Have a Nice Weekend …

Cheers

Did You Laugh Today ? – II

Brawl

Did You Laugh Today ? – III

Thug

Did you laugh Today

How to Catch a Cat ?

Applebee’s ; Tips are not optional, they are how waiters get paid in America

 

An Applebee’s diner refused to leave a tip for religious reasons. The waitress who exposed it wonders if Jesus will pay her bills

I was a waitress at Applebee’s restaurant in Saint Louis. I was fired Wednesday for posting a picture on Reddit.com of a note a customer left on a bill. I posted it on the web as a light-hearted joke.

This didn’t even happen at my table. The note was left for another server, who allowed me to take a picture of it at the end of the night.

Someone had scribbled on the receipt, “I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?”

I assumed the customer’s signature was illegible, but I quickly started receiving messages containing Facebook profile links and websites, asking me to confirm the identity of the customer. I refused to confirm any of them, and all were incorrect.

I worked with the Reddit moderators to remove any personal information. I wanted to protect the identity of both my fellow server and the customer. I had no intention of starting a witch-hunt or hurting anyone.

Now I’ve been fired.

The person who wrote the note came across an article about it, called the Applebee’s location, and demanded everyone be fired — me, the server who allowed me to take the picture, the manager on duty at the time, the manager not on duty at the time, everyone. It seems I was fired not because Applebee’s was represented poorly, not because I did anything illegal or against company policy, but because I embarrassed this person.

In light of the situation, I would like to make a statement on behalf of wait staff everywhere: We make $3.50 an hour. Most of my paychecks are less than pocket change because I have to pay taxes on the tips I make.

After sharing my tips with hosts, bussers, and bartenders, I make less than $9 an hour on average, before taxes. I am expected to skip bathroom breaks if we are busy. I go hungry all day if I have several busy tables to work. I am expected to work until 1:30am and then come in again at 10:30am to open the restaurant.

I have worked 12-hour double shifts without a chance to even sit down. I am expected to portray a canned personality that has been found to be least offensive to the greatest amount of people. And I am expected to do all of this, every day, and receive change, or even nothing, in return. After all that, I can be fired for “embarrassing” someone, who directly insults his or her server on religious grounds.

In this economy, $3.50 an hour doesn’t cut it. I can’t pay half my bills. Like many, I would love to see a reasonable, non-tip-dependent wage system for service workers like they have in other countries. But the system being flawed is not an excuse for not paying for services rendered.

I need tips to pay my bills. All waiters do. We spend an hour or more of our time befriending you, making you laugh, getting to know you, and making your dining experience the best it can be. We work hard. We care. We deserve to be paid for that.

I am trying to stand up for all of us who work for just a few dollars an hour at places like Applebee’s. Whether a chain steakhouse or a black-tie establishment, tipping is not optional. It is how we get paid.

I posted a picture to make people laugh, but now I want to make a serious point: Things like this happen to servers all the time. People seem to think that the easiest way to save money on a night out is to skip the tip.

I can’t understand why I was fired over this. I was well liked and respected at Applebee’s. My sales were high, my managers had no problems with me, and I was even hoping to move up to management soon. When I posted this, I didn’t represent Applebee’s in a bad light. In fact, I didn’t represent them at all.

I did my best to protect the identity of all parties involved. I didn’t break any specific guidelines in the company handbook – I checked. But because this person got embarrassed that their selfishness was made public, Applebee’s has made it clear that they would rather lose a dedicated employee than an angry customer. That’s a policy I can’t understand.

I am equally baffled about how a religious tithe is in any way related to paying for services at a restaurant. I can understand why someone could be upset with an automatic gratuity. However, it’s a plainly stated Applebee’s policy that a tip is added automatically for parties over eight like the one this customer was part of. I cannot control that kind of tip; it’s done by the computer that the orders are put into. I’ve been stiffed on tips before, but this is the first time I’ve seen the “Big Man” used as reasoning.

Obviously the person who wrote this note wanted it seen by someone. It’s strange that now that the audience is wider than just the server, the person is ashamed.

