs evil?  Aren’t all of us conservatives supposed to be supporting the War on Drugs because we need to protect society and tell people what’s good and bad for them to put in their body?

Before I go any further, let me tell you that I’m NOT a marijuana smoker.  I don’t smoke anything for that matter, but certainly not marijuana.  Some of my college days involved living next door to a marijuana dealer, and my neighbors today enjoy the occasional joint or two when they host social events.  But I have not tried marijuana, and nor do I want to in the future.

Nor am I in favor of using any other drug such as cocaine, heroin, PCP, barbiturates, steroids, methamphetamines, or anything of that nature.  I am a social drinker and enjoy my beer like the next guy, but that’s pretty much it when it comes to me using controlled substances outside of medical prescriptions.

Since I’m against using drugs, does that mean I’m for the abolishment of it for everybody else?  Certainly not. Read more…

Movie Review – Despicable Me (2010)

Full-length animated movies have been around since Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered back in 1937.

While hand-drawn animation still exists today, many of the animated cartoons and movies are produced on computers, from the backgrounds and settings to the characters themselves.  As the technology and process of creating animated films continues to improve, it won’t be long until more companies make their stake in the animation industry.

That brings us to today’s review of the animated movie, Despicable Me.  Released in the summer of 2010, Despicable Me was the first feature film from the newly created Illumination Entertainment studio.  Illumination Entertainment is a subsidiary of Universal Studios, with Comcast as the primary owner.

Despicable Me is an animated movie about a villain striving to become an elite super-villain.  This villain, Gru hits a brick wall when a competitor villain steals an important weapon.  Gru hatches a plan that requires adopting three young orphaned sisters, and using them to open a hole in his competitor’s security.  As we see, the sisters win the affection of Gru, and the badass super-villain finds a soft side inside of him.

Despicable Me (2010) – (c) Universal Pictures

Despicable Me begins with the shocking news that the Great Pyramid of Giza had been stolen by an unknown super-villain, and the missing pyramid had been replaced by a lifelike inflatable structure.  To make matters worse, the theft was described as a move that makes all other villains look lame.  Next we meet Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), a person who enjoys bringing sorrow and misery to innocent people.  He drives his tank-like car with a rocket engine like a banshee, and his home is the most dreadful and scariest looking house in the neighborhood. Read more…

A Letter to the GOP

Attention politicians within the GOP!

What we saw yesterday in the elections was a clear sign that the Republican voters are still unimpressed with the choice of candidates.  This current attitude of allowing “moderates” to act under the Republican name MUST END IMMEDIATELY!

John McCain’s weak stance and liberal mentality was a horrible choice back in 2008.  Don’t forget that McCain was a Democrat for the longest time until he eventually switched political parties before running for president.  His party didn’t leave him.  His voting record and stance on issues showed that he left that party.  Twenty-four hours ago, we watched Mitt Romney, another “moderate” working in the Republican name, lose the popular vote and electoral college to President Obama, a liberal radical.

There’s a pattern here.  The Republican voters are tired of seeing these spineless moderates trying to appease the Democrats and still keep the conservative voters.  I’ve got news for you, GOP.  This current tactic still ain’t working.  The Democrats are laughing at your picks and the voters aren’t buying it either.  You’re just going to continue losing more elections until you find honest candidates with a proven record of true conservative values.

Here we are still in the doom and gloom of an economic fiasco that began years ago.  Taxes are slated to rise again, the dreaded Obamacare is right around the corner, unemployment is high, spending and national debt are skyrocketing out of control, and needless to say, the economic outlook looks grim.

And according to the 2012 voters, the solution to these problems is . . . more of President Obama’s government? Read more…

The Aftermath and Politics of Hurricane / “Super Storm” Sandy

On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy came ashore near Atlantic City, New Jersey as a Category 1 hurricane.

Although the hurricane wasn’t packing very strong winds (at least, compared to what hurricanes could really do), the primary destruction from the cyclone was from the incredible storm surge.  Unfortunately for the coastal residents and businesses stretching from Delaware to Connecticut, Hurricane Sandy came ashore at night during high tide, adding that much more water flooding the region.

Hurricane Sandy approaching New Jersey.

Another factor with Hurricane Sandy and its total area of destruction was a result of the storm’s massive size.  As the storm closed in on the northeast coast, Hurricane Sandy had a diameter of about a thousand nautical miles.  It wasn’t just a small area that felt the effects of the storm — it was the entire region of the northeast.

Hurricane Sandy making landfall in New Jersey.

Fortunately, residents had plenty of warning about the approaching storm.  The computer models were fairly accurate several days in advance of the storm making landfall in New Jersey, giving people plenty of time to leave the area.  Many of those who left the area would be completely shocked at the amount of destruction when they return home. Read more…

Movie Review – The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

In honor of today’s presidential election here in the U.S., let’s take a look at the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

Originally released in 1962, The Manchurian Candidate tells the story of war veterans who begin to sense that they may not really be who they think they are.  Imagine if you would somebody who has been brainwashed (not to be confused with indoctrinated) and “programmed” to carry out instructions once they are successfully “activated” by a verbal command.  Could you even stop the people behind the conspiracy?

