I wouldn't read too much into me just using what I use on Substack. I'm a fairly/somewhat private person who lives out in the country and just prefers to be a little safer on anything internet. I would also call it semi-retired and not really looking to do anything more than I already do.
Don't ever apologize for using a pseudonym on Substack - or any other Internet platform. It is truly a necessity unless one wants to participate in the hate mongering. pig slop of the Internet. If you take a. position on anything that seems to qualify as social or political, opponents will find, highlight, doxx and make your life miserable, especially if you are a business.
Just look at what happened to Chic-fil-A on the gay marriage issue. The company's owners had a faith based belief that marriage is limited to a man and a woman. [That position is so clearly wrong, it is hard for me to comprehend*.] But it was the Cathys' position based on what they believed God expected.
Yet after "activists" pressured the company and its suppliers and others started breaking relationships, the company folded on the issue. Even so far as stopping donations to the Salvation Army, for God's sake! Somewhere the Bible says one cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time. I'm not sure if that is true, but the Cathys clearly chose the latter - which is reminiscent of the case you reference where corporate was jacking prices to the stores on supplies - masking and making undisclosed profits beyond the contractual take. A public persona, but a private greed, as it were.
* The notion that homosexuals can't be married defies reasoning and obvious human behavior. No matter how much one tries to outlaw or shame those relationships, they continue to exist, generation after generation, even against totalitarian repression. It is human nature. To suggest that a deity, claimed to have created humans, including their nature, could have made humans who are like-attracted suggests a deity with a perverse streak to forbid such fundamental human behaviors as love and sexual attraction of the beings created. Makes no sense and not in service of any human - or divine - moral understanding.
I know on this blog there will be readers of comments who will disagree or even try to explain my poor understanding of the Bible or God. Don't bother, folks. My understanding of the Bible is not even an inch deep. And I have no idea whether a God exists and don't expect to ever know. Here is the deal: Individuals are born one day and eighty or ninety years later, if they are lucky, they die, In between those two dates they really have only one objective - to love and be loved. Everything else, food, shelter, safety, are in service to achieving that end. I cannot imagine my being attracted to another male, let alone engaging in sex. But my lack of imagining doesn't mean those feelings don't exist for others. And to impose on those individuals an insistence that they deny their own nature (while everyone else enjoys love and the pleasure of flesh) is a form of self-interest bordering on madness.
My point in this rant is that I think the Cathys ran a bit of a con game on lots of folks. Putting up a "Christian" face to a business which from its beginnings was all about profit - even to the point of deceptions. I am sure it was helpful to do so in the Bible Belt South where it started, but it seems it might have been all facade - when push came to shove, money was the object.
"A common trick is using the change drawer as a counter—for example, dropping a penny into the nickel slot for each theft."
Wow! People display such ingenuity in all the wrong things. Like, how'd they get all the way up there to graffiti the sheer side of that five-story building top to bottom? Among other efforts.
I found this account fascinating, Danny. Thank you!
The effort to make a crooked buck often far exceeds the effort to just get a freaking job. The ongoing saga of the sewer divers in NYC being exhibit A.
To be fair, the adventure of finding lost stuff must play a part -- rings and God knows what else down thousands of drains. In London there are also people who muck around during low tide, that stinky time when 200-year-old shoes and 1000-year-old ax handles rise from their muddy graves.
I actually like the smell of low tide, but I think it's an acquired taste.
I do worry that someday some bright light will get the idea to seed our sewers with high-end explosives.
My husband and I mudlarked on our second trip to London (before you needed a permit). We loved it! If we lived there, it would be a regular activity.
We have a piece of Roman glass, a belt clip from a Tudor purse, several pieces of very old broken pottery and china, as well as a plethora of clay pipe bowls. We look at them and see history. We treasure every one.
Still, dumpster diving in the NYC sewer? Neither of us is ‘Ed Norton’ enough to try that.
Short term gain over long term strategy. It’s completely short sighted. Old school small businesses usually would do honest work for a reasonable fee, and gain loyal customers and positive word of mouth. There were always plenty of exceptions but those businesses often hit a ceiling due to the lack of repeat business. We’re so disconnected now that being a grifting business is much easier. This is exactly why a ( lightly regulated for deterrence and incentives ) free market is a superior to all the other alternatives. Although it ultimately boils down to personal ethics, societal values, and ultimately parenting. Genetics notwithstanding…
My Uncle B. had a bar-restaurant on Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan. His wife, my Aunt A., was hostess, took cash, and spent half her nights baking puddings for desserts. Uncle B., with his rickety knees from playing college basketball, manned the bar along with his cousin. Not an easy life. But all three were sociable and liked their customers, businessmen from when we had real businessmen in suits and ties down in that neighborhood.
It was a big old place, with a long mahogany bar with horse and jockey friezes above it. The basement was like something out of a film -- cavernous, dirt-floored, with freezers at the far end. My parents would sometimes take me, and I'd play with the cat and drink a ginger ale with a maraschino cherry in it.
I heard everything in those days, no secret was safe from me, but I never heard anyone talk about theft.
I do remember the buzz when, a little later, Sophia Loren was down there making the film "Lady Liberty." When the news came, it was as though everyone's heart had stopped, the silence was reverent, and the crooked old buildings in the area suddenly stood straighter. Sophia Loren! Here!
Nice story. I have fond memories of those old joint where my Dad took me as a little kid, happily sipping a ginger ale with a cherry in it and felling like a big shot.
Thank you. As I wrote yesterday, in a different context, I'm tenacious; and high on my list of things to hold onto are my memories of my -- to me -- remarkable family.
As Richard Llewellyn wrote (or maybe the scriptwriters for the film), "There is no fence nor hedge around time that is gone. You can go back and have what you like of it, if you can remember. . . . How green was my valley then."
B. - You write so well. I can picture those type of basements well. I can recall bars/restaurants in NYC like your Aunt and Uncle owned. I would sit at the bar with my parents sipping a "Shirley Temple" until a table was ready. It sounds crazy, but everyone seemed to somehow, or another know one another.
Sigh. Just another example of our gradual deterioration into a low trust Third World hellhole. Sorry if I sound cynical. I made the mistake of scrolling through X this morning.
This was interesting and revealing. The skimming schemes of the small time crooks were deplorable. But no more deplorable than the skimming schemes of management. "The shift to a formal written Operator Agreement came only after a revealing lawsuit involving the Operator in Temple, Texas. That Operator discovered substantial markups on key supplied items, most notably the season coater used on the chicken. Similar markups existed on other products like soda, logo cups, and napkins." If you're so moral that a handshake suffices, you should be equally moral in revealing the entirety of the business arrangement. Hiding markups is immoral. Funny how many of our supposed "Christians" hide behind such hypocrisy pretending to uphold values but bending them constantly to serve their own interest. This did not endear the Cathy family story to me. No different from the business model of certain "health Insurance" companies whose model is to deny claims and force challenges. Theodore Roosevelt - one of our wisest leaders - noted “there is a growing determination that no man shall amass a great fortune by special privilege, by chicanery and wrongdoing, so far as it is in the power of legislation to prevent; and that a fortune, however amassed, shall not have a business use that is antisocial.” Calling such things "smart business" does not excuse it. Chick-fil-A taking15 percent off the top of sales, and then splitting any remaining profit 50-50. In a low-margin business, that often meant the company captured 20 percent or more of total revenue looks predatory to me. Especially when operators were independent contractors, responsible for their own taxes, Social Security, health insurance, and anything else a typical employee would receive. I thought that Chick-fil-A closing on Sundays was a good, moral stance which I supported. Now I'm not so sure about it.
