Return of $10,000 doesn’t garner reward from owner

Everyone wants to think the best in others, especially during the holiday season. Debra Rogoff of California is an example of the kind of person we always say we’d be like.  In October, she found $10,000 in crisp $100 bills inside a box of Annie’s Sour Cream and Onion Cheddar Bunny crackers and didn’t spend any of it.

Rogoff called the police and they feared that it was actually part of a drug money drop-off since the bills were in an unmarked white envelope.  However, the store where the crackers were purchased knew who the money belonged to.  The Whole Foods Store in Tustin said that an elderly lady was frantic after she realized that the money she had withdrawn from the bank — her life savings — had been stored inside a box of crackers she inadvertently returned.

I understand the woman’s distrust of the bank because of the recent economic mess.  Many who lived through the Great Depression might be more apt to pull their savings out for fear of losing everything.  I don’t understand returning food to the grocery store, but that’s a whole other article.

What I don’t understand is how after fearing that she had lost everything the woman who owned the money has not done anything to show her gratitude to the person who found it.  Rogoff said that she has never heard from the woman and to date has only received a replacement box of crackers from Whole Foods.  The store’s policy is to compost returned food, not restock it — so not only does the woman have Rogoff to thank but also whomever at Whole Foods inadvertently put the box on the shelf.

So much for gratitude these days…

Adolf Hitler has birthday cake issues

Maybe you’ve heard this story already, but it does lead to a controversial argument.  In Pennsylvania, 3-year-old Aldof Hitler Campbell was refused a personalized birthday cake by a grocery store because of his name.

Adolf’s father, Heath Campbell, said:

I think people need to take their heads out of the cloud they’ve been in and start focusing on the future and not on the past.  There’s a new president and he says it’s time for a change; well, then it’s time for a change.  They need to accept a name.  A name’s a name.  The kid isn’t going to grow up and do what (Hitler) did.

A very admirable statement.  And, with any hope, he won’t.

On the other side of the coin, there’s the statement from the store:

We reserve the right not to print anything on the cake that we deem to be inappropriate.  We considered this inappropriate.

Karen Meleta, the spokeswoman for the Greenwich, PA,  ShopRite, continued to defend the supermarket as she said the Campbells had similar requests denied at the same store the last two years and added that Campbell previously had asked for a swastika to be included in the decoration.

The cake requested was finally created at a Wal-Mart in Pennsylvania.  Wal-Mart has stated they plan to review their policies regarding cake decorations and other requests in light of the publicity of the decoration.

The family, who lives in Hunterdon County, NJ, held the birthday party and reported that 12 others including children of mixed races were invited and attended.

The Campbells’ other children have unique names as well:  JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, 1, and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell, who will be 1 in April.

Campbell states that he chose the name for his son because it was unique and most other children wouldn’t have it.  He also states that he was not raised to avoid persons of other races but to not mix with them socially or romantically and plans to raise his son differently.

He made the statement while showing off the boots he states were worn by a German soldier in WWII and touted his German ancestry.

So is it an innocent child who is being discriminated against because his parents foolishly didn’t consider what problems his name would cause?  Or is this a case of white supremacists trying to live vicariously through the publicity they believe their childrens’ names will bring them to further their “cause” for separation?

I have friends who participate in WWII re-enacting.  Some do German, and even though they occasionally have parties they would never consider requesting a cake with a swastika on it, even if it were for an “official” event.  Why?  Because they’re not Nazis and don’t believe in the policies and politics of that era, even though they re-enact history either for fun or to “honor veterans” as some put it.

So why would parents want a cake with a swastika on it?  If it were actually being used as the Hindu, Buddhist, or Jainism symbols, I could see that.  Even German-Jewish WWI aviator Fritz Beckhardt wore one as a good luck charm.  It wasn’t until the Nazi Party used it to denote their Aryan supremacy that it became a reviled symbol.

And even if this cake wasn’t to have a swastika on it, is the store right in it’s decision to deny Adolf a cake with his name on it?  Just because someone has an unpopular name, does that mean corporations have the right to discriminate?  If the Campbells arrived and asked for just “Happy Birthday Adolf,” would they have been denied?

