Thursday, May 12, 2016
2 Week Vacation!!!
It is that time of year folks. It is time for a mini vacation. I'll be away from a computer for 2 weeks as of May 16th and will begin posting again on the 30th. I need the mental break as it is not easy to find decent topics to talk about with you all. Not to mention I need a break from the everyday grind of my day job at the pharmacy. Now that I think about it, you all should look to take a week off too. Just not having to go to work and the burden of the weekly grind is very beneficial as it relieves stress. So while I relieve my stress, look for ways to reduce yours too. See ya on May 30th, and thanks as always for reading.
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Defeating Gangs with Pot!
While people will say end the drug war by legalizing drugs, it is
not that simple. Gangs can still survive if certain circumstances are not
met. Here they are.
Organized Crime, particularly gangs, work
exactly the same way as a regular business with the exception that they have
guns and they don't pay taxes. Gangs in general are violent and
territorial. So if we set up businesses that conform to the laws to
counter them they will lose their meaning to exist right? Wrong. In
order for that to work, legitimate businesses selling things like pot have to
keep prices lower than what a gang is selling their pot for. People want
to get a good deal, so if gangs are cheaper to buy from, they will go to the
gang. It is that simple. Issue is though, gangs pay no taxes making
it harder to accomplish for they keep 100% of the money made. So in order
to undercut gangs, allowing people to grow their own weed in their backyard
will aid in undercutting them as why go to a gang or a legal dispensary when
you can grow your pot for free. The two part legal selling of pot (for
while you are waiting for your weed to grow) for very low prices and the free
pot you can grow yourself completely undercuts the gang's business and thus
they no longer can support themselves financially (pot is still 60% of the drug
trade last I checked), thus breaking up the gang.
Another thing to capitalize on is that pot
at legal dispensaries and pharmacies is safer to buy than a gang’s pot.
No risk of being ripped off or other chemicals and substances mixed in.
Pot dispensaries should be allowed to advertise (yes it is a free speech
issue so they should be allowed) so that people will go away from the gangs out
of fear for their own safety.
Conclusion: Yes I am in favor of legalizing pot
and other drugs as well (see past issues on the how and why). As such,
meeting the criteria for killing off drug gangs and even bankrupting them is
something that should be embraced as these gangs commit or perpetuate much of
the crime in the United States (in part as illegal drugs are a lucrative
business and there is a lack of job opportunities in some places). We can
defeat gangs and turn our culture around, all we got to do is try.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Bullying
Bullying is still an issue that will never go away. It is a
form of harassment, assault and in some cases mugging. So what can be
done to continue the fight?
One of the best ways for school
administrators, parents, and a community to do is single out the bully.
Embarrass them so that they know that their behavior does not endear them
to anyone. Make them look foolish, call them bully, and make them ashamed
of themselves. This works because psychologically these kids want to
exert their power, but they have to be pushed into a corner to know that they
only have power over themselves and that to take freedom away from others is
the same behavior that instigates oppression, and degradation of individuals.
Another possibility is a public shunning
for a week. They will go to class, but they will be ignored by all in the
school. Their names will not even be called out for attendance. It
is basically a week long boycott of them for their behavior.
Now I know that some people may
think these methods extreme, but if they get away with the crime, then they
will continue. These bullies should never be sent home to their
televisions, video games or even friends who cut class. In fact they
should be kept later until school officially closes and all the teachers go
home. They need to resent their behavior and themselves for what they
did. Even having the cops come and arrest them in a scared straight
routine could help.
As for the people being bullied. You
got to fight. You start with words, saying "leave me alone",
"go away", "chill", then escalate it if the bully continues
(obviously telling parents and school officials if it continues). If all
else fails, Observe their behavior, and those around them. See if their
friends are real or fake. See if the bully is insecure about themselves
and what can make the bully and their friends turn on one another. If
that does not work, fight. They put their hands on you, then you clench
that fist and hit them right in the nose as many times as it takes. You
hit them hard, you hit them fast and you do it so often that they cannot fight
back. Scare them into not touching you.
Conclusion: We are not nipping this issue in the bud
in my opinion. I have seen/read of successes in schools that take the
embarrassment approach to school bullies and it works (though it is not as
extreme as I describe). Some of the bullies have been turned into heroes
by being charged by the school to protect the kids they once bullied from other
bullies (suitably monitored of course). However, these models based on
what I have read are rare. Many schools administrations, including my
former elementary through high schools are a joke. They cannot stop a
single bully let alone the gangs that are sneaking into the schools to recruit
kids. The students themselves are left to bear the brunt of the bullies
knowing that if they fight back, then they will get in trouble. But I
will tell those kids who are suffering in silence that that one hit to their
face, groin, or anywhere is so satisfying that it is worth it. Fight
back! End the threat of bullying.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Issue 739 Are we doing Enough?
The number of crises around the world seem to never end.
Natural disasters, war, famine, terrorism and more plague our world.
Are we as individuals doing enough to solve these crises?
