#coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #solitude #loneliness
Even introverts eventually tire of solitude.
In this period of social distancing, even if you don’t consider yourself a “people person,” there will be things you will miss.
Leonard Pitts, columnist the Miami Herald, misses his Wednesdays, when new comic books come out.
In a column also published April 5, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he discusses not only his introversion, but also the pleasures he’s missing.
Pitts writes that he thought the quarantine period would be easier for him than many of us.
It is, but …
Everyone has SOMETHING they enjoy that’s no longer part of their routine during this period.
For Pitts, it was the conversation at the comics store with other aficionados. That conversation, he points out, was about nothing serious. But, he still misses it.
So what are you missing?
Your job? Your office conversations?Hugs for friends and family? Meeting new people? Shaking their hands?
We know – at least most of us know – that distance from others is needed right now, lest the coronavirus spread worsens. We also know – at least most of us do – that it is temporary.
How temporary it is remains to be seen.
On the other hand, maybe you DON’T miss work. Maybe for you, your job is a necessary evil. Maybe you don’t have a job to go back to.
If you are among those who feel that way, and are willing to look at something that is so different you never would have considered doing anything like it, there are many programs out there that allow you to earn an income without a necessarily evil job.
If you have an open mind and are willing to check out one of the best such programs, message me. (As a bonus, you can even do it remotely from home, when necessary).
For Pitts, staying at home may have proved easier for him than others. However, he writes, “easier” is not “easy.”
Again, what’s not “easy” for you?
For some, who are trying not to go to the grocery store, it may be fresh fruits and vegetables.
A good piece of advice is if you must go to the grocery store, get in, get what you need and get out. Don’t linger. Stay away from others. Don’t browse.
In other words, to quote Moe Howard of The Three Stooges, “spread out!”
In normal situations, getting close would be a good thing. But until the pandemic passes, as the government repeats daily, “Do your part. Stay apart.”
Peter
Author Archives: pbilodeau01
NO LAYOFFS, FOR NOW, AT SOME COMPANIES
#coronavirus #covid19 #jobs #layoffs #FlattenTheCurve
Employers of all sizes are in a bind.
Many have to stay closed to keep up with social distancing in the age of Covid-19.
Yet, they don’t want to lose the workers that made them successful prior to the spread of the virus, and will want them back when things open up again.
Jena McGregor looked at this issue in an article for the Washington Post. It was also published April 3, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“We don’t want our teammates to worry about their jobs during a time like this,” the article quotes Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. “We told them there’s no issue; you’re going to be working now through year end. No layoffs, nothing. We’ll continue to pay everybody,” Moynihan continued.
Meanwhile, Salesforce.com Chief Executive Marc Benioff pledged March 25 “not to conduct any significant layoffs over the next 90 days” and to continue to pay hourly workers while offices are shut down, McGregor writes.
The article points out that large corporations with big cash reserves are better able to avoid layoffs during the current crisis than small companies or those in hard-hit sectors.
Companies that were scrambling to hire people just weeks ago may also worry about getting caught without them once the worst is over, McGregor quotes Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor at Stanford University’s business school.
Again, it’s a tough spot for employees, but also a tough spot for their employers.
Federal aid for both appears to be on its way, but may not arrive for weeks.
It’s clear not all of the businesses that were up and running before the pandemic hit will be able to recover quickly. Some may not recover at all, and will go out of business.
If this crisis brings uncertainty to your life, as it does for many, know that you have several options out there that allow you to make an income by not only working remotely, but also avoiding a lot of personal contact. And the bonus is that once the crisis is over, you can work these programs in a more face-to-face manner.
To learn about one of best of these programs, message me.
Meanwhile, above all, stay safe, stay in as much as possible and presume you are a carrier of the virus, even if you feel good.
The slowness and selectivity of testing may leave many carriers out there who may never know they are carriers.
Wash your hands frequently, and clean surfaces you touch thoroughly.
At the same time, stay in touch with folks, even if you can’t see them. Know that those you love, even if you can’t see or touch them now, appreciate hearing your voice or seeing your face through the various technical options for video conferencing.
It’s a tough time at the moment, but it will pass. We just don’t know when. And, we don’t know whether this virus, or some other, will shut us down again.
Staying free of illness and helping others do the same is all that matters right now. You can deal with the uncertainties later.
Peter
STUDENT AID: THE PITFALLS
#StudentAid #CollegeLoans #scholarships #FamilyContribution
When a family applies for federal student aid, the application process spits out an expected family contribution.
