How to: Pickup the Tinderettes

Gaining popularity over the past year, the dating application Tinder has officially reached 1 billion matches as of March 2014, according to CEO Sean Rad.  Being an experienced user of the app myself, I can assume that of those 1 billion connections that were made, only a small percentage of them have resulted in conversation.

When "how to start a conversation" is searched on Google, the first suggestion offered is "how to start a conversation on Tinder", proving that a fair amount of users have difficulty taking the first step.  I consider myself one of the lucky ones though and have no problem starting a conversation with my secret lovers.  These are my secrets to Tinder success.

There are 5 simple ways to win your wife-

1.) Simply say hello:  This is the most simple way to start a conversation on this dating service.  It is also the most common.  Make sure you grab her attention right after she responds, otherwise she may write you off as a potential soul-mate.  Ask her about her family life, as most women enjoy talking about that.

After successfully cracking through her tough exterior by discussing family
life, the girl opens up and praises my "silly" trait.  Check-mate.

2.) Ask a question:  Make sure that the question you ask intrigues her, and makes her think deeply about herself before giving an honest answer.  Once you think you have learned enough about your match, the next step is to move the conversation to texts.

Although the first few messages go well, I feel like I may have overstepped the line asking for
feet pics.  Don't be afraid of rejection though! Just move on to the next match!

3.) Be completely honest:  Let them know a little something about yourself.  It's important that your match knows the fine details of your life.  Don't be afraid to open up about your relationship with your mother either! Women like to learn about the relationship between their man and their soon to be mother-in-law.

It is important to connect over common interests.  In this case, Nintendo Wii.  By asking for her
Wii system, I have now opened many doors, many of which lead to
us growing old together. (It's cut off, but she actually said I could have it!)

4.) Be charismatic:  Show a little excitement! You may have just met your wife!  Send your lover a wake-up text that puts a smile on their face.

Tip: If you think your match may have a neurological disorder, be straight forward about
 your concern and ask them.  It's better to know now rather than after you've tied the knot.

5.) Show a little love: We're all here to find love! Just don't go over the top.

Remember, there's never a "right" time to say the L word. Just
make that you just don't throw the word around too much.

Happy hunting.

Minimum Wages in America

The nationwide struggle over minimum wage regulations may finally be coming to an end.  As of the beginning of June, Seattle, Washington passed a bill setting a record for the highest minimum wage nationwide at a lofty $15 per hour.

The yearly salary for a full-time minimum wage worker (40 hours per week) shoots from $19,115 to $31,200.  This is a 63% increase from the previous minimum salary of $9.19 per hour.  To those who were already working at the previous minimum wage, this drastic increase seems to be nothing short of a miracle.

Before the bill's approval in Seattle, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had set up two varying plans that both call for a nationwide increase in minimum wages.  The first plan calls for the wage to be set at $9.00, which would take two years for the plan to be completely in action.  The other plan sets the minimum at $10.10, taking a full three years to be completely implemented.

It seems as though Seattle is being used as a lab rat for the CBO's decision on how to handle this issue.  By the time the CBO has to make a decision on a wage law, the effects of Seattle's recently passed bill will begin to show, revealing the effects of inflation on minimum wage.  At this point, it is too soon to say what definite effects an increase would have on our economy, but it is easy to speculate on the possible pros and cons that come with the bill's approval-

Pros:

• This could be the start to closing the gaps of our nation's substantial economic inequalities.  An increase may reduce the levels of poverty in America, allowing opportunities for people currently labeled as lower class to move up in economic status.
• Initially, increasing the minimums to higher amounts would be a boasting point for the American government in international affairs.
• An increase in pay raise would transition to an increase in product consumption.  This increase in money flow would act as a stimulus to the economy, possibly helping us climb out of our major national debt.  This idea resembles President Roosevelt's New Deal, which was successful in the rebuilding of America's depressed economy.

Cons:

• An increase may interfere with current company budget policies.  Especially for small businesses, this increase may be impossible to compensate, resulting in job cuts.
• The annual salary of a full-time minimum wage worker is similar to that of a sixth year Staff Sergeant in the US Army.  This salary is also greater than all low-ranking military members.  (Essentially, someone could flip burgers full-time and make more money than an experienced veteran.)
• To compensate for the salary increases, product prices could shoot up to a point where they are no longer affordable for the working class.

Although it is indefinite on what the future holds, the CBO must weigh out the potentials when it comes to finalizing the national wage minimum.  Should endorsement of the current state-regulated wage minimums continue, or should they be slightly augmented and risk the (already weak) well-being of our nation's economic status?

Inaugural Post

Fellow Americans,

Welcome to the inaugural post of The Prajka Press.  Hesitant to start a new project, I have finally taken to the keyboard to preach to all those misfortunate enough to come across my page.

The name's Nicholas, born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago.  I currently attend Loyola University Chicago, studying in the School of Communications for a major that has yet to be specified.  I also partake in the school's D1 Track & Field program as a half-miler.  I consider myself to be somewhat of an open-book and also do not mind embarrassing myself for the sake of a laugh.

I have been told by many people who work in the communications field that it is essential to have a blog in order to stand out, by show-casing writing abilities and creativity.  After reading other people's blogs over the years, I have learned that most usually pertain to a single subject.  Unfortunately, I do not consider myself to be an expert of any thing (other than running, but there's plenty of blogs about that already).  For that reason, The Prajka Press was created solely for the purpose of posting what I feel like, whenever I feel like posting it.  Posts will always vary in subject, humor, sarcasm, and seriousness, just depending on the mood the day of the post.  If initially you're not captivated by the posts, just stick with me here because I guarantee that logs will eventually come along that will pertain to your interests.  Responses are encouraged, and I will respond when it seems appropriate to do so!

Follow the press on Twitter: @theprajkapress

Thanks in advance for making me famous, I couldn't do it without my loyal readers,
Prajka