Today I was in new hire orientation, with 2 kind and intelligent young women. One woman was a nursing assistant who was hired PRN. She had stated earlier in the day that she really hoped that a full time position opens up soon so she can afford to take care of her 4 young children.
The other woman was a fairly new graduate RN, who worked in a long term care facility for a few years and recently transitioned to a PRN, RN position . She encouraged the nursing assistant to apply for a PRN position at that same LTAC, stating that it would be “easy money”.
The RN explained that she works with 3 aides on her hall of 40 patients and the aides just sleep most of the night anyway. She said that management at the facility were aware but kept them around so it would appear they are staffed appropriately.
The young NA asked what the name of the facility was and after the RN responded, looked like she had been kicked in the gut. Her cheerful expression vanished. She broke eye contact with the RN, and looked down at her now fidgety hands. Her excited tone of voice turned flat and became almost too soft to hear, as she responded, “I’m not allowed to work there”. This kind, empathetic and clearly very intelligent young woman looked ashamed, as if she had done something wrong. What she said next was disgusting.
The RN asked if she had previously worked at that facility and done something to be put on the Do Not Rehire list? She replied, “No, nothing like that, I just applied twice and was told that I couldn’t work there”. She then explained that after being interviewed by multiple people form the facility she was told to meet with HR on a specific date.
While waiting for the HR person to meet with her nobody came out. She was left to wait, and wait, and wait, eventually a disgruntled employee walks up to her and says she is sick of the way the raciest head of HR treats “blacks”, and that the nursing assistant will not be working there and the head of HR “doesn’t let them hire any more black people”.
A little while later, while still waiting on the meeting, the NA received a phone call from the head of HR, stating she wasn’t sure why she was told to meet with her now, she’s on vacation and the NA should expect to hear back from the facility soon.
She did hear back from the head of HR some time later. The head of HR explained that she has no idea why they interviewers told her she would be hired, and “maybe they forgot that we had already hired another candidate for the position”.
After being asked if she reported this to anyone the NA sheepishly replied, “No but it wasn’t a big deal.” Then said, “I don’t really care anyway”. After being asked a few more questions and being gently encouraged to report the head of HR “I don’t have the time to waste on that stupid stuff anyway”.
This sounds like discriminatory hiring practices but I don’t know if that is something to be reported or if the laws against not hiring someone because of skin color only apply when there is written evidence stating a person is not being hired because their race. I wrote too many words to describe the situation but it was heartbreaking to witness this confident bubbly young woman’s demeanor change to anxious and timid as she recounted these events.
If gentle encouragement is given by myself and the other RN, and the NA were to decide to report the HR woman, could this lead to education for the HR person or would nothing get addressed without “evidence”? I don’t want any other people to experience the same hurt that this young woman clearly experienced.

NHL.com Boxscore

Teams	1st	2nd	3rd	Total
VAN	0	0	2	2
EDM	1	1	1	3

Team	Shots	Hits	Blocks	FOW%	Giveaways	Takeaways	Power Play	PIM
VAN	21	48	15	0.531915%	4	3	0/3	4
EDM	30	37	18	0.468085%	12	6	1/2	6

Period	Time	Team	Strength	Description
1st	11:10	EDM	Power Play	Leon Draisaitl (8) snap shot, assist(s): Connor McDavid (16), Evan Bouchard (11)
2nd	19:20	EDM	Even	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2) snap shot, assist(s): Mattias Ekholm (3)
3rd	06:54	VAN	Even	Conor Garland (2) snap shot, assist(s): Elias Lindholm (3), Nikita Zadorov (4)
3rd	18:19	VAN	Even	Brock Boeser (8) wrist shot, assist(s): Quinn Hughes (9), Elias Pettersson (4)
3rd	19:21	EDM	Even	Evan Bouchard (4) snap shot, assist(s): Leon Draisaitl (12), Evander Kane (3)

Period	Time	Team	Type	Min	Description
1st	03:32	EDM	MIN	2	Darnell Nurse cross-checking against Dakota Joshua
1st	09:56	VAN	MIN	2	J.T. Miller interference against Leon Draisaitl
1st	14:12	EDM	MIN	4	Evander Kane high-sticking-double-minor against Tyler Myers
3rd	02:56	VAN	MIN	2	Linus Karlsson holding against Brett Kulak

Officials:

• Referees: Francis Charron, Frederick L'Ecuyer
• Linesmen: Scott Cherrey, Ryan Gibbons

To report any errors with this bot please message TeroTheTerror.

TLDR; After trying EVERYTHING I reduced stimulants to promote rest and digest and reduced sugar to limit bacterial infections Would like honorary phd for this ten year $100k research project “Fine” now 🥹 ?
Full story: I have had eczema since 8 months old. Cats and dust allergy and sweat/heat induced. It was no biggie. An antihistamine and the occasional topical OTC steroid cream - easy peasy.
Fast forward, I’m 24. I started getting really hot and red in my face. Can’t tolerate heat at all. My eczema was flaring non stop like crazy. Had it in places I never had before, eye lids, neck. Couldn’t sleep I was so itchy. Had restless leg wtf could only sleep every second day
Saved up for an allergist and started doing desensitisation treatments, bactroban in the nose, and the nurse secretly told me I could take up to 6 antihistamine pd and switch between a few brands
My skin got so bad the doctor wouldn’t let me have the injections anymore Doctor offered me lyrica and prednisone. I was so far gone the prednisone did NOTHING . They literally told me “I can’t help you anymore please don’t come back”
My skin was now flaking bad, like I was turning into sand. Scratch , weep, scab, flake, repeat. Folliculitis all over my legs. I was itchy every waking hour. I slept in a bathtub for 6 weeks getting 1 hour sleep while working full time wearing cream and barrier cream under full body bandages. Found out about TSW and related
Ended up in hospital with a golf ball sized boil in my eyebrow. IV antibiotics cleared up the infection but still itchy. Was told it was the type of antibiotic they don’t give out unless you’re about to die .
Finally saved up and waited 3 months to see a dermatologist. She said option 1. Cancer drugs (assuming an immunosuppressant?) 2. Light therapy
I chose 2. Not sure what it did but I got a nice tan I also tried EVERYTHING short of sacrificing small animals and children during an eclipse . Spent $$$$ laser hair removal, chiro, naturopath , special elixirs, creamssss , dottera, hcl tablet, bleach then peroxide baths, condys crystals, iron, avene, acupuncture, fungicide, silk sheets, plain tooth paste, shower water filter , digestive enzymes, magnesium, tar, charcoal poultice, drink clay powder, activated grains, keffir , blood type diet, psychology, relaxation , Chinese herbs, vitamins, shaman ritual with eagle feather (not joking). Taking showers scared me because of the excruciating pain of open wounds everywhere. Tried swimming in the ocean. Felt like being set of fire but I was wrong. Had a bath with a bit of tea tree oil. Ah, NOW I know what it feels like to be set on fire (creepily got itching relief from the pain Ala black mirror).
Nothing working So I quit literally everything I ate except 30 INGREDIENTS (1 water, 2 salt , etc) on the combined advice of three eczema books Eczema slowly improving Reduced it further to having nothing but one fruit smoothie per day for SIX MONTHS “because fruit is healthy” (and eating one celery stick was too depressing ). Somehow lost no weight . Was getting better but still red and hands still looked like dinosaur skin. I
An energy healer told me it was fruit. lol. Stopped eating the smoothies and skin was better in 1 week. Redness/heat tolerance didn’t improve. Still have restless leg
Flakes and infections came back every year. Back in hospital with another golf ball boil when I’m 30. Goes away Flares again a year later
Had emotional crisis and got Valium from doctor . Magically healed! Stop Valium (not a fan) Heat intolerance recurs. Frequent flare up Try medical cannabis . Fine for a while then I adapted again like the Borg
This year (I’m 34, with 1 year of a biomed degree under my belt) I hear about anticholinergic syndrome and relate. I quit drinking tea and coffee (rip ☠️ switched to chicory root) or taking antihistamines.
Redness going away Heat tolerance improving Eczema disappeared Been healthy??? for 6 weeks Wish me luck 🍀
Sorry this post is so long , tried to condense a 10 year journey of misery as short as possible. hope this helps someone

When we picked my daughter up today, the principal walked her out and informed me that she “was pushed by another student and chipped her tooth”. More than half of both of her front teeth are gone, and obviously very sensitive.
When I asked my daughter about it she had told me that the student jumped on her and she couldn’t handle her weight, leading her to fall to the ground with their combined weight, the student was holding on to the collar of her shirt so she was unable to break her fall with her hands.
I’ve been told by the principal that no disciplinary action will be taken against the student, and in talking to the nurse no other precautions were taken other than rinsing her mouth to ensure she was not further injured, she did not even take her vitals (pulse, sp02, blood pressure, temp, checking for different eye dilation)
I’m going up to the school tomorrow and have already filed a police report for assault, but I’m curious as to what my actual legal options are, I’m not hopeful the school will do anything as the girl that assaulted my daughter has her mom working there.
Both students are 8, this happened in Wichita Kansas. I’m beyond furious that we weren’t called nor was she sent home, we found out when we picked her up. These were her adult teeth as well so this is a very permanent and very serious mistake, am I overreacting? We have a meeting first thing tomorrow with the principal

Hey folks, I am doing medicated IUI after failed unmedicated IUIs and failed IVF. Had an ultrasound today on day 12 of cycle. Report from nurse said: “ 1.1 cm follicle on the right, 1.9 cm follicle on the left and an endometrial lining of 1.3 cm.” She suggested this is good and advised me to continue LH testing at home until surge observed.
I have browsed through some other posts about this on here to understand significance of this. Is the consensus that your follicles realistically need to be in the 2+cm range for optimal chances and is it possible mine will hit that size over the coming few days?
Thanks!

TL;DR - I’m 24w pregnant and at my breaking point with my current job. Have a new job already but it won’t pay me for 2 months. My family thinks I’m stupid bc I want to quit right now. Would It be a bad decision?
First of all Ty for reading. I’m at a huge dilemma right now that is causing me extreme stress.
I (19F) am 24 weeks pregnant and a FTM. My fiancé (21M) and I have been together for 4 years, we own a house together, have decent paying jobs and have been living together for almost a year, about to be married in July, so we are pretty put together for our age. We also have everything in order for our son, if he was born tomorrow (which I obviously don’t hope for!) he’d have everything he could ever need for his first few months of life, including crib, car seat, clothes, diapers etc. I have been very excited for this pregnancy and also wanted to prove myself as a young mom so I made sure of this before I even hit trimester 3, plus with so many big events coming up, we had an early baby shower with a diaper raffle and everything.
So my problem is I’m working full time as a CNA to help with my half of the bills, and I absolutely HATE my job. Not only is the job itself grueling, but as I get farther along in my pregnancy it has become exhausting and every day is a mental battle. My job consists of constant bending over, lifting 300+ lb residents either in bed or into chairs, sitting on my knees (well really my butt bc of circulation issues) and being on my feet majority of the day. I could put up with it easier if I had any inclination of help throughout the day. Healthcare facilities are usually understaffed, but my building recently had a walk-out of literally 20 staff members, most of them CNAs, and it leaves the rest of us short handed pretty much every day. I have had several instances of asking nurses and MACs for help and they outright refuse or come up with stupid excuses why it’s not their job. Just yesterday I reported a nurse for walking out of the room when I pretty much TOLD her to help me because I couldn’t do cares on a specific individual myself, she walked out because I was “arguing” with her. I had a huge screaming match with my managers a couple of weeks ago basically threatening to sue them if they kept putting me on this one unit, which I am almost guaranteed to take on 20 patients by myself when I work there. They are so short staffed that they can’t even afford to fire me. My paychecks have been inconsistent for months starting back when they cut all of my hours, now half of the employees left they are constantly asking me to pick up extra shifts. I constantly say no because I can barely make myself go work my regular scheduled shifts. My paychecks continue to be inconsistent because of the amount of times I’ve called in. I just have stopped caring and the only reason I haven’t walked out yet is because I want to be responsible and I know I won’t get fired for missing work anyway.
I am BEYOND over it. I have been wanting to quit for weeks, but struggled to find another job that suited my wants and needs, as I DID NOT want to be a CNA anymore so I told myself I wouldn’t quit until I had something good lined up. It’s difficult to get hired while pregnant because most employers see it as a loss due to maternity leave and pay. The thing is, I actually did find another job and have already been hired and technically making money, I just won’t get paid until after I get my license which will take bout 2 months. It’s 100% commission based but the company has trades in the NYSE and I can make really good money there if I can get clients. I am ready to throw myself and my focus into this new career, and I’ve been looking for any excuse to leave my current job, I really don’t care if I’m not getting paid atm.
I talked to my fiancé, my parents, and my bsf about this and they all pretty much told me I’m stupid for thinking I can quit my current job right now. My fiancé is actually the most supportive out of all of them but he is scared about our finances and worries about how he’s going to pay the bills on his own. Mind you, he has $5000 in personal savings and our shared account that we put money in for our bills is about two months ahead of our monthly expenses, so it’s not like we don’t have ANY money at all. I definitely don’t want to drain our savings in the meantime, but with this new career I could potentially make more than I am currently making, meaning I could soon put way more into savings than I ever was since we moved in. My parents think I should wait until after the wedding to quit my job so I know I’ll have money for the expenses, however, we already paid for majority of the venue costs and they agreed to help us with the rest of the expenses like food, my dress etc (I am NOT getting an expensive dress, it’ll be $300 at most.) they act like I will be constantly asking them for money, which I haven’t done once since living on my own, or that I won’t be able take care of myself. My plans were to get my last paycheck from my current job and put it all towards our bills. We are also expecting one last rent payment from our roommates who are in the process of moving out. At worst we will only need to take a bit out of savings and I can’t allow myself any frivolous spending until I start making money again.
I just feel trapped and like nobody close to me understands what I’m going through. I cried for like an hour last night just thinking about having to go back to work, I just have no idea how I can keep this up for another two months. My self confidence in my ability to prosper in this new job is also deflated due to my family’s reaction. Pregnancy hormones aren’t helping … I thought I’d ask y’all bc ik my family is just worried about my financial security and doesn’t want anything bad to happen. I just want to message HR tonight and never go back.
BTW my current job doesn’t offer paid maternity leave so there’s no reason to wait for that.
Any thoughts?

