Wage Strikes for $15 an Hour
December 5 there will be an organized strike and protest by workers from McDonalds, Wendy's and other fast food chains. The strike is to last one day in hte hopes they will choke the industry into convincing them to give $15 per hour and allow unionization.
People are now realizing that they have the ability to stand up for themselves and demand what they want. However, this comes at a price for them. The more they are demanding, the less eomployment opportunities those individual chains will be able to provide for needy employees.
Less employees means each worker will have to perform above the duties they are currently expected to perform. And for $15, maybe more of an education.
To be perfectly honest, that wage is a little steep for flipping burgers. While the request for more money is not unreasonable, the amount certainly is. People need to realize that asking for that much will eventually choke the industry, causing a chain reaction up the corporate ladder.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Healthcare.gov
Now fully operational, or to the point where the government intended. It now has the capability to handle 50000 users at once, and the daily capasity of 800000 per day. Quite a feat if there ever was one for website traffic.
But yet people are still butting heads about this. Instead of celebrating a new step in healthcare, we are applying more pessimisim to the situation.
In a recent NY Times article, they state in the headline that the website is "Still Flawed." For a national newspaper to be reporting the news, they certainly appear to have a bias against the new government healthcare plan. In my opinion, these types of news reports ralley American citizens against the government, regardless of their political views. Time will tell if this program will truly succeed, however, with these forced opinions, it may not have much time to flourish.
But yet people are still butting heads about this. Instead of celebrating a new step in healthcare, we are applying more pessimisim to the situation.
In a recent NY Times article, they state in the headline that the website is "Still Flawed." For a national newspaper to be reporting the news, they certainly appear to have a bias against the new government healthcare plan. In my opinion, these types of news reports ralley American citizens against the government, regardless of their political views. Time will tell if this program will truly succeed, however, with these forced opinions, it may not have much time to flourish.
Air mail
Amazon's air carrier service is now in beta form. No longer will I have to wait endless hours for my packages to be delivered by my postman or UPS driver. In efforts to become more flexible to us, the consumer, Amazon is now making waves, giving us our products in less than an hour.
The same technology used by the military, has become cheaper (like everything else) and is now affordable (and fun) for Amazon. Limitations of this technology should be observed before being put to practical use. How will they deliver to the city? What happens if a strong gust hits the drone? And what is the cost of millions of plastic containers being delivered and left?
All these factors and more will go into the deciding factor of the worth of this enterprise. I would be interested in how this will turn out. As we turn into another year more challenges are being overcome. However, having a million little drones flying over my head daily might just cause more distractions. Who knows.
Turning another page for a digital reader
Do books still have a place in the world today? Of course they do, but the style in which they appear may be changing. Amazon's latest "e-reader" is making waves for the literature community, featuring new page turning features which almost mimic the traditional feel of turning the page, without the feel of paper.
Non-fiction reading is what I am most adapt to these days. Reading books that will improve my knowledge in my major and teaching myself new abilities. However, for me, there is nothing like the feel of a crisp clean page turning behind another. Even for the newspaper, I have become accustomed to the feel of it's soft yet sharp feel. A millennial generational student, for that I have turned away from the websites (nytimes.com and usatoday.com) for the paper subscription. I simply ignore how it feels.
Concurrently, in order to compete, Apple has applied for a patent for authors autographs on digital novels. Correct me if I am wrong, but how would validity come from a "digital" signature. Does that not defeat the purpose of having the author sign your book in ink? How will you monetize signatures from popular authors like J.K Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkein?
For myself, there is no substitute, But buy one for yourself and you let me know.
Non-fiction reading is what I am most adapt to these days. Reading books that will improve my knowledge in my major and teaching myself new abilities. However, for me, there is nothing like the feel of a crisp clean page turning behind another. Even for the newspaper, I have become accustomed to the feel of it's soft yet sharp feel. A millennial generational student, for that I have turned away from the websites (nytimes.com and usatoday.com) for the paper subscription. I simply ignore how it feels.
Concurrently, in order to compete, Apple has applied for a patent for authors autographs on digital novels. Correct me if I am wrong, but how would validity come from a "digital" signature. Does that not defeat the purpose of having the author sign your book in ink? How will you monetize signatures from popular authors like J.K Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkein?
For myself, there is no substitute, But buy one for yourself and you let me know.
Beating out the National Security Agency
Both sides have validity to their missions. Respecting privacy is among the age old rights of the American people. We value our rights to do what we want, when we want, how we want without having someone look over our shoulder. On the other hand, can we really blame someone who wants to save us from ourselves?
We charge the government to keep us safe, from terrors, both national and international. With all the conspiracy theories, maybe 9/11 could have been prevented. Perhaps it is time to draft a new constitution. One that can cover some of the gray areas and give American's more peace of mind (that document would probably be thousands of pages long).
That goes without saying that the populous of Europe does not seem to mind that they are constantly being watched. If having someone pick up your saliva after you spit on the ground is not invasion, then I am not sure what is.
Accepting we cannot prevent this might be a mindset we need to adopt. This is not the eighteenth century anymore. We may need to accept that the old rules that once governed us are now outdated and need to be rewritten.
Stock Exchange. Creeping upwards?
With the stock market steadily increasing, it seems that "faith" has allowed it to push past the wall reaching a record high in so many years. All major markets, S&P 500, Dow Industrial and NASDAQ have all pushed upward and show signs of improvement.
However, the post holiday season will truly be the determining factor of whether this improvement will be able to last.
I have even become optimistic about the market's turnaround. I have encouraged my parents to begin individual investments, in addition to their retirement funds, showing them that there is hope. Restrictions on the "average Joe" investor have hindered them from proceeding, I am however, hopeful.
Black Friday, while showed that people still enjoy the hustle of shopping, displayed a less than optimistic spending boom while people trampled over one another (as seen in my previous post).
If these improvements are to last, it is up to the American people to be smart with their money and save more than a negative percentage.
However, the post holiday season will truly be the determining factor of whether this improvement will be able to last.
I have even become optimistic about the market's turnaround. I have encouraged my parents to begin individual investments, in addition to their retirement funds, showing them that there is hope. Restrictions on the "average Joe" investor have hindered them from proceeding, I am however, hopeful.
Black Friday, while showed that people still enjoy the hustle of shopping, displayed a less than optimistic spending boom while people trampled over one another (as seen in my previous post).
If these improvements are to last, it is up to the American people to be smart with their money and save more than a negative percentage.
Not trying to be insensitive. Paul Walker. Rallying behind his death.
Speaking to another generation of America's youth. Paul Walker, the star behind Fast & Furious. Now the series hangs in limbo while costars and the studio determine the direction the series will take.
It is interesting to see the millennial generation (which I am included in) morn over the death of a role model. Michael Jackson, and Heath Ledger, while they were tragic, I did not feel that they spoke to us as strongly as Walkers death has.
As a grieve, I am constantly wondering how costar Vin Diesel is taking this tragedy. While I personally believe the series has run its course, I am interested to see the direction that will be taken.
My heart goes out to his friends and family.
It is interesting to see the millennial generation (which I am included in) morn over the death of a role model. Michael Jackson, and Heath Ledger, while they were tragic, I did not feel that they spoke to us as strongly as Walkers death has.
As a grieve, I am constantly wondering how costar Vin Diesel is taking this tragedy. While I personally believe the series has run its course, I am interested to see the direction that will be taken.
My heart goes out to his friends and family.
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