Apartment living is great. I have fantastic neighbors, I pay a reasonable price and I don’t have a lawn to mow or plumbing and electric to maintain myself. Frankly, I enjoy apartment living more than I could ever imagine enjoying living in a home that I owned and had to keep pumping money into just to maintain the investment. I really have trouble understanding how folks can both own a home and have nice things like a car, major appliances, cable, and the occasional steak for dinner.
Frankly, I’d say the only bad thing about apartment living is hauling stuff up several flights of stairs to get it into your apartment. That inconvenience means that when I get a bed or a dresser I hold onto it for years in an effort to not have to do all that heavy lifting. This is triple true for my heavy major appliances. Why would I go through the torture of replacing my Fridge when I can simply get a Frigidaire repair person to come take care of the old one? Who would go through the pains of getting a new oven or dishwasher when there is readily available and affordable Proboise Appliance Repair? Not me, man.
The winds of change are blowing on the subject of medical cannabis, both in Tennessee and the nation.
February of 2019 brought the medical cannabis issue front and center politically, and it is common sense to expect smart politicians to want to avoid becoming swept away in the process.
This is especially relevant to those politicians running for reelection in Tennessee because medical cannabis is a bipartisan, multigenerational issue within their constituencies. It will be an exponentially more problematic issue to avoid facing one’s past voting records on the issue in the age of the internet and grassroots community activism.
In Tennessee on February 6th, a Republican sponsored medical cannabis bill was introduced (by Representative Jeremy Faison and Senator Steve Dickerson) to the profound relief of suffering and dying patients statewide. Meanwhile nationally, on the 23rd of the month the current administration’s statement by press secretary Sean Spicer on the subject of medical cannabis was extremely friendly, despite being much less so on the subject of recreational cannabis legalization.
It’s not a stretch to see that if Tennessee instituted a medical cannabis program, we could have a safe, non lethal alternative to opioid medications – one that 91% of people who try it never become addicted to– for Tennesseans in need of chronic pain management. It would be a literal life altering step for those suffering from other illnesses and conditions currently including, but not limited to, seizures, PTSD, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer and HIV/AIDS.
It’s also a great way to lessen the damage caused by Tennessee’s number 2 spot in the national rankings for the amount of opioid prescriptions written.
Studies show that states with medical cannabis programs have an average drop in overdose deaths of around 25%, that is particularly important to Tennessee as it has lost 6,036 citizens to overdose death in the last 5 years alone.
Also note that according to recent studies, medical cannabis patients end up substituting cannabis for pharmaceutical medicines including antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, anti anxiety and pain management medications. This is extremely important to patients because it allows them to downsize on medications and the negative side effects of many medications, as well as having potential cost savings from the changes.
A recent national poll by Quinnipiac showed a 93% approval rating on the subject of medical cannabis by the American public. This shows that 9 out of 10 average citizens are in favor of giving people the added choice of safe, non toxic, cannabis medicine.
Hopefully this has been a wake up call for state level politicians across the nation on the subject of medical cannabis programs, especially in light of the current administration’s friendly stance on the subject of medical cannabis and states rights.
Many Tennesseans feel that in 2019, it is especially relevant because even polling numbers in our deeply conservative citizens are solidly in favor of a medical cannabis program in the Volunteer state.
Since the Carmelo rumor’s legs didn’t strengthen we’ve got a new and more interesting deal, in my opinion, to mull over today. Check out the noise coming out of Bay Area this morning:
Joe Dumars, the Pistons’ president of basketball operations, gave notice after losing the Eastern Conference finals that no one on his veteran-laden team would be safe, and the source said Detroit is willing to divest itself of longtime stars Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups.
Wallace, like Davis an unrestricted free agent after ‘08-09, would give the Warriors their best true power forward since Chris Webber’s first stint in 1993-94 and has 3-point range that coach Don Nelson would love.
Since Wallace and Billups will combine to take home nearly $25 million in 2008-09, the Warriors would need to add more salary ballast to Davis in order to make the salary-cap numbers work.
One possibility in that role would be forward Al Harrington. A source close to the 10th-year forward said he is currently leaning toward requesting a trade from the Warriors this summer, although he will not make a final decision until after the draft.
I like this deal. If we have to part with guys this deal sounds fun. Baron is very similar to Chauncey in that he’s a big bodied dominant guard. I think Baron is a little better going to the rim than Billups. Chauncey may have the better long range stroke, but Davis is no slouch. Plus, this gives our PG of the future, Rodney Stuckey, one more prime time floor general to learn from.
Interviewer: Out of all the cases you handle nowadays, what percentage would you say are due to drugs, whether prescription or illegal, versus alcohol?
There Are Three Main Types of Drug-Related DUIs
Jerald Novak: Well, the drug cases fall into three categories. There is the drug user, in other words, someone who consumes some type of recreational substance. That’s your primary type of DUI drug case, or the police stop the driver for some traffic violation. They smell an odor of alcohol.
They claim that the driver failed the field tests and arrest him, and then when they search the car they find paraphernalia and they charge him under the combined influence of alcohol or drugs. In Illinois, even a trace amount of drugs in your system will trigger a charge of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs. That’s your primary type.
Your secondary type of DUI drug case is someone who has a number of illnesses who is being treated medically and is on a variety of medications. That’s what I alluded to earlier where somebody has a number of medications. Maybe they’ll have a glass of wine with dinner and for some reason when all those medications are mixed together added with small amount of alcohol and it affects their ability to drive.