I’m happy to provide more details if needed but will try to make it as short as possible. I (41 F) began to have some neurological symptoms last year which were getting worse, more frequent, longer lasting etc. Went to a local doctor over a few visits who ran test to start ruling things out like lupus rheumatoid arthritis etc. all normal. Symptoms getting worse now every day, I’m talking loss of bladder control, vision blurred some days, shaking legs, numbness in hands and feet and so much more. Dr says could be ms let’s order an MRI and referral to neurologist. Great MRI like 6 weeks later and neurologist October. Before MRI go to ER as directed by my dr due to other concerning factors. ER dr says sounds like MS you need to see a neurologist to which I say I am in October. ER dr ran ct scans all normal. Go get the MRI and earlier neurologist appointment. This is where ish gets wild. So happy but nervous to finally maybe get some answers. At apt I’m unwell my legs are shaking I’m emotional I’m sure not looking great with hollow eyes etc. nurse asks if I’m depressed to which I say sometimes yes it’s so bad and no one can tell me anything and it getting worse and who wouldn’t get depressed. Finally see the dr still visibly upset and emotional. Neurologist (70 w male) looks at my scans says nothing wrong asks if I’m depressed I say the same as above. He says I think we need to get your emotional state more stable which can help the physical symptoms and would I be ok to go next door to the hospital for a psych evaluation while he works on the medical side to see about additional testing. I say ok and he walks me into the er saying normally this stake 6 weeks to happen but he walks me there and talks to the staff he knows they would get it done today. Ok cool I’m about fast now as I’ve been waiting over a year. They admit me and have me put on a gown, weird but whatever. They come to put in an iv and I say hold up why do I need an iv I’m just getting an evaluation. Staring silence and then oh um I’m not sure going to have to check. Hours later ER doc aka which dr walked me in for this so I relay the neurologist name and he said oh Dr so and so is heavy handed with walking his patients down to try and get them admitted to psychiatric and then says they’re trying to decide if they’re moving me to the psych floor . EXCUSE ME WHAT? I’m dumbfounded and irritated. He says I can stay in er until psychiatrist can come down to see me. Four hours later he does tries to prescribe all these anti psychotic and depression medications blah blah. I talk my way via letting him know I’m pro therapy went for years. All the different modalities emdr blah blah. He says because I’m agreeing to fill the mirtazapine and outpatient therapy I can go. Then looks at the computer and says huh did you know your vitamin b12 is dangerously low and says they’re giving me an injection of b12 before discharging me. I get the shot and leave. Not 45 MINUTES later my legs stop shaking and aching and hour by hour my symptoms were seemingly disappearing. Is this a case of malpractice? Should I report at least the neurologist to the medical board so maybe it doesn’t happen to someone else?

BoxOfficeTheory Presale Tracking
USA Showtimes As of May 10
Presales Data (Google Sheets Link)
BoxOfficeReport Previews
DOMESTIC PRESALES
Back to Black EA+Thursday Comp: $0.34M

• abracadabra1998 ($0.29M EA+Thursday comp. Yikes bikes (May 12).)
  
• crazymoviekid ($0.28M Thursday comp. Not great. Let's say $.3M (May 14).)
  
• filmlover (Looking at the sales even for the early shows on Wednesday it's on the anemic side (and nothing that's likely to boost it over the next days). Feels like we're about to see how low a biopic about a famous musician can go (May 10).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($0.45M EA+Thursday comp.)
  
• Rorschach (Zero tickets sold on Thursday and only four on Friday. I don't think I'll be missing much (May 13).)
  

IF Thursday comp assuming $2M for keysersoze123: $1.82M

• abracadabra1998 ($1.23M Thursday comp. My model has been pretty good for animated/family releases in the past, hence why every comp is so eerily similar. Still, looking at others' numbers and how much lower mine are, I am wondering if summer break might be something to consider here; from what I am aware, here in Minnesota most school districts don't start break until June (May 13). Hoping for some real acceleration this last week but not looking good (May 12). One week out, not impressed in the slightest (May 9). Rising against comps as expected, due to the short release window, but I am still failing to see anything that suggests the numbers given by some other outlets (May 5). The release window for this is way shorter than all these comps so those numbers will naturally go up. Decent growth in the last three days (May 2).)
  
• AniNate (I'm gonna guess that Nick IP spot for IF this morning ratcheted up interest, Fri-Sun sales at Canton now close to 200. Also of those 200 about 50 were for XD. Not the usual overwhelming presale split but not insignificant for a kids movie also playing on two standard screens (May 13). 45 sold at the five nearest Cinemarks for Thursday previews so far, so yeah there's evidently some kind of regional variation (May 13). I definitely haven't seen as much of a rush here with Garfield as with IF (May 11). I dunno, I have no comps but I feel like local presales is a pretty sizable haul a week in advance for an original non-Disney kids movie (May 9). I did see a surprising amount of single sales looking at IF charts (May 1).)
  
• charlie Jatinder (Hmm. So no real Regal impact it seems at katnisscinnaplex's theaters (April 30).)
  
• crazymoviekid ($1.95M Thursday comp. Definitely looking around $1.75M Thursday for now (May 14).
  
• DAJK (Selling pretty well so far here (May 4).)
  
• el sid ($2.4M Thursday comp. Friday up so-so 116% since last Monday. I chose Jungle Cruise, Dolittle, Elemental, Minions 2 and Sonic 2 as comps (always counted on Monday of the release week for Friday) and the true Friday number for IF would be 6.6M at the moment. In this case the comparison numbers were very similar, around 6-7M. Overall it was a boring counting today which lasted too long for so few action. And judging from some random samples Garfield also saw no significant jumps (I also didn't expect much, it's still too early IMO). Thursday up 92% since last Monday. I hoped for a bit better jump till today :( but it's also not too bad. So for Friday no big numbers but up 75% since last Monday (and the jump must have happened pretty recently) (May 13). Up 73.5% since Monday (where it had 143 sold tickets). Best sales in California, not doing too bad between the coasts. The number today is ok to me (May 12). Not really signs for a breakout for Friday so far, but very solid. It will not really get 4-6M Thursday e.g. compared to Migration but from most comps the number could be pretty decent (May 7). Looked good for the film, both on Thursday and on Friday (May 6).)
  
• jeffthehat ($2.07M Thursday comp.)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($1.98M Thursday comp. Thinking somewhere in the 1.2m-1.5m Thursday range despite a couple of higher comps (May 14).)
  
• keysersoze123 (I would say it should hit 2m previews or even more if walkups are strong. OW probably in mid to high 20s for now. Its Friday sales are not that much higher than thursday for crazy IM like say Panda 4 (May 14).)
  
• RichWS (15 screen theater near me is giving IF peak Marvel number of showings. I know it's short and the market is quiet, but damn (May 14).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($2.39M Thursday comp. Really not much going on. Don't think walkups will be super strong either (May 13). Not much growth (May 10). Pace is collapsing a bit. Continues its downward trend (May 7). After a strong start, this has cooled off quite a bit (May 4).)
  
• Tinalera (Pretty quiet Vancouver and Calgary area (May 13).)
  
• vafrow ($0.5M Thursday comp. It's going up, but slowly. The thing that hit me looking at the numbers is that the most popular format so far is the VIP theatres, which are 19+. With such low sales, you can't read too much into anything, but it kind of speaks to how this isn't grabbing the family crowd (May 14). Some marginal movement, but we're running out of time for this. At this stage, I expect my market is an anomaly, but I still hope and expect it will close the gap in the final few days (May 13). Still nothing (May 12). Still nothing happening. I did check Friday sales, and it was a lot stronger with 51 tickets sold. That's better, but still not tremendous. I also checked the wider radius, where it's pretty much exactly where Haunted Mansion was, which hit $3.1M opening (May 11). Still nothing really happening here (May 10). Since the last update, they released full showtime sets, and it actually lost two showtimes rather than gain. From the sound of it, it might be doing better in other Canadian markets, particularly BC (May 8). Numbers are still really low, making the standard track fairly useless. I did do a larger 100km radius track, encompassing the broader southern Ontaro market (~8M population, MTC4 being about 70-80% of the market). Even against Haunted Mansion, which underindexed here, it's not doing well (May 4).)
  

The Strangers: Chapter 1 Thursday Comp: $1.12M

• abracadabra1998 ($0.88M Thursday comp. Not a good update at all but I am wondering about the summer break deal here as well. For Back to Black it shouldn't affect it much I would think (May 13).)
  
• crazymoviekid ($1.23M Thursday comp. Weird comps. Let's go for $.5M-$.75M Thursday comp.)
  
• el sid ($1.6M Thursday comp. From what I saw, it had an ok jump till today but the jump till Wednesday will be way more important. But so far, decent presales (May 14).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($1.4M Thursday comp. We could have a preview battle on our hands! (May 14).)
  
• Rorschach ($0.48M/$6.03M/$4.16M Thursday/Friday/Thursday+Friday comp. Tarot had more tickets sold for Thursday compared to its Friday showings when I checked the Monday before it came out; hence, why the comps are so all over the place at the moment. The Thurs + Fri comp does appear to be a reasonable middle ground (May 13).)
  
• TwoMisfits (TMobile deal for May - $5 ticket to The Strangers Chapter 1 next Tuesday (May 9).)
  

Furiosa Thursday Comp assuming $5M For keysersoze123: $4.31M

• abracadabra1998 ($5.46M Thursday comp. GxK obviously really propping the average up but for now I could see that settling at around $5 Million, still good pace! (May 12). Really good stuff in this market (May 9). Reallyyyyyy good day 1 here. I want to note that: NO I do NOT think preview numbers will be that high; it's just highlighting the fact that this is likely a movie that will be running hot in my market, as cinephile blockbusters usually do. Next update I will have T-14 comps, which will be a lot lower due to the short release window (May 8).)
  
• AniNate (Skimmed through ThuFri and Valley View (Cleveland vicinity) has sold roughly 60 Furiosa tix so far while Tinseltown (Canton) has sold 40. I'm guessing the upfront audience does lean more toward the urban/cosmopolitan sensibilities (May 9). Presales show there's definitely some hype for this. Regal gonna irritate trackers again, offering no upcharge IMAX for Furiosa (May 8).)
  
• Charlie Jatinder ($3.05M Thursday comp.)
  
• el sid ($5.8M average Thursday comp (without Exorcist 2) (May 12). Furiosa continues its strong performance in "my" theaters. The movie yesterday had already 1.310 sold tickets (for Thursday, May 23). Up 15% in ca. 24 hours which isn't bad at all after the first rush. Already comfortably in front of The Fall Guy's final sales (it had 1.071 counted on Thursday for Thursday) and almost on par with Civil War's final sales (1.357) and also the Apes finally had not more than 1.657 sold tickets in my theaters (May 11). I also can't complain about Furiosa's presales in my theaters, not at all. Already 1,138 sold tickets (in all of "my" 7 theaters) for May 23. 14 days left. Promising start. Civil War on Thursday of the release week for Thursday had 1,357 sold tickets and The Fall Guy finally had 1,071 sold tickets (May 9).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($3.51M Thursday comp.)
  
