Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in ia. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!
Sometimes it’s not the money it’s the principal. And I truly wish I knew whether or not I can swear in this post because holy heck do I want to unload. I have been playing poker since I was 14, slots not far after, sometimes as hobby, and years at a time as profession. Black Friday for the US crippled me, I was at a point that I was so determined to play the wsop 10k ME that I had 4-5 of the top “Steps tickets” worth 2k each and 1 win away from MAin event entry. Along with that prob 5-10k that I would get approx 1/3rd of back nearly 2 years later. On poker rankings I was consistently top 99%, partly because I played all day everyday, and partly because I was decent. After gov seizures I went on a crazy tilt, downward spiral where I degened away close to 100k of funds. These were any funds I could get my hands on, not all I could really pay, and mostly lost online. I played pokeslots online basically 24/7 for months straight. At the end I hated myself, hated my life, and knew I was effed in the a. But the next 3-5 years of not playing anything I was atleast comforted knowing or feeling like it was myself responsible for my own success, having once turned my very first deposit of 200$ into 22,000$ on full tilt, and unbelievably still $1.86 to nearly $30,000 on poker stars in 3 weeks. However the comfort came from also knowing I was the reason for my own failure and poor poor decision making. Atleast I didn’t feel cheated. Here we are what feels like 10 years later, I did manage to scrap together 1,000$ 5 years ago for a live satty at the rio, and right as the main event started I won a seat. Busted day 2. Pretty much hasn’t played since. Recently my bracelet winning friend got me to follow him around all over the state and neighboring states to check out his slot grind. I quickly got back into it and in downtime turned to gambling online. I struggled so much on the last sites I had known that were still around, but my faith will never waiver from them again. And after the bs I encountered I will never stray again. In any case I stumbled on these shoddily thrown together sites (it seems) such as Planet7 and Coolcat casino to be specific out of a long list of Royalaces, casinoextremes, captain jacks. Now I can’t say for sure the gameplay is rigged, but I will say for the 1000 or 2 thousand of dollars I’ve put into them, I have been able to withdrawl exactly 0$ dollars. When I signed up on coolcat, it was from my phone, when I went to login on my computer, it appeared I had a really old previous account but I couldn’t figure out the password. I have the chat screenshotted when I went to support straight away and told them that I believe I had opened multiple accounts and asked what I need to do, if I could play, and if it could potentially come back to bite me later on. The agent assured me and even transferred me to another who also assured me, I didn’t need to do anything accept stick to the account I was on now, never log into the old one, and only deposit from the one I just contacted them. They happily took my deposits, 1 after another. Until I hit for just under 2k with no bonus restrictions to pull bs with or max cashout to cap my winnings. Over the next 30 days I submitted and re submitted each document they requested. 12 days in the withdrawal was cancelled, and I was informed “since you’re doing BTC withdrawal you actually need to complete this other completely different verification process” 15 more days of pick and chose what documents the new support person would say I was missing and repeat the phrase “please wait 5-7 days for a response” and 5-7 days went and never once did I get a response. I took to complain on several forums as it was very clear my identity matched my account and everything was in perfect working order. The day after my complaint was posted on the forums for the casino to respond.... I go to access the casinos... Suddenly I’m not allowed access to my accounts, my accounts are closed, my funds are taken, and they will tell me this and only this.... “We regret to inform you that your casino access has been revoked. The decision is unfortunately, irreversible. Any casino account can be closed solely at our discretion as part of our policies to ensure game fairness, the safekeeping of company assets, and our third party payment service providers. I nor any of my supervisors can give you any further information or explanation” service provider left the chat That’s it, that’s all, that’s forever it seems what it will be. They happily took my money, confirmed in support that I have the pictures and transcripts of. Heck they even gave me a $50 no deposit bonus when I asked because the chat agent assured me, “I can offer this $50 chip because you have never opened an account here with us” well turns out both Planet7 and coolcat are full of it, and the whole 5-7 days withdrawal is dishonest at best but more likely is a straight up lie. I plead for anyone considering playing there, DONT! In 17 years I have never once been treated in this fashion, what feels like straight up mugged in the streets. I’ve had a gun put to my temple for 30 dollars, and still that doesn’t give me the sinking hopeless feeling of anger and despair this does. Atleast the addict with the gun had to get off his a** and put in the effort to steal my money. Shit had he not brought the gun I’d almost have respect that he got it. This just feels like some prince of Nigeria finally managed to suck me in and scam me, or my windows service tech was actually a Indian scammer all along. Surprised picachu Yet this is the only thing I can do because what the heck else can I do? If I could hire a lawyer, I would spend the money. If I could file complaints I would take the time. If I could deposit again and no I would be able to cashout, I would try to take every dollar, penny, and pixel they are worth until the site disappears. Nothing would make me happier than to put my foot soooooo fing far up there pooper that I’d tickle their tonsils with the tip of my toe.... instead “We regret to inform you that we told you you’d be okay, we gladly accepted your deposits for several months, we happily updated your address when you moved and emailed us updated address verification documents, we cheered when you won, and then we robbed you of every dollar you made.” Oh did I mention “There’s not a single thing you can do about it” Don’t take the risk. If you need legit gambling sites as a us player I can give you several other solid companies that actually care and actually payout and actually want you as a customegamer. You may not get 40090990% percent deposit bonus * (see terms and conditions) 1$ max cashout But atleast you’ll get the full experience of playing.
To summarize my situation, I’m looking to move to a different city and need advice on how to look for jobs and resume tips. Read below about my situation and challenges I’m facing. After several years, I have reached my breaking point where I am generally unhappy and miserable about my situation. I work 55 hours a week 2 jobs back to back every week and weekend with two days off. Partially why I work two jobs is to substitute my income to pay all my bills and I also get to save money. If I just worked one job I’d be living paycheck to paycheck or even worse, not being able to pay all my bills. The first job I don’t mind. Even though I have a lot of days where I hate being there, the good outweighs the bad. I genuinely don’t like people tho. Whenever the holidays come around, my stress levels sky rocket. And then business picks up a lot, which makes it physically demanding. I work as a supervisor at a coffee shop in the mall and I’ve worked at other similar jobs around my town and the mall is by far the best to work. But I just wish I didn’t have to work EVERY weekend. Being around so many crowded people really makes me flustered and it’s really making me unhappy. My second job, I work at a casino resort as a front desk agent and then I work in the call center. I’ve worked there for two years and there’s not really a whole lot in the town to work other than chemical plants, retail, fast food, hospitals, and the casino. After being there so long, it has made me so unhappy and sucked every bit of joy out of me. There is a big turnover and on top of having a new manager every year and the constant drama, I really can’t stand being there anymore. I also always have to work the weekends and it’s too physically demanding for me. I can’t have off on the weekends because those are the days where they need an extra person in the call center. It started becoming too physically and emotionally demanding, so I tried getting a job in the call center and I really enjoy it. It might be what I was meant to be. I can come in and do my job and I get to talk to people over the phone. Even though, some people are difficult, I’m just an operator and don’t have to deal with irate customers as much and it’s much easier to diffuse the situation when I get those calls than when I was at the front desk. The problem is they didn’t have a full time position available and they don’t really have a need for a third call center rep other than on the weekend, so I still work front desk to keep my hours. This made me a dual position and even if I wasn’t working both, they started pulling me from my regular job to assist with the front desk when it gets busy, including Saturday’s now too. And then there have been times, they made me work half my shift at the front desk. To make matters worse, They also frequently cut people’s hours and it doesn’t make sense to me they do that and then proceed to pull me again from my position to assist them! People are leaving because people aren’t getting their hours. There’s not very competitive employee benefits because that requires people to be full time. I was hired on as a part time agent and requested full time hours. After several months, I got my hours and now work 37 hours a week. I should be full time, right? Wrong! I was told I would have to apply again for the same job I was working in a full time job posting to get full time benefits. I wasn’t able to get dental or vision insurance for 2020 even tho I work full time hours. I’ve retaliated about this before and my reactions were considered insubordinate to the company and now all I really want to do is leave this hell behind. So my issues are that I have applied for jobs in a bigger city and never get call backs. I’m not ever sure what to put when I put for my work history without raising suspicion. I cannot move until I find a job. Most applications require me to put the dates I worked at a job and the end date. I’ve tried to be honest but I’m not sure if I’m not getting any callbacks because I’m not local or because I have a current employer. Even if I state I’m willing to relocate. Also there’s a problem with my address. I’ve thought about getting an online post office box or renting one in the City I wish to move but I’m not sure if that would raise suspicion on an application/resume. I have small goals to try to make it out of here including saving money, but I have medical debt and other debts that are not allowing me to save up any money. I am completely at a loss for how to not be stuck forever here being unhappy. I always have to see my ex here and he doesn’t respect me enough to keep away and blames me for getting a job in the same mall as him (there’s only 1). I told him he has other places he could go to get his coffee but he doesn’t care and continues to show up. I won’t move to another location or work any other retail places because I don’t have any wish to. I really am happy at the cafe where I work. I want to keep establishing small goals like to keep hustling and pay off my debts and save some money to live for a month and just move. Maybe even keep my jobs until I’m able to find a job in the city Im wanting to relocate. It’s about a two hour drive.