I have no agenda here. I seek no revenge against the note writer. I have no interest in exposing their identity, and, at this point, I’m not even sure I want my job back. I was just trying to make a joke, but I came home unemployed.

I’ve been waiting tables to save up some money so I could finally go to college, so I could get an education that would qualify me for a job that doesn’t force me to sell my personality for pocket change.

While this story has garnered immense media attention, my story is not uncommon. Bad tips and harsh notes are all part of the job. People get fired to keep customers happy every day.

As this story has gotten popular, I’ve received inquiries as to where people can send money to support me. As a broke kid trying to get into college, it’s certainly appealing, but I’d really rather you make a difference to your next server. I’d rather you keep that money and that generosity for the next time you eat out.

‘LEAKED ‘ ONE DIRECTION COMIC RELIEF SINGLE

 

One Direction’s record label have launched an investigation into the leak of their Comic Relief charity single, ‘One Way Or Another’.

The track, a cover of Blondie’s punk classic, is being released to raise funds for this year’s Comic Relief, but appeared online this week. Fans urged each other not to listen to the track before its official premiere. Now, a record label investigation into the leak has been launched.

“It is very disappointing that the song has been leaked and we are currently investigating the matter,” said Syco records in a statement to The Mirror newspaper.

‘One Way Or Another’ has now been removed from YouTube, but it has already been picked up and shared on other sites, and fans are still able to listen to it.

Fans are now using Twitter and social networks to urge others not to listen to the song yet, or at least to listen and then to wait and buy it – so as not to ruin the charity aspect of the track.

One fan wrote, “if u listened to the leaked cover of one way or another u should be ashamed,” while another said, “Do not illegally download One Way or Another! It’s a CHARITY single, make sure your money goes to a good cause, not someone’s back pocket!”

Despite recording the track for charity, One Direction have come under criticism from rising indie star Jake Bugg, who claims that fans will soon grow up and forget all about the boyband.

Speaking to Q magazine, Bugg said: “One Direction? The young girls will grow up and forget about ’em.

“There’s only [one direction] they’ll be going after that, isn’t there? Down. I’m interested in which songs, artists, will be remembered in 50 years’ time.”

source

Can you spot a cheat just by LOOKING at him?

 

Can you spot a cheat just by looking at him? A recent study suggests you might well be able to – if you’re a woman looking at a man. The 2012 paper found women were ‘moderately capable’ of gauging a man’s sexual infidelity just by looking at a photo of him for three seconds.
Men, interestingly – given the evolutionary advantage it would offer to avoid bringing up someone else’s children – proved incapable.

HE’S TALL
Shorter men have lower testosterone levels, so aren’t ruled by their penis and (sad but true) aren’t chatted up as much.

HIS EYES ARE WIDE APART
There’s a correlation between infidelity and the space between men’s eyes. The wider apart they are, the more easily bored he is – and likely to be tempted by anything in a skirt.
Your best bet are guys with close-set eyes. Once he’s committed, he’s far less likely to cheat.
HE’S GOT BUSHY EYEBROWS
Sparse eyebrows equals a low sex drive. Thick and busy brows hint at a sexually excessive personality.
HE’S GOT A BUMPY NOSE
They’re linked to high sex drives and a desire to have ‘kinky’ sex.
HE’S GOT ‘MIRROR MUSCLES’
Men who go to the gym purely to look good, rather than for health or sport reasons, tend to have what trainers call ‘mirror muscles’.
They focus on areas that impress, like big biceps or a six-pack, and forget about places like legs which aren’t on display as often.
This suggests vanity which in turn suggests he’s susceptible to flattery and easier to chat up than a guy who isn’t as into his appearance.