• keysersoze123 (It has way stronger sales than Garfield and that is expected. I am thinking of 5m previews for now (May 14). I think this is a solid OD presales. With a short PS window its probably looking at 5m+ previews (May 9).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($4.44M Thursday comp. Keeps climbing at a strong pace (May 11). This continues to grow at an excellent rate (May 10). Really strong day 2. The short presales is for sure a factor (May 9). Not seeing much of a breakout. Still pretty solid start to presales (May 8).)
  
• vafrow ($2.9M Thursday comp. It had a good day (May 12). Mediocre day 2 (May 10). Not the hottest start. IMAX is the format of choice though, so, ATP will be high (May 9).)
  

Hit Man

• vafrow (Getting a theatrical release up here in Canada, and early signs are that it might get a pretty decent screen count. Not super wide or anything, but a pretty decent amount for a weekend that has a lot of other releases (May 14).)

The Garfield Movie EA+Thursday Comp: $2.24M

• abracadabra1998 ($0.76M EA comp and $1.19M Thursday comp. Still not really accelerating, and the EA is falling against comps (May 12). Good EA numbers, but many of these comps were PLF-only EA, which this is not, so I think the ATP will be quite lower and that should be adjusted for (May 9).)
  
• AniNate (I definitely haven't seen as much of a rush here with Garfield as with IF (May 11).)
  
• el sid (The very even sales are a good sign (May 7). For Sunday, May 19, I can already report that also in my theaters it looks very good for Garfield. They will for sure add shows soon. It has so far only 1 show/theater and the shows are almost sold out, between 1 and 4 seats are still available. So my guess still is that this movie if it's not totally bad (and first reviews here were quite positive) will become a (big) hit. Seems not much on Thursday but it's a step in the right direction (May 6).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex ($2.52M EA+Thursday comp.)
  
• keysersoze123 (Its definitely weaker than even Elemental. That said these movies tend to finish strong and so I am not writing it off so early. Just that the long PS window is irrelevant for them. They could rather start presales like a week before release and it would be all the same. Meh. We have to wait until next week to gauge where its going to finish. It has very low ATP as well and actual would be even lower as its going to see tons of kids tickets (May 14). Early shows are regular digital shows at 1PM this sunday. So ATP will be very low. I think 500k ish at best. Preview let us see how things go in the final week. Presales at this point are almost non existent (May 13).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($2.14M Thursday comp.)
  
• vafrow ($0.4M Thursday comp. Comps don't paint a pretty picture though. EA shows are doing okay (May 11). Still no sales for my core sample for previews. But I did the larger sweep, which shows the interest right now is the Sunday early access shows. Looking at sales patterns, it's mainly blocks of 3/4 tickets, so likely families grabbing some. It's worth noting that the May holiday in Canada is the weekend of May 17-20th, not the weekend after with Memorial Day. I can see families prioritizing getting out the holiday weekend when they have more time (May 4).)
  

The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Re-Releases (June 8-10)

• BoxOfficePro (Fathom Events has also announced that select Regal Cinemas will present the films in 4DX on June 22/23/24 for Fellowship/Towers/Return respectively (May 14).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Up to ~1,400 shows now with new locations picking it up and others adding a second showing. LotR1 has sold 831 seats OD, LotR2 sold 715 seats OD, and LotR3 sold 735 seats OD. For comparison, Phantom Menace didn't break 800 tickets until T-3 and we're still over a month out. JW3 comp is currently around 9m (it was at 1,670 tickets sold at this point!) (May 6).)
  

Inside Out 2 Average Thursday Comp: $7.22M

• AniNate (I do see a few 1-2 spots for Inside Out on Saturday. Think some M-F workweek adult fans might be putting down money for that (May 14).)
  
• katnisscinnaplex (Already at 180 shows for previews in my areas and still has a few theaters left to post. For comparison, Godzilla x Kong finished with 197, Kingdom of Apes 190, and Kung Fu Panda 205 (May 14).)
  
• keysersoze123 (Too early to judge presales as ticket sales just started early this morning. Families dont book tickets on weekday mornings. Wait until evening today to judge it. From a release perspective its way bigger than all animation movies seen recently including Panda 4. Easily the biggest I have seen in a long time. Only movie which is not comparable is Mario but that was not just a family flick (May 14).)
  
• Porthos (On the Saturday of release weekend (ie NOT EA) there is a special event screening for IO2: INSIDE OUT 2: FUNKO FAMILY EVENT! (2024) Sat June 15th. Might boost the OW slightly, depending on how wide this event is and how much more these tickets will presumably cost (May 11).)
  
• TheFlatLannister ($7.22M Thursday comp. Well, I can't really tell if this is a breakout or not yet. Looks very good especially in the first few hours. These are probably terrible comps, but might as well try something (May 14).)
  
• TwoMisfits (I'm kinda shocked at the opening set from my Cinemarks... 2 screens (1 PLF, 1 not) and 6 showings at my PLF 14 for Thursday (and 11 showings on the same screens once it runs full day - 7 PLF b/c 1 is 3d on the reg screen, 4 not)... 3 screens (.75 3d, 2.25 not) and 9 showings at the non-PLF 12 for Thursday (and 12 showings on 2.25 screens once it runs full day)... So, 2 and 2.25 screens for the weekend presale sets... Disney must be charging a huge % for themselves b/c this is an Elemental opening set at my PLF...a little more generous for Thursday at my non-PLF, but then they too drop to an Elemental opening set after the adult Disney base Thursday rush... (May 14).)
  
• YM! (n fairness it's only been an hour but yeah sales are softer than I expected. However, it is a month out and will largely skew more towards kids than say TLM/Across so wasn't expecting a blitz like them. Here at Marcus theaters are going all out for IO2 with it having the lion share of PLFs with it getting both screens when there is two PLFs with tentpole like levels of screens (May 14). Was taking a look at Marcus Cinemas to see that they have preloaded Inside Out 2 showtimes which seem to start at 3:00 pm on a Thursday. It seems like Marcus is going all out on it as judging from showtimes it's taking away all of Bad Boys’ PLFs in that theaters that have two+ PLFs are giving all to IO2 (May 11).)
  

Domestic Calendar Dates (last updated May 3):
MAY

• (May 14) Presales Start [Inside Out 2]
  
• (May 16) Presales Start [Bad Boys Ride or Die]
  
• (May 16) Thursday Previews [Babes + Back to Black + If + The Strangers: Chapter 1 + The Blue Angels IMAX]
  
• (May 17) Presales Start [Ezra]
  
• (May 19) Review Embargo Lifts [Garfield 9 PM EST]
  
• (May 20) Opening Day [Monday: Spider-Man Homecoming Re-Release]
  
• (May 23) Thursday Previews [Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga + Hit Man + The Garfield Movie + Sight]
  
• (May 26) Presales Start [Bikeriders]
  
• (May 27) Opening Day [Monday: Spider-Man Far From Home Re-Release]
  
• (May 30) Thursday Previews [Ezra + Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle + Robot Dreams + The Young Woman and the Sea]
  

JUNE

• (June 3) Opening Day [Monday: Spider-Man No Way Home Re-Release]
  
• (June 5) Presales Start [Despicable Me 4]
  
• (June 6) Thursday Previews [Bad Boys: Ride or Die + The Watchers]
  
• (June 8) 1-Saturday Re-Release (1st day) [The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 9) 1-Sunday Re-Release (1st day) [The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 10) 1-Monday Re-Release (1st day) [The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 13) Thursday Previews [Inside Out 2]
  
• (June 15) 1-Saturday Re-Release (2nd day) [The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition]
  
• (June 16) 1-Sunday Re-Release (2nd day) [The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition]
  
• (June 17) 1-Monday Re-Release (2nd day) [The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition]
  
• (June 20) Thursday Previews [The Bikeriders + Janet Planet]
  
• (June 27) Thursday Previews [Blue Lock The Movie -Episode Nagi- + Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 + A Quiet Place: Day One]
  

JULY

• (July 2) Opening Day [Wednesday: Despicable Me 4]
  
• (July 4) Opening Day [Thursday: Possum Trot]
  
• (July 4) Thursday Previews [MaXXXine]
  
• (July 11) Thursday Previews [Fly Me to the Moon + Untitled New Line Horror movie]
  
• (July 18) Thursday Previews [Twisters]
  
• (July 25) Thursday Previews [Deadpool and Wolverine + Didi + Fabulous Four]
  

AUGUST

• (August 1) Thursday Previews [Harold and the Purple Crayon]
  
• (August 8) Thursday Previews [Borderlands + Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us + Cuckoo + The Fire Inside + Trap]
  
• (August 15) Thursday Previews [Alien: Romulus + Horizon An American Saga Chapter 2 + Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure]
  
• (August 22) Thursday Previews [Blink Twice + The Crow + The Forge + Slingshot]
  
• (August 29) Thursday Previews [City of Dreams + Reagan + They Listen]
  

Presale Tracking Posts:
April 23
April 25
April 27
April 30
May 2
May 4
May 7
May 9
May 11
Note: I have removed most tracking data that has not been updated for 2 weeks. I think there is value in keeping data for a week or two but at a certain point they start to lose their value and should not be treated the same as more recent tracking data.

Posting here for my girlfriend:
My girlfriend had a pap smear done, her reports came back saying that “smears studied showed benign ectocervical cells, few endocervical cells with plenty of inflammatory cells like neutrophils seen arranged in sheets and clusters in the background.
Severe acute inflammatory smear,advise repeat pap smear after treating infection”.
Can anyone please help us understand this? My girlfriend and I are quite scared about this result..
Any insights would be hugely appreciated, thanks!

Hey everyone,
I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve been following this subreddit for a while now and have seen a lot of insightful discussions here. I’m reaching out today because I’ve found myself in a bit of a quandary at work and could really use some advice from those who’ve been in similar situations.
I’ve been with my current employer for about six years now, and during that time, I’ve seen a lot of changes in management and company policy. Overall, it’s been a good place to work, but recently, things have gotten a bit confusing and frustrating.
It all started a few months ago when our department got a new manager, let’s call her Sarah. Sarah is very different from our previous manager, Tom, who was quite laid-back and trusted us to manage our own workloads and leave. Sarah, on the other hand, is very hands-on and seems to want to micromanage everything.
Our team meetings, which used to be quick and to the point, have now turned into long, drawn-out sessions where every little detail is scrutinized. I’ve noticed that Sarah has a tendency to focus on minor issues and can sometimes overlook the bigger picture. For example, she once spent an entire meeting discussing the font size on our reports, which most of us found a bit excessive.
In addition to the changes in our team meetings, Sarah has also been more involved in our personal schedules. She’s started asking for detailed reports on what we’re working on, how long we expect tasks to take, and what our availability looks like. This level of scrutiny is new for us, and it’s been a bit of an adjustment.
One of the more frustrating aspects of this new management style is the increased focus on leave. In the past, as long as we gave reasonable notice and made sure our work was covered, taking leave was generally not an issue. However, Sarah seems to have a different approach.
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with Sarah about my workload and how I’ve been feeling a bit burned out. I thought it would be a good idea to take a few days off to recharge. When I brought this up, Sarah seemed supportive at first, but then things took an unexpected turn. She started asking me about my leave balance and mentioned that I had a lot of accrued leave that I hadn’t used.
This led to a lengthy discussion about the company’s leave policy and how it’s important for employees to take regular breaks to avoid burnout. While I agreed with her in principle, the conversation left me feeling a bit uneasy. It seemed like she was hinting that I should be taking more leave than I currently am.
Fast forward to last week, and the situation has become even more confusing. During another one of our long team meetings, Sarah brought up the topic of leave again, but this time in a more direct way. She mentioned that the company has a policy of encouraging employees to use their leave and that it’s important for everyone’s well-being.
What struck me as odd was the way she phrased it. She didn’t just say it’s encouraged; she made it sound almost mandatory. This got me thinking about whether or not my employer can actually force me to take leave.
To add to the confusion, I’ve had several conversations with my coworkers about this issue. Some of them seem to think that Sarah is just trying to look out for us and ensure we’re taking care of ourselves. Others believe that there might be more to it, like a push from upper management to reduce leave liabilities on the company’s balance sheet.
One coworker, let’s call him John, mentioned that he’s been in a similar situation before at a previous job. According to John, his former employer had a policy of forcing employees to take leave if they had too much accrued. He explained that it was a way for the company to avoid having a large leave liability, especially at the end of the financial year.
Another coworker, Emily, had a different perspective. She thinks that Sarah’s focus on leave is just her way of making sure we’re not overworking ourselves. Emily pointed out that in our industry, burnout is a real issue, and maybe Sarah is just trying to prevent that.
While these conversations were somewhat helpful, they didn’t really give me a clear answer. I decided to do a bit of research on my own to see if I could find any concrete information about whether or not an employer can force you to take leave.
From what I’ve found, it seems like the answer isn’t straightforward. Some sources suggest that employers do have the right to direct employees to take leave, especially if they have a large amount of accrued leave. Other sources indicate that this might depend on the specific terms of your employment contract or the company’s policies.
I’ve also come across some discussions online where people have shared their experiences with this issue. It seems like there’s a lot of variability depending on the industry, company, and even the specific manager.
Given all of this, I’m still not entirely sure where I stand. On one hand, I understand the importance of taking regular breaks and not letting leave accrue indefinitely. On the other hand, I’m not comfortable with the idea of being forced to take leave if it’s not convenient for me or if I don’t feel like I need it at that particular time.
So, I’m turning to you, my fellow corporate workers, for some advice. Should I get a pizza for dinner tonight, or no?

