EBK's

          What may you ask is an "EBK" and how does it apply to the world around me?  Well, I thank you for asking that question because without it, this would be a very short and silly(er) article.  EBK stands for something my father came up with a long time ago.  It is short of Everybody Knows and is one of the wisest things he ever said to me.  He told me once, "Bobby, the minute you hear someone say 'Well everybody knows...' that's when you should stop listening to 'em."  He argued that nine times out of ten "everyone doesn't know" and what "everybody knows" is mostly pure bullshit.
          Long before the so called information age had begun, my father believed that most people just listened to what other folks were saying and believed it, especially if it was bad.  The few people that bothered to find out the truth on any given matter were few and far between and usually ignored by the EBK crowd.  I doubt he'd be surprised today by the fact that the vast amounts of data available for people has made the problem worse instead of better.
          This year's Presidential Election is an excellent example of this trend.  Both sides have had huge numbers of EBKs running rampant.  I could focus an entire book on the ones handed to the Obamas, but in a rare show of "Meh, let's look at the other side" syndrome I am actually going to talk about Romney.  Yes you heard me, I am going to say some nice things about Mitt.  Hold onto your collective hats cause this might actually blow your minds.
          Before I begin, let's get a couple of things straight.  I don't like Romney.  I think that if he gets elected, this country will tank faster than me eating a donut.  (Chocolate with sprinkles to be exact.)  Of course for that matter, I don't like Obama either even though I don't believe he is a foriegn born Muslim Sleeper Agent bent on Socialistic Takeover of the US while stopping us from eating fast food and making good Christian babies.  I really believe that if either one gets elected the only changes that will happen is the Sides will switch rhetoric and the country will tank.  However like I said, nice things about Romney.
          Romney EBK #1:  Mitt Romney is a draft dodger who "used his Mormon Faith to avoid going to Vietnam."   Romney received a school deferment because, GASP, he was in college. He then received a deferment because he spent 30 months in France as a Missionary. Neither event being exceptional or dodging anything. Upon his return he went to College again but was in the draft for 69, his high number meant he did not get picked.  I have had friends who both were deferred because of school and because of Religious works.  Draft dodgers are people who burned their draft cards and ran away to Canada.
          Romney EBK#2:  Romney disbanded/destroyed and dismantled companies during his time with Bain and cut hundreds of jobs.  Whelp, in a sense I can't argue this one, but I can add some notes.  If a company isn't making a profit or a high enough profit, should it be kept open?  If a company is spending more than it is taking in, should it be kept running just to save people's jobs.  (Now as an aside, the current Pork Barrel Government (Rep. & Dem backed) works are full of these type of business, but the government schmucks march to the beat of their own drum.) 
          In most cases when a company like Bain steps in, its because the company they acquire is performing poorly.  In these cases there are usually steps taken.  It starts with the dreaded Reorg, where attempts are made to fix things within the company without major changes.  Next, the company's "internal structure" is adjusted.  This usually involves firing a bunch of people to see if an change of personnel can fix the issues.  Lastly, when all else fails, the company is split up and sold off to recoup the money spent by the investors. 
          Now since Mitt and Bain is holding their cards very close their vests on this one, I can't say for sure if this is what happened or if anything actually happened while Romney was involved.  For all we know he did indeed go gleefully through halpless companies with a figurative carving knife laughing all the way.  However, until more evidence comes forward, this EBK is a little vague.
          Well there you have it, I played Devil's Advocate for once.  I guess all I am really trying to say is this.  EBKs don't exist.  Truth is very rarely plain and obvious.  Everyone could do with a little less EBKs and a little bit more with finding out the truth for themselves.  Now with the current election BS going on from both sides, that isn't easy but to quote my Father once again.

"If doing the right thing was easy, then everybody would do it and things would be a lot less messed up."

     Words to live by.  Peace out everybody!

Gratuitous Insults

Great food, insulting people

          Before we get into the actual rant let me share something with you.   Websters Dictionary Online defines Gratuity as follows: something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service.  This is important so please keep it in mind for later in the rant.

          For those of you in the Warner Robins, GA area who have not yet tried the food at the Metropolis Grill on Highway 96, let me tell you that it has some of the best, most authentic Indian/Mediterranean Food I have ever had.  The portions are generous and the prices are not too unreasonable for the food that you get.  My wife and I have been there several times and loved the food and the desserts.  Until yesterday I would have recommended to anyone that asked that they try the place.  That was until yesterday.

          We had finished some Easter shopping for my wife's work place and decided to eat out instead of go home to leftovers.  She decided that she wanted one of the dishes served at Metropolis so we drove out to 96.  Once there, we enjoyed a fantastic meal with decent service while talking about nothing in particular.  Everything was both hunky and dorry until it came time to pay the bill.  When our server brought out our bill, we were informed that the manager had told him that "since we had never tipped in our previous trips to the grill and that the servers worked for their tips if we came back we would be assessed an AUTOMATIC 18% gratuity!"

          First of all, see beginning paragraph for the definition of a gratuity.  Second recognize that as much as all of these businesses like to slap "automatic gratuities" on bills, they can't legally enforce that.  Any customer can request that the automatic tip be taken off and the businesses cannot refuse.  Why?  Again, see first paragraph.  Third ponder the idea of an "18%" tip!  We weren't a party of 50 or a busload of kids from band camp.  We were two people at one small table in one corner of the room.  Also the idea of paying that kind of tip at a casual dining eatery is insulting.

          I have worked in the food service industry a lot in my nearly 5 decades of life and I understand that servers/delivery people don't make a lot of money.  For this reason I am inclined to tip when I receive good service.  For the record, of the three times we have been to the Grill, we have tipped once.  We tipped the first time because the food was excellent and the service was acceptable.  We did not tip the second time because all of the servers seemed much more interested in talking on their cell phones than serving us.  We would have tipped the third time, but I was too insulted by the manager's actions to give our server a tip.  (As a side note here, the Manager didn't even have the Spheres to come out and tell us him/herself, our server was forced to give us the news.)

          If Servers want tips, they need to earn them.  Give good, prompt service to all your customers.  At least act like you give a darn about the people that come in your doors.  No one is "entitled" to tips or gifts, they have to earn them.  If Managers and Owners want to keep their businesses open, they need to treat their customers better.  We love the food at Metropolis, but we will never be going back there again.  I really hope all of my local readers at least temporarily boycott them as well.  Maybe if the people in charge see how much insulting their customers can hurt business, they will learn their lesson.  I doubt they will learn, but it never hurts to hope.

To end this unpleasant rant, here is a picture of a bunny holding a teddy bear.