writing samples for professionals

sample writing of a Bias review of a skin product

amazons choice

Paula’s choice skincare – 2% bha Liquid acid exfoliant

There are 62, 561 reviews on this product on Amazon with 75% of the reviews five stars. That is beyond impressive and I, like many other women, am continuously sampling new skincare products in search of the next innovative product that is effective with actual results.

Paula’s choice is a BHA serum formulated to effectively diminish large pores, remove dead skin cells, and brighten uneven skin tone. The brand’s motto is “Smart beauty philosophy without the hype offering formulas that are effective, safe, and backed by research. 

Another big selling point is the brand is cruelty-free, climate-friendly, and made in the USA. The brand has made a pledge to the climate by using sustainable products that meet those standards. They help to preserve the natural world and are committed to building a sustainable business for customers and the planet.

tips for application of the product

• Apply on clean skin, a little goes a long way apply all over your face and neck
• The serum takes 5 – 10 minutes to fully absorb, do not wash off
• Always apply sunscreen after application may cause the skin to burn in the sun
• You should try a skin patch test first and wait 48 hours to see if your skin will have a reaction to this product

how frequently should you use this product?

• For the first week to two weeks use it every other day and use before bedtime one time a day
• Slowly work up to using this product two times a day and always apply sunscreen

statistics tell the truth

• 91% agreed their skin appeared healthier
• 90% agreed their skin’s texture was improved
• 82% agreed their pores appeared smaller

passing my own test

authors review of Paula’s Choice Skincare – review with an opinion

First and foremost my skin is acne-prone, hormonal with cystic acne, large pores, dull skin, and I do have mature skin where I have fine lines around my eyes and my most troubled area is the expression lines between my eyebrows.

I purchased Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Acid Exfoliant and have been using this product for a week now. After my first application, I noticed my skin appeared instantly brighter. I continued to use the product every other day for a week and I did see some dry peeling skin which is a good thing. The product is working correctly it is exfoliating and removing dead skin cells. The serum itself is smooth and velvety. The application process is easy the serum glides over my skin covering all areas on my face and neck with simple long strokes. 

Starting the second week of the product trial phase I noticed my pores were significantly smaller and those irritating fine lines, the ones that are impossible to get rid of, I did see signs of a smoother area around my eyes. Finally, my most troubling area is the expression lines between my eyebrows. In my case these lines are deep I think from constantly squinting to my surprise and delight this product literally diminishes the prominence of those two lines within two weeks. Before using this product there was a very deep crevis on each side until now nothing helped alleviate how prominent the lines were. Until now I can confirm this product actually lives up to their 

Overall this Paula’s Choice is my new staple skincare product in my beauty routine rotation. A line with excellent ingredients, Green Tea and Salicylic Acid is worth its weight in gold however, with a price tag of $11 dollars for just 1oz a perfect size for testing out a new product 4oz is $32 dollars, either way, the price is fantastic and the product is brilliant.

 

should the minimum wage be increased?

federal minimum wage in america

A bias report on federal minimum wage in america, pro v. con – sample writing

Issue summery of the federal minimum wage in america

The minimum wage is the lowest an employer can pay their employees which is regulated by federal law.

The minimum wage was first established after the Great Depression in order to protect workers in the labor force. In order to stabilize the weakened economy after the depression, the minimum wage was created to help the poor standard of living and health.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president during the Federal Labor Standard Act, FLSA, created in 1938 after the Great Depression with two key points, a federal minimum wage of .25 cents per hour to maintain a healthy standard of living and to ban child labor. 

The current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in the United States. The last time this country saw a federal minimum wage increase was in 2009.  Except for New Jersey and Illinois increased minimum wage with enacted legislation to issue the minimum wage be $13 per hour in New Jersey and $12 per hour in Illinois by the New Year of 2022 which is to be slowly increased to $15 dollars per hour by 2025. 

During President Biden’s campaign for the presidency, one of his key promises of that campaign addressed the minimum wage issue, President Biden’s Administration has pressured Congress to boost the hourly pay wage as part of a $1.9 trillion package aimed at providing relief to Americans recovering from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. “We are desperate:” Advocates demand Congress pass a $16 minimum wage increase.” usatoday.com  

Passing such a large-scale bill is a difficult one in Congress due to the Republican opposing the package. In order for the bill to pass 60 votes would be needed in a Senate that has a 50-50 split. Congress has equal Democratic and Republican representatives.

Issue Timeline of minimum wage

1912

Massachusetts 

Becomes the first in the United States to require a minimum wage

1933

National Industry Recovery Act (NIRA)

Suspended antitrust laws so Industry could enforce fair-trade codes resulting in less competition and higher wages.

1938

Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA)

The federal minimum wage standard was created at .25 cents per hour. This act banned child labor, and gave hourly wages for work, and a standard of living. 

1949

The federal minimum wage is increased to .75 cents per hour.

The first of several over the next seven-decade

1968

Federal minimum wage peaks

With the minimum wage at its highest at $1.60 than the cost of living those wages then were equal to $11.53 in 2019 dollars

2009

The minimum wage raised to $7.25

This was the last time the federal minimum wage was raised. Today only two U.S. states have a minimum wage that has been incresed. 