Mother’s Day was terrible. I don’t know why I’m updating this. Maybe it’s for the few people can sympathize.
A lot of the prior comments made untrue, horrible accusations about my wife.
My wife was never abusive or even mean, not in any state. It makes it so much harder to understand why our daughter would be so cold to her own mother.
My wife’s mental state before the accident had regressed into childlike behavior, which is concerning but not the cause of my daughter’s coldness. My wife would spit food out back into her plate, bluntly say it tasted bad and the wipe her nose with her sleeve like a child. I made the error of thinking she was having a midlife crisis because she bought an expensive dress because it was soft. She would forget to do things, her responsibilities.
Mother and daughter clashed because she would tell stories with no beginning and end, just rambling. She would ask the same questions over and over. She would promise to pick her up or bring something and forget. Things that would annoy a teenage girl.
The tumor were concentrated in the back of the head. When she got into the car accident, it made everything worse. She needed to relearn everything. She is still disabled.
We had high expectations for our daughter but she set them higher for herself. She had a dream school, where she wanted to go since she was 12. It meant that I had to chauffeur to so many activities throughout high school and sacrifice a lot to make sure she got the opportunities she wanted.
It meant leaving my disabled wife in a longer term care facility to hopefully recover. It was Covid so there were long stretches where we didn’t visit her.
When she came home, my wife was still largely nonverbal and wheelchair bound. She needed help with everything from eating to going to the bathroom. I earned a little as a caregiver on top of my regular job.
My daughter was so cruel and cold to her mother at that time. She would hate if her mother came outside with her and would later blame it on the wheelchair, saying it was bulky and attracted attention. She would ignore her mother and moved away to distance herself physically. I ended up getting a call from the school because a classmate had overheard what she said about her mother and reported it as ableism. I don’t know what she said. All I know is that she was very cruel to her mother.
I had her in individual therapy and we did therapy as father and daughter. It was her choice to stop.
My daughter ended up getting into her dream college. They had an accepted students weekend and she demanded that her mother stay home even though parents were invited. By that time my wife had made leaps and bounds in progress and was disappointed to stay home. I went and tried to be a proud father. At least she let her mother go to graduation.
My daughter came home a few days ago. Her exams were earlier. She informed us that she earned a research position with a professor for the summer. My wife was overjoyed, writing a card all on her own about how proud she was and she wished she saw her daughter grow into accomplished young woman. How proud she was to share this moment. My daughter looked sick with guilt. I know what that looks like.
On Mother’s Day, I made a comment that she couldn’t ignore her mother today. She told me to stop saying that. I made another comment about how proud her mother was of her and how much she loved her. I was doing it on purpose. It ended up with her saying she regretted what she did. I always had my suspicions. I interrogated her until she tearfully admitted she hated what her mother had turned into and she hit her mother once and she was ashamed to be around her because of what people thought. We got into a shouting match and she yelled at me that I was so focused on everyone else’s behavior because I regretted my own.
It’s true in a lot of ways. Because of Covid, there were limited visiting hours. But I still didn’t visit as much as I should have. I left my wife in a facility to focus on our daughter but also so that it would be easier for me. There are no siblings, no grandparents to help. I didn’t visit as much because I hated how much my wife would sob when I had to leave.
I started feeling guiltier when I read a news article about a nurse being sentenced for assaulting a woman in a coma. I thought about my wife. She was nonverbal, had limited short term memory, and wheelchair bound. I wouldn’t know what would happen. I tried to convince myself that it was fine but all I did was find more and more news articles about abuse at care facilities. I would have nightmares.
I pulled my wife out. I took months of work. I finally got her home. She was taken care of but not like I would have. There were a few knots in her hair, bruising, sores.
I won’t lie, the care was brutal. Now I had to juggle taking care of my wife and making sure my daughter was supported and able to reach her dreams. And it was hard seeing my wife like that. She was accomplished and intelligent and now couldn’t do a puzzle or eat on her own or go to the bathroom by herself. There was a huge learning curve and they assigned a nurse to come see my wife every few days.
My wife is so sweet. I attend a caregivers support group and I feel guilty because my wife doesn’t have the fits of temper or the rage or the depression that others did. I felt guilty for being tired. Some had it a lot harder than I did.
She got better and over time it was like she was almost back to her old self. And she never lost love for either of us. it hurts that she blames herself for how our daughter treated her. Maybe I shouldn’t have let my daughter focus on prestige and appearance so much, maybe I should’ve realized the signs early on and exposed her to others.
My daughter and aren’t speaking. My wife just wanted a happy family. I’m looking for therapy for us as a family.

After about a month of working very few hours at my office I started getting sent to another office in one of the most dangerous and poverty-stricken cities in America. What I saw there was extremely depressing but the biggest problem in that office was bad management. It was an absolute nightmare being subjected to that, what I would call, abuse.
Myself and another CCA were sent there everyday for weeks upon weeks, regardless of our relative standing. The other CCA was even being scheduled to do Amazon Sunday there.
Then one day a new manager started there and became very aggressively hostile with me. He got in my face like he wanted to do something. I reported it and said I'd never go back. I was able to secure a hold down in order to keep me out of there. The first day of my hold down the 204b stood behind me and looked at me crazy while I was casing. When I was almost done they told me to leave the office and have another person case.
Seeing how I got myself out of that other office, the other CCA attempted to get a hold down of their own. The PM said they couldn't get a hold down and essentially said that they belonged to the other city's station for now. After a couple weeks and many grievances the union had that CCA released from that other office.
When I'd complain about being sent to another office people would always say "get a hold down" But this shows the level of corruption in preventing people from even getting hold downs.
I completed 2 hold downs and did well. Then I got to my 3rd hold down, considered to be the toughest route in the office to case. My first day the supervisor came over me looking at me crazy and asked if I was going to need help. I basically said I'd be fine accepting help since it seemed that's what they wanted. I believe the 204b might've went to the supervisor and told them that I couldn't do it.
My 2nd day I cased with very little help and got out of the office at a decent time. The third day I was casing and was interrupted by the supervisor telling me that half of my route would be getting pivoted between 6 carriers. I was given a sheet saying what parts would go to what carrier and was told to have all those parts ready to give out before those carriers leave. Those regular carriers of course were casing simpler routes and ready to leave before I would be done separating all of that. Another carrier then came to help me get everything ready in time, while we were getting pressured by the supervisor to take things down out of order. The 204b (who was just a regular carrier that day) commented that the other carrier "might as well do the whole route"
The next day I was taken off casing and only able to carry the route. I was told that apparently the 204b/carrier went to the postmaster and told him that I needed help all 3 days when casing. After a few days of not casing my shop steward went and talked to him to get me back on casing. I was back to casing and getting it done at the same time all the regulars were leaving. It wasn't long before I was out of the office before the carrie204b that was causing me trouble.
My next hold down, that same carrier was right away going to the supervisor trying to cause me trouble and saying I couldn't case. The supervisor thankfully responded "he needs to learn the route" I only knew this because the carrier was ranting like a lunatic and there's no way it wasn't about me. "I told that b*tch but that b*tch doesn't want to listen. They'll find out. She said he needs to learn ."
Again I was casing and leaving the office before them after just 1 day. It was at this point that I realized this carrier has likely been feeding stuff to the supervisors and PM about me for a while in order to make me look bad and get me in trouble. Sadly the PM just listens to anything they tell him.
Now recently there's been no hold downs and I was sent to another office while a CCA below me was not sent out. I told my shop steward that he's sending me out while scheduling lower CCA's at our office and I want to file a grievance. I was told they will talk to the PM but that they won't file a grievance yet.
The amount of contract violations and mistreatment has been absolutely maddening and I've done nothing to deserve it. People are so screwed up and childish.

What do you do when you meet another traveler who just sets off your alarms? The first time it happened with another traveler they were just off... I felt they didn't have any experience. Luckily that person was fired within a few weeks. (We all suspected they bought their license.)
Now the alarm bells are going off again in my current contract with another travel RN, but I've only interacted with this person once. I don't want to assume anything as they just started this contract but when giving report it just felt wrong. They were really slow, which I'm fine with, but they were asking just the most basic questions. Like they weren't even trying to learn about the patient, just trying to pass by. Their documentation was a little off as well. This facility uses EPIC and then there was an option to use "other" you're suppose to fill in the box to say why you selected other and there's no documentation on why they selected "other". They actually make nursing notes but the other documentations just feel off. I'm unsure of what to do going forward.
What would you do in my situation?