Danny brought back memories of my software custom system development company that had a variety of fast food and fine dining clients. There was universal concern of food costs and uncovering employee or even partner theft. Human ingenuity is boundless but so are systems to uncover them. I recall my McDonald’s owner clients using packaging inventory to confirm sales figures. The profit margins in food business are very slim. Giving away unlimited numbers of ketchup packets makes a big difference. Many chains stopped that and changed to “pump” what you need. Fine dining is subject to amateur owners/chefs not knowing what their recipe costs are and expensive ingredients walking out of the door. It is a tough business but no excuse for shady practices by all sides.
When I worked at Taco Bell in the late 1970s, we were required to count our garbage (number of discarded Burrito Supremes, etc.). It was gross to get stuck doing this.
I have been thinking lately about why Americans don't seem all that bothered about the uncovering of billions( maybe even trillions over past few decades). Doesn't seem to affect voting. Perhaps because millions cheat themselves in so many small ways? Maybe a psychologist can analyze that
BTW , did u catch your boy Murph w Maher? Also curious if the libs in CT are on board w the almost graduate of Hotchkiss in Sharon ( drive by there quite a bit : very nice enclave of that white privilege we hear so much about from those who dont hate it enough to give it up)
I share your mystification. We wail about taxes and the looming demise of social security but then yawn at Somali crime gangs or SNAP and medicaid fraud. Or people gaming the system constantly. And legions of felonious NGOs. . Are we truly an idiocracy?
And on top of the fraud we are getting ready for a summer if teenage love ( mass violent gatherings) and a July 4 where in certain cities there will be more hamas and rainbow flags than the stars and stripes ( gonna be fun to see how the progs in Senate and congress try to walk the tightrope
CS, I think you are onto something there. In public, in totality, people complain about fraud, waste and abuse, but behind closed doors, maybe are thinking, gee, I wish I could get away with that or good for them, screwing the government.
Allowing or excusing that fraud is just screwing ourselves. This government is out of control and Democrats are excusing and covering it up. Meaning, they are the problem.
I wouldn't be too hard on Truett for the handshake agreement. Since I came in under the formal Operator agreement I don't know what was in the "handshake meeting." It all could have been explained there.
It is telling that CFA Operators worked for 15-20 years without that agreement with no legal trouble. I also knew a few of the older guys, and I seem to remember at least one conversation where he almost left because he was asked to sign the formal agreement.
My hope was to paint a fairly neutral picture. People are not perfect, and a collection of people running a business will be even less perfect than one person. I think CFA, for the size company it is, a significant step above most businesses when it comes to their behavior.
Thank you for your post, Danny. It’s very interesting. I have mixed feelings about this company. Their food is good but I don’t eat fast food. Per your post the company seems a bit discriminatory on the corporate level. But I have also worked for large (and small) companies and have learned a great deal from them, good and bad. Like life, it’s what you make of it.
You are so right about things are what you make of them!
I actually have very strong, and good feelings about CFA, and I've never seen a lick of discrimination at the corporate office level. When you deal with, now that the store count is in the thousands, thousands of independent business people who are Operators I'm sure there are instances. But then, there are instances in all businesses of any size.
Our local Chick-Fil-A manager practices what he preaches. He works the lunch window every day. He appreciates his employees, it's hard to get a job there. One of his young employees committed suicide, and he closed the store for the afternoon (the boy's mom thanked him, she didn't know he had that many friends and was comforted by it). Corporate was upset he closed. The manager's comment: "Did I make any money that day? No. Did I do the right thing? Yes."
That's very encouraging to hear. One thing that I've noticed over the years is that the Operators, who have their pictures in the restaurant somewhere, are hardly ever seen actually working in the stores. It could be that is just the stores I visit, or that I visit at odd times. I just remember days where there was very little chance of visiting the store and not seeing the Operator.
Seems to me like that CFA did the right thing with the employee suicide. Good for him.
I loved this essay. As a former small business owner (liquor store), I could relate to the employee issues and the brutal hours. When I was looking to buy a business the franchise model was a non-starter for me, i wanted complete control and you listed many of the issues that come with that model.
Attention to detail and deep involvement by the owner improved the probability of business success and was also a deterrent to theft. Absentee owner (or low involvement owners) have an extra layer of risk. Shop lifting was a constant threat and my biggest "surprise" was two fold, how sophisticated some (not all) of the thiefs were and second how little local law enforcement was interested in pursuing a theft. Anything under $1,000 got a shrug from local police.
Now that idea of ignoring thefts under $1000 is written into law in many places - including Asheville, here in Western North Carolina. Many small businesses there just folded when that law was placed on the books.
Brings back my involvement (at a MUCH lower level) at Friendly (it was NOT "Friendly's!") Ice Cream back when I was in high school and college and the Blakes were still alive and at least one of them still active. The Highly Moral But rings true.
“That tension—between stewardship and self-protection, between mission and margin—taught me more about leadership and human nature than I could have learned in any classroom.”
It’s a moral question. Self protection. Hmm. How do we measure that? It’s for each individual to decide.
This article reveals how we rationalize the immoral choice at every level of wealth in the capitalist world. It’s not capitalism that’s the problem. It’s the justification of the immoral to achieve wealth and success, and it is a spectrum.
Philanthropy is a wealthy person’s way of feeling better for wealth acquisition perhaps with the aid of cheating. Feeding/clothing a family is a poorer person’s rationale. When cheating becomes built in, it has the power to corrupt everyone. Few can escape it.
Yes, I agree. Moral choice is binary is it not? If you choose to steal, albeit to feed your family, it’s still stealing. If you are stealing because someone prevented you from being able to afford bread, it is less immoral than outright stealing, but still “immoral” because it’s stealing. The gray zone shouldn’t be as large as it is.
This piece was so very interesting. Interesting and impressive. You were how old again? Twenty-three! Unimaginable in today's society. Many thanks to you and Celia. Keep those Thursdays shitty. Look at what it lead to. Then again, "Social Deviance" was one of my favorite college courses.
'Philanthropy is a wealthy person’s way of feeling better for wealth acquisition perhaps with the aid of cheating.'
