The Slow Death of Fast Food?

A recent article chronicling the relationship between fast food franchises and the minimum wage brings up the specter of job losses due to rising labor costs.

CKE Restaurants' roots began in California roughly seven decades ago, but you won't see the parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's expanding there much anymore.  What's causing what company CEO Andy Puzder describes as "very little growth" in the state?

In part it's because "the minimum wage is so high so it's harder to come up with profitable business models," Puzder said in an interview. The state's minimum wage is set to rise to $9 in July, making it among the nation's highest, and $10 by January 2016.   (source)

But is this really such a bad thing?  Morpheus has a suggestion:

In accordance with the triple bottom line of profits, people, and environment, it's easy to understand why a business model that flunks two of the three categories is no loss to mourn.  What other jobs could be created instead - ones that meet similar demands but do so in a healthy, ethical way?

Pictures You're Accidentally In

mister background boy
watch out because you'll still be tagged
because everyone has a means to camera phone
and a motive to snap snap snap away

look like you're not looking
look away or look toward the camera
doesn't matter anymore anyway
because you're an Instagram intrigue
and you'll be uploaded either way

these are the pictures you're accidentally in
from selfies to photobombs
this Vine of Tumblr photo identification
in all those security camera photos
from the Frosted Flakes you bought
or your last TSA-tripping visit to the folks in Missouri

you say you're not good in photos
you don't want your picture taken
but there are more charged coupler devices
than moments in your block/untag/remove/flag world

you've got no reasonable expectation
of privacy in your privvy
you can hire a fancy lawyer
but he'll just tell you that you're silly

so you'd better get used to all
these pictures you're accidentally in
because they aren't going away
they've been uploaded to the cloud
and it's going to stay that way

Want a Higher Grade?

Death Penalty Around the World

Countries that still practice the lawful state execution of its citizens are generally not leaders in human rights: Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Syria, North Korea...  Should the USA be embarrassed by the ideological company it keeps on this issue?  More pointedly, why are the conservatives who generally distrust their government in other areas (social programs, healthcare, economic policy) and claim to be "pro-life" tend to be the strongest supporters of government carrying out the execution of American citizens?