THE BLUEPRINT FOR FIXING AMERICA SOONER RATHER THAN AFTER IT IS TOO LATE
BEFORE going further with this, bear in mind it was a response to the previous post "WHAT IF LIBERTY WAS ATTACHED TO HUMANITY" and perhaps one might read that long list of QUESTIONS FOR HUMANITY before diving into issues on how one might repair our corner of the world...onward... Some people claim we are beyond a "tipping point" of no return. This analysis is commonly applied to global warming to describe the melting permafrost that is releasing methane gas which is believed to be 100 times more potent and lasting than carbon dioxide in causing global warming from the greenhouse effect. Others apply the "tipping point" idea to America's national debt; stating that if we switched from our fiat currency back to a gold standard, we couldn't pay off the interest, let alone our debt, based on current exports and GDP figures. Therefore, we have become a patently bankrupt nation contrary to the principles Thomas Jefferson and others warned us to follow to avoid the use of credit. A bankrupt America in a world of currencies based on a tangible asset like gold or levels of exports would be unable to purchase oil to feed our pathetic industries, let alone our levels of consumer consumption of energy. I managed to get through 2016 without using a drop of petroleum, propane or any other non-renewable source of energy. I studied and invested in solar and wind and it took me more than a decade to select and test the appliances, like a low wattage crock pot placed in an insulated cooler, to learn how to maximize my ability to live on minimal power. Americans don't have a decade to spare. Denmark did it well. They invested in wind and now boast regions with little or no use for petroleum; which is at the heart of both global environmental destruction, loss of rainforests, pollution of rivers, oceans, aquifers and war, which leaves its own lasting toxic landscape, enormous national debt, widespread death, loss of culture, physical and emotional scars. If poor little Denmark can cure its ills, why can't America accelerate our transition to renewables, save a bundle along the way and reduce our desire or need to engage in wars related to acquiring petroleum reserves, or our need to retain a fiat currency required to fund wars, oil purchases, bribe foreign officials and our own elected leaders. If the spigot of free money were removed, would America be as corrupt as it is today, or as destructive worldwide, as we've become? I believe part of the "Blueprint for fixing America" involves ridding ourselves of the patently corrupt, financially inept Federal Reserve and if possible, dismantling the BIS, IMF and World Bank, or at the least, installing a series of common sense policies to both upgrade these systems, regulate their actions through intelligent policies designed by a political body that relies on both public opinion through debates and analysis of performance driven QC metrics. The system of printing treasuries and taxing citizens was born, not from political debate or even a public vote, but by a small corrupt group in Congress and our banking system a century ago. It has failed to produce a healthy, debt free nation; the imperialism it funded has failed to produce a healthy, democratic, environmentally sustainable world, or even a world that views America as a true democracy, rather than the brutish arm of global corporations, and it has failed to produce a stronger middle class in America. Therefore, after 100 years of failures, perhaps it is time to replace the defective financial systems and taxes which fund defective military campaigns and patently defective, if not murderous systems of politics. What will replace "fiat currencies" remains to be seen, though models based on gold, silver and copper seemed to work pretty well before, and future models, such as bitcoin, or credits based on real production of exports, or levels of kwh power from renewables might also prove viable; something, anything, based on a real, tangible asset would be an improvement as it would eliminate the ability of a corrupt banker to simply press a button, create money from thin air, instantly indebting citizens of a nation seen as instant inflation, and then instantly buy their land or bribe their politicians: A person, corporation or group utilizing money for illegal activities would have to actually perform some kind of work to acquire it. Not so the case today. Whether it is to fix our energy policies, our role of the military in global affairs, our rapidly deteriorating environment, rapidly expanding levels of poverty, homelessness or levels of toxins we are exposed to either from the environment or self-ingested through legal and illegal drugs, our rapidly deteriorating mental health, intellectual capacity, shrinking middle class and standard of living; no matter what the policy is in America that needs to be changed, we aren't changing fast enough. We are like a deer caught in the headlights of a speeding automobile. The revelations of just how corrupt and dysfunctional our government, political and economic systems are has only recently been exposed to those who will study and analyze the evidence, and its so shocking they are either paralyzed or ineffective in bringing about effective change. You can't blame them too much. Faced with a new huge problem we really weren't aware of 20 years ago, and now faced with the prospect of trying to educate a sufficient body of Americans to create the change we must, the proponents for change stumble around testing different solutions; and more often than not, they fail. That is expected. Democracy as proposed by our Founding Fathers was the first of its kind and is an experiment. Experiments don't always work as planned; usually they do not. The trick in this democratic experiment is to recover before its too late. Whether or not we are past a tipping point is somewhat irrelevant as long as we don't give up. We must continue to innovate, to remain optimistic that we can and will prevail; and remain dedicated to the idea that our form of democracy can be shaped into a true popular democracy where every voice counts, where corporations cannot sway us from an honorable path, where people in other nations can become proud in their own quest to emulate our experiment in democracy without the need for our military to force our current corrupt brand of democracy on their citizens. That process has only exposed our defects to a wider geographic landscape and hardened the resolve of many citizens against mirroring America's brand of democracy. As that resistance continues to increase, our military will find it increasingly difficult to find willing souls in each nation who will undermine governments; and therefore our military and corrupt corporate agenda will need to employ hired guns to execute agendas; witness ISIS and CIA funding to topple Syria. In the old days it was easy to find citizens within a nation who were eager to bring American ideals to overthrow a brutal dictator. Today, the people of Syria living under a patently defective leader would prefer that brand of freedom to anything an "American Democracy" might represent. Today, the American brand of Democracy, as a valued export for nations to acquire, is worth less than toxic toilet paper. Dumping nuclear waste on a foreign nation would be less harmful and they know it. Its not that the original design of our democracy was either dishonorable, nor was it a bad idea or even poorly designed. In its day it was brilliant and even today it is far superior to the democracy Americans live with daily. We don't have a real voice in the process of electing our President, nor do we have a real voice in the way Congress operates, nor a real voice in the various emerging "secret courts" that increasingly preside over the actions of citizens, nor a real voice in public spending policies that are bankrupting future generations who have even less, if any voice, even faster than they are bankrupting current generations of our young in their 20's, who are far poorer than the older generation who at least had a chance at home ownership and developing a profitable business under some "free", "capitalistic", "market driven" middle class system that is all but gone in America today. What we are witnessing is not only a rapidly shrinking middle class and rapidly expanding population of impoverished, but a rapidly evaporating system of democracy, rapid expansion of our national debt and destruction of the global environment all taking place at the same time. Its an interlocking series of events that are quite telling in their synergistic effect on each other, yet complex enough to defy our ability to manage today's crisis du jure, let alone plan and execute an intelligent series of steps to bring a halt to these grave trends and thereafter, create a thriving, financially solvent, reasonably moral, non-violent America that can again become a shining beacon of Democracy for all the world to emulate without force; rather by simply becoming envious of our prosperity and the success of our middle class. Today, any envy foreigners might hold for American ideals are primarily focused on the celebs, and a level of wealth, few global citizens will ever attain; nor should they try. The lifestyle of the rich and famous is patently unsustainable and not very good for the financial health of a nation or the environment. Wealth in and of itself is no more evil than a car used in a bank robbery. Wealth, when properly applied can build schools, buy solar panels or wind turbines, or create innovative R&D facilities to invent new technologies that can foster new businesses and provide more Yankee exports. On the other hand, wealth applied to bribe politicians, build leaky oil pipelines or systems that pollute groundwater, or simply to buy a $50,000 dress for a Grammy Award ceremony is dangerous, destructive folly. Therefore, part of the path out of this mess needs to be a sense of modesty and reality based on what we've learned in the past 200 years about gross decadence and the ability of large groups of citizens to become easily hypnotized by fabulous levels of wealth most of them will never attain. Perhaps in a class entitled Personal Econ 101 we should both encourage people to develop ideas, invent, market, sell and manage a personal business, and include a section on prudent personal policies on how to manage their new found wealth; race tracks, casinos, bars and brothels are probably not good habits to hold if you expect to build and retain a thriving business, or nurture a reasonably sane, healthy family to carry your business and wealth forward to future generations. Teaching kids in any nation to acquire wealth merely so they can buy a new black beamer is not conducive to creating a sustainable society, sustainable financial policies, a sustainable environment, nor