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Couple arrested after refusing to pay tip at Pennsylvania pub {Daily Finance}
Nov 21st 2009 9:27PM Chas, I have to completely disagree with you on your complaint about the costs of blood tests at a childrens' hospital. Running blood tests isn't rocket science--it's HARDER. The people who run those tests complete a degree program every bit as difficult as the first two years of medical school. The current on-time graduation rate for my program is 20%. That's right--20%. It's that hard. The schools that still have the programs that train Medical Technologists/Clinical Laboratory Scientists are putting out a fraction of the number of graduates needed to replace those who are retiring. Why? The programs are small because they are demanding and...HARD. We were told to expect our GPA's to drop by half a point to a full point over the course of the program. That's just the way it is. It's designed to give us the knowledge we NEED to run those tests, run them accurately, know when something isn't right AND inform the doctors and nurses about the abnormal results as well as explaining what might have caused them and if it's likely to be a "simple" handling or collection error. You pay for someone who knows what they are doing to run those tests, someone who had to study and work hard to obtain the license to run those tests, someone who shoulders a great deal of responsibility without any of the recognition and not nearly as much pay as the MD's who look at those test results and promptly ignore them. You pay for the very specialized chemicals and equipment to run those tests. If there's any part of medicine where you are getting fair value for your money, it's the laboratory testing.
Couple arrested after refusing to pay tip at Pennsylvania pub {Daily Finance}
Nov 21st 2009 9:18PM I always tip more than 20% of the pretax bill, but sometimes a bit less than 20% of the after-tax bill if it makes a nice round number--as in up or down to the nearest dollar increment. That's for okay service, acceptable, timely, not impolite service. Stuff happens, like the day the waitress dropped the salad dressing as she neared my table, but since none of it ended up on me, I didn't take it out of her tip. Now if the waitress had poured my soda all over me or dumped the salad on my head...that's another matter. I tip more for great service. If I see a waitperson busting his or her backside to just keep up in a restaurant, they get extra. If I get great service personally, they get extra.
As for poor, rude service (usually some jumped-up male waiter who thinks that because I'm female and eating alone), they not only don't get any tip, but I speak to the manager. I know that waiting tables isn't easy, but poor service without a good reason is inexcusable. I don't blame the waitperson because my meal wasn't cooked properly or because it didn't taste good. I don't blame the waitperson because my meal was slow to arrive...unless it's cold. I do blame the waitperson if they fail to keep my water glass filled when I'm the only customer in the place. You get the idea.
Top 5 Worst Gifts for the Woman in Your Life {Holidash News}
Nov 18th 2009 6:03PM Okay, yeah. Even I wouldn't like the gifts listed. I also wouldn't like a clothes iron, a hair curler, any beauty items, anything in the way of "sexy" lingerie, or cheap gold/diamond/gemstone jewelry. I don't object to good-quality jewelry, but I DO NOT want the Zales (or Kay, or whoever) $79 special with diamonds better suited to a drill bit. And while we're on that--Tools, even power tools, even a chain saw, would be awesome...as long as the male giver doesn't EVER try to use them. NOBODY touches my tools except me.
Savannah Cats Make Super-Sized Pets {Pawnation}
Nov 1st 2009 4:22PM We recently were adopted by a Bengal, probably an F1 judging by his size and frame, because he was abandoned (as far as we can tell) by his previous human. We went to tremendous lengths to try and find his original human and reunite them, but we simply couldn't find the person. We tried Google, the phone numbers listed by the Humane Society, the people who run the microchip service (kitty has a microchip), the pound, the phone book (we called anyone with the same last name and left a message), everything. We don't know what happened, but this cat was terrified and starving when he turned up in our garden. He's gotten un-starved and un-scared now, and he's a total love in spite of his enormous claws. He's a snuggly guy, and friendly to our two other cats. We have yet to adopt a shelter cat because every time we lose a cat to old age, another cat just turns up to adopt us.
Bai Ling Loves Her Cheetah-Cat {Pawnation}
Nov 1st 2009 4:13PM Cheetah blood (doesn't look like it--maybe one of the smaller wild cats) or not, ALL felines can be extremely attached to their humans. The danger is one of scale--whereas a tiny domestic kitten can bite, kick and claw away and scarcely cause a scratch, a larger cat (even a domestic cat) just playing can send a human to the emergency room. Humans living with cats of all sizes need to be very aware of their cats' body language and subtle behaviors if they want to stay uninjured. Cats don't intend to be mean or harm "their" humans in most cases, but sometimes an instinct takes over and the result is bloodshed (a drop all the way up arterial spray) or injury (if a big cat decides you are her "babykitten" and tries to drag you off by your "scruff" to safety, it's going to do some damage).
In ancient Egypt, cheetahs were kept and used much as we use hunting dogs, so you can't say they aren't amenable to domestication. They do get attached to their humans.
Watch: The Heenes on 'Wife Swap' {Popeater}
Oct 16th 2009 9:01PM Hoax or not, non-news or not (I definitely think that it was non-news, but I can't say for sure on the hoax), "Balloon Boy" was the perfect lunchtime viewing for at least five people in this country. I went to lunch with four of my classmates on Thursday, and the story was playing out live on a huge-screen TV at the university dining commons (hey--they have a five dollar special on Thursdays, and it was convenient and close).
After a miserable morning of medical mycology and medical virology, with an equally miserable afternoon of transfusion medicine to come (It's a great major, but some days are just horrible and this was one of them), "Balloon Boy" was just what we all needed in the way of a brain break. It made the afternoon bearable.
So--from five stressed Clinical Laboratory Science students: Thank you, Heene family!
Conde Nast closes beloved Gourmet magazine and three others {Daily Finance}
Oct 5th 2009 8:01PM When Gourmet changed its format from the old, text-heavy, literate style and longer articles to looking a lot like any other food magazine, it lost its core readers. It lost me, for one.
Rich people in a panic over new IRS rules {Daily Finance}
Sep 13th 2009 9:11PM The wealthiest 1% of Americans pay roughly 40% of the taxes collected in the United States. HOWEVER..they also earn 70% of the income in the United States. They need to pay their fair share (70%).
Bed Sharing Is Bad for Your Health {Asylum}
Sep 13th 2009 3:57PM I'm all for separate beds. It was always a battle with my ex-husband, who snored loud enough to rattle the windows, hogged all the blankets and then threw them off HIS side of the bed when he got too hot. My grandparents had separate twin beds throughout their marriage, but they stayed married until death. My grampa used to get into my gramma's bed while she changed, washed her face and brushed her teeth to warm it for her. Then he'd go to his bed and go to sleep.
Students Try to Steal Giant Pepper From Chili's Rooftop {Asylum}
Sep 10th 2009 6:59PM There isn't any indication whether the four people attempting to steal the giant chili were students or not. Assuming they were students, however, I want to know why they were doing this instead of studying.
