The most recent change in minimum wage occurred in 2009. Minimum wage is now $7.25 per hour, but it hasn’t kept up with inflation. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the minimum wage was worth $8.54 in 1968. People earning minimum wage are likely to be under age 25 and not be high school graduates. They are also likelier to work in service occupations, such as food preparation. Approximately 3.6 million workers earned wages at or below minimum wage in 2009. That’s 5% of all hourly paid workers. However, 14 states have a higher minimum wage. The national minimum isn’t the maximum.
According to a study done by CQ Press, there’s been a change in which U.S. city is the most dangerous. In 2008 (2003 and 2004) it was Camden, New Jersey. In 2009 Camden was second and St. Louis was first. The annual ranking is based on population and FBI data. St. Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents compared with the national average of 429.4. Detroit; Flint, Michigan; and Oakland, California rounded out the top five. For the second straight year the safest city with more than 75,000 residents was Colonie, New York. I don’t know where Colonie is. Obviously, criminals don’t either.
Communication is changing too. According to a 2010 survey by Sheraton Hotels, 60% of travelers use social media to “call home” instead of using phones or e-mail. The phone survey of 4,024 people in the U.S., U.K. and China also found that 64% use social media to make travel plans; and when traveling, 20% said that they checked social media sites several times daily. When at home, 77% said they access social media sites throughout the day. Finally, 39% of respondents said they “could not live without” social media sites. These people are social media “diehards”.
Guinness World Records – the best selling copyrighted book in the world – is the ultimate book of change. The editors receive approximately 1,000 applications weekly from people wanting to break a record in one of its 40,000 recognized categories. Ashrita Furman, a 56-year-old man from Queens, New York, holds the most records – 312, of which 120 still stand. Furman has somersaulted continuously 12 miles and clapped for 50 hours straight. November 18, 2010 was Guinness World Records Day, the book’s 56th anniversary. To celebrate Furman attempted to walk 33 feet wearing 160-pound shoes – which would be another record-breaking “feet”.
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