a sustainable government or society. Modesty, education and the prudent application of technology, financial resources, labor and mined or manufactured assets all have their place in creating a sustainable world or fixing what ails America and the world today. It is unfortunate, though easily predictable, that current generations all around the planet have generally lost all hope in obtaining that kind of world. They understand the government corruption; they see through the American Democratic farse and in their minds, if that enlightened nation is but a brutish scam based on corrupt political figures, extortion and murder, what hope does any human have of finding any peace or prosperity in any land? The result is an increasingly predatory nature of our tweens, teens, young adults and even middle aged folks who should know better, but are almost just as selfish and short-sighted as the desensitized generations raised on bloody TV and video games. Murder isn't really so bad as long as you're on the right side of the barrel; its expected in today's world. Get over it. We have become a mentally sick species destined to extinction if we don't change that attitude. We are living in the 6th great extinction and there is no guarantee our species will survive the process; in fact, some historians and anthropologists note there is a group of wealthy elite who are encouraging a mass die off to bring the human population down to 100M to perhaps 1B from the 7B level today. Perhaps we should let them proceed. Perhaps the earth will be better off after that horror show is over; but the really big question then becomes, if that sick group who would wage global genocide and continued environmental destruction to accomplish their agenda is the primary ruling elite after the bloodbath, what sort of future for habitats, let alone our own species, can we expect from that twisted group? Its another global problem staring us, the educated, enlightened 21st Century Human in the face, like headlights in the eyes of a deer; and we just don't have all the answers required to put humanity and the planet, or even our own nation, back on a predictable, moral, ethical, sustainable course. And so life in the 21st Century has become a giant hedonistic free-for-all suicide party; the population of predators and sociopaths is growing at a logarithmic rate, while those who would embrace charitable or democratic ideals are quickly being marginalized, or easily used and abused by those with power and money to do so. I personally believe the only way to halt, then reverse these dire trends is for the few remaining souls with a moral compass to unite and develop an action plan to first fix America. But with so many internal challenges, and personality conflicts even between "good souls"; we have failed to unite, we have failed to even be able to clearly identify people of moral fiber, as the many wolves in sheep's clothing are all around us. Recently I did a cursory audit of a huge, wealthy environmental group aimed at "saving dolphins, oceans and the environment", and found they had neither the wisdom to create prudent policies, nor any real effective activity, save their ability to sell t-shirts and expand their member base and revenue streams; very sad. And so the blueprint to cure America must include QC metrics; how many kids passed a high level math test as a result of your after school, charter school or public school program? How many of them are employed while in college because they clearly understand the student loan program in the U.S. is a patently defective system designed to enslave them? How many understand that trappings of financial slavery and are attempting to live intelligently within their modest means, rather than "...spend money they don't have for things they don't need." (George Carlin). We need to teach our young that the hypnotic glitz and glamour of the celebs and elite is not nearly as nourishing as a camping trip to a pristine forest that we need to keep pristine. We need to teach them that throwing money at an environmental charity is not quite as effective as simply picking up your trash, as well as some extra trash when visiting a beach. We need to teach them that car pooling is both fun and profitable, and we need to teach them that mending clothing to squeeze the last day out of a pair of shorts can be financially more sustainable and even a lot sexier than trying to acquire a $500 leather jacket, or 7 inch plastic pump cowboy boots. We need to find our roots as a blue collar worker, and Ag sector economy, rather than a nation of dog walkers, maids and gardeners serving the wealthy. Unfortunately, the population of families able to make a living in the Ag sector is also vaporizing, due to regs related to GMO seeds and USDA policies that have almost eliminated the ability of small farmers to survive. Meanwhile, our blue collar "MAKE SOMETHING USEFUL" jobs are all being outsourced to overseas sweat shops, as are our innovative White Collar Silicon Valley jobs in a world of a rising population of programmers, leaving only a dwindling white collar sector of financial management jobs (who produce few if any useful, tangible, sustainable products we really need, save a thriving toxic derivative market), and a bunch of dog walkers and real estate agents who only sell what already existed; a bit of dirt with some wood and a splash of new paint - the American Home - which is a center for consumption, doesn't actually produce anything useful, including intelligent, caring, charitable kids with any sort of skill set required to fix our nation, let alone our planet. I know of mothers who are so so so proud their son or daughter is a top notch dance champion, and as a musician, I am proud to be able to play rock, jazz or classical piano pieces, even sometimes at public gigs, but if I didn't make something tangible, useful, sustainable during the bulk of the hours in my week I'd feel useless; I'd just be another consumer instead of someone who manufactures SOMETHING tangible that others can use to both improve their standard of living, and reduce their impact on the environment. Folks who install solar panels do that sort of "honorable, ethical, blue collar work". Granted, they aren't manufacturing something, but at least they are doing some work that leaves a real, tangible asset on a structure that has the immediate effect of reducing America's reliance on petroleum; and that has long-term, positive financial and environmental consequences for the family, community and nation. Turning back to our stellar "Entertainer" kids, or kids studying to become real estate agents, you have to wonder if those grads will be surprised when they wind up as baggers at a grocery store trying to pay down a student loan that will never end, while paying off child support payments for kids they couldn't afford, nor spent time with to educate them on what mistakes to avoid, (nor ever went camping with them to teach them the value of minimalism, or pristine environments), while paying for social programs like Social Security and Obamacare our poor, bankrupt nation that exports almost nothing simply cannot afford. I praise our artists for their studious habits and wonderfully inspiring productions, cutting edge journalism and screen plays that cause us to reflect on ourselves and humanities journey through time; but with an overwhelming onslaught of advertising, high fashion, porn and violence, it might be prudent for every artist to also hold down a "day job", at least part-time, that actually contributed to creating a more financial, environmental and ethically solvent America. Even a part-time daily contribution by every breathing American towards these objectives might help reverse dire trends and create a united population of educated citizens who both care and are doing something constructive to counter-balance our highly destructive, unsustainable way of life today. Parents and schools need to educate kids on balancing selfish, personal agendas with activities that contribute to society in real, tangible production of products and services focused on deploying technologies that move America towards curing our ills before the "tipping point" trends running amuck today topple us over. The "Stockdale Principle" outlined in the book Good To Great embodies some of these ideals; taking a harsh, honest audit of where we are today and then designing effective management plans to get through the horrid state of affairs and emerge victorious through action based on optimism, and not Pollyanna optimism alone, nor on a fatalistic, hedonistic, careless, if not predatory attitude that seems to enshrine American values at every level of our society. A little discipline is a good thing, when balanced with creative abandon to invent something no one has seen before. A champagne party to celebrate a financial victory is probably also a good thing, IF - key word - you actually accomplished something that helps heal the world or provided some relief to your local community, our nation or a wetlands marsh. Drinking champagne every Sunday morning or buying a new pair of 7 inch plastic pumps just because your debit/credit card allowed it, and you think you deserve it after a 60 hour work week, is a rather short-sighted, if not myopic way of life based on endless consumption, that ignores the increasingly pressing problems of your life, your local community and the global village we all share. Perhaps that $10.00 price you paid for that cocktail might have made a difference had you had saved it to buy a PC keyboard for a child without a computer. Perhaps that $49.00 price for those dress shoes you didn't really need would have been better spent on buying a motherboard for a kid who could learn to install that board into a recycled, dented desktop case, then plug in that new keyboard you also bought them, and build their own PC, complete with a recycled monitor that was headed for a landfill and is now part of a child's at-home education system. Perhaps the parent in that home might remind their child with prudent guidance, that WHEN their math homework was done, THEN they can spend a short time playing some video game on that PC, before they move on to complete their history and science homework, and further remind them that if they fail to keep their grades up, that suite of video games can be uninstalled or blocked altogether. Perhaps instead of turning on the TV to gather the family, which only serves to fracture the family after kids begin wanting consumer items they can't afford, so they begin exploring methods of acquiring capital, like drug dealing in alleys, parents would leave the TV off and focus their energy on helping their kids get through those homework assignments, learn a little math, science and history along the way, learn what it means to create a sustainable home, community and financially solvent