This is an argument that will go on for quite some time in chat rooms and blogs.  I don’t have an answer for it.  It is an argument between freedom to name your child as you wish to corporate policy protecting customers from offensive material.  Who makes the decision, though?  Where is the line drawn?

Assault with a not-so-deadly cheesburger

A Vero Beach, Florida, man is accused of assaulting his girlfriend with a McDonald’s cheeseburger.

Vincent Gonzalez has been charged with battery domestic violence and was still behind bars this past Wednesday.  His bail was set at $1,000.

Gonzalez is accused of forcing the cheeseburger in question into the face if his girlfriend after they had argued in a car and he would not let her leave.  The girlfriend became angry and threw Gonzalez’s soda out of the window, igniting the….um….brawl?  Gonzalez reportedly grabbed her arm before forcefully introducing the sandwich into her face.  Both parties then exited the vehicle where Gonzales again….attacked?….his girlfriend with the McMeat product….

I’m sorry, readers.  I can’t help laughing at this.  Don’t get me wrong — I certainly do not condone or advocate violence against women.  I don’t advocate violence against anyone.  But I’ll bet the police were having just as much trouble not giggling through the arrest report when trying to identify the weapon used.  To what is this world coming?

McOops! McDonald’s omits Western Sahara from Happy Meal maps

Whoops!  Another McMess for McDonald’s to clean up!

This time, Happy Meal toys in Morocco have the borders incorrectly drawn in Rabat.  Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975 and sparked a war with the Polisario Front.  The battle raged on until a UN-brokered cease fire took effect in 1991.  As if things weren’t already tense enough there….

A joint Moroccan-Sahara association filed the complaint.  McDonald’s has stated that they plan to replace the toys and regret the mistake.

Here’s an idea for them:  You’re a multi-billion-dollar corporation — how about hiring at least one person who can proofread!

Kids ask Santa for economic help this year

In an earlier blog post this week, I mentioned how hard it is for people this year at Christmas because of the economy.  And just as I said would happen, children are asking Santa for help.

Joe Jackson, a Santa in Columbia, SC, said this:

You see things behind the beard that nobody else will ever see or hear. I’ve had children just literally tear my heart out.

Parents are helping their children through tough times by trying to keep traditions alive.  Many know that their children desperately want the latest and greatest toy from Santa this year and that it just won’t happen.  Sadly, many don’t realize that the kids know this as well regardless of how much Mom and Dad try to hide it.

Children this year aren’t asking for as many toys as before, the article says.  They’re asking for warm clothes and personal care items — things most people would be offended to receive as a present.  In days gone by when people were happy to receive simple homemade presents, a pair of socks or a hastily-knitted scarf was the highlight of someone’s holiday.  Now, if it doesn’t have a memory card or isn’t the latest model of something they already have, people don’t want it.  To many, if you can’t prove you spent a quarter of your annual salary on their present then you’d be better off not buying anything at all.

Civic organizations are scrambling to help families provide a simple Christmas for children this year.  With more families signing-up for services and less people donating money, it’s going to be thin all around.

Having to cancel Christmas breaks the hearts of parents everywhere.  And it’s not only Christian families that are hurting this year.  Those who celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and no specific holiday at all are also in need.  It’s not just during the winter non-denominational holiday season that people need assistance.

Is shopping worth your life? Wal-Mart employee killed during Black Friday store rampage

Just how much is your life worth?  Shoppers at a Long Island, NY, Wal-Mart felt that anyone standing in their way was worth less than saving a few dollars.

A clerk at the store was trampled after the crowd broke the doors off the hinges.  A pregnant woman has been taken to hospital for observation and may have lost her unborn child.  Many others sustained injuries from the riot and the store had to be closed.

The Bentonville, AR, headquarters stated the store had to be closed for a “medical emergency” but has yet to confirm or deny the rampage by its customers.

So, are your kids just that spoiled that you’ll threaten the life of another person for a stupid toy?  Are you that greedy that you can’t wait until the store opens to plunk down money you can’t afford to spend on an HD TV?  And have we all become so blind to the plight of others that people will actually step on others in pursuit of material goods that no one notices someone has been hurt until it’s too late?

