Even though it’s a fairly big fast food brand, Jimmy John’s has had its share of controversies. For instance, the company was forced to cough up $1.8 million a few years ago in a settlement after concerns were brought up by several employees who cited the Fair Labor Standards Act. The workers said that they weren’t given overtime pay by the company (via Restaurant Dive).
The restaurant was also called out for forcing its employees to sign “a non-competition clause” that prevented its workers from joining the brand’s competitors for a period of two years after leaving Jimmy John’s, per The Huffington Post. This rule was applicable to the delivery workers and sandwich artists and was highly restrictive because it stated that former employees couldn’t work for any company that was getting 10 percent of its revenue from selling sandwiches.
A mysterious object unlike anything that astronomers have seen before has been discovered in our “galactic backyard”.
In research published Wednesday, scientists described the strange, spinning mass, which is said to release an enormous burst of energy every 20 minutes.
That radiation, which crosses the line of sight of telescopes on Earth for 60 seconds at a time, is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky.
It was detected by a team at the Australia-based International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, who were mapping radio waves in the Universe.
An artist’s impression of what the object might look like if it’s a magnetar, an incredibly magnetic neutron star
They believe that the cosmic flasher could be a super-dense star or a white dwarf – collapsed cores of stars – with a powerful magnetic field.
“This object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during our observations,” said Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, an astronomer from Curtin University in Australia who led the team.
“That was completely unexpected. It was kind of spooky for an astronomer because there’s nothing known in the sky that does that.
The Omicron subvariant BA.2, nicknamed the “stealth Omicron,” appears to be outpacing other substrains of Omicron in some regions of the world, raising fears that the even more transmissible version of Omicron could spark larger COVID-19 waves globally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that Omicron, which is also referred to as B.1.1.529, has three main substrains: BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. As of Dec. 23, the WHO reported that over 99% of the cases it sequenced were BA.1. But now the rise of BA.2 in Denmark and elsewhere suggests that BA.2 may outcompete BA.1.
On Thursday, Denmark reported that the BA.2 substrain of Omicron accounts for almost half of the country’s cases and is quickly displacing BA.1, the original Omicron strain. Denmark reported that in the two weeks from late December to mid-January, BA.2 has gone from accounting for 20% of Denmark’s COVID-19 infections to making up 45%. Over that same period, Denmark’s COVID infections have shot to record highs. Denmark is recording over 30,000 new cases per day this week, 10 times more cases than peaks in previous waves.
Denmark’s government also said the strain is spreading quickly in countries like the U.K., Norway, and Sweden. Meanwhile, scientists in places like France and India warn that the BA.2 variant is quickly spreading and may outpace other Omicron strains.
But Danish authorities also urged the public to not read too much into BA.2’s rise at this point.
As rents skyrocket, startup companies are touting what they consider to be a helpful solution to hefty security deposits pricing Floridians out of apartments.
Instead of forking over an upfront security deposit, tenants can agree to pay a monthly fee — typically about $25.
But there’s a catch: The money isn’t refundable at the end of the lease like a traditional security deposit, and renters are still on the hook for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear.
State lawmakers are considering legislation that would create regulations for such agreements that offer security deposit insurance instead of a traditional lump-sum deposit.
But advocates for Florida tenants have concerns. They say the proposed regulations lack important safeguards to protect renters from predatory practices.
Ordered two subs from Jimmy Johns last night at Red Bug and Tuskawilla in Winter Springs. Here is the response I sent to Corp after they contacted me…..
My online order was placed at 5:17pm. Because this location is usually so fast, I got in the car and drove up and picked up my sandwiches straight away.
As usual, my order was sitting on the table near the front door, I waved at the employees and said thank you. I was greeted with a very freindly thank you back and I left. I did notice that there were 3 or 4 guys standing around and nothing was really going on, i.e. not very busy at all.
Once home, I discovered our names were not written on each sandwich (as usual), so I tore open each only to find that my wife’s Tuna sandwich had no meat.
I called the store and spoke to an employee that gave me an ugly answer – something along ther lines of “thats not how it works”, upon getting upset he decided to pass me over to the manager who I later discovered was Ethan.
I described the situation to Ethan in a very hostile tone and most certainly with a few curse words and he proceeded to tell me that he would “make it up to me next time”. I explained that the solution given was unacceptable and wanted to speak to his boss and asked for his name. Ethan then proceeded to explain to me that it was against company policy to give out his boss’s name.
Very angry now, I explained that everybody is accountable and that the cover up is always worse than the crime. He hung up on me at this point. With my anger at such I high level, I decided to not go to the store and speak to Ethan because I most certainly would be sitting in jail right now.
