Yes, I believe this year’s DNC organisers have glanced at and taken inspiration from an annual event in Europe.
You can tell that Kamala Harris, with the generous selflessness of Joe Biden, has not just raised a gazillion dollars in no time, but she mobilized Hollywood and the music industry!
When the assassination attempt on Trump happened, I predicted in my blog post that neither Biden nor Trump will be president. It’s safe to say that after especially last night’s DNC (20.08.2024) Trump is shaking in his boots or maybe is using the toilet for its intended purpose this time!
I am watching the full DNC 2024 this week where ever I can find the 6+ hours re-run.
Last night (20.08.2024) in Chicago was a clear sign how the music industry, artists, Hollywood has pumped into this convention.
I can see the influence of Eurovision. For American readers, Eurovision is the biggest annual music event in the world where European countries (but also Israel and now Australia) compete in song. Eurovision started in the 1950s, and in those days most countries sang in their own language. It has become quite “kitschy” with a lot of gimmicks and somewhat political, but it’s a fun even that brings nations together. ABBA and Celine Dion for example had their breakthrough due to their Eurovision wins. It’s a massive career starter for many.
It has become months-long event now, where before it was just one night. Now it’s spread out to several weeks and has become more commercialized. But as usual in the finals every participating country VOTES on who will win the contest. They also now added a vote by the jury. It used to be only the public voting.
But each country cannot vote for its own country. So, as I am in the UK, I could not vote for the UK artist/song. But as I’m German and while in the UK, I can vote for Germany, muhahahaa … 😀
Every country then has a representative (often some famous national celebrity or TV personality) who calls in to give the final vote in numbers on how the public of that country called in their votes. it’s a point system with 12 being the highest vote a country gives to another country. Which-ever country wins with most votes overall will be the Eurovision host the following year.
In 2022 Ukraine won, and I believe it was more political than anything. But the next Eurovision song contest of 2023 was then held in the UK instead of Ukraine for obvious reasons of the ongoing war.
I was tempted to call the Eurovision vote as by the “United States of Europe (USE)” but some countries who participate are not in the EU like Switzerland, as well as Israel’s and Australia’s part, but you get the gist. The way each US State voted last night with number, I don’t yet understand, but when I watched this, I thought of Eurovision.
Whoever pulled off last night’s DNC event in such a short time, must be someone who took the idea from the Eurovision voting system. And the fundraiser shows the quality of how they put it all together. They nailed it!!! (Although the “DJ” didn’t seem to be deejaying live, but it wasn’t about one super-star musician or DJ). But this even just from an artistic point of view was a game changer in how they will do political conventions from now on!
Example of Eurovision voting:
.
.
Last night’s State by State voting for Kamala Harris:
They could have not done this better (except have a LIVE DJ)!
It’s WORTH watching the whole thing of this “Alphabetical Role Call” State by State! I fast forward to the spot when this starts! Love it!
.
.
And this convention has changed all conventions from now on! This convention, and particularly this 20th August evening has set the tone for all the conventions to come. No matter which political party is putting on a convention.
And they did it very poignant, the theme: For the People. And the way Kamala came out in a surprising way, even her husband seemed surprised, and last night THE PEOPLE speaking with ONE voice, not any one particular super star, but the people!
I lived in the States when Bush junior was president. I didn’t understand politics then, but I surely wish I was there now. The atmosphere must be electric! Well done. Donate some toilet paper to Mr Orange Man!
Also, France recently voted against the right; the UK recently voted against the corrupt Tory party; the USA is following. You made the curve.
Congrats to your new president Kamala Harris and vice president Tim Walz! This will be a LANDSLIDE win!
.
.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post. An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou. I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
Please also see the MEDIA page for more on my work with the press.
Pret have now announced to be trialling body cameras in six shops for team leaders. If they roll it out company-wide after the trial I doubt, for reasons I explain below. One reason they might not roll it out to all shops is the cost. Pret have lowered the quality of many products changing them to cheaper ingredients as Pret are aggressively expanding while being £700 million in debt. For American readers, that’s a steep climb up towards $1 Billion. But also, body cam then requires logging the daily use of it which takes extra time of an already understaffed / high staff turn over company.