What if a politician was secretly controlled by an unknown organization?  Would the general public ever know?  Could we, the people, handle the truth if such a conspiracy was ever proven to be true?

Throughout the Cold War with the Soviet Union, such a fear was prevalent throughout the country.  Instead of fighting the U.S. on battlefields around the world, there were great concerns that the communists would instead infiltrate our society and slowly convert the minds of the general public.  The conspiracy could, in time, allow such radicals to be elected into government offices, and there they could pass bills that would bring about the downfall of our country.

The Manchurian Candidate takes this fear to the next level by placing a “controlled” person to a high state of power within the U.S. government.

The Manchurian Candidate (2004) – (c) Paramount Pictures

The Manchurian Candidate begins in 1991 with a small unit of the U.S. Army in Kuwait near the Iraqi border.  Operation Desert Storm is about to begin and this unit is scouting the location of enemy forces.  The unit comes under enemy fire, and according to the tale, Sergeant Raymond Shaw (played by Liev Schreiber), heroically manned a machine gun on top of a Humvee and eliminated the attacking forces.  Major Ben Marco (played by Denzel Washington) was in a state of shell-shock as Sergeant Shaw assumed command and led the men through the desert for three days, avoiding further enemy contact until they were reunited with American forces. Read more…

Movie Review – Scarface (1932)

The 1920s and early 1930s saw a rise in organized crime throughout the United States.

One of the reasons for the increase in crime was from the ratification of the 18th Amendment.  On January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment went into effect and alcoholic beverages were prohibited in the United States of America.  Of course, the masses didn’t stop drinking, they merely found ways to develop, transport, and drink their favorite beverages in discrete methods and locations.  The prices of alcoholic drinks skyrocketed and this helped fuel the rise of organized crime.

By the early 1930s, organized crime was rampant throughout many cities, especially large cities with access to international shipping such as New York City and Chicago.  As gangsters seemed to run rampant, daring law enforcement to stop them, the public began to grow impatient with the lack of response.  That’s where 1932′s Scarface makes an impact.

Produced by Howard Hughes and directed by Howard Hawk, Scarface is an early 1930s gangster film that showcases the violent lifestyle of the gangsters from that very time period.  Scarface is loosely based on the life of Al Capone, and the movie even includes a scene very similar to the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre committed by Capone’s gang back in 1929.

Scarface (1932) – (c) United Artists & Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Scarface tells the story of the rise an fall of Tony Camonte (played by Paul Muni).  The movie begins with the murder of Big Louis Costillo, the leading crime boss of the South Side.  The police bring Tony Camonte downtown for questioning his role in the murder, but Tony denies everything.  The cops don’t have any evidence and are forced to let Tony go free. Read more…

The Clueless Restaurant Owner

Today we have a tale of a clueless restaurant owner and the innocent person who got screwed completely by his “management” decision.

I’m not going to say which restaurant this is (not at this time anyway), but it is a franchise of a medium-size company based here in Atlanta, Georgia.

Back in June, a certain person I know was hired as an assistant general manager (AGM) with the possibility of transitioning into the general manager position.  The store’s owner was not happy with the general manager (GM) and was (at that time) looking for a way to replace him.

From June through the end of October I heard many stories about how poor of a job the GM did with running the actual restaurant.  For example:

• If the GM was closing the restaurant that night, the place would frequently be dirty for the next day’s morning crew.  The morning crew would also frequently be left without the necessary food supplies to start the day.  Whatever food products were built up would be used during the GM’s shift and not replaced for the following day / shift.  The morning workers would arrive at work and normally find themselves behind just by taking care of the crap that the GM left (or rather didn’t leave) for them.

• In addition to the restaurant frequently being dirty and untidy for the next day’s crew, any problems such as plumbing issues and that sort of nature would also be left for the next day’s crew to handle.  There would be no phone call to have the plumber there in the morning the next day, nor would there be a courtesy call to the AGM alerting that person to the problem.  A kitchen sink was commonly left clogged once every few weeks (always on the GM’s shift), and he never bothered to call a plumber or alert the AGM of this problem.  He conveniently “forgot” to check that important area of the restaurant before closing on those nights.

• The GM’s way of “managing” the restaurant involved sitting on his ass in the office and claiming to watch the restaurant through the security cameras.  Oddly enough, when the place was busy and the workers needed his help, the workers would have to run to the back of the restaurant and tell the GM that they needed his help.  The GM would then help, of course, but he always needed to be alerted to the problem by the workers.  About a month ago, the store’s owner had somebody check the cameras, and that person calculated that the GM sat in the office for AT LEAST 18 HOURS in one week alone.  That’s a rather conservative estimate of the amount of time the GM spent sitting on his ass and not contributing a damn thing to the restaurant or his co-workers. Read more…