2022

Only two U.S. states have raised their minimum raise

New Jersey and Illinois are the only two U.S. states that have raised their minimum wage on January 1, 2022   

Legislative News

Headline: Democrats Reintroduce 15 hourly Wage Bill with unified control of Congress, says White House

Date: January 26, 2021

Type Tag: New Law, {New Law Proposed Legislation, H.R. 603, Still not Passed}

State Tag: United States Congress

summery

New law will increase federal minimum wage to 15 dollars per hour by 2025 for regular employees, employees who live on tips, newly hired employees, and those under the age of 20 years old.

Link:  https://cnbc.com  congress.gov 

Headline: New Jersey’s minimum wage increases to $13 per hour for most employees 

Date: January 1, 2022

Type Tag: New Law {New Law, New Jersey passes minimum wage to $13 per hour}

State Tag: New Jersey

summery

Governor Murphy has passed a statewide minimum wage of $13 per hour. That will gradually raise to $15 per hour by 2024 for most employees. Under the law seasonal and small businesses have until 2026 to reach $15 per hour to lesson the impact on their business. Tipped workers will also see their wages rise to $5.13 per hour.

Link:  https://nj.gov 

Headline: Illinois’ minimum wage will increase by $1 on New Year’s Day, Department of Labor says.

Date: December 20, 2021

Type Tag: New Law {New Law, State of Illinois cases minimum wage to $12 per hour}

State: Illinois

summery

Department of Labor Information Officer Paul Cicchini said, “As of January 1, 2022 there is a scheduled increase of $1 of the minimum any time worked in the New Year must reflect the new $12 an hour minimum wage.”

Link:  https://abc7chicago.com 

Micro Issues

Individuals

Raising the federal minimum wage, economists say, businesses will likely not hire teenagers, low-skilled workers, fewer, and conditions could get worse for teenage workers in the workplace.

Families and their Household

For households, raising the federal minimum wage would provide additional money to cover the rising costs of food and necessary items along with having extra money for consumers to spend. 

Racial and Gender Wage Equality

Raising the federal minimum wage would draw an equal line across all ethnicities  and women who have historically speaking been paid less for the same work by Caucasian men.

Pro vs. Con

*** PRO***

1. High pay retains employees.                                                                                                                                                    Raising the federal minimum wage would give employees a higher moral. You would see increasedproductivity and less absenteeism. 
2. Good for businesses’ bottom line.                                                                                                                                           Having employees with a high moral rate in the workplace, is ultimately good for employers and their business. This would save employers the extra costs of having to recruit new employees and train them. 

3. Higher wages are helping families below the poverty line.                                                                                          Households are faced with the challenges of meeting rising food prices. Raising the minimum wage will allow households to cover the cost of food, and necessary items ultimately having more money for families to go out and spend money on helping the economy. 

4. Raising the minimum wage is a civil and human right.                                                                                                    Reducing racism and inequality in America has been increasingly important. When employers offer equal opportunity with equal pay we break down barriers in society offering an overall feel of one community.

5. Many children in America do not have enough food to fulfill the nutritional standard.                                                   Poverty has always been a serious issue facing Americans. With inflation rising minimum wage standards should be compatible with the rise of inflation. Especially the families that are in need of a wage increase most. 

***CON***

1. Raising the federal minimum wage will be hard on small businesses.                                                                         America’s small businesses make up for 99% of all businesses. With higher labor costs this will mean layoffs, loss of competitiveness, and businesses will be forced to replace workers with machines or even outsourcing to other countries.

2. Raising the minimum wage will affect certain individuals.                                                                                                Certain individuals who lack education or not enough skill set will have a harder time finding work saising unemployment and also reducing value. There would be fewer opportunities for young people and teenagers would have a hard time finding work.

3. Raising the minimum wage will not change the poverty problem.                                                                              Economists say that regardless of raising the minimum wage to 15 dollars per hour  there will still be difficulty solving poverty. In order to see an actual difference the minimum wage would have to be upwards of 20-26 dollars an hour. 

4. Economists say the $15 per hour minimum wage does not reflect modern day inflation rates.                                   Minimum wage today, whether raising it to 15 dollars per hour, may still be off by standards of the monthly increase of inflation. At 15 dollars per hour, it still does not reflect the standards of living in modern day America.  

5. Certain industries will have a hard time accommodating minimum wage for example restaurants.                          Restaurants typically operate at an average profit margin of 3% to 6%, this is leaving little room to pay a higher wage. Especially now with the pandemic, restaurants already have a hard enough time absorbing all their costs and overhead.

Agree or Disagree 

1. Minimum wage laws lead to higher unemployment.                                                                                                      Employers will be forced with a challenging recourse to either replace workers with cheaper options with machines or outsource to foreign countries where labor laws may be less conducive to those of the U.S.  

2. Like most efforts by the government to intervene in the economy, minimum wage laws create distortions that have deleterious effects, including causing general inflation.                                                                                                            A recent study by Berkley based on intensive research by economist alumni found that a significant minimum raise would not impact employers hiring decisions but would produce a positive result with consumers, workers, and in their communities.

3. Raising the minimum wage alleviates poverty and puts more food into the stomachs of low-income children.        Recent calls to raise the minimum wage to 15 dollars an hour have good intent however, that amount is still inadequate to truly support working households but a true living wage to support households today would have to be between 20-to-26 dollars and hour.

4. It is demeaning to work for below poverty-level wages.                                                                                              Businesses feel they can not afford to pay employees a higher minimum wage and that many workers are those who are less experienced or less skill-set, employers pay according to ability.