Katy Dempsey
Monday-Friday: 10a-2p
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Ever Been a Server or Bartender? Read THIS!
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
“Consumer Guide on the Working Conditions of American Restaurants” is a 30-page guide to working conditions in popular American restaurants, published by Restaurant Opportunities Center United, a worker-rights advocacy group. It tells you whether the staff at the restaurant you’re thinking of eating at gives its staff sick-leave, whether they are paid beyond the $2.13 minimum wage for tipped workers, and whether the restaurant has a policy of limiting women, immigrants and people of color to lower-paid “back of the house” jobs.
You can read more about it and find the full thing here. Yeah, it’s long, but it’s worth taking a glance at if you’ve ever worked in the service industry.
And here’s an interesting thought, how many people know that servers make $2.13 an hour? I’d venture to say a lot, if not most, diners. So, if an increase is made to the base pay, don’t you think people will then start tipping less?
Here comes my server talk, but it’s kind of like “gratting” a big table. Sure your menu says in size 4 fine print at the very bottom back right hand corner that parties of 6 or more can expect gratuity, but people still get mad- or maybe mad is the wrong word, but people are less likely to add to gratuity once it’s been included. That’s why you play it by ear.. if you are really hitting it off with a table, you don’t grat them because you might end up making more.
If people know that servers are making regular wages without tips, you can bet they will be just that- without tips. Don’t give people a reason to be any cheaper.
And notice the study comes complete with little cards you can hand to servers at the end of a meal.. I’m wondering how many of these “worker’s rights” enthusiasts would be content with just leaving said card.
I’m going to guess.. all of them.
Thoughts?
-Katy
NY Teacher Ruins Christmas
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
What a.. scrooge. Apparently, a 2nd grade teacher in New York decided to take it upon herself to inform her young students that Santa Claus isn’t real.
The incident occurred innocently enough during a geography lesson, when students noted that Santa Claus lives in the North Pole.
The teacher promptly told the kids Jolly Old Saint Nick doesn’t exist and that it’s their parents who leave presents underneath the tree every year.
The school’s principal has yet to confirm the allegations and the superintendent was unavailable for comment.
Maintaining childrens’s belief in myths can be a tricky task for teachers. In 2008, a teacher in England got into trouble for telling stunned students that “only small children believe in Father Christmas.” And in September, parents in Leigh Acres, Florida were outraged when a teacher told students the tooth fairy isn’t real. Though at least that ones a little easier to do away with.. I mean the going rate for molars varied from house to house when I was growing up, so I’d just assumed she was very inconsistent.
And although teachers sometimes spoil the holiday fun–and the internet age doesn’t make it any easier for Kris Kringle- last year Pete Fontana, who runs Operation Santa out of the United States Post Office in midtown Manhattan, estimated that they’d receive 2 million letters addressed to The North Pole.
I don’t know how it works in your house, but if the Dempsey kids don’t believe in the big guy, he doesn’t come.
What do you think about educators ruining stuff like this for kids? Shouldn’t the parents be allowed the luxury to screw it up on their own?!
-Katy
Jersey Shore-naments
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Get ready to have your holiday guido-fied. GTL now stands for Glitter, Tree, Lights.
Thanks to a new line of holiday ornaments from renowned glass ornament company Kurt S. Adler, the “Jersey Shore” trio can adorn your tree this year. The ornaments are approximately five inches tall, and find the MTV reality stars immortalized in plastic doing what they do best: Snooki’s posing in a too-short glitter dress, The Situation’s holding his shirt up to reveal his abs, and Pauly D’s showing off his biceps and headphones. The ornaments were sold on HSN earlier this month as part of the shopping network’s “A Very Snooki Holiday Gift Special,” during which the pint-sized reality star otherwise known as Nicole Polizzi sold her new Snooki perfume, a line of handbags, and slippers and sunglasses. She also sold replicas of Crocodilly, the stuffed animal who’s seen things no stuffed animal should in the “Jersey Shore” house.
A spokesperson for HSN — where the ornament trio sold for $24.95 — tells TheWrap that the complete Snooki swag line, save the handbags, sold out, with fans snapping up 8,000 pieces of merchandise in about an hour when Polizzi appeared on HSN on Nov. 10.And though HSN won’t be offering the ornaments again this year, take heart:
You can get your set of Snooki, Pauly D, and The Situation at a Walgreens near you. $5.99 a piece or 2 for $10.
What a steal!
Best part of the whole collection? Overlooking the severe poundage Snooki seems to have lost here, the box has a label warning children under 14.
Even shorenmanet Snooki is PG 13.
What pop culture phenomena would you want to see turned into holiday decor?
..And where the heck is holiday VINNY?!
Answer Key: OWS or BF
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Here are the answers to the Occupy Wall Street/ Black Friday Game. Apparently everyone had trouble with #4 and #8..
1.) OWS
2.) BF
3.) OWS
4.) BF
5.) OWS
6.) OWS
7.) BF
8.) BF
9.) BF
10.) Snooki at Pure nightclub in Vegas
How did you do?
-Katy
NBA Lockout Over?
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
The NBA and the Players Association has finally reached somewhat of a deal, ending the five-month lockout.
After 16 hours of negotiations on Friday, both sides reached an agreement and shook hands a little after 3 am ET.
Players will vote no later than the middle of next week. Both sides must still get a majority vote from the 29 owners and 450 players to finalize the agreement.
NBA commissioner David Stern said:
“The reason for the settlement was we’ve got fans, we’ve got players who would like to play and we’ve got others who are dependent on us. And it’s always been our goal to reach a deal that was fair to both sides and get us playing as soon as possible, but that took a little time.”
Stern and Billy Hunter, the leader of the players’ union, announced at a joint news conference that a tentative agreement had been reached. The league plans to begin the 2011-12 season on Christmas Day with regular games that include the Los Angeles Lakers playing against the Chicago Bulls.
Merry Christmas! Read more..
Honestly though, does anyone really care about the NBA anymore? I mean how terrible is it to not only have to sit and wait for a delayed season but then deal with rising ticket prices.. all while millionaires and billionaire team owners fight about profit sharing and minimum salaries? To me, it just shows the serious disconnect professional athletes have with their fans.
People are worried about how they are going to afford to celebrate Christmas this year, so who really cares about salary caps or luxury taxes?
I’d say right now the NBA has no redeeming qualities— but what do you think?
-Katy