We are doing what we can: We should not compare ourselves to
the soldier or the millionaires who fight or spend millions to solve the
problems. They are able to do things we cannot do. However, we all
play a part. We can give the soldiers strength by sending them gift
baskets, and praying for them. Telling others helps, staying informed
helps, donating what we can helps. Everyone has a role to play. So
do not worry that you are unable to do what others can do, instead worry more
about if you have not done anything at all.
Conclusion: Humanity is a society where we are
designed to cooperate to survive and overcome. We are not all capable of
doing the same things as other people can. As such, we trade and give
away our knowledge and labor to help each other and thus we thrive and evolve.
It is this that allows everyone to do their part in overcoming things
like war and disasters. So keep moving forward. Keep doing what you
can to help, and regret nothing.
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Issue 740 Talking to Millennials
Some people disparage the millennial generation, but they are not
bad. In fact, they just communicate differently from everyone else.
So how does one generation hope to interact with another?
Talking To Millennials: First off, millennials want to act
on issues. They see a problem and they want to solve it. Problem is
they do not know what they can do to actually help. Additionally, they
lack the knowledge on what is going on to be able to solve the issue.
This is due to the lack of attention spans they have (a problem that gets
worse with each generation due to technology and its instant gratification
effect). Thus, the key issues for communication is informing them on a
situation and how exactly they can be effective in helping. As such,
when an older generation talks to a person from a younger generation they have
to make every word count. The explanation has to be concise and easy to
understand all at the same time. All the while the person communicating
the problem and potential solution must explain the why and the how. It
can be difficult to do especially if there is a lot of details to provide.
So talking as if you are writing bullet points could help.
Basically easily digestible pieces of information which will then arm them
with information which in turn allows them to act.
Conclusion: Millennials are good hearted and
generally they are principled, but they just say and do things differently.
Their brains process information quicker and thus when someone says
something that is too slow they lose interest. In other words they feel
their time is being wasted. So try altering how you speak to make info
come out faster and simpler. The results may just surprise you.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Trump Clinches it.
Donald Trump is the presumptive nominee for the Republicans in
2016s presidential election. This is due to Ted Cruz officially leaving
the campaign trail for good. John Kasich is still in, but it is nearly
impossible for him to win.
But why did Cruz drop out? Was it
because he lost Indiana's Republican primary to Trump? I don't think that
is it on its own. For one, Cruz now looks like a political insider rather
than an outsider like Trump. While Cruz's voting record supports his outsider
credentials, Trump's "attacks" and the non-aggression pact between
Cruz and Kasich made Cruz look like another insider politician who would say
anything to win. On top of this, Cruz potentially was thinking ahead to
the Republican National Convention. If Cruz won with a smaller popular
votes due to the delegates voting him in over Trump it would make Cruz look
even more like an insider. Also, Trump supporters could potentially riot,
voters would feel disenfranchised and not vote, and even worse Trump could run
third party and cause both him and Cruz to lose to Hillary. All this was
probably going through Cruz's head and thus with it now impossible for him to
win the nomination without going to the convention Cruz chose to drop out.
Conclusion: I am saddened and annoyed by this
news. I personally wanted Cruz as I was concerned about the Supreme Court
nominations and I wanted someone who told the truth and only the truth (from
what I know of Cruz he does tell the truth). Basically I lean conservative
despite my libertarian base. Cruz left with class as he did not want to
divide a nation. So now we are left with Trump, though I personally would
rather vote for Donald Duck. (I not voting for Hillary or Sanders
either).
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Issue 738 Refugees versus Asylum seekers
The word refugees and the term asylum seekers do not mean the same
thing. However, people seem to use them interchangeably. So in
today's issue we will correct this and define what each term means.
Refugees and Asylum seekers: A refugee is an individual or group of
individuals seeking to escape a conflict or national disaster. However,
while aid is given, they are not expected to stay in the country they are
escaping too. They stay till the conflict ends, or the disaster area is
cleaned up and then they go home and rebuild from the ashes what they once had.
An example would be the nuclear disaster caused by the earthquake and
tsunami in Japan, where their own people were refugees in their own country
till the area was cleaned up enough for them to return to their homes.
Asylum seekers are different. While
it can be a single person or group, they seek to escape their country due to
penalty of death or persecution. In short, unless there is a revolution
or change in government, the asylum seeker can never, ever go home. As
such, they wish to live, potentially for the remainder of their lives, in their
now adopted country. These individuals are not like typical immigrants
who purposely want to leave, but are instead ultimately given the ultimatum of
leave or die.
Conclusion: With the refugee crises caused by
ISIS/ISIL we seem to be messing up who belongs in each category.
Christians, Jews, Gays and others who would be slaughtered by ISIS/ISIL are all
asylum seekers. They have been forced out by the threat of death.
The rest of the people leaving are Sunni Muslim and are just trying to
get out of the line of fire are refugees (ISIS/ISIL are Sunni Muslims).
Get it? Those who would be murdered are asylum seekers, and those
who would normally not be killed are refugees. Simple? Ok, maybe
not exactly, but you get the idea.
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