The hypocrisy, manipulation of perception and the effective undermining of autonomy of the victims in this type of cheating- is particularly disgusting to me. I have seen this pattern many times and sadly it has worked well down thru the ages for the wealthy- where robber baron types destroy a business, family or community and then give 'generously' back to 'rebuild' and are lauded as heroes, when they are the ones who caused the destruction in the first place. And of course the 'rebuild' comes with a heavy price tag in multiple ways and things are never again as they once were. I liken it to accepting blood money from the devil and it is far too common imo.
cat, subject close to my heart. As many of you know I work in not for profit. After everything I’ve seen in the last 12 years, I 100% think that donations should all be anonymous and every not for profit should pay taxes just like everybody else. It would completely change the business model.
Great to hear your personal input. I agree with you. While I lack the data and experience, I feel like the whole tax deduction aspect perverts the process and seems to benefit those who game the system. And I detest those who get a tax deduction for clearly political efforts or go way outside their supposed purpose.
The Sunday Times had an exclusive that the Hampshire police tried 3 times to put out the story that it was a racially aggravated assault by Nowak. The first time 3 days after the event and then later when they knew Digwa was lying. The Nowak family was able to stop it. The third time was during the trial and the CPS pointed out that it was attempting to interfere in the operation of a trial and so they backed off. (I know just when you think you can't be more shocked). Also Digwa was apparently disruptive at his new temple , targeting other young men. The elders talked to him and he backed off. This was in May 2025.
Colin Brazier has done a really powerful piece explaining how Britain got where it is. He makes a good point about not demonizing an entire community for the actions of one person. https://x.com/OutpostStudios/status/2062927431615344983
Kemi is brilliant. Genuinely an outstanding thinker and writer. Among many parts of that piece I really liked, this one sticks out to me though it is echoed elsewhere in her piece: "It is almost impossible to apply common sense these days. Public bodies are pressured into bad frameworks by modish progressives who are so open-minded their brains have fallen out."
It seems that common sense only requires courage. Courage to speak and act without fear of cancelation or job/social loss. We can see how rare that has been of late - Covid, where mass surrender to institutional control was easily developed. Many folks had the courage to speak and suffered for it. But they played the long game and teir effect on society outweighs the collective silencing of their speech, even while the individuals suffered mightily.
I really wish Kemi would migrate herself to the US and run for office!
I love this article, thank you Danny H. Waitressing during high school and college at a pre-concept-Appleby's small chain restaurant outside Philadelphia kept me galloping back to Penn State and my butt firmly in the math class seat so I never had to work retail food service after graduation. Chik-Fil-A was growing quickly in that market and had a great reputation (still does). The casual theft you highlight is fascinating, and I see a lot of new automation to fight it. When people moan about the disappearing cash culture they should talk with you.
My favorite bit was the lawsuit over the paper goods; quite revealing. Bible-thumping Christians will rip you off as fast or faster than anyone.
Wow. Here I thought the not open on Sunday was due to actual religious reasons and it turns out it’s due to exhaustion
Chick Fil A is good, the lines always move fast because of the system and the kids working are always polite. But apparently the corporation is just as corporate or more so than anyone else with the veneer of being something different.
I always tell people, "it's just a business". And it is.
I would also say that I've had the (good or mis) fortune of working for 3 true founders of the company in my career, and I know a couple of others. Two of the three I worked for were openly Christian, including praying before meetings. One was not.
The difference is stark. None of them were perfect, heck I'm not sure any of them were even nice, but even today I'd go back and work for the two Christian owners, and I wouldn't do business even with the non-Christian one.
All were very flawed, but the one was way more broken than the others!
This piece reminds me of a situation back in the 80s at a well-known Chicago deep dish pizza establishment where I waited tables.
I don't recall the exact details because my mind does not seem to work in dishonest ways (much to my detriment).
Someone was stealing -- again not sure how -- was it by ringing up checks on other employees' numbers? Or a fake number? We were all on pins and needles. It was most certainly not me! Yet everyone was a suspect. After an extensive audit the management discovered that the thief was pathological liar, the mincing gay waiter Lance (of all names) who'd come up with some scheme to steal that incriminated other waiters. What's so devious about this kind of theft is that it hurts everyone -- not just the restaurant -- but all of the employees.
One waitress got fired for charging a surcharge if she had to chase dashing diners onto the sidewalk to collect on the check. I do not agree with firing her for that. It was a constant problem in that big, dark, cavernous restaurant, dining and dashing. That meal would come out of the waiters' tips -- INCOME.
What this piece shows is that finding good help is a constant battle.
I worked at Disneyland during college (back when they still honored Walt and rules were aplenty and followed to the ‘t’ - or else).
They had hidden cameras behind every register and costumed spies on every shift. There were very few second chances. I nearly lost my job when I forgot to remove the thin gold chain my brother had placed around my neck on Christmas morning (earlier that same day)!
I learned about the hidden cameras when a very clever cast member (costumed employee) was caught quick-changing a guest. The company knew she was doing this for some time, but waited till she had stolen enough that the charges would be significant. They arrested her - so quietly - as I worked the very next register.
Disney had documented their reimbursement of each of her victims. They were a serious company, back then, dedicated to a mission. I respected them for their efforts - even though my fiancé couldn’t work there sporting his neatly-trimmed moustache - unless he sang in the barbershop quartet on Main Street!
I'm not too sorry to interrupt...well, a little, so forgive me. But this could get interesting to some here, if not many. I woke up this morning, went to stand up, and kept falling to the left. I'm already a cripple, having broken the left hip 8 years ago, but this was different. After about ten minutes of trying to stand up straight I just sat on the edge of the bed thinking. Then I got it. I finally had my stroke. Y'all are the first to know. I ain't calling anybody, yet. It's a little hard to type, I'm doing everything slow. I learned to do everything slow, walking around a cripple these years. I'm thinking maybe of documenting, here on JiP, what happens with me from here, each step of the way. I knew and was ready to get something, sometime. I could hardly believe I've lasted so long. The first thing I did was use my handy cart to get to my computer, look up the symptoms of stroke, and confirm it. I've got no one near me, but my Niece, Julie the nurse. I'll call her, eventually. I don't like or trust medical care here in this small town. IMO, the hospital here has already killed two brothers and a sister-in-law, so I'm going to go slowly, with any of their involvement. If Celia or anyone feels this is too disconcerting, I'll stop. I'll still document everything from here on, just for myself, because I think it will be fun, and maybe even interesting. So far, I still see well enough, but the first big thing is I'm not going to be able to drive my vehicle. I've never needed any "home health care," and don't look forward to it, except avoiding it as long as I can. I'll do whatever you say, regards reporting here my further adventure. Thank you.
What's that "worm" thing? I'm going with Madonna, "Don't cry for me Argentina."
Thanks for the "ear" part, JB. I have trouble with all the new "sayings." Celia's, and everybody else's "memes" drives me crazy. (And I was already mostly there).
