Business

Americas Worst Fast Food Brand at it again with it’s employees

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Even though it’s a fairly big fast food brand, Jimmy John’s has had its share of controversies. For instance, the company was forced to cough up $1.8 million a few years ago in a settlement after concerns were brought up by several employees who cited the Fair Labor Standards Act. The workers said that they weren’t given overtime pay by the company (via Restaurant Dive).

The restaurant was also called out for forcing its employees to sign “a non-competition clause” that prevented its workers from joining the brand’s competitors for a period of two years after leaving Jimmy John’s, per The Huffington Post. This rule was applicable to the delivery workers and sandwich artists and was highly restrictive because it stated that former employees couldn’t work for any company that was getting 10 percent of its revenue from selling sandwiches.

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Security deposit alternatives offered for Florida renters

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As rents skyrocket, startup companies are touting what they consider to be a helpful solution to hefty security deposits pricing Floridians out of apartments.

Instead of forking over an upfront security deposit, tenants can agree to pay a monthly fee — typically about $25.

But there’s a catch: The money isn’t refundable at the end of the lease like a traditional security deposit, and renters are still on the hook for damage beyond ordinary wear and tear.

State lawmakers are considering legislation that would create regulations for such
agreements that offer security deposit insurance instead of a traditional lump-sum
deposit.

But advocates for Florida tenants have concerns. They say the proposed regulations lack important safeguards to protect renters from predatory practices.

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US inflation soared 7% in past year, the most since 1982

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Inflation jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden and the Federal Reserve to address what has become the biggest threat to the U.S. economy.

Prices have risen sharply for cars, gas, food and furniture as part of a rapid recovery from the pandemic recession that was fueled by vast infusions of government aid and emergency intervention by the Fed, which slashed interest rates. As Americans have ramped up spending, supply chains have been squeezed by shortages of workers and raw materials.

“Inflation ended 2021 very hot,” said Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide. Ayers and other economists say prices may cool off some as snags in the supply chain ease, but inflation will remain elevated throughout 2022.

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7 Times Rock Bands Were Sued By Album Cover Models

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One of the biggest controversies in rock music this year has been the lawsuit against Nirvana by Spencer Elden, who’s depicted as a baby on the cover of the band’s 1991 album Nevermind. But, this isn’t the first time a band has found themselves in this type of situation.

There have actually been a ton of lawsuits against bands over album artwork throughout musical history, but for the sake of keeping things related to the case of Nirvana and Elden, we’re focusing on the ones that were filed against bands by the people, or models, who’re actually featured on the covers.

Perhaps one of the most famous examples is The Rolling Stones’ 1978 album Some Girls, which marked their transition toward disco and funk rock, and also originally had some very famous faces on the cover in addition to the band members. The group of women and their family members sued the Stones, who ultimately decided to put out a different version of the cover with only the musicians’ faces instead.

“On the original album there were old-fashioned film stars, but because we were stupid and never got permission from them, we got stopped a lot from using them,” Mick Jagger later told Yahoo! of the artwork.

That’s a situation where the band didn’t actually ask permission to use the images, which is the same for several others on our list as well. However, Elden’s case is unique in that his parents were the ones who gave the band consent to use his photo on Nevermind, as he was only a baby during the photoshoot.

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Dow tumbles 900 points for worst day of year on fears of new Covid variant, S&P 500 drops 2.53%

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U.S. stocks dropped sharply on Friday as a new Covid variant found in South Africa triggered a global shift away from risk assets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 905.04 points, or 2.53%, for its worst day of the year, closing at 34,899.34. The S&P 500 lost 2.27% to close at 4,594.62, while the Nasdaq … Read more

Ocoee allows Chews A Puppy to bypass county pet sale ban

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The city of Ocoee’s reworked pet-sale ordinance was widely panned Tuesday night by more than two dozen animal welfare advocates who tried but failed to persuade city commissioners to stick with a county ordinance that will outlaw the retail sale of puppies, kittens and bunnies beginning next summer.

The hotly debated Ocoee ordinance passed 3-2 with Mayor Rusty Johnson leading the way to benefit a city pet shop.

The new rule allows one store — Chews A Puppy on West Colonial — to keep selling puppies and kittens after the county ban kicks in June 22.

Unless the county rule is overturned in court, Chews A Puppy would be the only pet shop lawfully permitted to sell puppies not only in Ocoee but also in Orange County and throughout most of Central Florida as Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties have adopted similar bans on retail pet sales.

Frustrated animal-welfare advocates, who lobbied for Orange County’s ban, vowed to keep fighting.

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Evidence why you would NEVER get a fountain drink at a gas station convenience Store

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The photos below are from an ice machine mounted atop a fountain drink dispenser at a very large national chain of gas station/convenience stores in Orlando. It’s funny how the name of the national chain gas station used to describe its hours of operation. After Covid-19 hit, restaurants and bars cut back their maintenance budgets … Read more