The Guardian and other press reports give the reason as in attacks and crime having risen. But while there are always issues in shops with aggressive customers or theft, knowing Pret and how little they care about staff (and customers!), this is NOT the reason.
Not only have Pret ignored TWO customer deaths and multiple injuries, ONLY slowly acting when this became public, but they also ignore safety issues with staff leading to a £800,000 fine last year after another staff got trapped in the same walk-in freezer with a faulty door, this time for over 2 hours fighting for her life. And she is still blamed for it. Pret knew about the faulty door for 18 months!!! The shop raised this issue for 18 months, and as usual, Pret did nothing. Only heavy fines and press reports will kick their butts.
After 40 years in business only now do Pret employ an outside company to prevent such horror incident again. I would always laugh or shake my head when people on social media praised Pret for being “trail blazers” on issues, not realising how they are the complete opposite!
Pret are trail blazers in hurting customers and staff alike, and neglecting safety, NOT in preventing death and injuries. The mislabelling of food continues and Pret at times even sell mouldy food.
And now, they trial body cams, but NOT because of increased theft or individual attacks, nopes. Theft and aggression has always been the case. During the coffee subscription especially, customers became aggressive as waiting times in the queue increased and the mix-up of coffees under extremely over-stretched working conditions. The only thing Pret did was to put signs into shops about “being kind” to staff bla bla bla.
.
.
But no security. No body cams! Just “be kind” bla bla.
Having seen it myself, the article mentions that Tesco have also given their staff body cams. BUT, Tesco have security in EVERY store, even the small Tesco Express stores! The body cams are mainly to gather evidence.
Pret have some security in hot spots like Victoria or Brixton stores WHEN shop managers press Pret about it! But any other shop it’s the Wild West for staff. A manager once told me that security is too expensive for shops and that shops are footed the bill.
Instead of taking quick action, Pret always first “trial” things. the same when customers died and gotten injured despite previous warnings to label the food, Pret did NOTHING until the fatalities became public, and then only trialling first on how the labelling works.
Now with the body cams in six shops for team leaders, this is NOT due to rising attacks in society, this is due to all the pro-Hamas demonstrations where demonstrators stormed Pret stores across the country for 1.5 YEARS!
Around January 2023 pro-Palestine, and I call them pro-Hamas supporters, started demonstrating and calling for Pret boycotts when they learnt of Pret’s plans to open shops in Israel as Pret are tasked by their owners to double in size by 2026.
I call them pro-Hamas because there is no concern from them towards Syrian refugees and victims, or Ukraine and other global conflicts. Not to mention completely ignoring how Hamas has “butchered” Israelis and went on a big propaganda campaign, as well as using Palestinians as human shields while Egypt and surrounding countries REFUSE to take in Palestinian refugees.
People demonstrated outside of Pret stores and also went inside with megaphones calling for boycotts. A big online campaign under the hashtag #PretAPartheid started and people relentlessly literally bullied Pret online and off. Not that I care that Pret get bullied, just saying!
Please do your own research on the PretAPartheid campaign, as I don’t want to turn my posts into books all the time.
When Israel was attacked on October 7th 2023 by Hamas, and Israel started to retaliate, coming after Hamas, the calls for boycotting Pret and entering stores intensified. At some point demonstrators even emptied entire fridge shelves off food and claimed they’d be giving it to poor people (see video below).
Here are just few of the many pictures and below some videos of the relentless bullying of demonstrators at and inside of Pret shops which now led sleepy Pret to provide “some” body cams to “some” staff (team leaders) in “some” shops as a trial! Pret yet again only acting after extreme, intensive, almost 2 years of relentless attacks by mobs.
And these pictures are from January and February 2023! The videos are from 2023 and 2024. One-and-a-half years of storming Pret stores before Pret even considers lifting a finger for the safety of staff and customers! And then only now responding with body cams for evidence gathering, despite shops being littered with CCTV cameras, but still no security.
I always say to people that if you want to demonstrate against Pret, whether I agree with your cause or not, do NOT go to the shops and harass the low-wage staff who have nothing to do with anything, go to HEAD OFFICE! Go to the HEART of the company!