Please do share with us Michael. I know something was bound to happen sometime, but still I am sorry to hear of your trouble. I so so get the hospital wariness thing. Our only local hospital is nicknamed Peace Death instead of Peace Health and after enduring 12 days of hubby being at their mercy I can verify it is a well earned nick name. I am desperate to get him out before they kill him off completely- I am not exaggeratg when I say that they saved his life only to torture him to death slowly. He almost gets out to rehab and then they screw up something else. I flat out told every doc and nurse yesterday that what they did to damage him this time could be seen coming four days ago and I had told them this several times back then. Oh boy they didn't like that at all. I DO NOT CARE> I will just keep on telling them. The nurse actually gave me a high five after the doc left.
My 93 year old mom has congestive heart failure and a home care aid to assist her. She has been very weak and ordered a blood test this past Friday. Unfortunately they will not come to take the blood until early this week. She was very pissed “why can’t they come sooner?” My brother and I gave her the choice of going to the ER. “No way” came back in the text. So yeh, once people get past a certain point, hospitals are a no go. And we live in a flourishing suburb with good hospitals.
Oh dear, the hospitals. I'm really feeling with you, Rain. I got that, when you first reported your husbands dilemma. With sis-in-laws death, I was the one had to finish off the hospice care, if you get what I mean.
I doubt rehab will take him until his kidney function improves significantly. It was only at 22% on friday. It is getting better because they finally finally took him off that extreme diuretic. I had asked them to do that days ago because he was showing signs of serious dehydration and the only doctor (who isn't there now) who would listen to me, did try, but the cardiologist countermanded his order. Yes I get they are trying to save his heart, but not at the expense of his kidneys for cripes sake! Anyway if they don't let him go by early next week, I am definitely looking into other options. Right now he cannot even sit up without help and his cognition is pretty bad.
Thanks. It truly sucks but one nice surprise in all this is I am getting to discover how much his remaining bro circle really love him. Gary was born and raised and lived all his life here so he still has relatives and friends from kindergarten. I've met many of them of course but I didn't really know them as he has had his circle and I have had mine. They really care, but not much they can do as they are old and failing themselves. Besides getting him out of that horrible hospital I am desperate to get him into the facility in the small town where he was born and raised because so many friends and family can just drop by and see him. Plus I am sure he will know at least some folks in there already and it is a familiar place because he has visited many himself there over the years. And an extra plus is the facility is rated 5 star.
Sorry to hear this. I hope you do chronicle your experience. We’ll all be thinking about you and it may help us if and when we get there ourselves. Hoping the best for you.
I do not like to contradict you, Mr. Karg, but it might also be a Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. I had it on and off for a year. Worse when I turned to my left; couldn't stand up. For heaven's sake, call your niece, and get yourself to a doctor. I know you're a fatalistic kind of chap, but don't throw in the towel yet. We're too fond of you.
Thank you, B. Just informed Nurse Niecie. She knows me and she's letting me have my way, for today anyway. I'm going to test drive my vehicle now, pick up the recommended asperin, how ever it's spelled.
B. I looked up your "proxysmpympalxy" thing. It wasn't that, but thanks anyway. And I've spelled "aspirin" correctly, ever since you. It's really easier than I thought it would be.
Please begin tomorrow to chronicle this on JIP, if you are up to it.
I feel it will be helpful to you, and all of us as well. You are well respected, admired, and flat out hilarious even when the chips are down. Keep us posted. I know I would certainly appreciate it.
I can relate. I live in a rural area and one of the downsides is the low quality of medical care around here. Mr. Karg, you are greatly loved and admired here and I am glad that you have your niece to keep tabs on you.
Thanks for this interesting and insighful story, Danny!
FUN FACT: I worked for First Atlanta Bank circa 1986-1989. I was on the private-banking team for Truett Cathy and his son, Dan. As I recall, Truett was a very nice man.
ANOTHER FUN FACT: when I was teaching at Georgia State U, one of my students actually wrote a paper about how much she admired Truett Cathy and enjoyed working at Chik-Fil-A!
(Sorry, I've forgotten what the assignment was.)
I still love the diet lemonade, a pack of nuggets, and a Rice Dream!
The Frozen Diet Lemonade is my absolute favorite thing on the menu! It's a treat I only let myself have about twice a year, but I really enjoy it when I get it!
It is one super simple recipe if you ever want to make it yourself. It was the first time I remember seeing something so truly odd about modified food. I don't remember the exact proportions, but it took 3 cups of sugar for the regular. Half cup of I think Equal, could have been Splenda, for the diet version.
Interesting. Why does the author not use his full name. He's a business consultant isn't he?
Hi!
Thanks for reading!
I wouldn't read too much into me just using what I use on Substack. I'm a fairly/somewhat private person who lives out in the country and just prefers to be a little safer on anything internet. I would also call it semi-retired and not really looking to do anything more than I already do.
Is there anything you want to know in particular?
You are so polite it's amazing!! No doubt a result of your Christian background... again... Well Done!! ;)
Don't ever apologize for using a pseudonym on Substack - or any other Internet platform. It is truly a necessity unless one wants to participate in the hate mongering. pig slop of the Internet. If you take a. position on anything that seems to qualify as social or political, opponents will find, highlight, doxx and make your life miserable, especially if you are a business.
Just look at what happened to Chic-fil-A on the gay marriage issue. The company's owners had a faith based belief that marriage is limited to a man and a woman. [That position is so clearly wrong, it is hard for me to comprehend*.] But it was the Cathys' position based on what they believed God expected.
Yet after "activists" pressured the company and its suppliers and others started breaking relationships, the company folded on the issue. Even so far as stopping donations to the Salvation Army, for God's sake! Somewhere the Bible says one cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time. I'm not sure if that is true, but the Cathys clearly chose the latter - which is reminiscent of the case you reference where corporate was jacking prices to the stores on supplies - masking and making undisclosed profits beyond the contractual take. A public persona, but a private greed, as it were.
* The notion that homosexuals can't be married defies reasoning and obvious human behavior. No matter how much one tries to outlaw or shame those relationships, they continue to exist, generation after generation, even against totalitarian repression. It is human nature. To suggest that a deity, claimed to have created humans, including their nature, could have made humans who are like-attracted suggests a deity with a perverse streak to forbid such fundamental human behaviors as love and sexual attraction of the beings created. Makes no sense and not in service of any human - or divine - moral understanding.
I know on this blog there will be readers of comments who will disagree or even try to explain my poor understanding of the Bible or God. Don't bother, folks. My understanding of the Bible is not even an inch deep. And I have no idea whether a God exists and don't expect to ever know. Here is the deal: Individuals are born one day and eighty or ninety years later, if they are lucky, they die, In between those two dates they really have only one objective - to love and be loved. Everything else, food, shelter, safety, are in service to achieving that end. I cannot imagine my being attracted to another male, let alone engaging in sex. But my lack of imagining doesn't mean those feelings don't exist for others. And to impose on those individuals an insistence that they deny their own nature (while everyone else enjoys love and the pleasure of flesh) is a form of self-interest bordering on madness.
