I had a conversation with the manager of a casual style restaurant the other day. Six of his eight cameras were not working. His reply was, “Really; that many?” I was a bit taken aback and asked him the obvious question? How could 6 of 8 cameras not be working, and why was it a surprise to him? The manager replied that the owner wants to “save money and not repair the cameras right now. “ The conversation turned a bit more philosophical when I asked if other equipment was inoperable, would it routinely be repaired or replaced. I could not imagine the street sign not being repaired if 75% of it wasn’t working; or if three quarters of the grills or ovens weren’t working. The answers pointed out that perhaps there was an issue of profitability in play, or maybe something else.

It’s funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same. “Secrets of a former credit card thief”, by Michelle Crouch on CreditCards.com has many of the same principles as “Catch Me If You Can”, the story of Frank Abignal. Abignal’s book and movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio was a real life tale of crime involving fraudulent checks passed by Abignal and his ability to change identities and personas. He was chased by the FBI for years starting when Abignal was just a teenager. He was subsequently caught, convicted and forced to tell the secrets and provide the training to law enforcement to catch others. That relationship was pivotal in security changes within the banking industry.

He was a great find. An experienced fast food manager walked in and applied for an open shift manager position. He interviewed well and obviously had a great deal of experience. All of the favorable first impressions were verified with a phone call to a former district manager of the applicant, who gave a raving endorsement of his abilities, aptitudes and experience. “We hate to lose him” was the most memorable comment by the former supervisor.

He was probably somewhere at your high school prom and is most definitely in attendance at every major sporting event. He is the cause of many break ups and has been responsible for putting many people in jail, yet is a great friend to many. He makes people extremely happy and can cause overwhelming despair. He is popular with both genders, doesn’t care about age or race, or if you are rich or poor. He likes everybody. Who is he? – Alcohol.