So, what do Pret do after ONE-AND-A-HALF YEARS of this bullying campaign towards poor Pret workers? Pret do NOT get security in, because this costs too much, no, they slap cameras on team leaders who are the REAL managers in shops getting the blame and bearing the brunt of issues while the manager sits in the office, hiding from the front line. Having said that, managers are also exploited by Pret, but at least they have the “freedom” to hide in the office or at home while the team leader is the one in the trenches.
And needless to say, Pret now as of June 2024 pulled out of plans to open in Israel, giving the reason as being the war, but the real reason is thousands upon thousands of people having boycotted Pret for over a year. Some of many videos.
For some reason WordPress stretches the videos vertically and I don’t know how to fix this. But I put the links underneath to the videos.
Little but important side note to customers and staff: You can do a data request under GDPR to request video footage when you are filmed. You have 30 days from the day you were filmed to request the footage! Pret might try to avoid having to give out footage with all kinds of excuses, but do your research on the laws including the time frame for requests!
Even police have to 1. inform you when they switch the body cam on and 2. you can request the footage under GDPR.
Pret might try to convince you that there is no video of you, as you can only request video where YOU or anyone that you are a legal guardian for, have been filmed or photographed. So, do in-depth research on the laws, so you have confidence when dealing with Pret’s bullsh!t.
This also includes body cam and photos/videos taken from a mobile phone or any other recording device. If a staff member uses their own private phone DURING their shift (which they’re not allowed to by the way), it should be classed as footage on behalf of the company.
If a private person films or photographs you in public, there’s nothing you can do about it, only in public with police and/or companies using video can you request the footage, but not from a private person taking photos in public. Private persons are not bound to GDPR, but the police, ambulance, companies etc. are. Anyone who is a “data handler” on behalf of the government or companies has to warn you that they film and have to give out the footage upon request. Know your rights!
I chased a cop away in what auditors call the “walk of shame” after he tried to intimidate me because I was observing a traffic stop without even filming at first. He rushed towards me trying to intimidate me. Once I pulled my phone/camera out and confronted him, he dashed off!
Video of this:
.
.
So, know your rights!
From the GOV site quote, “You have the right to request CCTV footage of yourself. You need to make a request to the owner of the CCTV system. You can do this either in writing or verbally.”From Gov.uk
ALWAYS do such requests in WRITING! Email is enough. If Pret doesn’t comply, get the ICO involved. Companies get fined high sums all the time for disregarding GDPR requests.
.
BEFORE Hamas attacked Israel:
Starting in January and February 2023. Some videos that I bookmarked from Twitter and Facebook etc. have now been deleted. So, I quickly saved some. But there is more.
This one is from Reuters. But the reason is not the war, the demonstrators bullied Pret relentlessly.
.
.
The mighty McDonald’s and numerous other corporations boycotted by pro-Hamas crowds have filed losses in the millions each, even billions. In comparison to McDonald’s, Pret is a tiny company.
And Pret being £700 million in debt, now having brought back RE-co-founder Sinclair Beecham to help fix the mess, while CEO Pano Christou with his 20+ years in Pret is busy presenting himself in the media as this great CEO. Pret now bowed to boycott pressure and just slap a camera on a team leader and that was that. Back to business as usual. Until the next casualty and the camera footage just covering Pret’s asses.
Support small independent businesses and get yourself an espresso machine for the office and/or home.
UPDATE September 2024:
Pret pay £3 million after having pulled out.
.
.
.
How about Pret pay the Ednan-Laperouse and Marsh families for the deaths of their loved ones, and the multiple people who got injued in Pret. And how is that court case for comensation going to the woman who almost died in a freezer Pret was fined £800,000 for by Westminster Council in 2023?
.
.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post. An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou. I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
I’m not a believer or Bible person anymore (thank god!), but I DO understand the lack of care from “friends”.
I don’t believe in Jesus, god etc. anymore, I only believe in a great literally story.
It took me YEARS to understand the “Jesus-Complex”.
Jesus went to the cross to get punished for something he hasn’t done, because the authors of such story UNDERSTOOD co-dependency. So, they crucified him. Jesus was disappointed that his “friends” aka disciples fell asleep and couldn’t even stay up for ONE hour before he was to suffer horror-torture and die.
For me, it happened the other way around.
It was AFTER my trauma that “friends” couldn’t stay around for an hour. One Christian friend said after I asked for someone to please come just for an hour, she said “I have to spend time with god”, meaning she has to go to church as it was Sunday.
