And still more of America by the Numbers!
According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 29 percent of Americans think the Central American migrant youngsters should be deported. And 69 percent think that they should be permitted to stay in the United States if it is unsafe for them to return home. Since the Obama Administration doesn’t care about sealing the borders, it is estimated that the number will reach 100,000 by the end of the year. Let’s say that the U.S. decides to let them stay, what will it do about the next 100,000 that arrive next year? And the year after that?
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The American Time Use Survey tells us that watching television is still our number-one leisure activity. We spend an average of two hours and forty-six minutes a day in front of the screen.
According to the Wall Street Journal, only 29 percent of new television shows launched in the 2013–14 season were renewed for a second year. Other than cable news and movies, I don’t watch much television, but based on what I did watch, I’m surprised the number is that high.
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While waiting inside the firehouse for the emergency alarms to ring, how do firefighters pass the time? They read, watch television, nap, and eat. Yes, they eat. Some of those men and women are terrific chefs and after retiring could probably get jobs in restaurants. In fact, I’m told that there are a few that have opened their own family-style eateries. Back in the firehouse, with a lot of free time on their hands, there’s a whole lotta eatin’ going on. That’s why, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 70 percent of American firefighters are either overweight or obese. I’m sure they didn’t start that way.
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A new study found that job applicants who listed LGBT-related interests on their resumes were 23 percent less likely to get a callback from potential employers than their non-LGBT counterparts. That doesn’t seem right. Employers should be looking for the most skilled applicants to fill open positions. In my 50-plus years of owning businesses, I found that consumers often prefer having a person of similar interest, skin color, sex, or religion serve them. In one of my pharmacies, I found women preferred “Ellen” to fill and then discuss their prescriptions with them. If Ellen had a day off many of these women said “I’ll come back tomorrow.” And they did. Ellen generated more dollar volume than any of my other employees.
Without going out of my way to hire them, I always had a fair mix of you name it. If they were qualified, they were on my payroll.
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To all high-school students: A new study tells us that there is a direct correlation between your grade point average and the amount of salary you will receive in adulthood. Every one point increase in your GPA will translate into a 12 to 14 percent increase in earnings. I am StanGershbein@BellSouth.net telling you to not only stay in school, but get good grades!