I accidentally posted this to my username instead of my subreddit so here is is:
The Mortgage, Part 3
“Fuck,” I said as I drove to work in the old beater that only started on the fourth try because it could tell that I was pissed off. Ray’s case started at two o’clock, and I was heading to the office to get ready. “Fuck fuck fuckity fucking fuck. Fuck.” I’d wanted to tell Angela about Ray’s case, and how I was sorry that I hadn’t wanted to help him, but now I would, I would help him, and I would win, but then I’d gotten her all riled up on something else, something totally different, something way more serious.
My wife had given me a triple ultimatum: fix things up with her father, save idiot Ray from Sy-Co Corp., and somehow find a downpayment for the place she wanted to buy, in the little townhouse infill project in Bixity. It was like demanding I do a double bank shot, and then run over to the baseball diamond and hit a home run after first pointing to where it would land, Babe Ruth style.
Angela was mad at me, seriously mad. She’d slipped out that morning before I was even awake, sliding quietly past me on the couch. I didn’t realize she was gone until I heard the faint click of the front door closing. I jumped up, tripped over a blanket, and by the time I got up and my robe on, the elevator down the hall dinged, and Angela was gone before I opened the apartment door.
I swore at myself some more and pounded the steering wheel, “I fucked up,” I said, several times as I hit the wheel over and over again, until I accidentally honked it, and then looked all sheepish when the guy in front of me gave me the finger. I reached my office without further incident, but instead of walking in the front door, I went further down the hall, and into the office of Mark Cecil-Rowe, Barrister, LL.D, the man with the finest speaking voice I ever heard. When I entered his office I forgot for a minute about Angela and her father and sleeping on the couch the night before. I forget about everything, except the reason that I had come to Cecil-Rowe’s office: to stump him with a legal problem that I had solved, but which I was pretty sure he could not. In other words, I had come to preen and to brag and to boast. No one likes a showoff, and I had come to show off. I put my hand on the door and turned the knob. After a brief pause, I flung open the door.
“I’m a goddamn genius,” I said as I strolled into the older man’s office.
I noticed the echo of a hastily closed desk drawer hanging in the air. In Aaron’s office, where I rented space, a sudden act of concealment implied cocaine, but with Cecil-Rowe, the item in question was probably a mickey of vodka. I had the sense that he’d been drinking a bit before I arrived, but his powers of observation were unimpaired, and when he looked into my face, his expression showed sympathy, and actual pain.
“What have you done now?” he said, as set the papers before him to one side, and readied himself to hear my latest tale of legal brilliance.
“I’m a genius,” I said.
“Oh dear. Have a seat.”
“No really, I am. I’m a genius. I got this case that everyone says you can’t win, but I’m gonna win it, and when I do, I’m gonna look like a genius.” Cecil-Rowe gave me a sad indulgent smile.
“Whenever you tell me you’re a genius, I am always concerned about what is to follow. When you get wrapped up in what you call your genius, you tend to ignore the more mundane things we lawyers have to do to win a case. You think you’re going to win by genius alone.”
“Let me tell you why I’m a goddamn genius.” With effort I wiped the smug, self-satisfied expression that was on my face.
“Tell me why you’re a genius,” Cecil-Rowe said, “while I pour us a coffee.” He heaved his bulky body up from his chair and shuffled over to a counter. He picked up a carafe of hot coffee sitting on a hot plate, and poured two cups. “Speak,” he said, handing me one. I took a sip of the coffee, and told Cecil-Rowe the tale of Cousin Ray: his purchase of a franchise from Sy-Co Corp, its swift demise, the crash and burn in Commercial Court, the Minutes of Settlement, the seventy-one kilometer limit, and lastly, Sy-Co’s motion scheduled for two p.m. that very day, seeking an interim injunction shutting down Ray’s place.
Cecil-Rowe absorbed all this without the need to take notes. Instead, he sat back while he eyed me, taking the occasional sip of coffee, and smiling at the extravagant flourishes and details that brought out Ray’s story to full effect.
“Obviously Ray is dead on arrival,” he said, “but I guess this is the part where you tell me how you’re going to win.”
So I told him how I was going to win, but it didn’t have the desired effect. “I told ya I’m a genius, Mr. C,” cueing him to applaud, to admit what a brilliant lawyer I was. But there was no applause from Mark Cecil-Rowe. He looked at me without so much as a smile.
“You can cling to that genius notion as a consolation prize, after you get whipped this afternoon in court.”
“No way,” I said, “not a chance. I got this thing won hands down. I’m gonna kick ass in court today and--”
“And how exactly do you plan to do that, if you don’t have evidence?”
“What?”
“Evidence, Calledinthe9os. It’s what lawyers like me use to beat geniuses like you.”
“But I’m gonna win without proof. I don’t need proof. The argument I’m gonna make, relies on simple facts that are totally obvious, so the judge is gonna--” Cecil-Rowe stuck up his hand.
“Stop right there. I know what’s coming. You’re going to ask the judge to take *judicial notice.”
And he was right. That was exactly what I was going to do.
There are some things so obvious that you didn’t have to prove them, things that everyone knew. You didn’t have to prove that water froze at zero degrees and boiled at a hundred, or that Bixity was between West Bay and East Bay.
“You got it,” I said, “judicial notice all the way.”
“You’re going to tell the judge that the centerpiece of your argument, the lynchpin of your case is a fact known to pretty well everyone, and so you don’t need proof.”
“Exactly,” I said. Cecil-Rowe took another sip of his coffee, and left me hanging in the silence for a while before he spoke.
“If that’s true, then why does coming up with that argument make you a genius?”
“Oh, I said,”I didn’t think of that.”
“It is acceptable to rely on judicial notice for minor, ancillary points. But you never should walk into court thinking that the court will take judicial notice of your entire defence. It’s just too risky.”
“But how am I going to rustle up a witness in time for this afternoon?”
“Worry about that after you leave my office. I can’t help you with that. What I want to know, is why you’re doing this at the last minute.”
“What makes you think I’m doing this at the last minute?”
“Because you never would have resorted to judicial notice if you were properly prepared. If you’d opened this case a bit earlier, you’ve have everything lined up. But you got to work on it late, and so you want to rely on judicial notice. You’ve messed up, Calledinthe90s, and you know what my rule is when you mess up.” Cecil-Rowe didn’t extend aid to me, until I admitted the error of my ways. It was infuriating, but he was inflexible. So I fessed up.
“My idiot cousin Ray’s been trying to retain me for almost two weeks, but I was putting him off because I was mad at him. So now my wife’s mad at me, and if I don’t win this case, I’m dead. Plus her dad’s mad at me too and --” My brain roared into overdrive, a mess of family and law and fear, and at the centre of it, thoughts of Angela’s anger and her father. My mind took off, and then came to an instant halt at a helpful destination.
“Yes?” Cecil-Rowe said.
“Sorry. I just realized how to solve the evidence problem. Look, can I ask you about the thing I actually came here to ask you about?”
“You have a problem that’s worse than having no evidence? What could be worse than -- oh. You don’t have a retainer. Your client doesn't have any money.”
“Exactly. How do I get paid? That’s the problem.” I explained that Ray had no money, as in none, and that if he did have money, he wouldn’t spend it on me. Instead, he’d go back downtown and throw his cash at some big firm, who would take on his case, and proceed to lose it in a calm, careful, sober manner, ending in a reporting letter to Ray telling him that he’d lost.
“Now that’s a problem I can solve,” Cecil-Rowe said.
“Really? ‘Cause I can’t see a way around it. I think I’m gonna have to do this for free, and that really pisses me off.” Cecil-Rowe shook his head.
“You may or may not get paid, but you can set things up so that if you win, you’ll win pretty good.”
“How? Ray’s a deadbeat. Tapped out.”
“But is he desperate?”
“Totally. The first time he failed, he lost his own money, but if he goes under this time, he’s taking family money with him, and he’ll be the black sheep forever.”
“And he’s using family to emotionally blackmail you into helping him?’
“Like no shit. That’s the part that pisses me off the most. I’m like a goddamn slave, being forced to work for free.”
“Never fear, young apprentice. I have just the thing in mind.” He reached into a drawer, and pulled out a form. “Fill in the blanks, and have him sign.”
I looked it over, and saw that the document was a retainer agreement. I whistled. “Holy shit. If he signs this, he’s almost my slave.”
“Close, but not quite” Cecil-Rowe said, “the Latin term for this is "contractus pro venditione animae"”. It’s the ultimate retainer agreement. Once Ray signs that, you own any cause of action he has against the person suing him. You can settle the case on any terms you like, and you get to keep whatever proceeds there are.” Cecil-Rowe placed the folder back in a drawer, and from his manner you could tell that the interview was over.
“Awesome, Mr. C. I’ll call you from Commercial Court when we’re done.”
“Commercial Court?” he said.
“Yeah, Commercial Court.”
“This just keeps getting worse. Take notes, Calledinthe90s, while I school you on Commercial Court. Commercial Court is a jungle, and without preparation, you’ll get savaged.”
“That’s what happened to Ray when--”
“Take notes, young apprentice,” he said, tossing me a pad and a pen. He started to lecture, and I took notes that I have with me to this day, in a safe deposit box downstairs in the vault at Mega Bank Main Branch.
* * *
By the time Cecil-Rowe finished schooling me, it was close to ten, and the case started at two. I didn’t have much time. I ran down the hall to my office, and called Ray’s restaurant. No answer. Then I called Ray’s house. I expected to get Ray’s wife, but the man himself answered.
“You’re not at work. Why aren’t you at work?”
“Sy-Co Corp served all my employees with a cease and desist letter. They all got scared and took off. The place is shut down.”
“You gotta fax machine at home?” He did, and asked why.
“I’m taking your case, but only if you sign the paper I’m about to send and fax it back.” I sent the fax, and five minutes later it came back signed, and it was official: Ray had sold me his legal soul.
I went out to the parking lot, got into my beater and drove fast. In less than thirty minutes I reached my destination. I knocked on the door, and when it opened, my diminutive mother-in-law poked out her head. “What a pleasant surprise,” she said.
“Sorry, Mrs. M, but I’m in a super hurry. I gotta rush to get to court to help Ray. But first, I gotta speak to Dr. M.”
“He’s not here,” she said.
“Not here?”
“He’s on his way to his bridge game. He left just a few minutes ago.”
“Where’s the club?”
“He’s walking there,” she said, and pointed down the street.
“Thanks.” I got into my car and headed where Mrs. M had pointed, passing big houses and new project with an “Opening Soon” sign. And walking past it was the figure of Dr. M.
“Hey, Dr. M,” I called out the window. He stopped and looked around, startled. But he didn’t see me, not at first.
“It’s me, Dr. M. Me, Calledin90s.” He leaned forward as if to see me better. I got out of the car.
“Is something wrong with Angela? Or the baby?”
“No, no not at all, sorry to scare you, it’s nothing like that. I need your help.”
“Oh.” He started walking again, and now it was my turn to be a bit stunned, watching my father-in-law walk away from me. I caught up with him in a few quick strides.
“Listen, I really need your help.”
“And I really need to get to a bridge game.”
“This isn’t about me. It’s about Ray.” That brought him to a halt. He turned to me, angrier even than he’d been the night before.
“Did you drive all the way out here just to make fun of me? To remind me of how you won, distracting me with nonsense about Ray’s case?”
“I mean it,” I said, “I can win Ray’s case. I can prove it in a few words.”
“Prove it, then.” So I did. I spoke words, only a few words, but they were the right words to speak to Dr. M, for the words I spoke were in his language, words that he understood perfectly.
“I understand,” he said, “you’ve come to boast some more, to prove that you were right after all.”
“I want to win Ray’s case, but I don’t have any proof of what I’m saying.”
“You don’t need to prove that two plus two is four.”
“This, I gotta prove, and I need you to help me prove it. I need you to come to court with me, as my witness.”
“I can’t do that. I didn’t witness anything.”
“As my witness. My expert witness.” Unlike a normal witness, an expert witness can give an opinion. An expert is there not to advocate, I explained to Dr. M but to instruct, to teach.
“My bridge partner won’t be very happy,” he said.
“But Ray will, and so will Mrs. M and Angela and--”
“Very well. Do you have a cell phone? We can call the bridge club from my car.”
* * *
We were on the highway getting close to the downtown exit, when my wife called my cell phone. Back then cell phone service was super expensive and my wife only used it for emergencies. Or when she was really angry. I picked up the phone, wondering which it would be.
“I’m so happy that you made things up with my father,” she said.
“How did you know?”
“My mother called. She says you took him with you, that you went out together.”
“He’s with me right now,” I said.
“Where are you going?”
“To court. Going to court to win Ray’s case for him.”
“And you brought my father with you to watch?” She was so happy, I could hear in her voice that she was smiling. “That’s a great way to bond with him, Calledinthe90s. Look, I’m sorry I got so mad at you earlier, I really am. My dad’s a bit too sensitive and--”
“Sorry, Angela, your dad’s not coming to watch me.”
“Why is he with you, then?”
“He’s my witness,” I said.
“What?”
“His expert witness,” Dr. M said, loudly enough for Angela to hear.
My wife’s anger exploded into the phone. She wanted to know how I could expose her elderly, vulnerable father to the stress of a court case. I tried to tell her how I needed him, how there was literally no one else I could turn to, that her father was an expert, a true expert, and the judge was legally bound to believe him, but Angela heard none of this.
“Look,’ I said, “I promise you that--” And then I lowered the phone and pushed the red button, terminating the call. I’d learned that the best way to hang up on someone, was to do it when I was doing the talking. That way it looked like the call had dropped.
“I’m going to steal that move,” Dr. M said.
We rolled into the parking lot. I grabbed the cloth bag out of the back of my car, the bag that held my law robes and shirt and tabs, plus the other stuff I needed for court. It was one-thirty, still thirty minutes to go, not a lot of time to get robed and ready for court. It was just past one-forty five when I, with Dr. M in tow, opened the door to a courtroom on the eighth floor of an old insurance building that had been converted into a courthouse, the home of Commercial Court.
“Commercial Court is an exclusive club,” Cecil-Rowe had explained to me earlier that day, “the legal playground of the rich and powerful. They’ll know instantly that you’re not one of them.” And he was right. It was clear from the moment I walked in that I did not belong, for I was the only lawyer in robes. Everyone else was wearing a suit, and not some cheap thing off the rack like I wore.
There were a half-dozen lawyers present, and after they saw me, they exchanged knowing looks about the stranger amongst them. I ignored them, and walked up to the Registrar. I told him the case I was on, and he signed me in.
“First time in Commercial Court?” he said, eyeing my robes. “You know you don’t have to be robed in Commercial Court.” In other Superior Courts, you always had to bring your robes and get all dressed up. But Commercial Court had its own set of rules, and in the court for rich people, their lawyers did not have to wear robes.
“You’re here on the Sy-Co case?” a young woman asked. She was a junior like me, give a year or two either way. She was dressed in the finest downtown counsel fashion, some designer thing that Angela would know if she saw it.
“Just got retained,” I said.
“You know there’s no adjournments, right? We don’t do adjournments in Commercial Court. I’m just trying to be helpful, because I don’t think you've been here before. You know you don’t have to be robed, right?
“So I heard.”
“So where’s your material? You haven’t served anything, so how do you plan to argue your case?”
“I gotta witness,” I said.
She smiled. “There’s no viva voce evidence, either. Affidavit only.”
“We’ll see what the judge says.” There was a knock from the other side of the door to the judge’s chambers, and then the man himself entered.
I was amazed to see that even the judge wasn’t wearing a robe; instead, he was wearing a light coloured suit and a bright blue bow tie. He was dressed as good as the lawyers, all part of the downtown Commercial Court club, the playground of the richest and most powerful corporations in the City.
“Commercial Court’s not like other courts,” Cecil-Rowe told me earlier that day, explaining that most cases were over in fifteen minutes or less. A plaintiff showed up with some papers, and had a short consultation with the judge. The judge signed an order granting an injunction, or taking away a man’s business, or freezing his money. Commercial Court is where you went to get quick and simple court orders that eviscerated your opponent before the case even got going.
Defendants would appear sometimes in Commercial Court, Cecil-Rowe explained, but it was usually their last time up. Defendants always died a quick death in Commercial Court.
The judge took his seat, and then looked over the lawyers before him. His eyes moved along, and then stopped when they reached me, the one lawyer who was not like the others.
“You don’t need robes in Commercial Court,” the judge said to me.
“I’ll remember that for next time,” I said.
“What case are you on?”
I told him.
“He’s filed no responding materials,” my opponent said, “nothing at all.”
“I’m just vetting the list,” the judge said, “I’ll circle back to you two in a few minutes.” I listend while the judge vetted the rest of the afternoon list: a Mareva, plus a Norwich order, with counsel on those cases sent away in a matter of minutes.
Now the courtroom was almost empty, just the judge, two lawyers, the registrar and my star witness and father-in-law, Dr. M, who sat in the back of the courtroom dressed in an old business suit, put on hastily at his place two hours earlier, when I urged him to hurry it up, to not waste so much time on picking a suit.
“Back to you,” the judge said, addressing my opponent, “I thought this was an uncontested matter. That’s what your confirmation sheet said.”
“I’m sorry, Your Honour, but I didn’t know until I got here that the case was defended.”
“I got retained at the last minute,” I said, “barely three hours ago, the day after I read the papers. But I’m ready to go, ready to argue the case on the merits, so long as you grant me an indulgence, and let me call my witness, to let him testify in person instead of by affidavit, there being no time for me to draft anything.”
Opposing counsel was on her feet. “That’s not how things are done in Commercial Court,” she said, “or any court that I know of, for that matter. My friend (that’s what they make lawyers call each other in court, ‘my friend,’ even though you might hate the other guy’s guts),” the lawyer said, “my friend should have served his responding materials and filed them with the court. Instead, he’s taken us totally by surprise.”
“I’m sorry my friend is surprised by opposition,” I said, “but then consider, it’s my client’s livelihood that’s at stake. If my friend gets her injunction, Ray Telewu’s business is dead, and he loses everything. So yes, my client opposes the injunction, and yes, I’d like to call evidence.”
The judge didn’t consult the papers before him nor the books, but instead, he looked up at the big white clock on the courtroom wall. Its hands said two-fifteen.
“How long will your witness take, counsel?”
“In chief, ten minutes.” I’d practiced with Dr. M on the way in, and I was pretty sure he could do it in five, but I gave him a bit of extra time, just in case.
“We’ve got about two hours,” the judge said, “but I want to be fair to you and your client. Let’s take a fifteen minute recess so you can get instructions. Either we go ahead today with viva voce evidence, or we adjourn, and that will give Calledinthe90s time to file responding materials.”
When everyone came back, the junior’s boss was there, Senior Counsel, a heavy weight, one of those big guys downtown. Plus they brought this guy from Sy-Co Corp, the head of some bullshit division, with some bullshit title, Head of whatever, so that’s the title I’ll give him here. He was The Head. He was the man, the big cheese, the signer of the affidavit on which Sy-Co relied that day.
“What’s he doing here?” I asked Senior Counsel.
He stared at me, all lean and steel grey, looking every inch the hard hitting lawyer that commanded the biggest fees. “If you’re calling a live witness, then so can we. The Head will give evidence today, in advance of your client, so that the judge hears it from him first.” His junior smirked at me, and the two of them sat down, delighted that they’d thought of a way to one up me.
Except that they’d done it by exposing their client to cross-examination. The judge came in, allowed the Head to testify, and when he was done, I stood up.
“Just a few questions,” I said. Senior Counsel was stunned for an instant, and then he stood.
“This serves no purpose, Your Honour. The witness has confirmed the simple facts of his affidavit, and there’s no disputing it. Ray Telewu opened a restaurant less than seventy-one kilometres from Bixity City Hall, and that’s in breach of the Minutes of Settlement he signed.”
I did not bother to respond. Instead, I just stood, and I started to ask questions.
“Have a look at that map in your affidavit,” I said, and he did. I picked up my copy, and tore the map out of it. I passed it up to him.
“What do you notice about this map?”
“That it’s accurate,” the Head said, repeating his evidence in chief, amplifying it, talking about how the map contained perfect measurement.
“You will notice that the map is flat,” I said, laying it on the witness box before him.
“Of course it’s flat. That’s what maps are. Maps are flat.”
“But the earth is round,” I said, “or more properly, a sphere.” Senior Counsel was on his feet in an instant.
“What difference does that make?” he said.
“What you’ll hear from my expert witness, is that a flat map cannot accurately show Earth’s curves. A flat map distorts distances, and in this case, reduces them.”
“But that can’t be by very much.”
“In this case, by just over twenty meters,” Dr. M said from the back of the court.
“That’s my expert witness, the esteemed Dr. M.” I didn’t actually say Dr. M. Instead, I said his real name. But I’m not going to use the real names of my family here, so I’ll just keep calling him Dr. M. “Dr. M was a professor of Physics at the University of Bixity for almost thirty years. He has published numerous papers on particle physics, and is the first Canadian winner of the Wolf Prize for physics.”

