Vending Machines Serving Trouble At West Boca High

This article was written by a student from West Boca High School
Something Fishy Is Going On
Where education is concerned, the number one priority should be safety. However, when West Boca Raton Community High School (WBRHS) adopted the use of vending machines in the school year of 2014-2015, this safety was threatened.
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According to The Guardian, vending machines are more dangerous than sharks, killing more people. These ‘murders’ on behalf of vending machines are most likely caused by the tilting of broken vending machines in order to get food.
shark
While it is difficult to imagine, you must consider the fact that in schools there are thousands of hormone-raged, ‘starving’ teens not willing to take ‘no’ as an answer from a vending machine. It is quite common to hear the pounding of vending machines from across the courtyard at WBRHS, almost like a person knocking on death’s door.
Along with the physical threat that vending machines pose within schools, they also contain a vast amount of hypocrisy. The purpose of vending machines is to provide quick, efficient, and preferably healthy snacks to those without food. However, when a bottle of water costs $1.50 and a can of soda costs $1.25, it encourages the consumption of unhealthy drinks. This concept also applies to the foods in the vending machines, making ‘unhealthy’ the easiest choice.
Ultimately, vending machines were installed in schools as a method of making money. However, when the pursuit of money is valued over the safety and health of students, it is time to call into question whether we should just swap to a safer alternative…replacing sharks with vending machines.
Editor’s Note: For another take on vending machines in schools, see School Vending Machine Bans.

Editorial: Yes on Amendment 2 – Medical Marijuana

While watching the Today Show this morning I saw this video against Amendment 2, the medical marijuana amendment – you may have to turn up your volume:

The video shows “Dr. Madelyn Butler, M.D.,” speaking in a strong voice to scare voters about medical marijuana. She’s lying. She says the Amendment will allow people to get marijuana without a prescription. That detail is true, sort of. But then she that’s not like “FDA-approved medication.” But plenty of medicines are available over the counter without a prescription. Thousands of drugs like Aspirin, Tylenol, Motrin, and Theraflu can be purchased by anyone without seeing a doctor or pharmacist.
In fact it will be harder to get marijuana under Amendment 2 than these over-the-counter drugs because marijuana users will have to get approval from a licensed physician before being able to buy any from licensed stores. Even those looking to grow marijuana themselves also need to have a license to do so, therefore, it would by no means be a free-for-all, unregulated market.

The reference to FDA approval is also nonsense. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law. So the FDA can’t approve it for medical use.

Let’s be clear about Dr. Madelyn Butler. She does not practice in a specialty where marijuana might be used as therapy. She’s an Obstetrician and Gynecologist.
According to Wikipedia:

Cannabis has been used to reduce nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy and people with AIDS, and to treat pain and muscle spasticity.

For more see Top 10 Medical Uses for Marijuana. These are not generally areas that are handled by Ob/Gyns.
Dr. Butler is heavily involved in the political scene and this ad is funded by Drug Free Florida, a group sponsored by the GOP establishment. It’s likely that the purpose of the ad is not about the issue itself, but rather a political trick to affect voter turnout – discouraging pro-marijuana voters from showing up at the polls and thus reducing the number of people likely to vote for Charlie Crist. Dr. Butler supported Rick Scott in 2010 as well.
Regarding our own prejudices, West Boca News opposes drug prohibition and would legalize marijuana not only for medical use but also for recreational users. We do not use marijuana and do not recommend recreational use to anyone. But plenty of people do use it, and marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. It’s not even close, according to the British medical journal Lancet:

As for my financial bias, I have made hundreds of thousands of dollars representing people accused of drug crimes. Most of these have been marijuana cases, from as little as one gram to a guy who was caught with 200 pounds of it. Drug arrests also make wonderful news stories for West Boca News. I will lose a lot of money if marijuana is made legal.
Vote “No” if you want to protect the income stream for lawyers like me and many others. Vote “Yes” if you want to end a failed prohibition that causes crime, takes billions from taxpayers and accomplishes nothing.

Hobby Lobby "Protest": Photos

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Protesters gathered this afternoon on the northwest corner of 441 and Palmetto Park Road, motivated at least in part by the opening of the Hobby Lobby in West Boca Square. Our best estimate is that there were 30 people there, though there more may have come after we left.
As we drove in we saw this woman telling people to “Get a new hobby.”
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There were a number of other motivated people there:
offmyhobby
We had a pleasant conversation on the scene with Laura Goodhue, who is a VP with the local Planned Parenthood organization:
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We asked Ms. Goodhue about the fact that Hobby Lobby’s main competitor, Michael’s, is owned by Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital. She said the protest was not about Hobby Lobby and they are not advocating for a boycott of the store. She said this was more about making people aware of women’s rights, particularly involving healthcare. She talked about political candidates and made clear that Governor candidate Charlie Crist is more in line with their views than the incumbent, Rick Scott.
When we asked Ms. Goodhue about the distinction between an individual’s rights against the government, as compared to an employee’s rights against their employer, and that employer’s rights against the government. The contrast is between the government’s power to actually ban something, and an employer’s refusal to pay for something. She didn’t give a straight answer to the question.
When we first arrived we saw a protester inside the plaza on the sidewalk right in front of the store. By the time we left he was gone and there were two Sheriff’s vehicles along the sidewalk.
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The deputies were speaking with the store managers. We asked if they had removed the protester and one of the deputies said that they were “just keeping the peace.” We asked store management about the protest and also again about whether and when they would be carrying merchandise for the Jewish holidays. Like Ms. Goodhue they did not give a straight answer to those questions.
As we left we saw a few more protesters at the exit:
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And to be fair, we did see one counter-protester, out on the median of 441:
counter-protester