My point in this rant is that I think the Cathys ran a bit of a con game on lots of folks. Putting up a "Christian" face to a business which from its beginnings was all about profit - even to the point of deceptions. I am sure it was helpful to do so in the Bible Belt South where it started, but it seems it might have been all facade - when push came to shove, money was the object.
Why aren’t you High Noon?
Unless that’s your real name
It’s his schedule. Duh😉
"A common trick is using the change drawer as a counter—for example, dropping a penny into the nickel slot for each theft."
Wow! People display such ingenuity in all the wrong things. Like, how'd they get all the way up there to graffiti the sheer side of that five-story building top to bottom? Among other efforts.
I found this account fascinating, Danny. Thank you!
I knew a guy, who was very smart and would figure out 50 ways to scam a buck or two, but would never work to earn one!
The effort to make a crooked buck often far exceeds the effort to just get a freaking job. The ongoing saga of the sewer divers in NYC being exhibit A.
To be fair, the adventure of finding lost stuff must play a part -- rings and God knows what else down thousands of drains. In London there are also people who muck around during low tide, that stinky time when 200-year-old shoes and 1000-year-old ax handles rise from their muddy graves.
I actually like the smell of low tide, but I think it's an acquired taste.
I do worry that someday some bright light will get the idea to seed our sewers with high-end explosives.
My husband and I mudlarked on our second trip to London (before you needed a permit). We loved it! If we lived there, it would be a regular activity.
We have a piece of Roman glass, a belt clip from a Tudor purse, several pieces of very old broken pottery and china, as well as a plethora of clay pipe bowls. We look at them and see history. We treasure every one.
Still, dumpster diving in the NYC sewer? Neither of us is ‘Ed Norton’ enough to try that.
That’s just playing the lottery basically.
Short term gain over long term strategy. It’s completely short sighted. Old school small businesses usually would do honest work for a reasonable fee, and gain loyal customers and positive word of mouth. There were always plenty of exceptions but those businesses often hit a ceiling due to the lack of repeat business. We’re so disconnected now that being a grifting business is much easier. This is exactly why a ( lightly regulated for deterrence and incentives ) free market is a superior to all the other alternatives. Although it ultimately boils down to personal ethics, societal values, and ultimately parenting. Genetics notwithstanding…
Thank you for your story...... I now have a craving for chicken minis!
As a former bar owner in Myrtle Beach, I agree with you .... the hours were brutal and the employee theft was heartbreaking and often.
My Uncle B. had a bar-restaurant on Hudson Street in Lower Manhattan. His wife, my Aunt A., was hostess, took cash, and spent half her nights baking puddings for desserts. Uncle B., with his rickety knees from playing college basketball, manned the bar along with his cousin. Not an easy life. But all three were sociable and liked their customers, businessmen from when we had real businessmen in suits and ties down in that neighborhood.
It was a big old place, with a long mahogany bar with horse and jockey friezes above it. The basement was like something out of a film -- cavernous, dirt-floored, with freezers at the far end. My parents would sometimes take me, and I'd play with the cat and drink a ginger ale with a maraschino cherry in it.
I heard everything in those days, no secret was safe from me, but I never heard anyone talk about theft.
I do remember the buzz when, a little later, Sophia Loren was down there making the film "Lady Liberty." When the news came, it was as though everyone's heart had stopped, the silence was reverent, and the crooked old buildings in the area suddenly stood straighter. Sophia Loren! Here!
Nice story. I have fond memories of those old joint where my Dad took me as a little kid, happily sipping a ginger ale with a cherry in it and felling like a big shot.
Waddaya mean, “like”???😂
Beautifully written B. I felt like I was right there with you.
Thank you. As I wrote yesterday, in a different context, I'm tenacious; and high on my list of things to hold onto are my memories of my -- to me -- remarkable family.
As Richard Llewellyn wrote (or maybe the scriptwriters for the film), "There is no fence nor hedge around time that is gone. You can go back and have what you like of it, if you can remember. . . . How green was my valley then."
Lovely and so true.
B. - You write so well. I can picture those type of basements well. I can recall bars/restaurants in NYC like your Aunt and Uncle owned. I would sit at the bar with my parents sipping a "Shirley Temple" until a table was ready. It sounds crazy, but everyone seemed to somehow, or another know one another.
Like, B
Sigh. Just another example of our gradual deterioration into a low trust Third World hellhole. Sorry if I sound cynical. I made the mistake of scrolling through X this morning.
This was interesting and revealing. The skimming schemes of the small time crooks were deplorable. But no more deplorable than the skimming schemes of management. "The shift to a formal written Operator Agreement came only after a revealing lawsuit involving the Operator in Temple, Texas. That Operator discovered substantial markups on key supplied items, most notably the season coater used on the chicken. Similar markups existed on other products like soda, logo cups, and napkins." If you're so moral that a handshake suffices, you should be equally moral in revealing the entirety of the business arrangement. Hiding markups is immoral. Funny how many of our supposed "Christians" hide behind such hypocrisy pretending to uphold values but bending them constantly to serve their own interest. This did not endear the Cathy family story to me. No different from the business model of certain "health Insurance" companies whose model is to deny claims and force challenges. Theodore Roosevelt - one of our wisest leaders - noted “there is a growing determination that no man shall amass a great fortune by special privilege, by chicanery and wrongdoing, so far as it is in the power of legislation to prevent; and that a fortune, however amassed, shall not have a business use that is antisocial.” Calling such things "smart business" does not excuse it. Chick-fil-A taking15 percent off the top of sales, and then splitting any remaining profit 50-50. In a low-margin business, that often meant the company captured 20 percent or more of total revenue looks predatory to me. Especially when operators were independent contractors, responsible for their own taxes, Social Security, health insurance, and anything else a typical employee would receive. I thought that Chick-fil-A closing on Sundays was a good, moral stance which I supported. Now I'm not so sure about it.
Danny brought back memories of my software custom system development company that had a variety of fast food and fine dining clients. There was universal concern of food costs and uncovering employee or even partner theft. Human ingenuity is boundless but so are systems to uncover them. I recall my McDonald’s owner clients using packaging inventory to confirm sales figures. The profit margins in food business are very slim. Giving away unlimited numbers of ketchup packets makes a big difference. Many chains stopped that and changed to “pump” what you need. Fine dining is subject to amateur owners/chefs not knowing what their recipe costs are and expensive ingredients walking out of the door. It is a tough business but no excuse for shady practices by all sides.
When I worked at Taco Bell in the late 1970s, we were required to count our garbage (number of discarded Burrito Supremes, etc.). It was gross to get stuck doing this.
I have been thinking lately about why Americans don't seem all that bothered about the uncovering of billions( maybe even trillions over past few decades). Doesn't seem to affect voting. Perhaps because millions cheat themselves in so many small ways? Maybe a psychologist can analyze that
BTW , did u catch your boy Murph w Maher? Also curious if the libs in CT are on board w the almost graduate of Hotchkiss in Sharon ( drive by there quite a bit : very nice enclave of that white privilege we hear so much about from those who dont hate it enough to give it up)
I share your mystification. We wail about taxes and the looming demise of social security but then yawn at Somali crime gangs or SNAP and medicaid fraud. Or people gaming the system constantly. And legions of felonious NGOs. . Are we truly an idiocracy?
