From Russia: Sad

Thanks to current US - Russia policy meltdown due to the Snowden & LGBT mishugas  the visas of all students from Russia, Ukraine, are cancelled as of this week. At least here at the beach, we will lose important staff members before the busiest holiday of the year. We will be saying good-bye to young friends who've worked with us for 2 or 3 summers.  They will lose valuable income that was to supplement the cost of their education back home.

This is going to create a vacuum that will go unfilled; most American college students are already back in class or return this week - before the Labor Day weekend.  Here at the beach we are already close to burnout, so extra care needs to be taken to ensure that we don't actually reach that point. 

And, please don't go off on "hiring Americans is better for business" because it's a moot point.  From my perspective:

• They have no work ethic. 
• They are unable to complete a standard job application. 
• They will work only when they want to work.   
• Too many tattoos & piercings assures them no job in service industry.
• They are caught stealing far too often.  

I won't even attempt to describe how they dress (or not) for a job interview; too gruesome.

I now have 5 seasons under my belt and in all that time only 3 Americans have survived and thrived at the restaurant. Most last less than a week.  Yes, the work is hard, but the payoff is well worth the effort.

Getting through the next five days is the focus of the moment. Things ought to let up a little after that. 

And so it goes.
*