After that conversation I realised, “Leave the donkey in the cistern on the sabbath”.
»Then he [Jesus] asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?”« Luke 14:5
Nopes. Not gonna happen, UNLESS you are rich or in any way of use for “friends”.
.
.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post. An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou. I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
Now, Pano Christou, who’s busy presenting himself as a big shot CEO, while Sinclair Beecham returned to fix the mess YET again, Pret are £700 million in debt.
Pret having learnt from my blog, the staff reviews are “improving”. 😉
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post. An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou. I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
I heard a program on radio recently about euthanasia in Holland which is legal. Switzerland and some other places have similar laws. An older couple in Holland was interviewed who were days away from dying together. They were sick, but nothing out of the ordinary for older people. One was sicker than the other, but they wanted to die together.
They had one son who tried everything he could to persuade them to NOT end their lives. The couple sounded normal, spoke completely sane and rational. They just wanted to die together while they still had the conscious choice. I have to be honest that I felt how selfish they were! Their son was devastated, trying to convince them that life has still so much to offer, but the parents didn’t care it seemed.
I don’t believe in euthanasia, and yet it’s a very complex issue, and I cannot judge people who want to die in a “safe” place. The discussion in countries like the UK, where it’s illegal to die when the physical or mental pain is unbearable is, how far would it go? Would people with depression just want to opt for euthanasia, and this would become too easy as an option? I think to myself that if you want to kill yourself, do that on your own WITHOUT involving friends, strangers or family. Just go. And yet, life AND death ALWAYS involves others. I can’t bury myself. It’s too complex a subject.
I don’t want to go into detail of my own “suicidal journey”, and I wouldn’t know HOW to end my life to not burden anyone or create a massive “mess”. But I know what I wouldn’t want, and it is not to involve others. What has a train driver or truck driver done to be traumatised for life if I was to throw myself in front of their vehicle. But I can’t judge people who do. The state of mind in deep distress or even under the influence leaves you out of control.
I’ve lost everything, didn’t know for 5 weeks that my brother was dead AND 5 days before finding out that they cremated him. I tried everything to help my dad in his last years/months/days, whatever he had left and had to legally fight against his sister who stole from him WHILE he was in a coma. As soon as my dad came out of a three-week coma, Pret ordered me back to London to fire me. I couldn’t bury my mum during 2. lockdown … I don’t know it any other way now.
Friends abandoned me very early on, making everything more complex and hopeless. No, I don’t harbour bitterness against them, but I neither need to have understanding nor ever re-connect, unless they deeply understand what this has added to my devastations. More and more I’ve lost my main online channels, YouTube, social media accounts, some projects I poured my heart and years into. NONE of those I benefited from financially, it was just pure passion. Social media accounts get shut down, which now happens more when people, who are p!ssed off with my grief, pain, my drunken emails, or even opinions etc. gather others to report me to get me shut down. It doesn’t matter.
People who get annoyed with my trauma while not having been there in the first place can do wahtever they want if that floats their boat.
I survived a lot of things, one which is systemic workplace bullying at Pret A Manger which many either don’t understand, or don’t take serious. Even therapists just want to talk to me and tell me how interesting it is to talk with me. How about I get some help without people just wanting to draw from my psyche?
Many people, not all, just want something. They either want a story (journalists), or a deep chat (friends), or whatever (men will be men) … completely ignoring MY humongous loss and trauma. I sometimes feel that friends are mad with me for not being this strong person anymore that I used to be. How dare I become vulnerable.
I guess I then pushed everyone away to DESERVE to be dropped.
Occasionally someone, somewhere gets it. A complete stranger leaving a comment on social media on a post I published, just out of the blue.
.
.
I’m not a post hardcore / heavy metal person, but I love La Dispute, the boys next door, who look like they drink milk before bedtime, but kick ass with prose and tunes and a punch about how life can throw such hard curve balls.
I saw them a few times in London and their vibe and care for their fans is next to nothing.
I will put the lyrics of one of my fave songs of them here in full. I don’t know if I got better or if I never quite recovered from it … I want to at least have THAT decision to myself.
My brother died, we didn’t know, and then they cremated him.
My Mum died during 2. lockdown, I couldn’t bury her.