nation, and clearly learn what happens if we do not. Perhaps if more parents spent more time educating their kids, and got smarter along the way, more American adults would realize just how under water our nation is, and with some hope derived from that education, learn to fix the mess in their own lives one step at a time. Its a tall order and I am not sure Americans are willing to give up their baseball games or detective dramas in exchange for spending several hours each evening exploring socially relevant topics; whether political, scientific, or even charitable. But if American consumers don't modify their behavior and levels of consumption, and their hit list of acquisitions, most of which are unattainable due to our shrinking middle class and utter lack of any export industry able to finance our debt without utilizing our defective, bankrupt, imploding global system of fiat currencies; there is no hope for the generation that follows who will repeat the same mistakes because they don't know any better, or weren't educated soon enough to avoid those same mistakes. The painful truth is that as our society finds it increasingly difficult to acquire these sought after luxuries, and we continue to plunge into the financial abyss and political chaos of a third-world nation, we will have both blown the once-in-a-species democratic experiment, and our own ingenious potential to both cure our nation and help heal the planet torn by the industrial age and environmental destruction that is the legacy of a petroleum age. Petroleum was a blessing and a curse. It allowed a great global brain trust of 7 billion to be created and all the wonderful technology that mass invented, along with 7 billion mouths to feed and feet to shoe, who unfortunately also want 7 billion shiny black beamers we can't afford to build, let alone fuel. Elon Musk of Tesla once said to build 500,000 EV's would require all the lithium the planet can produce. Therefore, we need to invent and deploy another alternative and do so quickly, and while we're at it, utilize simple, affordable, practical technologies and habits like car pooling, mass transit and shopping only for what we really need, while recycling as much as possible, and ensuring our time spent is focused on educating our young so they don't make the same mistakes our generation did. All of these fundamental changes are part of healing America and the planet we all share and whether or not we do it or embrace it, the reality is this Spartan lifestyle IS coming sooner, rather than later, to every community on earth. Get used to it. Get used to the pain of rapid change and a deteriorating social fabric, social services, a rise in unethical, predatory conduct on every front, and a high risk for a rapid implosion and die off of humanity that will be horrific. This IS our future if we do not mend our ways and no amount of technology can save us from wanton, unbridled consumerism, or our universal tendency to ignore harsh realities. A little discipline and practical, effective planning, balanced with our artistic, humanitarian and spiritual agendas is required. So, curing what ails America is a complex idea that won't be completed by simply electing another corrupt official. You can't cure America by electing a new Mayor, Governor, Congressman or President. You won't accomplish it by switching banks or moving to a community sponsored credit union. You won't do it by simply installing solar on your roof and then pouring yourself a glass of champagne to celebrate the money you'll save on your electric bill or patting yourself on the back for reducing your need for petroleum, nor should you put the money you might save by car pooling into a fund for your annual trip to a Vegas casino where you can blow it in a weekend of heated hedonistic abandon. That sort of wreckless behavior might make sense to a 20 something kid who has never dropped five grand on a crap table, but in today's world that population of wealthy empowered young is also evaporating, and for the rest of us, prudence should guide nearly every action on this high wire act of trying to save humanity from itself. One good mistake, or worse, a continued series of imprudent mistakes, is all that is required to blow our last chance to avert the economic storm already at our door. In fact we don't even need to make a mistake; just continue on as we are doing today and there is little hope of any real, effective change for the better anything in the next 100 - 500 years of humanity's journey on this earth. Since much of this transformation must embody fundamental changes in how our federal government operates and the QC metrics that need to be installed to change its underlying principles of operation, bloated budgets, imperialistic campaigns and lack of focus on improving the plight of America's middle class, let alone provide much relief for America's impoverished, I suggest that a huge part of "the cure" involves finding and installing politicians who can "Get 'er done". We haven't seen anything like that anywhere in America for several decades, if not for more than a century. Sure, there are a few rare politicians who actually have a reasonably solvent, financially prudent, moral, ethical, perhaps even legal game plan, but they are quickly overwhelmed and marginalized, frustrated or assassinated, or through some other means, ejected from office; a process which leaves only the corrupt or inept left behind. This begs the question, "Would America's recovery be accelerated if a popular driven vote of no confidence by citizens could quickly remove politician's from office?" I don't mean impeaching a President after a billion dollar televised trial that requires Congress to stop dead in its tracks to handle a process that distracts them from more critical resolutions, rather I mean that if 60%, 70%, 80% or more Americans were polled each month, and were found to absolutely PRESS THE REJECT BUTTON, then the President in the Oval Office bowed out on Friday, the V.P. took the hot seat, we held an impromptu election to replace them from viable candidates, and the same rapid, low-cost process was enacted for Congress, State Governors and Legislators, County Supervisors and our Mayors and any other elected official. Put another way; when 80% of your constituents think you're doing a crappy job, odds are you saw that figure rising and the moment it hit 51% the warning shot was fired over your bow. When it hit 70% you had a hole in your boat and probably should have both modified your course and began polling citizens, civic planners, scientists, artists; hippies, bankers, anyone and everyone, on what you might do to improve your performance, and heal your reputation by delivering real solutions to real problems citizens are faced with every single day. Granted, a rapid change in high level leadership can create chaos; but we already have that today, so there's no big loss there. Granted, Americans can be a fickle group and a popular President today can easily become vilified the moment the food stamp program get slashed, or health insurance rates take a hike. Granted, if our currency goes into a freefall, as many economists predict, and we can't get the oil we need, if we begin experiencing brown outs and black outs like many developing nations endure daily, and if our highways continue to deteriorate just like our system of healthcare, ag and manufacturing sectors, its going to be pretty tough to stay in the Oval Office when such a system of rapid REJECTION is in place. That said, these negative trends are already with us across the board and I don't see either Presidential Candidate really mentally capable of fixing any of them; not one. To assume Hillary will fix things is insane; she's a known felon with absolutely no remorse, and though not convicted in a court of law, every American paying attention knows it. To assume Donald can fix it is to believe a businessman who often bases his profits and retained earnings on bankruptcy laws, and who would alienate a huge Latin American population, gays, women - name the group - is equally insane. Donald might actually be good for America, as he might be able to gut a lot of the bloat in government today, but at the end of the day, would you rather have a surgeon or a wreckless butcher performing your open heart surgery? The answer, I believe, is to enact a series of laws that require a politician at any level to step aside quickly when a massive, popular vote of NO CONFIDENCE appears; whether its a poll taken weekly, then summarized and enacted upon on a monthly or quarterly basis, or whether we simply employ such a law to regulate Congress, quickly removing Legislators who refuse to impeach any President who acquires a massive level of public wrath measured by frequent, regular, popular vote driven surveys managed by a known, impartial, trusted audit team; i.e. your local librarian staff. Perhaps if the libraries around the nation benefited financially from educating our young and at the same time, acting as a central community gathering place for political and charitable action committees, we'd see some improvements. Frank Zappa said "If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to a library." and with the emergence of google, wikipedia and thankfully, the retention of libraries in our culture, there's little or no excuse for Americans not to continue obtaining an education, especially during this period of national crisis. With the technology that exists TODAY there's little or no excuse for failing to develop the polls, surveys and rapid voting mechanisms that would provide politicians with a "HOW AM I DOING?" answer, and if a rapid REJECT mechanism was built into every political office, things would probably get better much faster than any other method we could devise. Put another way; a drunk surgeon shows up to do your heart surgery and you happen to wake up just as they have begun cutting you open. You realize that person is patently unqualified to both perform the job ahead, let alone care for your life along the way. No matter how many other expert healthcare professionals might be present, wouldn't you vote to "STOP EVERYTHING. EJECT THIS CLOWN AND BRING IN ANOTHER SOBER, QUALIFIED TEAM LEADER?". Do you really think repairing our fragile, torn, crippled, dying nation is any less critical than your open heart surgery? Do you realize Washington D.C. has one of, if not the highest rate of alcoholism in our country? That's a huge "in-your-face" clue as to why things are as bad as they are in our nation and communities today. We have TV shows like the Apprentice or Survivor where only the best make it to the final episode. As Donald himself knows all too well, substandard performance gets you "FIRED!". There's no big trial; no long expensive paperwork trail. Its done with a smile, perhaps a pat on the back for those good things you were able to