A Few facts and some concerns:
1) I have all conversations with Ethan recorded. His disdain for customers and his indifference for my dilemma comes through with his tone from almost the very beginning.
2) I wanted my problem solved last night, not in a blizzard of complaint forms the next day.
3) I am involved in the restaurant industry on a daily basis. I understand the struggles with staffing. The ability for a team member to simply show up for work qualifies a person for management these days.
4) I think at a minimum your manager Ethan must understand that basic respect and a little customer service goes a long way when solving a problem. Telling an angry customer who just spent $32 on two sandwich’s that “we will make it up next time” is not and never will be an acceptable solution.
5) Young people today that work in the restaurant business seem to have developed a condition of apathy when it comes to job performance.
6) Don’t tell me that you are going to make it up to me. That time was last night when my sick wife needed some food. The fact is, I had a terrible meal, my wife ate fridge leftovers and Jimmy John’s is in posession of my hard earned $32.
7) I don’t want any gift cards, because I am sure you will understand that I will never put an order in at any Jimmy John’s location ever again. There is so much competition in my area, I have several choices for subs just on that one corner alone.
Feel free to call me at 407-***-**** or email me at either mike@mikelilley.net. I have posted pictures on my website and on twitter of the sandwich that I am speaking about. It is clear that the sandwich was assembled with great care and wrapped well. Leaving the meat out is curious, how does such a thing happen. It was ordered as a Tuna Sub, not a cheese sandwich.
My complaint, in the end, you have my money and your manager Ethan continues to have disdain for the customer and an unpararelled apathy for his job duties.
Links:
I had a terrible experience at JJ in Winter Springs, FL tonight. Called the Mgr when I discovered there was no meat on my sub that I picked up. Mgr, who sounds like he is 15, says I can't speak to his boss. Where does one go to get some satisfaction from these massive companies?
When I have the time I will post and update on every social media platform I can think of. I curious if your manager will change his mind about his reaction.
A long fight to end the practice of retail puppy sales in Orange County might be moot if the state legislature passes a new law.
A “pet protection” act under consideration in Tallahassee would overturn local bans on the sale of puppies and kittens while putting in place a framework for inspections and regulation of the sellers. The ban was passed in Orange County last year after the horrible conditions at several local Petland stores were made public. The Humane Society points toward the chain as the push behind the bill.
“Petland has 15 locations in Florida, a state with over 80 puppy-selling pet stores, and the company has almost certainly concluded that stripping local governments of their ability to regulate puppy sales will prove unpopular, especially at a time when many locally funded shelters across Florida are at capacity,” they wrote. “That’s why this legislation is crafted to appear to regulate the very industry it is designed to protect. It includes 20 pages of weak and unenforceable language that would do little but maintain the status quo for stores like Petland while harming shelters by pumping more puppy mill puppies into Florida communities.”
“The puppy mill to pet store pipeline would flourish under this Trojan horse proposal, and so would the practices we’ve exposed and campaigned against—the sale of sick puppies, the deception of consumers and exorbitant financing rates and hidden fees,” Humane Society CEO Kitty Block shared in a statement.
The bill is part of a continued push by the supposed party of small government to supercede local authority. Florida Republicans have consistently trounced on their commitment to “small government” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, undoing local emergency orders and pushing for legislation that would allow business owners to overturn the votes of local authorities.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its mask guidelines to recommend that people “wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently.” The agency describes well-fitting respirators approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) — such as N95 masks — as offering “the highest level of protection.”
3M Co. 8210Plus N95 particulate respirator
The updated guidelines come after many public health experts have been recommending for months that people wear more effective masks — particularly N95s — and that the CDC change its guidelines on mask-wearing.
“Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There’s no place for them in light of Omicron, Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, recently said.”
In crowded places, “you should be wearing a KN95 or N95 mask,” which can cost a few dollars each, Wen added. Due to certain materials — such as polypropylene fibers — acting as both mechanical and electrostatic barriers, these masks better prevent tiny particles from getting into your nose or mouth and must be fitted to your face to function properly.
Here’s what you need to know about masks like N95s, where to get them and how to use them safely.
This satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite, and released by the Japan Meteorology Agency, shows an undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground.
A tsunami advisory is in effect for the California West Coast Saturday morning after an undersea volcano erupted near the island nation of Tonga in the South Pacific, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS expects peak tsunami wave heights of 1 to 2 feet, saying that the main impacts are expected to be strong rip currents, coastal flooding, and possible inundation of low lying areas. The agency advises people to move to higher ground but says widespread inundation is not expected.
The waves were expected to hit the Monterey area at 7:35, corresponding with its high tide at 8:05, and San Francisco around 8:10, corresponding with high tide at 9:09.