Then there’s the third variety of DUI, and this is a real case I had, where a gentleman was stopped where he had driven over the center line. When he was stopped by the police, and this was in the middle of the afternoon, the police officer asked him why he drove over the center line. My client had a map in his hand. He said because he was looking at the map while he was driving, he stared at the map a second too long, and went over the center line.
They had him exit the vehicle. He passed all the field tests, and when they searched his car, they found some prescription bottles for a number of medications. He admitted that he had taken those medications for his illnesses. So they arrested him for DUI even though he had clearly passed the field sobriety tests. He was arrested even though he had a very good explanation for why he had gone over the center line. Ultimately we did get that case dismissed.
Those would be the three primary reasons you get a combined influence case or a drug DUI, or if they do a blood or urine test and they find a trace amount of any illegal substance, that’s sufficient to support the charge.
DUI Case History: Does Body Mass and the Effects of Alcohol Consumption
Interviewer: Have you handled any DUIs with unusual circumstances?
Jerald Novak: I had a gentleman about 2 years ago. He was driving his truck, and I wouldn’t say it was terribly late in the evening. He was driving a pickup truck and he came to a T-intersection and was going to make a left-hand turn. He waited for the traffic control device to turn green.
He made his turn and he made a somewhat wide turn. The police officer behind him activated his emergency lights to pull him over, and so the driver stopped almost immediately at the first driveway. Unfortunately, that driveway was not exactly properly aligned with the street. The driver of the truck was in an extended bed pickup truck. In order to make the turn into this driveway, in the course of his turn, his rear wheel went over the curb.
When he stopped and got out of the car, the first thing the police officer said to him is, “Have you had anything to drink tonight?”, and my client responded, “Yes, I’ve had some beer.” The police officer said, “How much have you had to drink tonight?”, and my client said, “Nine beers.”
The police officer then got him out of the car and summarily arrested him for DUI. The part that I hadn’t told you was that my client was 350 pounds. What that really means is that even if he had nine beers, because he had such a large body mass, that amount of alcohol wouldn’t have affected his ability to be a safe and responsible driver.
The whole reason my client made the wide turn at that T-intersection is because he just spilled coffee all over his pants, hot coffee, and he was trying to finish the turn, put the coffee down, and get to someplace safe to clean up. When he exited the vehicle, he was asked if he was drinking, he said yes. He admitted he had nine beers, and he had a big wet spot on his pants.
Circumstantially, it looked really bad. I was able to explain to the jury at 350 pounds, the consumption of nine beers would not affect this individual and I was able to do that by demonstrative evidence.
It was to demonstrate how that much alcohol would not affect someone of that great size. That was a big victory in the courthouse.
Miley Law Firm has certainly handled some interesting cases.
Here are some things that you may want to consider:
(1) How many résumés did you send?
Jobseekers tend to send résumés to one or two companies and expect something to happen immediately. That’s a common mistake.
First, most companies put out hiring announcements months before they need to hire. While you’re desperate, waiting for a call, there’s a chance that the company (you sent your résumé to) is just taking it easy. They’re not in a rush to hire.
Second, if you need a job soon, why not apply to at least 15 companies? Imagine, if two of those companies decide to hire you after the interview, you still get the privilege of choosing one.
By not sending more of your résumé, you’ve imposed a limit on yourself. But if you’ll submit more, you’ll have more options.
(2) Apply for a job that fits you. (work you are good at)
Putting in your résumé “any job available” is not a wise idea. The company you want to work for knows what kind of talent they’re looking for. So should you.
(3) The résuméshouldn’t be all about you.
It’s about the job you’re applying for. Show the employer how you fit into the job position. If given the chance to work for the company, how will you contribute?
(4) Is your résumé presentable?
People will always judge a book by its cover. So will employers judge you by the kind of résumé you submit. After a quick look, they’ll decide if you’re worth giving the ‘air time’ for an interview.
Check for correct grammar and spelling – attention to detail is important.
Use quality paper – To stand out from a stack of résumé, print it on premium paper. Don’t pinch a penny in exchange for not getting a monthly income.
Attach a photo that’s taken by a professional photographer. Don’t crop your head shot from one of your barkada’s photo.
Keep your design clean and elegant. Avoid adding unnecessary elements that will add clutter. (No floral design or glitters please)
Instead of just listing your previous job title, emphasize the contribution you made from your last employment.
Remember, the purpose of a résumé is not to get you a job, but to make yourself interesting so that you can get an interview.
(5) Consider working for a small business owner.
Unlike a big corporation, small business owners conduct the interview themselves. They are more inclined to chat longer and they tend to decide based on gut feel.
If you’re trustworthy enough, they might even promote you as ‘kanang kamay’.
(6) Get more experience.
Work for free. Did I just hear someone say, “What?… Free?”
Yes, free.
The best way to convince an employer to hire you is to show them what you can do. Sometimes just referring to the résumé won’t do you justice. But if they can see how well you work with others, they’ll be more than willing to hire you as soon as a job position is available.
Even if they don’t, you can still add the work experience into your credentials.
(7) Find a mentor.
Who do you want to emulate? Maybe an uncle who runs a business? Or a family friend who is also an executive in a reputable company?
Ask him to be your mentor. Let him bring you around and teach you. Ask him how he started. Listen to his advice. If he sees you eager enough, he might help you get started. Also companies look most importantly to improve employee attendance so be punctual and dedicated.
(8) Get rid of the ‘entitlement’ attitude.
I’ve met jobseekers who thinks that the government or private companies owe them a job. (I’m sure you don’t think this way!) They don’t owe us anything.
It’s our duty to look for a job. We are responsible for our own future.
Now, the pointers above are just some tips on how to get a job-interview. The interview itself is another matter.
Apply what you’ve learned here. And then go learn some more.