Pret A Manger had nothing better to do then to target me to get rid of me as soon as I became bereaved, no matter how good I did my work. All while claiming to care and do “charity” (for tax breaks and PR).
All of you want to reach out to everyone of you, but NOT because of them, but because of you. Whatever you think you want from me, I cannot give. I want to be left alone if all people want is whatever they need.
And ALL of you who are 40/50/60/70+ and still have siblings, even older siblings and both parents, a job, any food you can choose, someone to bury you, and you STILL want something from me while I am ready to fncking go!
I lost my huge YouTube channel which was partly my fault, but it was a one-off mistake they didn’t forgive me for, but also they didn’t make any money from my content. Huge channel as in from 2007 – 2022 with over 1000 live videos. I started one again which got locked after I posted that it’s a replacement of the suspended account. I just wanted to be transparent.
I never did a channel for clicks, it was just to catalogue all the gigs I went to and dediacte some space for my brother and then my family when everyone just died. I reached out to YouTube, apologized, but they just had a laugh and linked to my suspended channel to ask if that’s the channel I meant, rubbing it in that my channel is gone or maybe hidden? And then they kept ignoring.
The power-tripping and mocking of faceless, nameless people who get a little bit of “power” on a platform that became too big a corporate giant, and how they enjoy to power it over people who are vulnerable or admit to mistakes … No wonder no-one apologizes anymore for fear to get ridiculed.
I miss the simple early YouTube days where a 3 minute video upload took 45 minutes, but you were FREE! No censorship, no copyright strike, because in reality you helped many artists get their music out and show their early gigs. YouTube even had an internal emailing system. I was contacted via private message within YouTube once by the father of an artist (Lady Lamb The Beekeeper) I took videos of two or three of her London concerts over the years. He thanked me for capturing the gigs in London as he and his daughter are from the States. Unfortunately I never expected for YouTube to stop the internal private messaging system, or I would have copied it over to email or a document.
Or other artists leaving nice comments on the videos of their gigs, or getting a “press pass” to an artist’s tour to film etc. etc.
I learnt to not have all the eggs in one basket.
.
.
Too many people these days claim PTSD, ADHD, Autism etc. but very few have a formal diagnosis. My question is NOT if you’ve ever suffered, because we all have and we all will. My question is, did you get better, and if so is it because you had a lot of support?
Apart from being an amazing poet/writer and story teller who doesn’t pull back from hard subjects, I find it spot on how La Dispute’s singer Jordan Dryer describes the possibility of the heart “shrinking” after tragedy. With PTSD and my own quest to understand why I don’t have the desire to travel or even go to concerts anymore except for very very few gems of artists, my world has shrunk. I don’t see possibility anymore. I hardly leave my home. Compared to before everything happened, I don’t like to go to anything even close-by, except in few exceptions.
My world has shrunk and has become a very small place. If I ever recover, I don’t know. And don’t make it too easy on yourself please to give me advice or steps to follow or 0800 numbers to call. Without support, especially when you lost your tribe (family, friends …) you will shrink and it’s a feat on its own to trust again. And that’s what life is anyway. We all will shrink away.
My video at the bottom.
.
.
“Have you ever suffered? If so, did you get better or have you never quite recovered from it? Did you find your lover laying in your bedroom with another and then. Did you let it hover over you and everything else well after the fact?
Show me all your bruises. I know everybody wears them. They broadcast the pain-how you hurt, how you reacted. Did cancer take your child? Did your father have a heart attack? Have you had a moment forced the whole heart to grow or retract?
Or just shrink. Does the heart shrink?
Tell me everything. Tell me everything you know.
Were you told as a child how cruel the whole world can be? Did anybody ever tell you that? Tell me what your purpose is? Who it was that put you here and why? Did anybody really put you here at all? And what of those necessities? Like how to cope with tragedy and pain? Did anybody ever show you how? When it hits will my heart burst or break or grow strong? Is there really only one way to know now?
I’m not sure if I’m ready yet to find out the hard way How strong I am. What I’m made of. I’m not sure I am ready yet to walk through the fire. I’m not sure I can handle it. Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all? And how long does it take? Am I better off just bursting or breaking? Because I don’t see my heart getting strong.
Tell your stories to me. Show your bruises. Let’s see what humanity is capable of handling.