• * * *

It went downhill after that for Sy-Co Corp. My father-in-law testified, explaining in simple language, language that even a child could understand, that the Earth was a sphere, that the shortest distance between two points on Earth was a curve, not a straight line. He summarized his calculations in plain English, dumbing down the math, so that everyone present imagined, if only for the moment, that they shared his understanding of a difficult mathematical equation.
Senior Counsel tried to cross-examine Dr. M, but it did not go well, my father-in-law indulging him, gently chiding him, continuing his explanations until the lawyer sat down, defeated by Dr. M’s mastery of the subject,his own lack of preparation and his inability to improvise. When counsel said that he had no further questions, the judge addressed us all.
“I’m not going to reserve, and I don’t think I need to tell everyone why. I think it will take about a minute for me to write a decision saying that the Earth is not flat. I’ll give you some more time after that, but after fifteen minutes, I”ll be back to render my decision.” He rose, everyone bowed, and he disappeared behind the door to judge’s chambers.
I pulled a piece of paper out of my file, and slammed it on the desk before Senior Counsel and his junior. “Fill in the blanks, and sign,” I said.
Dr. M’s head shot up at the commotion, and he shuffled over to see what was going on.
“What’s this?” Senior Counsel said, picking up the paper I gave him..
“Minutes of Settlement. You fill in a number, a big number, for the costs you gotta pay me. Your client signs, and then we’re done.” Senior Counsel opened his mouth to bargain, but I overrode him.
“You know your client’s going to lose; the judge made that obvious. Hurry up if you want to settle; we don’t have much time.”
At the end of most Canadian court cases, the loser has to pay at least part of the winner’s legal fees. That’s the way it’s been since forever, and I think it’s a good rule. Sy-Co Corp had lost, so it had to pay a good chunk of Ray’s costs, and Ray’s costs were somewhere between whatever bullshit figure I claimed they were, and where they actually ought to be. Senior Counsel took the paper over to his client. There was a brief discussion, and then they came back, with the form signed, and a number written in the blank space.
I’ll give it to Sy-Co Corp and their lawyer. It wasn’t a bullshit number, a low ball number. They gave me a real number, a number more like something I’d actually accept, a number that made sense to pay me in costs, in light of the success I’d had, and how I got it. It was a respectful number, a common sense number, and I appreciated it an awful lot.
I tossed the paper back at them.
“Add a zero,” I said, continuing on when Senior Counsel blanched, and his junior retreated a step. “I know what’s going on here. Your client sold mine a bullshit franchise, one with a history of failing.” The franchise had opened up again under a new owner not long after Ray had lost it and then it promptly failed again. Like I said at the start of this story, it’s an old story. It’s how some franchise companies make money. “Your client makes more money selling bullshit franchises doomed to fail, then it does from the honest ones that make money. So add a zero to that number, or Ray’s gonna sue you, class action and all that, for all the people you’ve fucked.”
The Head stepped forward from the benches and spoke to me.
“We get threats like that all the time, but no one follows through. They don’t have the money to fight us, and neither does your client. So go ahead and sue.”
“It’s true that Ray doesn’t have jack shit,” I said, “not a pot to piss in, but he’s my cousin, Ray is, and even if he doesn’t have money, he’s got me. Ray’s family, and for Ray, I’ll sue you guys for free. Hell, I’ll even pay the expenses. Plus I’m gonna put a jury notice in, too, come to think of it, ‘cause juries--”
Senior Counsel cut me off, and moved his client to the back of the courtroom. There was a brief discussion, and then they came back. I watched as Senior Counsel wrote a single digit on the Minutes, a zero, written right where I wanted it.
“You’ll have to initial the change,” I said to the Head of Sy-C0, and it gave me great satisfaction to watch him sign.
“Don’t forget,” I said the moment his pen stopped moving, “for the settlement to be valid, I need to get the money today. Right now.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” the Head said.
“Not if you want the settlement to stay in place. I’ll follow you back to your office, and you can put a cheque in my hands.”

• * * *

“What’s this?” my wife said when I entered the apartment later that day, after I’d driven Dr. M home, stopping first at a local pub for beers.
“It’s an absurdly expensive bunch of flowers,” I said, “although no flowers, however beautiful, however expensive, could expiate my--”
She took the flowers, and gave a kiss.
“My mom called. She told me what happened. You fixed things with my dad.”
“Yup,” I said. I had certainly done that. I’d made Dr. M a professor again, if only for a few minutes. Not only a professor, but an expert witness. The judge had declared him an expert in plain terms and Dr.M had beamed when he’d heard those words.
“And you won Ray’s case, too. But my mom didn’t know how, and I don’t know how you did it either.”
“I’ll tell you over dinner tonight,” I said.
“But we agreed no more dinners out; we have to save money, now that a baby’s coming.”
I passed her the envelope that I’d received a few hours before. She opened it, and took out a cheque, a cheque drawn up for an amount I specified, made payable to Mr. and Mrs. Calledinthe90s.
The moment I got that cheque, all I could think about was how my wife would react when I put it into her hands. I could not wait to see her eyes bulge, to hear her voice say “oh my god,” to hear her laugh.
She did none of these things. Instead, she cried.
“Does this mean we can buy a house?” The money wouldn’t be enough to buy a house, not nowadays, with prices being so crazy. But things were different back then in the 90s. Sure, the internet was barely a thing and cell phones were super expensive and a lot of things sucked, but I’ll give the nineties one thing: houses were cheap.
“I think so,” I said.

I’m looking for advice from SPED teachers, or any teacher who’s had experience with violent students.
This is my first year being an elementary Para 2 (meaning I’m qualified to assist children with more duties than a Para 1, such as toileting issues). I took the job as a Para 1, and on the second day of ‘admin week’ before school actually started, my principal asked me if I wanted to help a girl in a wheelchair (literally in passing…she was walking past me in the hallway and didn’t even stop walking when she asked). Of course I said yes because I mean…who would say no? However, I didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea it was to assist with toileting and I was given no training. I was happy to do it anyway and learned on the way because the little girl was a delight. She ended up leaving school in February to be home schooled. Throughout this time, my principal has called me to assist with multiple students who’ve had accidents. I had no idea this was part of my job because, again, admin/HR never sent me training or resources or even a brief email on what to expect. I feel like I’m the scapegoat for dirty work sometimes which is not a great feeling but I’ve learned to just deal with it for the most part.
Here’s my problem:
There’s this young student who I’ve had to assist a couple times last semester with toileting, but the number of accidents has increased to every single day since March. Sometimes twice a day. Always #2. Apparently this is in his IEP but I’m not sure how or why considering he’s never really had this problem much before. Whatever, it’s fine! What’s not fine is that he’s violent. He bites, kicks, pinches, and is verbally aggressive. Let me repeat, I’ve had no training whatsoever, including restraint training. Sometimes he’s so aggressive, the principal and VP will just shove him in the bathroom with me and lock me in there with him. He’ll bite, kick, scream, and takes me sometimes 30 minutes to de-escalate the situation enough to let me clean him up. In the last month, the nurse alone has written 6 accident reports of him biting and assaulting other students. Just the nurse! I have no idea how many his actual teacher has reported. Parents of other students have complained about him to the district as well. SPED is trying to get him removed from the school to a school or program more suited to his needs but apparently there’s not enough data for the district to approve this. And evidently this kid passed his psych evaluation “with flying colors.”
The last couple of weeks, he’s been assigned a 1:1 para (not me) who does not assist with toileting but basically acts as a babysitter to keep him away from other students. This para is leaving next year and I’m terrified it’s going to be me as his 1:1 and I desperately don’t want to be in this position.
My question to you is how do I bring this up to admin? Can I ask to demote myself? Do I go to the SPED lead first? I have considered quitting and I’d be okay with that but I love working with other students in small groups and enjoy the schedule and benefits of working with the school.
Thank you for any advice you can offer!