What does that say about the state of the world today?  True, people want to continue their holiday traditions and provide presents for family members but can’t afford to spend as much as years past.  We’re all out looking for a way to save some money.  But instead of living within the means they have now, there are many who find the after-Thanksgiving sales as the only way to appease their spoiled children, guilty conscience, or greedy desires.  Every year we hear about someone getting hurt in a shopping rush.  Every year we hear people complain about how they overspent on holiday gifts because “it was on sale” or “they just had to have it.”

So how much is your life worth?  I’d like to think we could all agree it’s worth more than anything that comes wrapped with a bow.

Do the punishments fit the crime? Youths and bad behavior…

What the hell is up with kids these days?  Is there nothing they’ll do for attention?  And are the punishments adults mete out appropriate for the offenses?  Shouldn’t we be a little more creative?

In Stuart, FL, a student was arrested for “passing gas.”  The 13-year-old had been accused of continually disrupting classes by intentionally breaking wind and then turning off computers other students were using.  He was released to his mother after being charged with disruption of a school function. 

Arrested??  Seriously??  What ever happened to in-school suspension?  Or how about some good old-fashioned corporal punishment?  Oh…that’s right…the U.S. has been trying to ban it for years even though South Korean schools use it with effective results, though I don’t totally agree with all their methods.

I do really like this video of how a judge in Ft. Lupton, CO, deals with noise ordinance violators.  I don’t really consider myself a fuddy-duddy person, but I can’t stand it when someone drives by with their radio so loud I can feel the beat in my teeth.  How can they stand that?

Judge Paul W. Sacco has gotten tired of parents just paying the fines for their children’s violations of the noise laws.  I can agree with that.  If the parent pays and there are no repercussions directly affecting the violators, then what have they learned?  Absolutely nothing other than “money talks.”  So Judge Sacco has started sentencing them to a one-hour session of music.  Of the music he likes — Barry Manilow and Barney the Dinosaur.  They, among other artists and music genres, are usually not going to be found on the iPods of the offenders.

Now that’s creative punishment!  And is it effective?  I don’t have any statistics on it, but one of the teens said he didn’t think Manilow was all that bad after hearing it.  Hmmm….maybe a Ray Coniff jubilee or Lawrence Welk marathon would be better?

Santa shortage in Germany? What about kindness everywhere?

In these trying financial times, people are losing their jobs and life savings in the worldwide economic crisis.  Some are hoping to simply put a little food on the table or perhaps have one item for Father Christmas to leave in a stocking hung by the chimney with care.  For the Germans, they can’t find enough people to be Santa.

No, they’re not talking about “being Santa” as in showing charity and helping those less fortunate.  They’re looking for more than a few good men willing to put on a red suit and have snotty children scream in terror when placed on their lap.  A lot of people aren’t willing to go through that torture.  Maybe they’ve read this book!

Santas in Germany can make 60 euros per hour.  That’s about $75 per hour!!  In one thought, I think it’s way too much.  I would love to have a job that paid like that.  However, upon reflection, with the hazard pay you would need to provide to get some people to just consider being the jolly ol’ elf, it’s about right.  I mean…look at the working conditions!  You’ve got kids who are terrified of you.  You’ve also got overbearing parents who believe their little angels are entitled to whatever their sweetums begs for and are looking for the perfect photo to put in their Christmas letters that no one ever reads.

Then you have the parents who shyly stand on the sidelines and weep quietly to themselves because they know there’s no way they could possibly provide even one of the smallest items their kids are whispering into Santa’s ear.  Or the kids who sit on your knee and tell you they just want Mommy or Daddy to come home again, or stop drinking, or visit them from Heaven.

The Germans say that they’re actively recruiting Santas because people want to cling to their traditions to get through trying times.  I can see that.  Telling a child they can’t talk to Santa this year because no one can afford Christmas would bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

But do we really need a Santa on every street corner?  What about taking some of that salary and donating it to organizations that will ensure children can simply have a small present under the tree?  Or using it to help provide food for those who are in need and might go hungry this holiday season, regardless of whether it’s Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or even a non-religious celebration?