Is the last question intended to be rhetorical?
And on top of the fraud we are getting ready for a summer if teenage love ( mass violent gatherings) and a July 4 where in certain cities there will be more hamas and rainbow flags than the stars and stripes ( gonna be fun to see how the progs in Senate and congress try to walk the tightrope
Philly is getting ready for the World Cup.
So I’ll avoid the City at all costs for the duration.
Probably head to the beach for a while.
Good idea
🎯🎯🎯
Saw Maher really bury that guy. It was pretty good stuff.
And Murphy has aspirations for 1600 Penn Ave
His election would definitely be a sign of the Apocalypse!
A two bit local pol. Nothing more.
Today most all are two bit pols
I guess that’s the polite way of calling him what he is: an effing dip§#!t…
CS, I think you are onto something there. In public, in totality, people complain about fraud, waste and abuse, but behind closed doors, maybe are thinking, gee, I wish I could get away with that or good for them, screwing the government.
Very perplexing bordering on disappointing
Allowing or excusing that fraud is just screwing ourselves. This government is out of control and Democrats are excusing and covering it up. Meaning, they are the problem.
Want to join the get-together later this summer that Bruce and I are suggesting in or around Litchfield County?
Sounds great.
I wouldn't be too hard on Truett for the handshake agreement. Since I came in under the formal Operator agreement I don't know what was in the "handshake meeting." It all could have been explained there.
It is telling that CFA Operators worked for 15-20 years without that agreement with no legal trouble. I also knew a few of the older guys, and I seem to remember at least one conversation where he almost left because he was asked to sign the formal agreement.
My hope was to paint a fairly neutral picture. People are not perfect, and a collection of people running a business will be even less perfect than one person. I think CFA, for the size company it is, a significant step above most businesses when it comes to their behavior.
All fine observations Bruce.
You pulled a lot of nuance out of a simple story and turned it against corporate.
But than that is what you trained for as a professional.
All good insights indeed.
I should have read your comment before I posed my rant! The Cathys are now in my pantheon of business crooks.
In the ‘60’s, my dad was on the board of a newly chartered bank in our city.
He remembered that the first rule for the lending committee, unanimously adopted, was, “NO RESTAURANTS!!!”
Thank you for your post, Danny. It’s very interesting. I have mixed feelings about this company. Their food is good but I don’t eat fast food. Per your post the company seems a bit discriminatory on the corporate level. But I have also worked for large (and small) companies and have learned a great deal from them, good and bad. Like life, it’s what you make of it.
You are so right about things are what you make of them!
I actually have very strong, and good feelings about CFA, and I've never seen a lick of discrimination at the corporate office level. When you deal with, now that the store count is in the thousands, thousands of independent business people who are Operators I'm sure there are instances. But then, there are instances in all businesses of any size.
Our local Chick-Fil-A manager practices what he preaches. He works the lunch window every day. He appreciates his employees, it's hard to get a job there. One of his young employees committed suicide, and he closed the store for the afternoon (the boy's mom thanked him, she didn't know he had that many friends and was comforted by it). Corporate was upset he closed. The manager's comment: "Did I make any money that day? No. Did I do the right thing? Yes."
That's very encouraging to hear. One thing that I've noticed over the years is that the Operators, who have their pictures in the restaurant somewhere, are hardly ever seen actually working in the stores. It could be that is just the stores I visit, or that I visit at odd times. I just remember days where there was very little chance of visiting the store and not seeing the Operator.
Seems to me like that CFA did the right thing with the employee suicide. Good for him.
I loved this essay. As a former small business owner (liquor store), I could relate to the employee issues and the brutal hours. When I was looking to buy a business the franchise model was a non-starter for me, i wanted complete control and you listed many of the issues that come with that model.
Attention to detail and deep involvement by the owner improved the probability of business success and was also a deterrent to theft. Absentee owner (or low involvement owners) have an extra layer of risk. Shop lifting was a constant threat and my biggest "surprise" was two fold, how sophisticated some (not all) of the thiefs were and second how little local law enforcement was interested in pursuing a theft. Anything under $1,000 got a shrug from local police.
Thank you for a great article.
Now that idea of ignoring thefts under $1000 is written into law in many places - including Asheville, here in Western North Carolina. Many small businesses there just folded when that law was placed on the books.
Brings back my involvement (at a MUCH lower level) at Friendly (it was NOT "Friendly's!") Ice Cream back when I was in high school and college and the Blakes were still alive and at least one of them still active. The Highly Moral But rings true.
“That tension—between stewardship and self-protection, between mission and margin—taught me more about leadership and human nature than I could have learned in any classroom.”
It’s a moral question. Self protection. Hmm. How do we measure that? It’s for each individual to decide.
This article reveals how we rationalize the immoral choice at every level of wealth in the capitalist world. It’s not capitalism that’s the problem. It’s the justification of the immoral to achieve wealth and success, and it is a spectrum.
Philanthropy is a wealthy person’s way of feeling better for wealth acquisition perhaps with the aid of cheating. Feeding/clothing a family is a poorer person’s rationale. When cheating becomes built in, it has the power to corrupt everyone. Few can escape it.
I'm not sure I see learning how to operate in the gray zone, which we all have to do no matter who you are, as being an "immoral choice".
Appreciate you!
Yes, I agree. Moral choice is binary is it not? If you choose to steal, albeit to feed your family, it’s still stealing. If you are stealing because someone prevented you from being able to afford bread, it is less immoral than outright stealing, but still “immoral” because it’s stealing. The gray zone shouldn’t be as large as it is.
This piece was so very interesting. Interesting and impressive. You were how old again? Twenty-three! Unimaginable in today's society. Many thanks to you and Celia. Keep those Thursdays shitty. Look at what it lead to. Then again, "Social Deviance" was one of my favorite college courses.
Yes, I got into the internship program right before my 21st birthday, then became the Owner/Operator of this store about 3 months after I turned 23.
I learned a ton, and it did give me the foundation of what I think about a lot of things from a very early age!
'Philanthropy is a wealthy person’s way of feeling better for wealth acquisition perhaps with the aid of cheating.'
The hypocrisy, manipulation of perception and the effective undermining of autonomy of the victims in this type of cheating- is particularly disgusting to me. I have seen this pattern many times and sadly it has worked well down thru the ages for the wealthy- where robber baron types destroy a business, family or community and then give 'generously' back to 'rebuild' and are lauded as heroes, when they are the ones who caused the destruction in the first place. And of course the 'rebuild' comes with a heavy price tag in multiple ways and things are never again as they once were. I liken it to accepting blood money from the devil and it is far too common imo.