First of all, hello!
I’m a long time lurker, first time poster. I’ve been bartending for a few months now. I started out as a server about a year back.
I have a few questions about cash and my tips. Like I said, I used to be a server so I never had to deal with the cash till.
Today I learned a whole bunch of things about my tips and where they go. I want to know if this is legal or, if it sounds sketchy.
Today my boss told me more about tip pooling. If I make anything above 200 dollars, I donate to the tip pool. The tip pool is 3% of the total sales made that day. Now, it then is split by the hours that people worked that month. I understand that I pay this out of my own tips I have earned for the day.
Now, I was told that tip pool is paid out in cash. I have never received it. He showed me the spreadsheet and told me that he would pay it when there is more money in the pool.
Is this normal across all bars? I have never had this explained to me until recently. I always thought tip pool was just added to my cheque.
Another thing I’m concerned about is, my boss was on that tip pool page. As far as I know, he isn’t legally allowed to take tips from the pool. How would I go about reporting this?
Secondly, he tells me to take all cash tips right away instead of putting them in the register. This I understand if I am working with others and, they are using the cash register as well. But, I usually work alone. I was originally taught to leave the cash tips in the register and take them out at the end of the day when I’m balancing the till.
Now, I have to take the cash tips and put them aside as I’m given them. I also do take the debit tips out at the end of the day and I calculate them by printing off the settlement sheet from the debit machine that only I have touched.
But sometimes there is extra money left after balancing the till. Is this money rightfully mine or, his? He told me that it is rightfully his because it may be money from an item that I didn’t put through the system.
My boss has been real sketchy lately and, I’ve thought about finding another job. But, I really like this job because it’s not too strict. I feel like I can actually be myself while working. I know there are better gigs out there. Maybe I just need a push in the right direction.
Rant over.

Mr. Steve Lewis
Mr. Patrick McKinney
Mr. Bryan Freiermuth
c/o Gideons 1898 LLC et al
1600 East Buena Vista Drive

A

Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL
May 10th, 2024
Final Demand
Gentlemen,
There is an odor most foul in the Bakehouse. It is the stench of the fish rotting from the head.
To our proprietor Steve, and our managers Bryan and Patrick:
There is dissension within the ranks, and if the following items are not resolved as we outline
below, we’re prepared to drag this house of cards to the ground.
Before we proceed with our grievances, numerous and shocking, and the demands to resolve
them; allow us a moment for introductions.
We, are the Ghosts of Gideons, the poor and unfortunate souls upon whom you have built your
cookie empire. We are the many, the unseen, and as of the disastrous meeting May 6th, 2024, the
decidedly unheard.
Many of us have approached management and ownership multiple times with helpful hints,
strong suggestions, and desperate pleas to rectify a myriad of health, safety and operational
concerns- with nearly all of them being dismissed or ignored entirely.
Now, we, the collective, have banded together to deliver this tome- not as a warning of what is to
come, but as a final demand to resolve the issues outlined herein. You may dismiss us
individually, but you cannot ignore all of us together.
Make no mistake, if the following solutions are not implemented with immediate effect, we will
do everything in our power to topple this cookie castle permanently.
We should start by informing you, that, yes- we are but lowly workers for Gideons, however, we
are supported by families who hold prominent positions in the community as lawyers, labor
1
representatives, publicists, and county government workers. Families who love us, and want to
see us remain safely and fairly employed.
Through our vast, and well connected network the following steps have already been
implemented:
1) A lawsuit for your numerous unfair and unsafe labor practices and work conditions has
been drafted.
2) A press release, along with a copy of this letter, have been sent to local and national
media.
3) We have created social channels to connect directly with customers and inform them of
the reprehensible work conditions we are enduring.
4) We have filed health and safety reports with local government bodies detailing the
extensive issues we are faced with at the Springs location.
5) We have informed Disney Springs leadership of our position relating to the above, and
below in this letter.
In all cases, these competent bodies are awaiting our word. If the demands listed herein are not
satisfied immediately, we will, in tandem with the above, begin a campaign to inform the world
of your numerous transgressions, filing lawsuits and media coverages exposing you and the
Company for the shill that it is, and we will not stop until the Bakehouse bakes no more.
We should also mention that should any attempt be made to retaliate against us, including
termination, reducing our hours, benefits, or taking other pervasive actions against any Gideons
employee, will promptly result in our bringing legal class-action.
The time has come for you, our leaders, to actually lead. This means spending money where
money must be spent, and making the following operational changes, so that we can all continue
to exist in harmony, and not feel like we’re trapped on an 1800’s plantation- working for the big
house.
1) Communication- How dare you drag the entire workforce to a 9AM meeting,
demanding our presence, and then talk directly at us with the most mundane drivel we’ve
ever heard. Everything dictated today could have been very well sent as an email-
especially when you did not allow for any discussion between us, the workers who
actually make your business run, and the disconnected upper-management who are hell
bent on implementing misguided and inefficient policies. Do not call us in for a
mandatory meeting again when the points can be covered in an email, unless you intend
to open the floor for actual conversation and listen to what we have to say.
2
To that end, since our voices were silenced this morning, we demand the following:
● Cold Brew- We will not adopt the ‘bartender’ shaking style of preparing the cold
brew drinks. When we have 10+ beverages queuing to be made, shaking each
drink 10 times will severely impact our ability to be efficient. This is but one
example of Steve’s desire to have ‘form over function’. We understand there may
be a ‘look’ you’re going for, but when it compromises our ability to efficiently
perform our function, we refuse. We demand to be allowed to resume our ‘stir
stick’ preparation immediately.
● Point System/ Order Accuracy- Under no circumstance should Management take
the side of the Guest over the word of the employee. Too often we see guests
complain that an order was incorrect, and Management issues a point to an
employee. This must stop immediately. We demand you implement a ‘please
check your screen for order accuracy’ procedure where the guest confirms their
order before they pay, and remove the ‘point’ system. If the guest confirms the
order, it reduces the possibility for an inaccurate order.
● Inconsistent/ Inaccurate menu boards and Social Postings- The inside Menu
Board has been outdated for nearly two years. It must be updated immediately to
remove items we no longer sell (IE Coke Products) and ingredient offerings (IE
Banana WALNUT). By correctly labeling the items, it reduces the stress on us in
having to confirm that certain items have nuts, or not being yelled at by guests
who are disgruntled that we no longer sell Coke products. Further, there are
multiple social media inaccuracies when describing new products (IE peanut
butter buttercream, VS the actual peanut butter cream cheese). These inaccurate
product descriptions hurt the brand, and cause confusion with the guests when
they come to order these products. Also the new umbrellas are not UV resistant;
therefore any mention of them ‘protecting you from the sun’ is false, and may
result in legal action from guests. We demand you only post accurate descriptions
to the website/ social media to avoid further guest/ employee confrontation.
● HR- Given the fact that Cynthia engaged in using racial slurs during the May 6th
meeting, referring to guests as gypsies and hoodlums, we demand her firing and
removal immediately. Multiple members of staff were deeply offended by the
hurtful stereotypes that Cynthia perpetuated, and we no longer have any trust in
her ability to lead this organization, especially from a HR perspective, when she
herself seems to harbor unfair and demeaning racial views.
● Management- We cannot express with limited words the level of dissatisfaction
we maintain for Drew. The staff, in our entirety, have never dealt with such
incompetent, slothful, and wasteful behavior. Drew consistently stays on his
phone, refusing to help the team accomplish any of their tasks, and barely exudes
a modicum of effort through his rare action of helping build cake boxes or taking
out trash before disembarking on a break (which none us other managers/leads are
3
cookie king, bringing in circa $40,000 per day, affording you a life of luxury, and not
fairly compensate the employees that are making Gideons everything that it is. The
cookies are good, but make no mistake, as was stated during the May 6th meeting, the
customers come for us. I can’t imagine what they’ll say when they learn about the
slave-like conditions in which we work, especially with Auntie Anne’s earning $18 per
hour + tips.
3) Hours- Part time is up to 30 hours per week, full time is 30 hours or more. We must have
a guaranteed number of hours per week, pending our availability. For example, if a
full-time employee has open availability, they must be scheduled for 40 hours. If a
part-time person has open availability, they must be scheduled for up to 30 hours per
week. This is to ensure we have a stable and uniform weekly income, guaranteed by our
base pay and consistent hours.
4) On Call- All shifts that are ‘on- call’ must be guaranteed a full 8 hour shift, regardless if
the employee is called into work or not. We clear our day and make ourselves available to
cover the Company, and we demand to be compensated a full 8 hours ($16 per hour) for
the flexibility to suit the Company’s needs.
5) Pay Protection- In the event that the store is closed for any reason, employees currently
scheduled to be working during the closure must receive all payment for the shifts they
were scheduled for. If the AC goes out again, and we’re down for several days, those of
us scheduled must receive full compensation for shifts as scheduled.
3) Health & Safety- While it seems that Gideon’s is based primarily on the ‘cool factor’ in how
our processes look from a customer perspective, we are still a fully functioning kitchen and retail
location with a haphazard health and safety process, at best.
To ensure a properly safe workplace and customer experience, we demand the following changes
immediately:
1) Shorts/ Heat Safety Prevention- We’ve been told time and time again that the ‘Disney
Contract’ we cannot wear shorts. After having multiple conversations with Disney
Springs leadership and the Unite Here 362 representatives, we have come to understand
that a change in uniform can be initiated by amendment. No longer can the ‘look’ of
something overpower the safety of us. In terms of being outside in the sunlight and heat,
we demand that the contract be amended immediately to account for a uniform change,
thus allowing us to wear shorts within the next five days. It is dangerous for us to be
outside in the heat and sunlight during high-heat (more than 70 degrees fahrenheit) days,
wearing all black and long pants. We are unwilling to compromise our personal health
and safety to appease your ‘style guide’ insisting on long pants, but we’re happy to
maintain a look via style guide for shorts. In addition, we have seen multiple large/
battery operated fans in use around Disney property, keeping other Cast cool during these
heat waves. We demand that large fans are procured and placed in strategic outside
5
locations within the next 5 days, so that we may have respite during high temp days. The
cooling towels and neck fans you have provided are ineffective.
2) Egress- We bakers are trapped. There is no second means of fire egress from the kitchen,
and should a fire or other disaster occur with the ovens, we would be trapped and unable
to escape. We demand you add in additional egress from the bakery, into the outside
alley. We understand this will require planning and stairs, however, planning must be
commenced immediately. We will not work in an unsafe environment, and with no place
to escape in the event of an emergency, we will be burned alive.
3) Handicap accessibility- Our retail location does not comply with ADA mobility
standards. The counters must be moved to allow an employee who utilizes a wheelchair
or other mobility device the proper space to move behind the counters and throughout the
kitchen. While yes, a wheelchair will ‘fit’, they will be unable to properly move. We are
discriminating against hiring ADA employees due to the way the store is currently
overcrowded and built. We demand proper spacing be added within the next 90 days.
4) Safety Training & Procedures- As of right now Operations have not developed any safety
or training procedures relating to fire, bomb threat, active shooter, lighting/ rain, accident
or other hazard. We are provided with no training in the event of any of these
emergencies, and we are all woefully unprepared with a common knowledge of how to
address emergency situations. We demand that a safety plan be developed and provided
to each of us in writing, and that we receive sufficient training of the new procedures
within 14 days.
5) Sanitation- Our baking sheets never get cleaned. We demand that you hire an outside
vendor to pick up used equipment nightly at close, and deliver a clean set at the same
time, so that we may rotate clean equipment daily. It is too large a task for us to wash in
house, and this needs to be automated for us. Our current sanitation procedure is
inadequate to ensure proper health and safety standards.
6) Bathroom breaks- Many of us suffer from various biological disabilities that force
frequent trips to the restroom. We simply cannot ‘hold it’ until we’re on break. IF we
need to go to the restroom, we must be immediately accommodated to do so without
repercussions. While this is not common, it does happen, and must be allowed.
6
Demand Timeline:
May 11th- Cold Brew BartendeShaking preparation is disbanded, stir stick preparation is
reimplemented.
May 11th- Cynthia is terminated immediately for using racial slurs during a company meeting.
May 11th- Drew is demoted as manager immediately for failure to act as a leader, and help his
team, undergoing an immense retraining before he is reinstated.
May 12th- All employees earn a base rate of $16 + tip share.
May 12th- An automatic/ mandatory 7.5% gratuity is placed on all guest orders.
May 12th- All ‘on call’ shifts will be guaranteed a full 8 hours ($16 p/h), regardless of working
or not.
May 12th- Lead/ Trainer pay to increase to at least $19 per hour when training, and $18 per hour
at all other times + tip share.
May 11th- Planning for additional egress to begin. Must be fully installed and operational no
later than June 20th, 2024.
May 17th- A $1,200 bonus is paid to all employees who worked during the last three pay
periods. This bonus covers the lower wages suffered from the ‘no tip’ asking policy.
May 13th- Schedules to be created, guaranteeing all ‘part-time’ employees up to 30 hours per
week based on employee availability, and ‘full-time’ employees at least 40 hours per week,
based on employee availability.
May 14th- Commercial grade fans outside submitted for approval to Disney, installed upon
approval.
May 15th- Shorts implemented for all workers, all shifts, when the outside temperature is more
than 70 degrees fahrenheit.
May 14th- Sanitation company must be contracted to pick up used baking sheets nightly, and a
second set of baking sheets to be procured to ensure sufficient sanitation of products in direct
contact with food.
May 24th- All health & safety procedures will be drafted and provided to all employees in
writing, with in-person training to occur with all employees. New hires shall receive the new
procedures and same in person training as a part of their onboarding.
August 4th- Handicap/ADA compliance. The store and kitchen must be rearranged/ decluttered
to allow for the hiring of mobility device users, including wheelchairs, to comply with ADA
layout requirements.
7
While the above demands only scratch a portion of the hazardous operational procedures, we are
confident that should they all be addressed and the solutions we have demanded are implemented
within the allotted timelines, we can avoid a disastrous fallout and continue to work together to
ensure Gideons remains a successful operation.
We understand that this will most likely come as a shock, not less because ownership and
operations seem to be blissfully unaware of the vast deterioration, but moreover, the inane
procedural overhauls implemented in today’s meeting simply reek of disconnection to the reality
of the process, and will only serve to further delay and complicate the already struggling
operation.
It is time to see beyond all of the narcissistic ‘it looks cool, so we’re going to do it my way’
absurdity, and recognize that the above demands come from your soldiers on the frontlines. A
tough pill to swallow, but it is medicine critical to survival, nevertheless. We further recommend
that all upper management leadership work at least one eight hour, front of house shift per six
months, to ensure they remain fully connected and relevant.
We must issue a final word of warning: should this letter be ignored, or any of the above
demands are not implemented, or any retaliatory action be taken, it will be met with the most
severe consequences.
We know that you are amassing a fortune, and all we Ghosts ask for is a fair wage, a safe and
comfortable working environment, and to be treated with dignity and respect.
We’d hate for the adoring public to learn of any other reality. This is your one, final, opportunity
to make it right.
We look forward to your prompt email reply confirming your plan of action to comply with our
demands herein.
In Solidarity,
The Ghosts of Gideons.