accomplish early on, but if you lack the stamina or ingenuity or prudence to continue making progress, guess what? You're done. Get out. Let someone else take the ball and run from wherever we are towards the goal line. Some will argue, and rightly so, that in a nation where the top political leader can be rotated like a pair of shoes, the only real power lies in a military Junta of corrupt, power hungry Generals and those who serve them or are "taken out". Well, if you've intimately studied American politics, that's what we have today anyway. Get a clue. Ike warned us about the Industrial Military Complex, wives of military officers and the officers themselves have come forward and revealed the way things work, so its no big surprise to see Obama swearing he's going to reduce deployment, then not long after he's in office, continue America's occupation in foreign lands. Its no big surprise to see every nation on earth condemn Israel for the situation in Palestine, and then see the U.S. is the only nation to veto resolutions that might force Israel to mend its ways. Its no surprise to see Orthodox Jews making overtures with Iran, while the government of Israel and Hillary threaten to bomb Iran into oblivion. It is no surprise to see rising rosters of homeless in America while we spend trillions fighting wars to acquire oil at a time in human history when we've already proven we can get all the energy we need to run entire nations from wind and solar projects; if we actually built them. And so the question of whether or not a rapid rotation of Presidents or Congressmen, Governors or Mayors might lead to a nation led by military leaders has already been answered; we already are. Perhaps only by putting someone in the Oval Office who understands this problem early on can we expect American streets to look less like battle grounds, and American Cops to look and act less like U.S. troops in Iraq. I may be wrong, but the system in place is patently corrupt, patently defective and completely ineffective. Whatever Democracy and America were SUPPOSED to be 200 plus years later it surely has not become. The solution? Throw the bums out and do it with less fanfare, less budget and less lost time. Hey, we might even make a weekly TV show out of it. Why do we have to wait forever for a State Of The Union address? When a nation is as messed up as we are today, a weekly 15 - 30 minute BOARD MEETING with American Stakeholders - every citizen - seems more appropriate. Like any board meeting, it should cover Old Business; i.e. programs being implemented and their QC Metrics produced by third party citizen bodies, and available online for download and analysis, and New Business, proposals for new programs, budgets, and a selection of innovative ideas that were gathered from the citizens themselves. A true representative of Americans would embrace their people, their ideas, their audits, and actively seek their opinions of their performance in office. A true representative of Americans wouldn't need a LAW to leave office if they knew their performance sucked and an overwhelming majority of Americans wanted them out; they'd just apologize - quickly - and step aside. And so the BLUEPRINT to fix America quickly, if not in time to avoid a complete meltdown, probably includes a rapid REJECT/RE-ELECT process. Its like a Jehovah Witness I know explained, as they are looking for good honest souls; "You have to sift through a lot of mud to find a few flakes of gold." Its a lot like the kids I teach in hard-core neighborhoods; you have A students, B students and F students. Very few kids are C or D students for long in a well run class. They are either encouraged and want to learn, and soon rise to the B or A level, or they are not encouraged or lack the desire and in a well run class they fail within a week or two and are asked to go spend their time in some class, some where, that they actually want to participate in. There is little sense in wasting time trying to teach a kid something they really do not wish to learn. The old saying "You can't teach a Pig to sing; you waste your time and just annoy the Pig." applies. And so the BLUEPRINT also means putting the right students in the right classes, and ensuring ALL STUDENTS understand the value of useful, productive work that requires skills America needs to remain competitive; unfortunately, ballet isn't one of them. If a kid wants to learn to play guitar or piano; great. Let them learn it like I did and study at home after finishing their math and science homework. They'll know it better and learn it faster at les cost than mommy having to spend hundreds or even thousands on piano lessons or instruments for a school marching band. I was also in a marching, orchestra and jazz band and while I have fond memories of it and wish America was so wealthy it could continue to afford these types of electives, those days are long gone. WHEN we have a balanced budget and WHEN we have kids no longer living in cars with their mothers anywhere in America - and I mean ANYWHERE - and WHEN we have cured our nation of our addiction to oil and plastic clothing; WHEN we have enough spare renewable energy to drive desalination plants to irrigate our fields to replace the crops lost due to global warming and ever-widening regions of drought, and WHEN we have desalination plants - 100's if not 1,000's of them - that do not produce dead zones from brine discharge, do not run by burning coal, LNG, petroleum, or require any process that produces nuclear waste; WHEN we have a planet that is not engaged in wars over in ground assets used to drive unsustainable economies and consumer practices, and WHEN we have Judges, Mayors, School Teachers, Governors, Legislators and Presidents all keenly aware that if they screw up a POPULAR VOICE can hand them a Pink Slip in a blink, THEN I will happily support schools with music and painting electives. In the meantime, the basics please; its all we can really afford and any child who really wants to learn to carve wood can take a class online, get a paper route or learn to repair computers in a free class they study online at their local library, then save their pennies to buy their first chisel, paint brush, ballet slippers, guitar or upright piano as the case may be.
Ever since I've been hit with severe depression, I could never see myself past 25. [Extremely Long Read]
I suggest sitting down with a good cup of whatever you like and a dish of food. This is a long summary of my life. I'm now 24, turning 25 July next year. I've always been a sad, contempt loner ever since a day of recess back when I was in 2nd grade. I wanted to be with the cool kids who had all the cute girls playing and talking with them. They were playing tag and I decided to run along with the boys. 5 minutes in, a girl stops me and tells me why am I playing, and that I'm too ugly. That set in the downward spiral of my life and set in motion my depression. Ever since then I've always thought of myself as unattractive and incapable of achieving. Goals get put up and promptly fail as if a outside force is at play. Any compliments on my appearance gets shot down immediately as pure bullshit and I've simply not cared for it either. By 17, I can imagine I looked like a utter failure to my family. I had been held back in 5th grade and 8th grade and had to go about 2 years in high school 2 years older than my pupils. What I looked like to my family surely lurked in the back of my accomplices and teacher's heads. How could someone be this much of a fuckup without an ounce of the slightest content to be a criminal. I ran away from my parent's house to live with my aunt when it came to 11th grade and I didn't want to live through the torment of high school, but couldn't stay at her house doing nothing either as no job wanted me. so she sent me to job corps. I choose to be as far away as possible and take it as a adventure as I went to Kentucky. There I had a connection as I talked to a girl I met online in a game a few months prior. On valentines day around this time, I was still tender during holidays. I had no one to be close to or give anything to, so I walked to my local haunt, the bowling alley. I loved this place. It was were I can live and forget and always walk out happy. On the way there, I came across 4 kittens huddled up. I cautiously approached and made sure I wasn't too high and directly above them. They scurried away and that was the last straw to break the camel's back. Not even displaced kittens wanted my presence. I walked back to my dorm and cried into a pillow. I had amassed a few dozen friends playing social games before moving to job corps and gotten some of their numbers. No one answered except for Aurora. We were already awesome friends, but for some reason that night we became much more. My first girlfriend. She lived in St. Louis, so it began as long distance. I called or texted her every morning religiously right before breakfast at around 7 weekdays or 9 weekends. If I didn't for whatever reason, she made damn sure to figure out what was going on and usually it was because I woke up late. Fast forward to me graduating job corps and moving back to my parents, we're still dating and I land a job at McDonalds. I save enough money to visit St. Louis and meet this girl. I plan it on the Valentine's day for our 1 year anniversary, all while expecting the worse. I never told anyone why I was getting up and going to St. Louis. I don't even think I told my father where I was going because of how detached we became. Low and Behold, I finally saw light in my life. I wasn't catfished at all. She had the same voice, same smile, same everything. I was finally hugging a woman I could call my best friend. I cried on the bus leaving St. Louis on the 14th. The songs I had playing most of the trip to and from are triggers for me and I have to avoid hearing them or else ill be flooded with emotions of her. More on that later. My father at this point is pressuring me to get a 2nd job and he's right now that I look back, but I wasn't having any of it. I liked my one job and limitless time on my gaming pc with all my friends. I moved out and took a bags of clothes to my biological mom's apartment and lived with her for a few months. She and her boyfriend and my biological older brother had a gambling problem and some mental health issues I soon learned. They lost their apartment and this started the chain of unfortunate events that lead to today. We lived in a camper van for the next few months, living off of gambling and casino food handouts and soda. We would bathe in the showers they had in the pool area. I used my time to try to find a job at the local mall and get on the computers they had, but unfortunately they were for hotel guests only, as well as the pool area. They learned once my brother ( a chainsmoker and I think autistic ), was caught panhandling for