Free Republic

Amsterdam becoming the car tipping capital of the world?Ever seen one of those little Smart cars? They may be pretty rare in the US, but in Europe you'll have a hard time not being able to find the little buggers. Especially in the major cities of Europe, the small cars are extremely popular, as they are a breeze to park. In fact, they are so easy to park, that many owners can fit two of them in a single parking spot. Smart car owners in Amsterdam may be starting to have second thoughts about their little cars, because of an...

Hundreds of emails from Hondurans flooded my in-box last week after I reported on the military's arrest of President Manuel Zelaya, as ordered by the Supreme Court, and his subsequent banishment from the country. Mr. Zelaya's violations of the rule of law in recent months were numerous. But the tipping point came 10 days ago, when he led a violent mob that stormed a military base to seize and distribute Venezuelan-printed ballots for an illegal referendum. All but a handful of my letters pleaded for international understanding of the threat to the constitutional democracy that Mr. Zelaya presented. One phrase...

ABC News' Eloise Harper Reports: Rule number one when campaigning at a diner: always leave a good tip -- and, apparently, make sure it gets properly 'disbursed'. In early October, Sen. Hillary Clinton's 'Middle Class Express' made a pit stop at the Maid Rite diner in Marshalltown, Iowa. The New York senator, joined by local political luminaries Christie Vilsack and Ruth Harkin, enjoyed a famous loose meat sandwich and attempted to hand caucus cards to the Iowans inside. Clinton also spoke to one of the diner's waitresses, Anita Esterday. It was her first day on the job and she and...

Staff at a hotel in western Sweden have received what must be their best-ever tip: shares worth 1.5 million kronor ($225,000). The shares have been given to the staff of the Laholmen Hotel in Strömstad, on the Norwegian border, by 93-year-old Stockholmer Matts O Westerberg. He has been a regular guest at the hotel since 1986. The dividends from the shares are to be given to the hotel's employee of the year. "I was given such a fantastic welcome from my very first visit that I have been back for a couple of weeks in the spring and a couple...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking at Georgetown University, gave one of his more engaging speeches today about the environment. The lecture, sponsored by Newsweek magazine, focused on the green revolution sweeping the United States. The speech was classic Schwarzenegger: all about forward movement and staying positive. Once, he said, environmentalists "were no fun. They were like prohibitionists at the fraternity party." But things have changed, he said, and environmentalism is part of the Establishment, with critical mass and confidence. Schwarzenegger said "for too long the environmental movement has been powered by guilt. But I believe this is about to switch over...

After finishing dinner at a Connecticut restaurant, two diners got more than a butter mint when a waiter, apparently miffed by a $2 to $3 tip left on a $50 check, attacked them with a knife. They only suffered minor injuries, but no doubt tipped much better after that. While violent cases of waiter rage are rare, the 1989 incident points to waiters' sticky reliance on tips for income. In some states, restaurants are only legally required to pay as little as $2 or $3 an hour. So if a server earns $30 in tips on a bad night, he...

The freedoms we experience in America are so plentiful that they even include preserving the choice of whether or not we should tip the people who wait on us. When we go out to eat, we expect good service in order to have a good meal; and if we receive that good service, we provide a tip to show our appreciation. If we don’t get that service, and we have to wait more that 10 minutes for a refill, we can choose not to tip, thereby showing our disapproval with that particular waiter.

Congressional leaders Thursday called on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate reports that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has given information to the Mexican government about the locations of U.S. civilian border watch groups. California Reps. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, and Darryl Issa, R-Vista, along with Texas Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, sent a formal letter to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff asking for a full investigation into all circumstances and events related to civilian border observation groups and the Mexican government. The letter was in response to a story published in Tuesday's Daily Bulletin, which reported Border Patrol officials shared...

It has recently been publicized that a 20 percent tip is now appropriate because servers are usually only guaranteed $2.13 an hour and the tips have to be split. Let me explain something. It is the customer's sole right to determine whether a tip is given, the amount and who will be the recipient of his tip. Such rights are not only guaranteed by our constitution they are clearly explained in the Code of Federal Regulations. Customers may tip any amount they choose. Instead of a higher tip being appropriate, what is now actually appropriate is for the public to...