She lost her kid, only seven, to cancer. She answered with faith in her god and carried on, While he was attacked by his son and was stabbed in his stomach and his back and his arms. He showed me scars. 82 years old, told me, “I still have my daughter and my wife. And I still have my life and my son.”
Tell me what your worst fears are. I bet they look a lot like mine. Tell me what you think about when you can’t fall asleep at night. Tell me that you’re struggling. Tell me that you’re scared. No, Tell me that you’re terrified of life. Tell me that it’s difficult to not think of death sometimes. Tell me how you lost. Tell me how he left. Tell me how she left. Tell me how you lost everything that you had. Tell me that it ain’t ever coming back. Tell me about God. Tell me about love. Tell me that it’s all of the above. Say you think of everything in fear. I bet you’re not the only one who does.
Everyone in the world comes at some point to suffering. I wonder when I will. I wonder. Everyone is out searching for someone or something. I wonder what I’ll find. I wonder.
Everyone in the world comes at some point to suffering. I wonder when I will. I wonder. Everyone is out searching for someone or something. I wonder what I’ll find. I wonder.
I wonder what I’ll find, I wonder.
I wonder what I’ll find…”
– La Dispute / Jordan Dryer
I live and die on my own.
London 2023, Koko:
.
.
.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post. An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou. I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
“So now tell me how your story goes. Have you ever suffered? If so, did you get better or have you never quite recovered from it? Did you find your lover laying in your bedroom with another and then, did you let it hover over you and everything else well after the fact?
.
.
Show me all your bruises. I know everybody wears them. They broadcast the pain–how you hurt, how you reacted. Did cancer take your child? Did your father have a heart attack? Have you had a moment forced the whole heart to grow or retract?
Or just shrink. Does the heart shrink?
Tell me everything. Tell me everything you know
Were you told as a child how cruel the whole world can be? Did anybody ever tell you that? Tell me what your purpose is? Who it was that put you here and why? Did anybody really put you here at all? And what of those necessities? Like how to cope with tragedy and pain? Did anybody ever show you how? When it hits will my heart burst or break or grow strong? Is there really only one way to know now?
I’m not sure if I’m ready yet to find out the hard way How strong I am. What I’m made of I’m not sure if I’m ready yet to walk through the fire I’m not sure I can handle it Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all? And how long does it take? Am I better off just bursting or breaking? I don’t see my heart getting strong
Tell your stories to me. Show your bruises Let’s see what humanity is capable of handling
She lost her kid, only seven, to cancer. She answered with faith in her god and carried on, While he was attacked by his son and was stabbed in his stomach and his back and his arms. He showed me scars. 82 years old, told me, “I still have my daughter and my wife. And I still have my life and my son.”
Tell me what your worst fears are. I bet they look a lot like mine Tell me what you think about when you can’t fall asleep at night Tell me that you’re struggling. Tell me that you’re scared. No, Tell me that you’re terrified of life Tell me that it’s difficult to not think of death sometimes Tell me how you lost. Tell me how he left. Tell me how she left Tell me how you lost everything that you had Tell me that it ain’t ever coming back Tell me about God. Tell me about love Tell me that it’s all of the above Say you think of everything in fear I bet you’re not the only one does
Everyone in the world comes at some point to suffering I wonder when I will. I wonder Everyone is out searching for someone or something I wonder what I’ll find. I wonder”
.
Dear Mrs [My Name],
unfortunately I have sad news to bring.
Mr. [Name of my Brother] was found dead in his apartment in [Name of City] on 15.12.2014
From the paperwork, no next of kin could be determined, therefore I was appointed to act as beneficiary of the estate of your brother.
The copy of the appointment is attached.
Your brother was cremated on orders by [Name of City], the burial is still open. You and your mother can decide where the urn will be buried.
Unfortunately I also have to inform you that the estate is over-indebted, therefore you have to cover the funeral expenses of the urn (the cremation etc.). Furthermore, it would be advised to reject the inheritance.
Please inform me of your and your mother’s address.
For contact in regards to the funeral, the details are [Name, address and email of the morgue].
[Name of Coward tasked by German Police]
.
.
I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post. An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou. I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.
Bullied during bereavement in Pret A Manger 
You must be logged in to post a comment.