Opinion: Referendum #2 –

A reader asked that we publish this opinion piece on a ballot referendum for this November. We’re happy to do so and invite other such opinion pieces on either side of this and other ballot issues.


Palm Beach County school district is known for educational excellence – a reputation that didn’t happen by chance. It happened as a result of you – a remarkably supportive community who four years ago voted to allocate a quarter mill property tax to sustain Fine Arts, Music, Physical Education and Magnet/Academy programs. Our students thrived amidst drastic budget cuts.
Palm Beach County is consistently rated the #1 academically performing urban district in Florida while also having schools selected as “Best in the Nation” by US News & World Report. Many of us chose to live here because of the standards of excellence in education.
This year we’re asking voters to Say Yes to Referendum #2 to continue the existing tax allocation. In other words, nothing will change. We will continue to pay the same amount as we have for the past four years.
Saying Yes to #2 is crucial. Roughly 90,000 students will lose access to Fine Arts, Music, PE and career academy classes while over 500 teachers may lose their jobs. Class sizes will inevitably increase and graduation rates may plummet after stripping away career classes that keep our most challenging students enrolled.
Career academy programs, many of which offer industry certifications, help students gain employment or provide a jump start to determining what’s next. Without your help, the school district will be forced to pick and choose educational priorities for students making it more challenging for our graduates to be competitive for jobs and college.
Please Vote Yes to PBC Referendum #2 and continue to provide the best educational and career-ready offerings to improve Palm Beach County’s economy and future. Our children are our future.
Rita M. Solnet
President, Parents Across Florida
Chairman, West Boca Raton High Community Academies Advisory Board
solnet

Hobby Lobby Grand Opening: Photos and Video

hl-front-opening
Hobby Lobby is finally open. The grand opening was this morning at 9 am. We missed the ceremonies but got there before 10 am. There seemed to be a lot of customers for a weekday morning and it looks like a good start.
Some key details: It’s definitely big and there are a lot of sections. They have a fabrics section which we’ve heard some demand for:
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The store map is helpful:
hobby-lobby-map
There’s also a framing section that is likely to be popular:
hl-framing
Here’s our video of walking into the store:

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Hobby Lobby for various reasons, related to their identity as a “Christian company.” When I walked in I was greeted by Jacqueline Chavez (below, far right), of the firm’s Management Ministries.
hl-grand-opening
I think some of the critics don’t get how serious the company is about being Christian. Having Ms. Chavez there at the front door is a sign of it. The “Management Ministries” staff are part of that:

The focus is to exhibit a Godly culture by making a positive impact on the lives of the management teams. I believe this position is one of equipping men and women, right where they are and that is in the workplace. It is exciting to see biblical principles touching and changing lives across the country. Jesus said “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) The goal of Management Ministries is to let them see Jesus!

I met the two co-managers and they were happy with how things were going. The soft opening was Saturday and business was strong even though it was essentially unadvertised. This is not the first Hobby Lobby in South Florida – they told me there are stores in Davie and Kendall. From the store website there are plans to open another one in Coral Springs in a few weeks.
The store does seem to be running well, but from a business perspective I was surprised at how uncomfortable and unprepared they were for questions about the controversies. In light of an incident of alleged antisemitism in New Jersey where the Hobby Lobby President apologized, I asked about whether they would be carrying merchandise for the Jewish holidays. They had no idea whether or when Hanukkah merchandise would be coming to the store, though the store has plenty of Christmas merchandise on the shelves already.
The managers seemed unaware of the significant Jewish population around them. The West Boca Square plaza borders Boca Woods, which is mostly Jewish, and the Jewish Federation campus is not far away on the other side of 441.
hobby-lobby-location
I asked about the decision to locate a Christian store in an area that has such a large Jewish population and they simply said it was a decision made by the company’s real estate division and they didn’t know about it. To me it doesn’t come off as antisemitism but rather that they’re tone deaf. For a more critical perspective see this article in Coral Springs Talk.
Regardless of all of that, we’re pleased to see that the opening is going well. This is a great shopping option for a lot of people in West Boca and also a source of good jobs. We wish Hobby Lobby well.