It’s supposed to be the happiest time of the year.  For many, even sugarplums won’t be dancing in their heads because the suffering of the real world has finally hit home.  What a shock to many it is to have gone from granting any wish their heart desired to wishing someone else had a heart large enough to help.

Snap nude pics, lose your phone, be humiliated on the Internet. Who’s to blame?

I think I’ve heard about three different versions of the story coming out of Northwest Arkansas where Phillip and Tina Sherman filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s.  No, they didn’t spill scalding coffee in their laps.  No, their children didn’t get stuck in the Playland apparatus and suffer injuries.  The Shermans allege that McDonald’s is to blame because, after Phillip lost his cell phone, nude photos of Tina appeared on a website.

The Shermans are suing McDonald’s, the management agency that owns the local franchise, and the manager of the restaurant, Aaron Brummley.  They want a jury trial and $3 million in damages for suffering, embarrassment, loss of wages, and having to move to a new home.

Granted, Mrs. Sherman may have been upset after receiving text messages from the misplaced phone saying that the photos had been viewed by someone other than her husband.  And, she was probably upset after finding out that it would take 72 hours to remove the photos from the website where they were uploaded.  I’m just not sure it’s all worth $3 million.

First of all, the versions of the story I’ve heard don’t agree on how the phone was lost.  One said that Mr. Sherman threw it away by accident.  Another says that it was simply left behind in the restaurant.  However, none of them specify if Mr. Sherman actually called the restaurant and asked if the phone was in the manager’s possession.  The Northwest Arkansas News article the link above comes from states that Mr. Brummley, on-duty manager at the restaurant in question, called Mr. Sherman’s mother from the cell phone and stated that he would keep the phone secure until Mr. Sherman returned for it.  Other articles state that Mr. Brummley has made no comments regarding the issue and only that employees promised to keep it safe.

Does anyone really believe that your average McDonald’s employee will keep anything that doesn’t belong to them safe?  When I was in college I worked as an assistant manager at three McDonald’s.  I didn’t trust any of the employees I had under me any farther than I could throw them.  Most were snotty high school students who were only there because their parents made them get a job or they wanted to work only long enough to earn money for prom, graduation, or an awesome spring break.  Many of the rest were there only because that was the first or last place they had applied and couldn’t find anything else but were happy to complain about having to work and only getting minimum wage.  Not all McDonald’s employees are like that, however.  I don’t want to start getting hate mail from them, so I figured I’d better clear that up right here.

That leads me into my next question.  Why would you carry anything with you that you might be embarrassed about someone else getting their hands on?  Reportedly, Mrs. Sherman sent the nude photos of herself to her husband.  True, they were “for his own use” (a phrase quickly thrown out there by lawyers, no doubt).  But if there’s any chance whatsoever that someone, ANYONE might see them — even by accident — why keep them there?  Is it an ego thing?  Did he want to show them to his friends?

I’m not going to judge Mrs. Sherman for taking or sending the photos.  People do that all the time.  What consenting adults do within their relationship is no business of mine.  Someone posed the question of whether or not it was illegal for her to do that since it went over the cell phone transmission waves and could have been intercepted.  I’m not that technically adept, but I think if it were there would be many more who are guilty of illegal actions when sending pornographic photos over their dial-up or DSL lines by email.

Should the restaurant have kept the phone safe?  If they were aware of it being lost and had it in the possession of employees or the manager, then I’d say yes.  Is it the responsibility of the manager to ensure that nothing happened to it?  Again, only if it was already in the possession of staff and management.  If someone else got hold of it before then, it’s not the restaurant’s fault.

So, who’s really to blame?  If we go back to the source, then Mr. & Mrs. Sherman are really to blame.  I’m not condoning or excusing what happened to the photos after the phone was lost.  Mrs. Sherman is embarrassed by the use of her image online and the countless number of people who saw it.  The Shermans state that they had to move away from the town they lived in due to the embarrassment.  But what ever happened to personal responsibility?

If you don’t want nude photos of you to show up somewhere public, don’t take them.  Or, at least don’t take nude photos digitally.  It’s harder for your old glossy prints to end up on the Internet without you personally scanning them or the negatives.  If you have photos like that, make sure they are secured where no one but you and/or your intended viewer(s) can get to them.  And above all, do NOT put them on a device that can be easily lost and have it’s memory retrieved by anyone!  Those minimum-wage employees at McDonald’s I supervised had to be watched like a hawk because they would pilfer anything that wasn’t nailed down if they thought it was fun to play with or they could make some money on.