cigarettes and coming into the pool area. I ended up getting banned from the property right after my brother and we had relocate elsewhere in Dover, DE. I had my gaming pc with me and monitor, so I sold it for dirt cheap to get out of there. I was getting nowhere at all. I took a one way ticket for a hundred bucks and went to St Louis. It is now August and I've been homeless for the better part of 2011. As I sit on the steps of a shelter at 10am, content with waiting for the beds to open at 7-8pm, a young woman approaches me and asks my age and what I'm doing here. She explains that there is a shelter more fitting for me. She wisks me away to a teen shelter and yet more light is shined. At this time I feel like fate and destiny is real. I managed to get 2 jobs working retail during the holidays out of sheer luck as they were next to each other in the mall and I couldn't really pass either up. Gamestop was my first real goal I had all my life that never failed and I was finally working there. After a month or so, a game called skyrim was released and a PC copy came up missing and I was to blame. I never had a PC at the time and I was framed to have stolen it. I was let go. I have a feeling it was stemming from a time I borrowed a copy of MW3 (it was just released and we were allowed to borrow used copies of games for a day). Some people were roughhousing while I was playing it and bumped into the console and scratched the disc. The game was super popular and my boss was furious. I ended up paying for the disc as I was asked, but it took 2 weeks or until the next paycheck. I left there at the end if season and not eligible for re-hire. Hollister was the other store. I applied to be stockrook so I could avoid as much interaction as possible as I was becoming a hermit at this point in my life. Working there, I soon realized why us impact employees were very limited in going out front. Because we were ultimately lesser than the managers and "models". I was pretty numb to shit like this at this point because it was feeding me and giving me money to soon blow on buying another pc. At the shelter, I had made it to the transitional living program with my job. Everything was rocky at first with my usual standoffish attitude and mentality that was always ready for debate. By March 2012, me and Aurora were falling out. School was overwhelming and guys started throwing themselves at her. At the same time a new girl came into play in my life. We ended up breaking up that month and I pursued this girl until a accomplice of mine ended up dating her. The same month, the shelter told me that they needed to find an alternative place for me as I wasn't giving 70% of my check to them to put in the bank and it was true. I couldn't even tell you where the money was going. I didn't do drugs or drink. Just buying mall food or clothes frok hollister. Right afterwards, I sat on my room's window looking down at the gothic steel fence below. A RA walked in to see how I was doing. It took 3 of them to force me back into the room as one made me realize how much this would hurt others in the building emotionally. They sent me to a psychiatric ward nearby where I stayed for 2 weeks. Once I was released, they told me I had a second chance and gave me a month to change. I ended up staying there until October when I invited a lady friend to the dorms to hang out. She brought alcohol (we we're both 21), but it was against the policies. I didn't know until she sat it on the table and the females living on the otherside of the hallway saw (we have to keep our apartment doors open during visits). They allowed me to keep my belongings at the shelter like my new computer, excess clothing and etc in storage, but I was going back to the adult shelter I sat at only a year prior new to St. Louis. I left after being admitted because of how sketchy it was and began my next few months homeless. I still had income and I had managed to get a 2nd job literally a week before I was kicked out. I was working overnights at Michael's and still hollister early morning until my shelter (whose RAs just dont give a shit) failed to wake me up at 11pm so I could go to Michael's. They told me I couldn't use my alarm, as I would wake others up which is understandable. I ended up losing Michael's and was so deep into depression that I layed across train tracks before being forced up by passerbys. I was taken to the local hospital and to yet anothers ward. I managed to contact my hollister job and shelter to tell them that I was in the hospital, but my shelter lost my paperwork and I couldn't give Hollister any but my wristband. They accepted it, but it was the start of a short rocky relationship. One of the managers found out why I was in the hospital because she saw my medication and she broke down in tears and hugged me for nearly 5 minutes right after sending me on my way out the store after being fired ( they have to check our bags to make sure we're not stealing ). My 90 days at the shelter ended sometime in January and with no job or place to stay, I took residence on the metrolink trains at night until they stopped and would sleep at the Airport or where ever warm I could lay my head without being harassed. The only thing keeping me intact, we're my food stamps. I trudged into the teen shelter in March and managed to stay in the 30 days shelter for close to 90 as they didn't want me at TLP as I screwed that up already. I managed to begin work at a YMCA just built not too far away and have been working there ever since, but eventually I had to leave the shelter regardless of my leaps and bounds accomplishments compared to my past stay. I managed to get a roommate at around April/May and things were going good. I was reuinited with my PC, I had a stable fun job as a lifeguard and life was sweet. We had to move however because the land lord found out that it was 2 of us in one apartment and I went back to being ttemporarily homeless again. We put our stuff in storage and she moved in with her dad while I went back to sleeping on trains and etc at night and working all the hours I'm legally capable during the day. This goes on for a few weeks before we get a place again and this is where stuff gets shady. I live with her for about a year and a half before I find out that she has a drug problem and let our storage get auctioned off or sold. My PC had a hard drive dating back to my early teen years, filled with projects I've worked on both visually and musically. Since then, before I moved out. I had gotten a 2nd job at another rec center as a lifeguard as well, as it helped me pass the time and I started to set goals that would require more money. In September, life was finally looking great. I had a stable new house with a garage where I could store my dream car that I was to soon own and I had just gotten promoted to head lifeguard. I was about to complete my lifelong goal of owning a E46 BMW M3. I had put my deposit on the car, but in order to finalize the purchase, I needed my driver's license. Something I never had growing up. I had failed the initial written test and for the whole first week of September while still working the remnants of the summer, I studied using a computer in the manager's office on every break. On the 9th, I passed the written portion and got my permit. I was in absolute bliss. I texted the car salesman right afterwards and then close friends. The next day someone reported that I had sexuallly abused 2 girls while working the prior week. The police was notified and I was suspended. It was at this point I learned not to trust anyone and that eeveryone is out to get me. I researched the odds of innocent people in this situation and it looked grim. I took out my deposit on the car nearly sobbing in the office and went to cash the checks if the inevitable happened. Few days later, the charges were dropped and was touted as hearsay and that it was uncharacteristic in the first place. Still I didn't trust anyone or anything and I managed to lose my wallet unknowingly on the buss with $400 of the deposit. I was devastated to say the least. I learned that for me, when it rained, it really fucking sleeted. They gave me my job back and the car was sold not long after the debacle happened. Then I found out about the drug problem and I moved out in November 2014 and into a apartment with a guy I met on craigslist. Things go smoothly as we both had rough childhoods where we weren't accepted by families and society in general ( he was gay and I had aspriations to become a race car driver, game designer, filmmaker ). But we started butting heads once his brain cancer flared again. Really menial things became huge issues and I had to leave. I networked with a friend I work with at the 2nd pool he needed a roommate as well. We managed to get a nice house from his aunt for $300 a month each in June this year. Around this time, I had purchased my first car not too long ago and it was a trouble keeping up with it, but I got the hang of it. Then on my birthday it quit on me. I lived far away from both jobs to the point was public transit would take 2 hours to get to and from, so I had to take a leave of absence from the ymca and hitch rides with my roommate to the other job. It took me 2 long and probabltr agonizing months to my friend to save up enough to buy the cheapest and most reliable beater that I still have to this date. I went back to work at the ymca in october. Going back to 10-15 hour days so suddenly had taken it's toll and twice in October, I had "missed saves" during swim lessons that the lesson coordinator freaked out on and reported to my supervisors on. Me and my friend find out that the house is foreclosing and that we have to move out by January 2nd. Not long afterwards my bosses pull me aside early December and tell me that they have to let me go for safety of the patrons and that maybe lifeguarding isn't for me. We end up finding a apartment 2 weeks ago, but we turned in the application a week ago and haven't heard back since. I'm once again back at square one and I just don't know if j can continue. I stated back that I'm a believer in fate and this is ultimately the reason why I don't see myself past 25. Because this series of unfortunate events will be my last. I'm sitting here trying desperately to sell my 2nd car that I bought while I was stable and to find a place to stay as no apartment will accept me because of my lack of credit history and only one job. I just give up and I'm tired of falling. This time I lost my job, my one true love, my sanity. I'm probably going to copy all this and print it for usage as a note when the time comes. For those who stuck to the crazy ride this post has become as it took me 2 hours to type on my phone, I really appreciate it no matter how you take it all in. All the matters is that you took the time to do so. Something not alot of people are willing to do for others.