HE’S GOT HUGH GRANT HAIR
Floppy hair – short at the sides and longer at the front – is supposedly a dead giveaway of infidelity, according to one study.
Results suggested men with this hair cut tend to be more self-centred and self-obsessed than the average bloke and least likely to worry about the pain an affair may cause you.
HE’S A BIG DRINKER
OK, it’s not officially about his looks but it is something you can observe. Men who drink no more than the recommended weekly total (sensible drinkers rather than lager louts) are 82 per cent less likely to commit adultery than heavy drinkers.
No prizes for guessing why. Don’t be too smug if your boy’s addicted to caffeine instead: coffee drinkers are twice as likely to be unfaithful.
HIS FACE IS SQUARE RATHER THAN OVAL
An oval face means home and family are important to him. He’s unlikely to stray unless pushed too far.
HE’S A BIG BOY
This also isn’t immediately apparent for obvious reasons and you’ll have to indulge in some foreplay to find out this one.
But basically, the size of a man’s testicles is a scientifically proven indicator of his faithfulness. The bigger they are, the more sperm he produces and the more he’s a slave to his libido.
WHAT TO DO IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOUR MAN:
Don’t dump him on the spot. Studies on this sort of stuff (except, weirdly, the testicles) are varied and often contradictory.
But it’s still fascinating, not to mention great dinner party trivia, and quite frankly, with (even a little) evidence for all points, I really would be asking a few questions if he scored in every single category!

source

Buttocks and Boobs banned in new Grammy Awards dress code

A wardrobe advisory from Grammy Awards broadcaster CBS has been circulated which expresses that stars must avoid nudity during the event.

American broadcaster CBS has issued a warning against wardrobe “obscenity” ahead of its airing of the Grammy Awards on Sunday. The warning, which came in the form of an email headed “Standard And Practice Wardrobe Advisory”, was published on Deadline.com. The advisory made clear that buttocks and “female breasts” – specifically the bare sides or “under curvature” – should be adequately covered, and made an intriguing reference to “puffy” bare skin that accompanies exposure of the genital region.
The Grammys are a notoriously fleshy event: pop star Pink trapeezed across the stage in a nude bodysuit during her 2010 performance; Jennifer Lopez wore a see-through Versace gown slashed to her hips; and Katy Perry teamed a pair of wings with an irridescent sheet in 2011.

Some, however, have covered up – in 2009 Lady Gaga arrived in a giant egg, and Cee-Lo Green also sported an avian look when he arrived covered head-to-toe in feathers at the 2011 awards. Last year, British singer Adele picked up six Grammys in a modest black dress.

Folk band Mumford and Sons, rock band Muse and Sir Paul McCartney are nominated for this year’s awards.

source

Polar bears ‘may need to be fed by humans to survive’

 

Photograph: Paul Souders/Corbis

The day may soon come when some of the 19 polar bear populations in Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway, and Russia will have to be fed by humans in order to keep them alive during an extended ice-free season or prevent them from roaming into northern communities. Some bears may have to be placed in temporary holding compounds until it is cold enough for them to go back onto the sea ice. In worst-case scenarios, polar bears from southern regions may have to be relocated to more northerly climes that have sufficient sea ice cover.

Far-fetched, draconian, and unlikely as some of these scenarios may sound, 12 scientists from Arctic countries are, for the first time, suggesting that the five nations with polar bear populations need to start considering these and other management strategies now that sea ice retreat is posing serious challenges to the bears’ survival. In worst-case scenarios, the scientists say that polar bears with little chance of being rehabilitated or relocated may have to euthanized. Zoos, which are currently having a difficult time acquiring polar bears because of stringent regulations that prevent them from doing so, will at some point likely be offered as many animals as they can handle, according to the scientists.

This crisis management plan for polar bears as Arctic sea ice disappears is laid out this week in an article in Conservation Letters, the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology. Polar bear experts Andrew Derocher, Steve Amstrup, Ian Stirling, and nine others say that with Arctic sea ice disappearing far faster than originally estimated, it’s time for Arctic nations to begin making detailed plans to save as many of the world’s 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears as possible.

“We really never have been here before,” says Amstrup, chief scientist for Polar Bears International and a lead author of a landmark U.S. government-appointed panel that predicted in 2008 that two-thirds of the polar bears in the world could disappear by mid-century.

The University of Alberta’s Derocher added, “We have covered the science side of the issue very well, but the policy and management aspects are locked in the past. We still manage polar bears in Canada like nothing has changed. Other countries are moving on some aspects of future polar bear management, but it is glacial compared to the actual changes we’re seeing in sea ice and the bears themselves.”

