1. The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think

by Johann Hari
Author of ‘Chasing The Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs’
Article Byline Information
Posted: 01/20/2015 3:20 pm EST Updated: 01/20/2015 3:59 pm EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html#

I’ve always believed this, that yes there is an addiction factor to drug usage, but mostly drug use is out of boredom. If one has a strong positive gratifying social circle and positive outlook on life then their need for drugs is almost non existent. Even if they were given drugs for pain or surgery, etc their risk after usage of becoming addicted is very minimal.

Drugs are just a coping mechanism for life and therefore it’s excessive usage in our society should be used as a gauge marker as to what is wrong with society, the defects in our society that are causing this, and the quality of life of human beings that make it up. Yes, we can discuss coping mechanisms in living in our society or just living life but that lends to another story.

“The sense of equality where we are all entitled to our own destinies, without prejudice and that we are all provided the tools and resources equally and fairly. We are all entitled to these tools and resources to make our path but we are not entitled to the end path, just the tools and resources to get there.

In short, we are only entitled to what we work for and achieve.” – SETII 01/19/15

I don’t care what your faith is or the name of your religion, but if your faith directs that you terrorize or kill in the name of that faith because your faith directs that my beliefs, faith, freedom, and values are of no value to yours and therefore worthy of killing me because of it, then you are a threat to me and therefore my enemy. I will protect myself and my values but I will not seek out you to destroy you and your values.

You leave me alone with my values and I leave you alone with yours. I will stay out of your country and you can stay the hell out of mine!

Seems simple right?

Very valid point. It is not a simple process to “raise” the minimum wage, the impact effects all employers and truthfully our economy currently cannot support a doubling of the minimum wage. As with anything it needs to be done gradually.

Ohio raising minimum wage by only 15 cents an hour at least is a start in the right direction. Doubling the minimum is not viable.

Ohio is one of 23 states that have a minimum wage higher than the $7.25 federal minimum. Washington has the highest rate at $9.32 per hour.

http://www.com.ohio.gov/documents/dico_2015MinimumWageposter.pdf

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/09/30/0930-minimum-wage.html

Obama wants community college to be free
By Katie Lobosco   @KatieLobosco January 8, 2015: 7:38 PM ET

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/08/pf/college/obama-free-college/index.html?sr=fb010815obamacollegefree7pStoryLink

This concept is grand as all should be entitled to a degreed occupation but there should be a mandatory service component whereas you give back to your community with the free earned skill set.

The program will be modeled after one in Tennessee, in which the state covers the cost of community college tuition for students that’s not already covered for them by grants and scholarships. It also requires the student to have a mentor, perform 8 hours of community service per term, as well as maintain a 2.0 GPA.

I presume these veggie burgers are fried in beef grease so you can enjoy the more calories than a beef slider! Just give me extra pickles on my beef slider please!

So this new veggie slider at 150 and 270 calories, with customers able to choose from three sauces — honey mustard, ranch and sweet Thai. The regular beef Sliders range between 140 and 220 calories, depending on the topping, according to White Castle’s website.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2014/12/31/white-castle-veggie-slider

Yep, I agree.  Really the only benefit is knowing that your item is safe at a store waiting for you than waiting in a package outside your door when you are not home.

By Deepa Seetharaman

REUTERS  •  Tuesday December 30, 2014 8:14 PM

SAN FRANCISCO — Major U.S. retailers including Target Corp. and Toys ’R Us have begun allowing shoppers to collect online purchases at their brick-and-mortar stores, but a study shows the option often saves little, if any, time over in-store shopping.

According to a small study released today by retail-intelligence firm StellaService, in-store pickup saved shoppers just 96 seconds on average compared with searching for items on their own. In a few cases, in-store pickup took longer.

In-store pickup is one of many services being tested as retailers try to use their stores as mini-shipping hubs to get items to shoppers more quickly. It comes in response to competition from the No. 1 U.S. online retailer, Amazon.com Inc , which has streamlined its delivery service.

The StellaService study, based on 44 visits to stores in the South run by 11 retailers, is one of the most comprehensive studies so far of the in-store pickup service. The results show that retailers have no uniform approach to the issue.

“It’s amazing just how much simpler the process would have been if someone had just put up a sign,” said Ty McMahan, senior director of content for StellaService, adding that retailers are spending “tens of millions of dollars” on these initiatives.

Shoppers spent an average of five minutes and 24 seconds in a store when trying to pick up their online orders. Those who did not use the in-store pickup feature spent an average of seven minutes in the store, according to the study.

But in-store pickup saved just 30 seconds at Target and Toys ’R Us. At Macy’s Inc., StellaService shoppers were not quite sure where to go. In-store pickup took eight minutes and 30 seconds, while those who walked in spent five minutes at a Macy’s store.

By contrast, in-store pickup took only two minutes at Office Depot Inc., compared with four minutes for those who walked in.

Home Depot Inc. and Nordstrom Inc. were the only other retailers that were slower at in-store pickup.

Nordstrom said one of the reasons it offers in-store pickup for online items is to guarantee customers that it will be there for them if they make a visit to the store. “We are always looking at ways to improve the service for our customers,” Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White said.

In-store pickup saves little time, small study concludes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2014/09/06/a-15-an-hour-minimum-wage-would-be-a-17500-a-year-tax-on-jobs/

Instead of raising the minimum wage, require all companies regardless of size to provide an extensive benefits package to their employees which not only includes health care but also self betterment such as education. Raising min wage to $15 is not a sustainable option and will not better the lives of workers. Focus on the healthcare and education benefits to be required by all employers. At the end of the day it’s one’s choice for seeking better employment. Let’s provide the tools on that basis and allow people to make choices for better employment instead of trying to overcompensate for a job that will not be any better regardless of wage.

10 Simple Ways White People Can Step Up to Fight Everyday Racism
By Derrick Clifton  September 4, 2014
Copyright © Mic Network Inc. All rights reserved
325 Hudson Street, 1001, New York, NY 10013

http://mic.com/articles/97900/10-simple-rules-for-being-a-non-racist-white-person?utm_source=policymicTBLR&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

We all belong to some group or another. With that comes the prejudice, stereotypes and history associated with that group from others whether it be physical characteristics culture, or traits. We can continue to group people together (which tends to be our society and culture), or we can just look at that person as a person first, one-on-one instead of this group-on-group mentality that always seems to prevail in the media and continues to unstir the melting pot which supposedly is supposed to be the pride of our country.