AMAZING question, It actually makes it worse. I had never gambled a day in my life until I took that position. It is the same across the board. Never met another manager that doesnt gamble.
I could not ask for a better job. Excitement every single day. Learing to control personal demons such as gambling and alcohol is always a fighting battle given the situation.
I like to play 1$ slots and blackjack for the most part. On blackjack my average bet is probably 60-75$. My salary does go back, but a portion of it does. I am pretty good at controlling myself, gets better by the year.
Several times. With the security features we use, shuffle machines and cutting off 2-3 decks from the back, it's nearly impossible. Hell we will even teach you how to do it if you'll stay a while ;)
Here in Alberta, the maximum per spot on blackjack is 1000. I did witness a total table wager( by one player) Of 15,000. This was after he split 6 times and doubled once. He won evry wager on that hand.
I watched someone win 24,000 on a slot machine. I reset his machine and he won 24,000 the next spin. I had the machine investigated by AGLC and all was well. He was 80 so I don't think he could cheat. Lol.
No we do not pump oxygen into the casino, It is not allowed. I had to fire an employee for masturbating in the customer bathrooms. Slots are rarely successfully tampered with, but it does happen quite often. The penalty is a fine and up to jail time. You can get in a LOT of trouble for trying something that is nearly impossible, like cheating a slot machine No problem :)
I walked in to the washroom to check on the status of the last cleaning, and I caught him beating it with the stall door open... he forgot to lock it. was very obvious and he didnt even try to deny it.
A guy in the middle of a hand, did not agree with the way a dealer "flipped" their hole card so he took his bets off the table (approx 1400$) and tried to pocket them before we could count what he had bet. He then tried to replace his bets after we asked with about 800$. It was very very easy to catch the amount that was originally on there. Cameras/pit boss/dealer all agreed to the exact amount. He was later found trying to cash out $600 in chips (after losing) lol.
Yup, I am known as the prankster. I like to send new employees looking for left handed roulette balls or polish for the blackjack shoes. After they waste an hour or so I tell them. And they are laughed at by patrons and employees. Its all in good fun. Never had a complaint.
I review the situation, and If I deem it cheating, a review is sent to AGLC and the patrons information gathered along with a police investigation. They will be prosecuted.
I have caught cheaters, almost always at blackjack and threecard poker. The most common way they cheat is called "pressing". Having a partner distract the dealer for a second while they use slight of hand to add chips. Some people are very good at this, so good its tough to see on camera even.
Yes we catch dirty prostitutes all the time. The ban process is easy. We take what info we have on them, take a recent photo from a surveillance screenshot and then post it to the banned wall :)
The guards are pretty well trained. Also we have over 200 cameras. You are on camera within 1 KM of the casino. Also, all doors locked with special proxy cards that only have access to certain rooms, depending on position.
It took me 4 years to get where I am. Went from dealer to pit boss to pit supervisor to games manager. I haven't taken any special courses really. Some training sessions but that's about it. You need to have the gift they say. As for responsibilities. I am in charge of running every department when I am on shift. And I am in charge of all the money. The movies have not done anything except make us money. People come in all the time thinking they will count cards and win, and we smash them.
That I can't really disclose. Although. It's quite funny which one is the worst. I will leave it at that. I'm sure that comment alone will help some people.
Never been to Montecarlo, but from everything I have learned about it, It is very similar to our casinos in Canada (barring a few different table games). They have a lot of the same slot machines and their security is VERY high.
Our casino is only open for 17 hours at a time maximum. That is the law in this province. But under certain circumstances, we do offer help to people we notice becoming chronic gamblers.
We offer councelling (not directly, but sources) and different programs such as VSE. VSE= Voluntary Self Exclusion. You will be excluded from gaming in ALL of Alberta. If caught in gaming facilities you can be arrested.
Yes background checks and credit checks are run on ALL employees. We offer both continuous shuffles and shoes We use 8 decks and cut 3 off the back, as well as use a shoe cover. Very hard to count cards like that. In our casino I would be considered 2nd in line. High rollers are treated very well. Comped tabs etc. free trips to shows and all that jazz.
I am in charge of all departments when I am on shift. Pit boss is strictly in charge of the pit. I am always on the gaming floor interacting with guests. Its the best part of my job :)
Not from edmonton, but I do know who you are talking about. It is the discretion of the casinos. He should be banned but they have failed to file charges.
I ususally pick it. I pick it depending on the majority of the crowd. (old people = classic rock, young people = new music.) We have lots of playlists it doesnt really get too bad.
Never have I seen cheating by the house. I guarantee it doesnt happen in any legit casino in Canada. There are inspectors at all times. I truly believe that it doesnt happen. As a dealer myself I could "predict" my handsquite often. Because you do it so many times in one day you are bound to get it right.
Doesn't happen very often chip wise. But it does happen if people leave credits in a machine, drop money on the ground, or leave money in an ATM. We will hunt the patron down and force them to pay back the money.
Anyone have an in with Vegas/Laughlin casino security? Wanna help a fellow Redditor?
I've been busting my ass trying to get in to a real casino out here for a long time. it always ends up being 'who you know', and I don't know anyone. My CV is good, my work history is clean for the last couple years (made a few mistakes at my previous job, problems were remedied), but I don't look good on paper. I have 7 years in security. and 2 of that was in a casino. If I could get to an actual interview with someone, I have no doubt I could land the job. I just can't seem to get past the computer. I've tried calling. Anyone that has tried to get a job in one of the big gaming companies knows that calling is about as pointless as standing on my balcony and yelling. I just get looped from Corp HR to Casino HR back to Corp HR and back again. I've tried going in person. I get as far as the supervisor that tells me 'Go online and apply. Our hiring manager will get back to you.' At one point I thought I had it nailed at the Excalibur, cuz a friend of a friend is security manager there. Again, put in my app. Him and I both kept on her about it. Kept being told to give her time. After 6 months, my application expired and the position was filled. Anyone got a hand they can lend? *tl;dr: I want a job in a Vegas or Laughlin casino. I have the experience to back it up, but without an in, I'm basically fucked. Anyone out there that can put in a word for me? * MGM, Harrah's, Station, Boyd, whatever. Just something to get me in the door.
[Table] IAmA Casino Pit Boss with years of experience in Table Games and Casino Ops and would love to answer questions you may have about the business!
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I saw a guy lose $1,000,000 once, I actually was dealing when he lost about $200,000 of that in about 15 minutes. It made me sick, but he didn't seem to mind much. Later he attempted to sue the casino because "clearly his drinks were spiked," but he later recanted that.
How to get comps: Play for a long time and/or have a strong average bet. Buying in for large amounts and then not playing won't get you comps. Alternatively, be a fun person and the supervisor will probably hook you up because we appreciate the fun (not drunk) people.
Those two words likely don't go together. Trust me, we deal with SO many people every night that if you're drunk we are probably throwing you in with the others no matter what.
Counting cards is not cheating at all. You're not doing anything but keeping a running total in your head and basing your play off of that. That being said, casinos are private businesses and can refuse service to anyone for any reason. Yes, people have been caught counting cards. The majority of them aren't that good at it, to be honest, and so we let them think they're getting one over on us (and still lose.) If someone wins "too much" or does too well, they will be approached by senior management and told that they can still play but can no longer play blackjack.
Generally I'm looking to see if they deviate from a reasonable basic strategy and have an abnormal success rate on hands where they make questionable plays. At that point I'll run a count as they play and see if they are changing their strategy and/or betting patterns when the count is in their favor.
Honestly these days it's all computerized. Your play (on your players card) determines the comps you get. If it's your first time or your birthday (or you've played and/or lost a lot) you'll get more than you "should."