The alien-sounding concepts presented in this week’s paper — with names like supplemental feeding, diversionary feeding, translocation, and intentional population reduction — may become increasingly put into practics as Arctic sea ice, continues to disappear in spring, summer, and fall. Forty years ago, when the first International Polar Bear Agreement was ratified, the threats facing polar bears were chiefly hunting and mining and oil development. But the overriding threat now is climate change.

Without adequate sea ice for enough of the year, many bears will not be able to use the ice as a feeding platform to hunt their favored prey, ringed seals. As a consequence, polar bears will be forced to spend more time fasting on land, where they pose a greater risk to human populations in the Arctic. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Polar Bear Specialist Group recently concluded that only one of the 19 polar bear subpopulations is currently increasing. Three are stable and eight are declining. For the remaining seven subpopulations, there is insufficient data to provide an assessment of current trends.

Derocher and some of his colleagues have been thinking about the need for dramatic rescue plans for polar bears for at least five years. The scientists say a record disappearance of Arctic summer sea ice in 2007 increased the urgency for emergency planning, as did research by Peter Molnar — Derocher’s one-time graduate student and now a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University — suggesting that the collapse of some polar bear populations may occur sooner than climate models predict.

Over the past two years, scientists began considering a specific list of actions to save polar bear populations. A draft paper by Derocher and others was circulated last August just as Arctic summer sea ice hit striking new lows, with sea ice volume dropping 72 percent from the 1979-2010 mean, and ice extent falling by 45 percent from the 1979-2000 mean.

“If you talk to any of the polar bear biologists, you’ll find that the public is already asking us about the issues we cover in the paper,” Derocher said in an interview. “I’ve had well-positioned conservationists waiting to start the fund-raising to feed polar bears.

“I don’t view the options we lay out as a way of not dealing with greenhouse gases,” he added, “because without action on that front, there’s little that could be done in the longer term to save the species, and we’ll see massive range contractions and possibly extinction.”

Two key ideas in the current paper are supplemental feeding, to make up for the loss of ringed seals that polar bears can kill on ice, and diversionary feeding to draw hungry polar bears on shore away from human settlements. Supplemental feeding is nothing new; it is done for numerous species, from elk in the United States to brown bears in Eastern Europe. But feeding polar bears poses major challenges.

Derocher said in an email that the goal would be to distribute food, such as seals, in sufficient quantities over large distances so that hungry bears, forced ashore by lack of ice, would not come into conflict by vying for the same food. The goal would be to keep bear populations widely scattered, as attracting too many bears to central locations could increase the risk of disease transmission. Helicopters could be used to deliver the seals, but the logistics and expense of such a plan would be daunting. Thousands of seals would have to be killed by wildlife officials every summer to meet the needs of hungry bears, who each consume up to five seals a week.

“There is not a lot of experience with any of these issues, so it would take coordination and learning from the east Europeans, who already feed brown bears,” said Derocher. Still, he is convinced that we will someday be feeding polar bears in the wild. “The public pressure will be intense to do so,” he says, “and the public influences policy.”

Another possible measure would be to relocate bears from more southerly regions, such as Hudson Bay, to more northerly regions, such as M’Clintock Channel in Nunavut in the high Canadian Arctic. The number of bears in the icier M’Clintock Channel area has been significantly reduced by overhunting, so there is room to relocate bears from Hudson Bay and James Bay without creating territorial conflicts, scientists say. Cubs from one population could also be flown to more northerly regions and placed with females that would rear them as “foster” cubs, Derocher said.

In Derocher’s view, feeding and relocation will only work for polar bears so long as they have some habitat remaining, which is unlikely in the next century if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed dramatically. “Keeping hundreds of semi-wild bears on a diet of bear chow doesn’t fit my personal philosophy, but perhaps centuries from now, it will be viewed as visionary, if we eventually control those greenhouse gases,” Derocher says.

The paper notes that another option is holding polar bears temporarily in the Arctic in enclosures during low sea ice periods. A similar thing is now done with problem bears around Churchill, Manitoba on western Hudson Bay.