Bad tippers and bitter waitressesBy Jack Kemp (not the politician) Nov. 26, 2005 Once, years ago, I heard a heard a lecture by a rabbi on dating. He advised that if your date treats a waiter/waitress or a busboy in a condescending and mean manner, that is the way they will treat you after a while – if you were to marry them. Today's New York Post had an article about cheap celebrity tippers listed on the website www.bitterwaitress.com. I went there to see how many well known political "champions of the little guy and gal" rated. I cross referenced the...

Waiter, there's a service charge on my soup. Customers at a high-end Manhattan restaurant soon will notice an extra expense when they get their bill, and not only for their soup course. Beginning Thursday, chef Thomas Keller will charge customers a 20 percent service fee at Per Se, his year-old outpost in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, where the views of Central Park are nearly as breathtaking as the prices.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - China is building up its military at a pace and scope that is tipping the military balance against Taiwan and could pose a credible threat to modern militaries operating in the region, a Pentagon report on Chinese military power said. The annual report to Congress said China's actual defense spending is estimated to be two to three times more than acknowledged by Beijing, or up to 90 billion dollars this year, the largest in Asia and the third largest in the world after the United States and Russia. The report detailed China's efforts to improve and add...

Here are some parameters for tipping valued-or not so valued-employees.

(AP) A New York City man accused of leaving an inadequate tip at a restaurant was arrested, fingerprinted and photographed for a mug shot. Humberto A. Taveras, 41, faces a misdemeanor charge of theft of services after he and his fellow diners argued with Soprano's Italian and American Grill managers over the legality of requiring an 18 percent tip for large parties. "They chased us down like a bunch of criminals," Taveras said. "It killed our weekend." Taveras and eight others had pizza at the restaurant in this resort village Sunday night. He told the Glens Falls Post-Star they weren't...

THERE'S an imperfection that might offer a clue as to why Tiger Woods (above) and Swedish stunner Elin Nordegren have reportedly split. He's cheap. A valet at the Rio in Las Vegas tells us Woods is one of the worst tippers ever. "Tiger is arrogant and cheap," the valet said. "He would rather carry his own bag than tip us. But if Tiger is traveling with his dad, his dad compensates for his son's thoughtlessness." On the other hand, another Woods, actor James Woods, is the nicest man — "great guy, friendly, egoless, and great tipper."

Tip means To Insure Promptness, or Tips, To Insure Promt Service... Numerous writings regarding the history of "tipping" would indicate that tipping came about centuries ago, and was paid up front to insure prompt service subsequent to you providing a gratuity. Now, the gratuity is paid after the fact; just another aspect of how backasswards things have become. Gone are the olden days when the innkeeper's daughter was the servant administering to weary travelers at wayside inns. But today, tipping has grown into an institution unto itself, and we are "conditioned" to this with obedience, and without question, no resistence,...

Gossip About: Julia Roberts Location: Glen Ellyn, IL Restaurant: Glen Oaks Restaurant I was fortunate enough to receive a whopping $12.00 tip from Julia,Danny Moder, and the film crew when they dined in my place of employment last year sometime, they were in Glen Ellyn filming "OLD FRIENDS" There had to be 12 of them in all. My boss picked up the check, why, God only knows, the bitch makes millions a flick! Whatever, anyways, the check was around $125.00. I would have thrown more down on the table, thats alright, next time I'll let someone else wait on her,...

July 11, 2003 -- A new study finds many waiters and waitresses feel that black Americans generally tip less than restaurant diners who are white. The study, by a researcher at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, found that blacks tip on average 20 percent less than whites. In addition, restaurant workers of all races dislike waiting on black people because they assume the tips will be less no matter how good the service. NPR's Juan Williams reports. The study found that 63 percent of blacks and 30 percent of whites didn't understand that the standard restaurant tip in the...

After a night of beers in Billings, one Colorado cowboy isn't feeling so good. Charmed by a waitress raising two small children, the bar-hopping cowboy piled a $2,000 tip onto an $11 bar tab. Now, much sobered up, he wants his tip back, or most of it. The young cowboy, who doesn't want his name used, came to Montana for the Miles City Bucking Horse Sale. On his way home Sunday night, he and a friend visited the Billings Club for a few drinks. He was a gentleman, said the waitress, Tara, who is 21. "He told me to go...