After 13 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Luis Rodriguez was glad to land a job as a facilities scheduling assistant with Alamo College. His job keeping track of and caring for fighter pilots’ flight gear gave him the skills it takes to make big campus events go off without a hitch. And with the job’s flexibility, combined with his G.I. Bill education benefits, he was able to work toward a bachelor’s degree. Still, financial problems were bubbling up. His benefits were running out, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to afford graduate school. Also, with take-home pay of $12.88 an hour and some old debt dragging down his credit score, the 35 year old wondered if he would ever be able to afford a home loan. In September, he’ll get a needed boost. Alamo Colleges adopted a $15 minimum wage for all campus workers. The community college’s board of trustees approved the increase last month. Of its approximately 2,400 non-faculty staff, the raises … [Read more...] about Alamo Colleges, other San Antonio employers embrace ‘living wage’
Day trading for a living statistics
After 16 years of living with an autistic child, I am grateful
Hong Phuc "There’s a retard here," a corpulent woman shouted as she punched on my apartment door. "There’s a retard here!," she kept yelling. We were living in Hanoi back then, when my son was five years old. That woman, a neighbor, rushed into my house to find "the retard" because, she said: "He stole my grandkid’s toy, he even opened the fridge to take biscuits himself." That day, my son lost a piece of his toe because of the iron folding door. That neighbor tried to push him out of her apartment while my son tried to get back in. After she left, I followed the trail of blood to find my son hiding in a corner of the bedroom. He did not cry and his eyes were wide open as if he had never been chased away so many times before. Then he lay down, very still, rolling the wheel of a toy car as I bandaged his toe. When was the last time that you had peace of mind? My answer to that question would be: the time before a hot summer afternoon in Hanoi, more than 13 years ago. … [Read more...] about After 16 years of living with an autistic child, I am grateful
50 Ideas for a Lucrative Side Hustle
You know how to do something people would hire you for, but only if they know you are available. R.L. Adams Published 7:19 pm CDT, Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Photo: Rawpixel | Getty Images Photo: Rawpixel | Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Photo: Rawpixel | Getty Images 50 Ideas for a Lucrative Side Hustle 1 / 1 Back to Gallery If you're looking for ways you can earn a few extra bucks with a side hustle, you'd likely encounter hundreds of strategies for make some money. However, depending on your unique needs and your skills, earning a respectable amount of cash, and doing it quickly, might be well within your reach. No matter where you're from or what you do … [Read more...] about 50 Ideas for a Lucrative Side Hustle
$11 toothpaste: Immigrants pay big for basics at private ICE lock-ups
By Michelle Conlin and Kristina Cooke NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Detained in a California lockup with hundreds of other immigrants seeking asylum, Duglas Cruz faced a choice. He could content himself with a jailhouse diet that he said left him perpetually hungry. Or he could labour in the prison's kitchen to earn money to buy extra food at the commissary. Cruz went to work. But his $1-a-day salary at the privately run Adelanto Detention Facility did not stretch far. A can of commissary tuna sold for $3.25 (2.50 pounds). That is more than four times the price at a Target store near the small desert town of Adelanto, about two hours northeast of Los Angeles. Cruz stuck with ramen noodles at 58 cents a package, double the Target price. A miniature deodorant stick, at $3.35 and more than three days' wages, was an impossible luxury, he said. "If I bought that there wouldn't be enough money for food," Cruz said. Tuna and deodorant would seem minor worries for detainees such as Cruz. … [Read more...] about $11 toothpaste: Immigrants pay big for basics at private ICE lock-ups
Detroit Pistons: Was Blake Griffin trade worth it?
Vince Ellis Detroit Free Press Published 6:06 PM EST Jan 11, 2019 LOS ANGELES — There was only a casual mention of playoffs. No cryptic messages signaling organizational change were offered. When Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores spoke with reporters at halftime of his team’s blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, there were no surprises. That was to be expected with Pistons coach Dwane Casey and senior adviser Ed Stefanski only entrenched since the summer. Gores just stated the obvious. The Pistons have their star in the Blake Griffin, and the organizational goal is to maximize the window of Griffin, 29, who is having a resurgent season after several campaigns marred by injuries. “We couldn’t expect more from Blake than what he’s done. He has done incredible work, and everybody didn’t know what he could do — but we couldn’t expect more,” Gores said at Staples Center. “Beyond his stats, he really has … [Read more...] about Detroit Pistons: Was Blake Griffin trade worth it?