The report acknowledges that in a worst-case scenario, where the primary goal is to preserve the genetic structure of the species, zoos around the world could play an important role. Amstrup, the U.S. zoologist, says there are signs that the U.S. is at least considering the idea of easing restrictions on the importation of orphan cubs found in the wild.

“Regardless of whether reintroducing polar bears or their genes ever is practical, we cannot overlook other ways zoos may contribute,” he says. “Dozens of species are healthier and more abundant in the wild today because of captive breeding and other zoo programs.”

As a last resort, the paper mentions “intentional population reduction'” — the killing of starving bears. “Controlled reduction of population size through harvest might be necessary to ensure both human safety and a viable but smaller polar bear population as a result of declining habitat,” the paper said. “Euthanasia may be the most humane option for individual bears in very poor condition that are unlikely to survive. Under these circumstances, it will be important to develop clear guidelines for identification of starving animals.”
Amstrup emphasizes that the purpose of the article is not to promote one management strategy over another or to suggest that they will all work. “The purpose is to remind the readers, and hopefully policy people, that the long-term future of polar bears is in jeopardy,” he says. “It makes managers and policy people aware of the various kinds of on-the-ground actions that may be applied and makes them begin to think of the varying levels of cost that may be involved in the different options they may choose.”

Stirling, a biologist at the University of Alberta, said in an e-mail that the paper is “a starting point that clarifies the need to be developing some preliminary plans for dealing with such problems.” The scientists realize that it will be difficult to sell these controversial management strategies to the public and to policy makers. One impetus for action will likely be an increasing threat to humans in the Arctic from hungry bears being forced off the ice and onto land. “The sooner we consider the options, the sooner we’ll have a plan,” said Derocher. “The worst-case scenario is a catastrophically early sea ice break-up with hundreds of starving bears, followed by inappropriate management actions.

“It has always seemed that we’ve been behind the curve on climate change and polar bears,” he said, noting that conservation planning for polar bears has typically extended several decades into the future. “That time frame leads one to think you’ve got time. But the science is clear that this is a fallacy.”

source

What drugs are involved ?

PEPTIDES
Peptides are amino acids, like proteins. Two main types are used in sport: protein peptides and hormone peptides. Protein peptides are proteins broken down into small particles that can be rapidly absorbed by the body. Hormone peptides are proteins usually secreted by the pituitary gland, such as growth hormone and insulin. They include:

GHRP-2 and GHRP-6
Effects: Stimulate the release of growth hormone by the pituitary gland. Stimulate hunger and aid in energy metabolism. Increase strength and muscle mass, rejuvenate joints and aid recovery from injuries such as bone fractures.

Advertisement
Side effects: Hot flushes, sweating and increased appetite.

CJC-1295
Effects: A synthetic growth hormone-releasing factor that boosts lean muscle mass, reduces fat and improves performance. Increases energy, vitality and endurance, accelerates healing and strengthens the heart. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce pain and swelling and help repair of injured tissue.
Side effects: None listed, not approved for human use.

AOD-9604
Effects: This experimental anti-obesity drug mimics the way natural growth hormone stimulates the breakdown of fat and inhibits fat build-up. Boosts cartilage tissue formation and enhances muscle growth.
Side effects: None listed, not yet approved for human use.

Hexarelin, Ipamorelin and Sermorelin
Effects: Synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptides that increase strength, growth of new muscle fibres and the size of existing muscle fibres, joint rejuvenation and assistance in healing. Have no effect on appetite.
Side effects: None listed

GROWTH FACTORS

IGF-1 and MGF: IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) is one of the primary human growth hormones secreted by the liver. MGF (mechano growth factor) is derived from IGF-1. Both occur naturally in the body but are available in synthetic forms.
Effects: IGF-1 boosts muscle growth while MGF aids muscle repair and recovery after exercise.
Side effects: None listed

SARMs
Selective androgen modulator receptors, also known as Ostarine or Enobosarm. They are used to treat a range of medical conditions, including fighting muscle wasting in cancer sufferers.
Effects: Boosts body’s ability to utilise testosterone. Believed to promote muscle growth.
Side effects: None listed

source