I've often wondered how much philanthropy would survive eliminating the tax deductions and perks. I think the answer is clear...
cat, subject close to my heart. As many of you know I work in not for profit. After everything I’ve seen in the last 12 years, I 100% think that donations should all be anonymous and every not for profit should pay taxes just like everybody else. It would completely change the business model.
Great to hear your personal input. I agree with you. While I lack the data and experience, I feel like the whole tax deduction aspect perverts the process and seems to benefit those who game the system. And I detest those who get a tax deduction for clearly political efforts or go way outside their supposed purpose.
One of my pet peeves is putting your name on buildings. Buffett family is plastered all over - Buffett Cancer Center, Buffett this and Buffett that.
Really interesting. Thank you for sharing.
To update on the Henry Nowak story --
The Sunday Times had an exclusive that the Hampshire police tried 3 times to put out the story that it was a racially aggravated assault by Nowak. The first time 3 days after the event and then later when they knew Digwa was lying. The Nowak family was able to stop it. The third time was during the trial and the CPS pointed out that it was attempting to interfere in the operation of a trial and so they backed off. (I know just when you think you can't be more shocked). Also Digwa was apparently disruptive at his new temple , targeting other young men. The elders talked to him and he backed off. This was in May 2025.
Colin Brazier has done a really powerful piece explaining how Britain got where it is. He makes a good point about not demonizing an entire community for the actions of one person. https://x.com/OutpostStudios/status/2062927431615344983
This from Kemi Badenoch is also good and apparently not behind a paywall -- she accuses the police of 'institutional incompetence' rather than institutional racism. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/kemi-badenoch-institutional-racism-this-is-institutional-incompetence-993hm59t8
Unfortunately the Times piece by Kemi is behind a paywall - cheap, but still ...
Try this: https://archive.ph/wM7mh
She was told it wasn't paywalled. The Times ever living down to its venal reputation from the 1810s
Thanks for the acre.ph link. [edit: archive.ph]
Kemi is brilliant. Genuinely an outstanding thinker and writer. Among many parts of that piece I really liked, this one sticks out to me though it is echoed elsewhere in her piece: "It is almost impossible to apply common sense these days. Public bodies are pressured into bad frameworks by modish progressives who are so open-minded their brains have fallen out."
It seems that common sense only requires courage. Courage to speak and act without fear of cancelation or job/social loss. We can see how rare that has been of late - Covid, where mass surrender to institutional control was easily developed. Many folks had the courage to speak and suffered for it. But they played the long game and teir effect on society outweighs the collective silencing of their speech, even while the individuals suffered mightily.
I really wish Kemi would migrate herself to the US and run for office!
I love this article, thank you Danny H. Waitressing during high school and college at a pre-concept-Appleby's small chain restaurant outside Philadelphia kept me galloping back to Penn State and my butt firmly in the math class seat so I never had to work retail food service after graduation. Chik-Fil-A was growing quickly in that market and had a great reputation (still does). The casual theft you highlight is fascinating, and I see a lot of new automation to fight it. When people moan about the disappearing cash culture they should talk with you.
My favorite bit was the lawsuit over the paper goods; quite revealing. Bible-thumping Christians will rip you off as fast or faster than anyone.
The more pious, holier than thou, and vociferous, the more likely to be a phony.
Wow. Here I thought the not open on Sunday was due to actual religious reasons and it turns out it’s due to exhaustion
Chick Fil A is good, the lines always move fast because of the system and the kids working are always polite. But apparently the corporation is just as corporate or more so than anyone else with the veneer of being something different.
I always tell people, "it's just a business". And it is.
I would also say that I've had the (good or mis) fortune of working for 3 true founders of the company in my career, and I know a couple of others. Two of the three I worked for were openly Christian, including praying before meetings. One was not.
The difference is stark. None of them were perfect, heck I'm not sure any of them were even nice, but even today I'd go back and work for the two Christian owners, and I wouldn't do business even with the non-Christian one.
All were very flawed, but the one was way more broken than the others!
This piece reminds me of a situation back in the 80s at a well-known Chicago deep dish pizza establishment where I waited tables.
I don't recall the exact details because my mind does not seem to work in dishonest ways (much to my detriment).
Someone was stealing -- again not sure how -- was it by ringing up checks on other employees' numbers? Or a fake number? We were all on pins and needles. It was most certainly not me! Yet everyone was a suspect. After an extensive audit the management discovered that the thief was pathological liar, the mincing gay waiter Lance (of all names) who'd come up with some scheme to steal that incriminated other waiters. What's so devious about this kind of theft is that it hurts everyone -- not just the restaurant -- but all of the employees.
One waitress got fired for charging a surcharge if she had to chase dashing diners onto the sidewalk to collect on the check. I do not agree with firing her for that. It was a constant problem in that big, dark, cavernous restaurant, dining and dashing. That meal would come out of the waiters' tips -- INCOME.
What this piece shows is that finding good help is a constant battle.
Lance, which rhymes with prance which leads me to think of Tampon Tim who also minces
It also destroys the high trust society.
I worked at Disneyland during college (back when they still honored Walt and rules were aplenty and followed to the ‘t’ - or else).
They had hidden cameras behind every register and costumed spies on every shift. There were very few second chances. I nearly lost my job when I forgot to remove the thin gold chain my brother had placed around my neck on Christmas morning (earlier that same day)!
I learned about the hidden cameras when a very clever cast member (costumed employee) was caught quick-changing a guest. The company knew she was doing this for some time, but waited till she had stolen enough that the charges would be significant. They arrested her - so quietly - as I worked the very next register.
Disney had documented their reimbursement of each of her victims. They were a serious company, back then, dedicated to a mission. I respected them for their efforts - even though my fiancé couldn’t work there sporting his neatly-trimmed moustache - unless he sang in the barbershop quartet on Main Street!
I'm not too sorry to interrupt...well, a little, so forgive me. But this could get interesting to some here, if not many. I woke up this morning, went to stand up, and kept falling to the left. I'm already a cripple, having broken the left hip 8 years ago, but this was different. After about ten minutes of trying to stand up straight I just sat on the edge of the bed thinking. Then I got it. I finally had my stroke. Y'all are the first to know. I ain't calling anybody, yet. It's a little hard to type, I'm doing everything slow. I learned to do everything slow, walking around a cripple these years. I'm thinking maybe of documenting, here on JiP, what happens with me from here, each step of the way. I knew and was ready to get something, sometime. I could hardly believe I've lasted so long. The first thing I did was use my handy cart to get to my computer, look up the symptoms of stroke, and confirm it. I've got no one near me, but my Niece, Julie the nurse. I'll call her, eventually. I don't like or trust medical care here in this small town. IMO, the hospital here has already killed two brothers and a sister-in-law, so I'm going to go slowly, with any of their involvement. If Celia or anyone feels this is too disconcerting, I'll stop. I'll still document everything from here on, just for myself, because I think it will be fun, and maybe even interesting. So far, I still see well enough, but the first big thing is I'm not going to be able to drive my vehicle. I've never needed any "home health care," and don't look forward to it, except avoiding it as long as I can. I'll do whatever you say, regards reporting here my further adventure. Thank you.