Let’s all take some responsibility for ourselves.  Otherwise, I want $3 million for the mental anguish of having to deal with irresponsible people on a daily basis who feel the need to sue corporations and make my cheeseburgers and fries more expensive.

Is the new administration overstepping its bounds?

Disclaimer — This blog simply includes the educated and irritated ramblings of just one person and has no way been influenced by anything other than her personal convictions.  It has not been created to cause any embarrassment to the President-Elect or his administration.  It is purely for informational and entertainment purposes only.  So there…

Holy crap!  What the hell is happening in the US now???

Okay…I live in a really economically depressed area.  When Bill Clinton was elected, many felt that the midwest would be the best area for him to pick employees from because (1) we’re all like him and (2) he “feels our pain.”  He did take some of his closest friends and advisors with him to Washington and they got high-level jobs in the government.  And, I know this time around, Barack Obama will take many of his friends and associates with him — and that’s all well and good.  If people are qualified for the job, they should have it.  How you become the most qualified for the job but never having held that position before is still a mystery to me…  But, no one is ever qualified to be President of the United States until they’ve been in that position, no matter what each side of the ticket says.

But I’m not here to rehash the recent election…  I voted the way I wanted and that’s that.  What I am shocked about is the new questionnaire that the Obama Administration is requiring all applicants to complete before they are considered.  And, the bigger question is, where is a citizen’s expectation of privacy guaranteed and where can the government shoulder their way into your diary without precondition?

Obviously I’m not going to get a job with them because I have to answer too many questions in the way they wouldn’t like.  I don’t remember every single place I’ve ever given a public speech, made a statement, or trained a group of people.  I don’t have copies of every resume I’ve ever given for a job application for the past 10 years.

Question 13 gives me pause — “Electronic communications: If you have ever sent an electronic communication, including but not limited to an email, text message or instant message, that could suggest a conflict or interest or be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect if it were made public, please describe.”  Why would I want to tell something embarrassing about me?  Does the President-Elect really need to know if I got lost and I missed an important appointment which caused me not to get a job I wanted?  That was pretty embarrassing to me, anyway…

Okay, I understand wanting financial disclosure statements…you want to make sure they’re not going to try and bilk the taxpayers by stealing money to pay their own debts.  All government jobs ask for them, even if you’re not in the “secret circle” of the White House.  But to ask if you’ve ever received a gift of $50.00 or more from your immediate family or close, longstanding friends on your birthday or seasonal holiday?  I don’t know many people who keep 10-year receipts for every yard sale they’ve ever had…so there’s a lot of money floating around unaccounted for,  huh?

But…we’re all screwed when it comes to 58 — “Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g., Facebook, My Space, etc.)”  Well…hope you never said anything anyone might not like…  And I’m totally screwed with 59 — “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.”  Do they want them classified by caliber or type (single-action, semi-auto, full-auto)?  And I guess all the targets I’ve qualified on could be considered damaged property and my thumb getting caught in an action once was a personal injury…

Laugh if you want and say that I’m overexaggerating, but the questions are really open-ended and the criteria to jugde your answers isn’t given.  So, that means the person who reads them can impart his/her own feelings and opinions to each one.  They might read the questions very literally and be extremely radical in their interpretations.  Or maybe not.  I don’t have that job, so I can’t say.

If you work for the government or any business that has email or Internet connections, you more than likely see a disclaimer that you have no expectations of privacy if you use their systems to conduct any business, personal or private.  I don’t remember the journal I bought at Wal-Mart having that kind of disclaimer.  If I were running for president, I could understand having to lay my life bare for all to see and examine with a fine-toothed comb.

If you’d like to read the questionnaire yourself, you can find it here.  Oh, and if you live in California, Minnesota or Oklahoma, don’t miss the last two pages!  They’ll look at you even closer!

Comment if you like.  Please just keep it civil.  We can set a good example for others, can’t we??  I’m Sacha Kinksky and I approve this blog post.