BACKGROUND:
Lucy Letby is a British former neonatal nurse, whose 10 month trial from from October 2022 to August 2023 resulted in 7 convictions for murder of babies, and 7 convictions for attempted murder. The incidents occurred from 2016-2017. The trial was highly publicised (though not broadcast), and I would say the guilty verdicts were very broadly supported by the public. The UK government has commissioned an independent statutory inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the murders, and the hospital where she worked is being investigated.
Letby was found not guilty on two counts of attempted murder, and the jury was unable to reach verdicts on six further attempted murder charges. One of those 6 further attempted murder charges is being retried in June, and so the UK is under strict reporting guidelines as not to prejudice this case and any potential jurors.
THE ARTICLE:
Rachel Aviv published a long article in The New Yorker on May 13th titled 'A British Nurse Was Found Guilty of Killing Seven Babies. Did She Do It?' - link. (I can provide an archived link but wasn't sure about bypassing the paywall in the main text!)
Due to the reporting guidelines in the UK, this link will not work for the UK folk reading here!
It's an interesting read on the quality of the evidence allowed (and the current tragic state of the NHS), including comparisons to other notorious miscarriages of justice such as Lucia De Berk. If you ask me, it's worth reading in full, even though it obviously has a clear slant.
For example, here is a paragraph on Dewi Evans, who provided expert opinion in the case:

Other babies, he said, had been harmed through another method: the intentional injection of too much air or fluid, or both, into their nasogastric tubes. “This naturally ‘blows up’ the stomach,” he wrote to me. The stomach becomes so large, he said, that the lungs can’t inflate normally, and the baby can’t get enough oxygen. When I asked him if he could point me to any medical literature about this process, he responded, “There are no published papers regarding a phenomenon of this nature that I know of.” (Several doctors I interviewed were baffled by this proposed method of murder and struggled to understand how it could be physiologically or logistically possible.)

THE DRAMA:
The main drama can be found in this post - where a user asks if there is interest in forming a new sub, since:

Earlier this evening, I and at least 20 other individuals posted a recently published article on the LL case, each of us looking to have an interesting and open discussion. I won’t mention the article, but you probably already know which one it is.
Each of those posts was taken down by the mods, with the note that “juries determine the facts” and there would be no discussion about Letby’s potential innocence.
As an American, I find that attitude shocking. We have an Innocence Project here in the US precisely because juries are sometimes wrong. Justice is sometimes not served. Sometimes the police lie, or plant evidence. Sometimes eyewitness are mistaken. Sometimes medical examiners are not board certified and are less than competent. Sometimes evidence goes missing or is corrupted. There are so many reasons why innocent people are convicted every day.
So, I’m curious how many people here would be interested in a truly open forum where we think critically? In posting this question, I’m breaking no rules of the sub. The question is on-topic (Lucy Letby), it is in good faith and not trolling, and I am not actually asking you to comment on the issue of guilt or innocence....

The mod pinned comment is an immediate source of drama, beginning with:

Please go ahead and form another sub to discuss this poorly researched article. Those of us in the UK who have followed the case closely know there is nothing in your thinly veiled accusations.

also including this argument on free speech (is the UK worse than China??)
Arguments abound throughout the comment section, including here.
For anyone looking for actual discussion of the article (which I honestly was!!), check out medicine.
DRAMA FROM ELSEWHERE
Thanks to RunDNA:

• https://www.reddit.com/unitedkingdom/comments/1crer09/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/longform/comments/1cr51f5/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/medicine/comments/1crg7u0/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/Longreads/comments/1cr5sr4/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/TrueReddit/comments/1crsmfg/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/skeptic/comments/1crtagz/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/TrueCrimeDiscussion/comments/1creuav/a_british_nurse_was_found_guilty_of_killing_seven/
  

So today i went to the vet because i wanted to prevent my dog from getting leishmania, the doctor advised me to use a collar, they had seresto(that prevents fleas and ticks, im not sure it does kill the leishmania fly) and leishcollar (that was specificly made for the leishmania flies but doesnt prevent ticks and fleas) by MSD Animal Health. I went with Leishcollar as it was made specificly for what i wanted and the vet administered a pill to prevent the fleas and ticks that works for 3 months. After this i went home and while i was watching some videos on youtube, i got curious of how these collars work, wich im not sure it was a good idea, as it showed me a couple of videos suggested that these collars were dangerous and killed dogs. I saw one of those videos, there was a man saying the collar killed his dog, about 2 weeks from getting it, with symptoms similar to intoxication. After this i went down the rabbit hole, there were a lot of videos, mostly about a well known brand (wich i will not say, im not sure i can name it) that sources like cnn even say it was responsable for about 2500 animal deaths. Seresto has Imidacloprid and Flumethrin, leishcollar has Deltamethrin. In the leishcollar docs it says the side effects are in very rare ocasions (1 in 10000) lethargy or hyperactivity, gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and hypersalivation, neurological problems such as ataxia and muscle tremors. I can not confirm these tests.
The thing is, should one trust these collars, specially this one? Are there many reported cases of these doing arm to the animal? What should i do? I dont really see a lot of other options to prevent leishmania.
Another question, at the vet the nurse when applied the collar, she told me to not cut the excess collar and just try to keep it connected to the collar, while in the leishcollar document it clearly states to remove the excess collar, even when i bought scalibor it said to do so, what should i do? Should i remove the excess? Can there be arm to keep the excess (it is perfectly secured to the rest of the collar)?
PS: I meant to write a more elaborate post, but my computer froze and i had to write all of this again, so if i remember anything i could have forgot, ill update it.

I’ve been quietly creeping this sub so I figured I would share my story.
Several years ago, HPV+ high risk.
Multiple negative HPV, normal pap years.
2023- HPV negative +HSIL
2023- Colpo showed ASC-H
2023- Deep and aggressive CKC, clear margins.
4/2024- AGUS pap
5/2024- Colpo, ECC, EMB- all benign findings.
I share this to remind you that there is no systematic review, no study, no report, and no person that can predict what your findings will be. I went crazy (nurse) finding what percentage of people like me had cancer, etc.
Breathe, get the biopsy, and wait. It’s all you can do.

Hi everyone, I apologize if this post is inappropriately placed. I need some help or advice on different avenues to explore for atleast SOMETHING to be done. So here’s the story. My father has dementia and he lives at home with my mom and I. He is “much more” with it then new people who meet him would guess. But he is not able to communicate at all anymore besides whistling like a parrot (which I find extremely endearing) to let us know that he feels content. Me and my mother both work almost full time so we hired a home care company and we were with them for two years until we felt discontented with the quality of care my father was receiving. And on the last day of this home care company providing care, the caregiver stole $xx,xxx amount of money. My parents were also going on a trip that evening so my mom didn’t notice the money missing until after she got back almost 2 weeks later. After reflecting for a bit, my mom did mention that the caregiver was acting very strange and guarded with her handbag and while she was waiting for her shift to be over, she was sitting in the basement in the dark by herself. Which my mom found very strange but she didn’t read too much into it at the time - which is fair since she was distracted preparing for a trip for her and my father.
Little background on the caregiver: in her mid-40s, moved to Canada about a year ago, has a 3 year old daughter back in her home country, her husband is about 20 years older then her (already living here for 5+ years). He works as a security guard.
Sooo when I found out, I was very upset and emotionally charged and I called her to confront her. Obviously she denied it. Then her husband calls my mom and was what I would describe as passive-aggressive. He was saying things like, “Well if you think my wife has stolen money then you can absolutely call the police. You have every right to report her to her employer”
?????????????
Not how I expected a husband to speak when his wife is accused of theft. He is also VERY well aware, as his wife the caregiver was aware that we don’t have any cameras in the house. (Yes we should have had them. We don’t keep cash in the house ever, I believe my mom was too rushed to head back to the bank) and believe me, we are not wealthy people. My mother must have been saving for so long :(
So. We filed a police report, reported it to her employer. Cops said that they really can’t do anything about it because at this point, I would be a suspect to and they cannot prove without a reasonable doubt that she took it. They can’t even mandate her to take a lie detector test. The cops emailed us last week to let us know that she had refused the polygraph test. Her employer assured my mom that all staff they hire have clear criminal records and vulnerable sector check. But this bish has been in Canada for less then a year.
She is still employed with the same agency. Not sure if anything can be done. But can you guys believe this???? She can absolutely take advantage of another vulnerable senior. Also I am a registered nurse so this kills me at another level.

Messaging on behalf of a friend needing assistance with establishing child support in Florida:
BACKGROUND: She has a 7 year old with the baby daddy who has been out of the picture for over 4 years now. When he left, they were living together in an apartment when he trashed the place (holes in walls, broken doors, etc) and walked out leaving a ~$3K charge to her credit report. She has been working as a server and also knocking out a nursing degree, graduating with her bachelors degree this summer. It’s been very tough financially and she is now facing an eviction because the apartment raised rent by $350 with only a 2 week notice so the additional child support income would make an immense difference if we succeed.
INFO: She opened up a case with the Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) child support program (CSP) in June of 2023 and they gave feedback that they could not find him. Earlier this year, she was able to find his legitimate address and place of work to submit in her case. Despite all of this, she recently received a letter in the mail from the Florida DOR CSP stating:
‘On 06/07/2023, we started this proceeding by issuing a Notice of Proceeding to Establish Administrative Support Order. We have decided to end this proceeding because We have been unable to find the other parent to serve the first notice.
This proceeding is terminated without prejudice. If circumstances change, a judicial or administrative proceeding may be started at a later date.’
ASK: Has anyone else had this type of trouble? It feels like we basically did DOR CSP’s job by finding the baby daddy’s address and place of work but they still came back with the letter saying they couldn’t find him. What are our options to get them to put him in a ‘found’ state in their system so that everything else can move forward in the process?