What's that "worm" thing? I'm going with Madonna, "Don't cry for me Argentina."
Ear worm.
Mr. Karg, my heart tightened a bit when I read your post. I care very much and will read whatever you choose to share with us... your JIP family.
Please take care and get help when you need it. Thank you for being a part of us.
Thanks for the "ear" part, JB. I have trouble with all the new "sayings." Celia's, and everybody else's "memes" drives me crazy. (And I was already mostly there).
🤪
Please do share with us Michael. I know something was bound to happen sometime, but still I am sorry to hear of your trouble. I so so get the hospital wariness thing. Our only local hospital is nicknamed Peace Death instead of Peace Health and after enduring 12 days of hubby being at their mercy I can verify it is a well earned nick name. I am desperate to get him out before they kill him off completely- I am not exaggeratg when I say that they saved his life only to torture him to death slowly. He almost gets out to rehab and then they screw up something else. I flat out told every doc and nurse yesterday that what they did to damage him this time could be seen coming four days ago and I had told them this several times back then. Oh boy they didn't like that at all. I DO NOT CARE> I will just keep on telling them. The nurse actually gave me a high five after the doc left.
My 93 year old mom has congestive heart failure and a home care aid to assist her. She has been very weak and ordered a blood test this past Friday. Unfortunately they will not come to take the blood until early this week. She was very pissed “why can’t they come sooner?” My brother and I gave her the choice of going to the ER. “No way” came back in the text. So yeh, once people get past a certain point, hospitals are a no go. And we live in a flourishing suburb with good hospitals.
The rural hospitals get the bottom of the class. Even the ghetto hospitals get a few dedicated.
Get well fast Michael.
You're an important JIPer.
Oh dear, the hospitals. I'm really feeling with you, Rain. I got that, when you first reported your husbands dilemma. With sis-in-laws death, I was the one had to finish off the hospice care, if you get what I mean.
Yeah I get it.
If he has a place in the rehab you want him to be at, can you not just take him out? You could have him moved in a private ambulance.
I doubt rehab will take him until his kidney function improves significantly. It was only at 22% on friday. It is getting better because they finally finally took him off that extreme diuretic. I had asked them to do that days ago because he was showing signs of serious dehydration and the only doctor (who isn't there now) who would listen to me, did try, but the cardiologist countermanded his order. Yes I get they are trying to save his heart, but not at the expense of his kidneys for cripes sake! Anyway if they don't let him go by early next week, I am definitely looking into other options. Right now he cannot even sit up without help and his cognition is pretty bad.
I’m so sorry for all this.
Thanks. It truly sucks but one nice surprise in all this is I am getting to discover how much his remaining bro circle really love him. Gary was born and raised and lived all his life here so he still has relatives and friends from kindergarten. I've met many of them of course but I didn't really know them as he has had his circle and I have had mine. They really care, but not much they can do as they are old and failing themselves. Besides getting him out of that horrible hospital I am desperate to get him into the facility in the small town where he was born and raised because so many friends and family can just drop by and see him. Plus I am sure he will know at least some folks in there already and it is a familiar place because he has visited many himself there over the years. And an extra plus is the facility is rated 5 star.
So sorry you are having to fight the medical people, Rainbow. I know your grandpa is there with you in this. My prayers continue! *hugs you tight*
Thanks for this update Rainbow.
Ouch- watch as carefully as you can. And make sure they are handwashing and not cross contaminating as MRSA is rampant in our hospitals
I, for one, love and respect you, Mr. Karg.
If I were there, with you, I would call for help. But, in the end, it’s between you and God.
I will keep you in my heart.
Thank you, Roberta. I've already recovered, about 50%. I won't be foolish, but I never thought living forever was a good idea, in the first place.
Do you at least have some home help?
I have it when I want it, and the hospital is only five blocks. My Niece the nurse is a few miles.
Sorry to hear this. I hope you do chronicle your experience. We’ll all be thinking about you and it may help us if and when we get there ourselves. Hoping the best for you.
Thanks, that's the idea, anyway.
I do not like to contradict you, Mr. Karg, but it might also be a Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. I had it on and off for a year. Worse when I turned to my left; couldn't stand up. For heaven's sake, call your niece, and get yourself to a doctor. I know you're a fatalistic kind of chap, but don't throw in the towel yet. We're too fond of you.
Thank you, B. Just informed Nurse Niecie. She knows me and she's letting me have my way, for today anyway. I'm going to test drive my vehicle now, pick up the recommended asperin, how ever it's spelled.
Aspirin. I take two baby Bayers every night.
Oh.
B. I looked up your "proxysmpympalxy" thing. It wasn't that, but thanks anyway. And I've spelled "aspirin" correctly, ever since you. It's really easier than I thought it would be.
I will read anything you want to share Michael.
Please begin tomorrow to chronicle this on JIP, if you are up to it.
I feel it will be helpful to you, and all of us as well. You are well respected, admired, and flat out hilarious even when the chips are down. Keep us posted. I know I would certainly appreciate it.
Oh great, I've got something to live for. I'll try.
Stay strong Mr Karg we are all on your side here and you are in our prayers PoetKen
Thanks, but I got almost all better already. It's embarrassing..., heh heh.
If it comforts you to talk with us about this, please continue to do so!
I hope you call your niece sooner rather than later. And that she checks on you regularly!
I intend to keep it funny, at least until the screaming and yelling starts.
I can relate. I live in a rural area and one of the downsides is the low quality of medical care around here. Mr. Karg, you are greatly loved and admired here and I am glad that you have your niece to keep tabs on you.
After the first paragraph I stopped, to ponder how.
Well, if the billing system is not connected - doesn’t talk, to the inventory system, it’s easy.
Let’s see.
Thanks for this interesting and insighful story, Danny!
FUN FACT: I worked for First Atlanta Bank circa 1986-1989. I was on the private-banking team for Truett Cathy and his son, Dan. As I recall, Truett was a very nice man.
ANOTHER FUN FACT: when I was teaching at Georgia State U, one of my students actually wrote a paper about how much she admired Truett Cathy and enjoyed working at Chik-Fil-A!
(Sorry, I've forgotten what the assignment was.)
I still love the diet lemonade, a pack of nuggets, and a Rice Dream!
The Frozen Diet Lemonade is my absolute favorite thing on the menu! It's a treat I only let myself have about twice a year, but I really enjoy it when I get it!
They recently discontinued the diet lemonade at our local Chik-Fil-A! I’m crushed!
It is one super simple recipe if you ever want to make it yourself. It was the first time I remember seeing something so truly odd about modified food. I don't remember the exact proportions, but it took 3 cups of sugar for the regular. Half cup of I think Equal, could have been Splenda, for the diet version.
The real trick is squeezing the lemons yourself.