Some casinos (ours included) don't use the electronic betting recognition sofware. If you don't see the dealer pressing a little button before each hand, here's my advice - bet big right at the beginning. A lot of supervisors will put in your average bet when you first sit down and they swipe your players card and then won't adjust your average bet unless you made big changes throughout playing.
My favorite person in the world is my lovely girlfriend, who asked me to do this and also supports me in literally every aspect of my life. She's an incredible person, I'll tell you that much!
We've permanently evicted people for threatening physical violence on other players and/or employees, getting into fights, things like that. A man peed under a blackjack table once; he was evicted and arrested!
Good lord, don't do this. Best-case scenario you get away with it, worst-case scenario you're arrested. You could also get thrown out if they don't want to deal with the cops or it wasn't that large of an amount. But seriously, just bet the don't from the start. You make your money off of the odds anyway.
Cheating is less common than you may think these days. The technology we employ is really advanced, as most places have upgraded their surveillance tech. We can see a lot now. The best ways that people cheat now aren't by physically manipulating things, but by "taking shots." Little things, things like making a hand signal that could be interpreted as a hit or a stand and then raising a fuss if it doesn't go your way. Most casinos will just give you the money if it's not too much instead of fully investigate it.
Some casinos use RFID (they'll have a more plastic feel to them.) Honestly, even high-value casinos' chips are subject to counterfeiting. I've seen stickers replaced, I've even seen people paint lower-denomination chips to look like higher-denomination chips.
The best odds of all the table games is betting the Don't Pass with max odds behind it. Second-best is the Pass Line with max odds behind it. Those odds are true odds, the casino has ZERO house edge.
I HATE auto-shufflers. No, they have no way of knowing how many people are playing at the table or which cards go to the dealer. It's legitimately random, moreso than some dealers who have specific shuffles.
Honestly, I'm probably not looking unless you're winning a large amount or you're making really large swings in your bets. I won't let you know if I suspect you, I'll have already called surveillance and they'll be running down (counting along) on the next shoe to see what you're doing. If you see security or people in suits near your table, just color up and leave. They won't do anything to you, but they're preparing to talk to you about what they've found and might back you off.
Most states will publish the odds for slot machines. Honestly most machines at reputable places (as in not bars) will have a return rate of 95-98%. That's a lower house edge than carnival games or even roulette.
The best perk? Honestly, that it pays well and I don't actually have to DO too much, haha.
I'm fine with people making "dumb" moves. Generally the dealer will say "Are you suuure?" if someone is about to split up their 20 or something like that. Other players do get mad when someone does something, but we protect our players. If someone wants to make a nonstandard or risky move, they have every right to. I personally wouldn't let a player berate another player, and it has nothing to do with the casino's interests.
Facial recognition software has always been pretty strong going back for quite a while now. There aren't really too many ways it's used other than for people who have cheated or who have overall suspicious behavior. That's the only reason we'd want to run the software on someone.
The only time players will get mad is if you're right on top of them. Stand back, see if you can get a pamphlet on the rules of the game you're watching, or just ask the dealers or supervisors! Honestly, they want you to play - not because they want to take your money, but because it's fun to teach and show someone. As for "easy" games, roulette is pretty easy to learn, dice is the most fun but can be overwhelming, carnival games (Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud) are very easy since they're all poker-based.
We're not allowed to tell someone that we think they have a problem, but we can respond if they tell us they do. We have paperwork on it, we're trained to spot it (chasing losses, claiming to bet money they can't afford, etc) and we also have a hotline they can call. Additionally, players can fill out self-exclusion paperwork banning themselves from the casino if they feel they can't gamble responsibly. If they come back while banned, they can and will be arrested for trespassing.
Table Games pays VERY well compared to other departments. Your housekeeping and security is probably making $10-$12/hr (more than they would at non-casino businesses, but still) and your slot techs are probably making $14 or so an hour. Dealers with the toke rate start above $20/hr, and as you go up (supervisors don't make tips where I work and at most places, although some places give supervisors a cut of it) you make more. Especially for the amount of work I do, I get paid well.
You wouldn't get in trouble at all. Just turn away from the table. Although for comedy purposes, the waitress could come back and say "7&7?" as she brought the drink really loudly, then the table sevens out and blames her.
Before I started working at my current place I heard a story that happened there where the dealer was using their back foot to stop the Big Six wheel (never play Big Six; happy it's gone) early which meant that the people playing knew where it would stop. He was physically handcuffed at the table and arrested. DON'T CHEAT.
You can just push a chip forward and say "For you." They'll thank you and drop it! -Not really, no. Play what you want! Stay away from unruly people in general, wherever they may be. Enjoy yourself!
Years ago a guy was playing blackjack. He lost, left, and then came back with five crumpled up $1 bills so that he could make a $5 bet. He lost, was gone for another hour, and then came back and did it again.
I'm okay with people who come every day, some people enjoy it. But I hate to see people play with money they shouldn't bet with.
It's a lot less stressful than you're worried about. Go in, talk to people, enjoy yourself. It's seriously not that big of a deal, just enjoy your first time! Bring an amount you're okay with losing. Don't bring your ATM card in. Don't chase losses (I know I just lost my last bet but I know I can win the next one!)
It's in your head. The day of, they probably kept tabs on you because you happened to be in an off-limits area with a money transfer. Now, they wouldn't remember or care.
It depends on the casino. Most places I've worked bring in 60-90% of their floor revenue from slots (10-40$ from tables.) Smaller places pull in six-figures per day easily, even on slower days.
It's not part of the dealers' jobs to berate someone that's winning. The only things that should bother a good dice dealer are when people are throwing in tons of late bets or are being rude. If you're winning, good for you! Keep winning! Sounds like they were just being jerks.
It's me, I'm the pit boss. I've come across a couple. The most recent one is a lady that our surveillance ran a report on and concluded that she's definitely counting. She's not that good at it, though, so we let her go because even though she bets big she doesn't actually win. We have the camera on her every time she plays, though.
Mississippi Stud, by far. It used to be Three Card, but it's all about Mississippi Stud now. Total tables at our place is ~40 or so. We haven't had too many new games, lately it's just been adding bonus bets to existing games (three card bonus bets on pretty much all of our carnival games now.)
Most casinos have a tip policy. I can't accept chips or money at all (dealers can accept chips, obviously.) We can't accept non-monetary gifts with a value of over $50 as well.
As a dealer, I've been tipped in orange ($1,000) chips before by high-limit players.
It's hard to say. The amount of people cheating with old methods (counting cards, etc) has declined. The amount of people taking shots (pretending they didn't want that hit, things like that) has increased, but it's harder to prove.
There really aren't ways to maximize it. Increasing your hands per hour won't matter to the computer system, you'd honestly be better off betting more at a slower table because then it shows a higher average bet over a longer period of time.
You apply when a job is available and when a casino is starting/advertising a "dealer school." Some places will offer the training which is usually free, but you're not technically hired until after the class.
Great question! Everyone has to get a responsible alcohol server card, even people that don't serve drinks. It's a basic class that goes over how to spot intoxication, drinks per hour, things like that. People who can serve drinks also have to have a bar card. Where I work, dealers and supervisors can't cut people off. The Pit calls a Beverage Supervisor who makes that call.
It's an interesting question. Some places in the US don't serve free drinks. Everywhere is different. I don't foresee it actually taking, it's a pretty big part of "the experience."
All carnival games are the same. Let It Ride is reverse Mississippi Stud, all the other games like Three Card and Flop are just variants of poker. Live poker is a little different, you can read and learn about it! There's always blackjack, which is simple and fun.
16 tables per supervisor? Different casinos have different terminology, ours has a floor per 4-6 tables and then a pit that oversees it all. 16 seems crazy to me.
Interesting. We have about 40 tables total across multiple pits, but only one pit manager who oversees it all and runs the pencil/rosteroadmap. 1-3 floors per pit, depending on the size (4-6 tables per floor)
Personally, I'd like the tip instead of the bet. One of the places I worked at trained the dealers to always take it instead of betting it. Those bets have house odds; give me the money!
TV shows are dumb. We have cameras everywhere that can zoom in pretty well (no ENHANCE! ENHANCE!) Huge places in Vegas probably do have very sophisticated technology, we're smaller and so we have tons of cameras, security, electronic locks and vaults, things like that.
Last updated: 2014-04-13 00:47 UTC This post was generated by a robot! Send all complaints to epsy.
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