When the student chooses a school, the school may tell the family what ITS expected family contribution will be. Often, that number is higher than the federal number – often considerably higher and potentially unaffordable for the average family.
Tara Siegel Bernar tackled this subject in an article for The New York Times. It was also published Nov. 24. 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“For a long time, there has been this growing chasm between the need-analysis formula and accurately reflecting a student and their family’s ability to pay for college,” the article quotes Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, which has members at nearly 3,000 schools.
“The gap has grown wider not just because of the exponential rise in college prices, but also because of the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula itself,” Siegel Bernar writes.
The EFC formula often assumes families have more income available for college than they actually do, the article quotes financial aid experts. “The reason lies in its basic assumptions: that a family of four, for example, can subsist on less than $30,000, no matter where they live,” Siegel Bernar writes.
There are certainly differences in the cost of living among various areas of the country. The East Coast and West Coast areas are generally expensive to live in, because that’s where where many job and career opportunities lie.
There are also different family circumstances. A family may have an elderly parent living with it, for example.
The point here is that formulaic calculations don’t always add up for everyone. Also, college is expensive. When a family sends a student to college, and may have trouble affording to pay for it, there had better be lots of thought: what will the student study, will that study pay off in terms of a lucrative career, is it worth incurring debt to make it happen etc.
First, college is not for everyone. Second, not every field of study will necessarily lead to a good-paying job. If a job is hard to find at the end, and the student is saddled with a big debt, it may be a long time before he or she gets on his or her feet as an adult.
Parents, meanwhile, need to have a nest egg for retirement. Sacrificing one’s retirement to send a child to college may not always be the best option for families.
Finally, there are many programs out there that allow a person, regardless of background or education, to earn a potentially lucrative income, if he or she puts his or her mind to it and follows a system. To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
In sum, the cost of college is likely to be more than you originally thought it would. As with health care, colleges have to find economies, efficiencies etc., to make higher education more affordable.
Students have to think about not only which school to attend, but also what they will major in. Will that major likely produce a payoff that will make it worth it to mortgage one’s self, or family, for many years?
Certainly, no education is wasted. But there is a difference between payoff and waste. Think long and hard, and get good family and educational input, before deciding where to go to college, what to study or even whether to go to college.
Peter
4-DAY WORKWEEK; IN OUR DREAMS?
#4DayWorkweek #work #jobs #layoffs
Since the 1970s, it’s been predicted that the economy would adopt, even embrace, the four-day workweek.
Some have experimented with it. Nursing, as an example, tried the Baylor plan that even cut the workweek to three days at 12 hours each.
Niraj Chokshi has discussed this concept in an article for The New York Times. It was also published Nov. 17, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“Just recently, Microsoft Japan inspired a flood of stories after reporting that, in a trial, shortened weeks had boosted productivity by about 40 percent,” Chokshi writes. But the four-day workweek is “a profound advancement that has seemed just around the corner for decades,” the article says.
In fact, the article says, famed economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that the trend toward shorter workweeks would continue. Keynes imagined that by 2030 or so, people would work just 15 hours a week.
Of course, Keynes’ prediction came shortly after Ford introduced the five-day workweek decades ago, the article says.
Alas, today’s employers are often unwilling to experiment with the four-day workweeks. Adam Grant, and organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, attributes employers’ reluctance to a lack of three things: interest, faith in employees and understanding of the benefits a shortened workweek can offer, the article says.
One of those benefits is appropriate for today: less exposure to others as a disease circulates.
In recent times, it’s been said that people are either overworked or unemployed. Many are time-broke, because of work demands. Employers want to get every bit out of every employee to get their money’s worth.
With all the emphasis on work today, many feel fortunate to have a job. However, if you are overworked, time-broke or unemployed, there may be a solution for all those conditions outside the traditional job market.
There are many vehicles that allow people to spend a few, part-time, off-work hours enhancing their incomes, without having to take a second traditional job.
The vehicles require only an open mind, a willingness to be coached and the desire to help other people. No other experience or education is required.
To learn about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
Meanwhile, technological advancements and other efficiencies are enabling companies to do more with fewer people.
Your job, if you have one, may not be there for as long as you want it. The ability to change jobs has gotten a bit better, but you have to ask yourself whether you are changing jobs for the right reasons.
People have a tendency to view themselves as a necessary component to their employer’s success. Know that no matter how “necessary” you are, your employer will not hesitate to let you go if he or she sees a better, cheaper way to do what you do. Or, the could let you go if they believe they can get along without you.
It’s a nice idea to be able to work at a job you love, for as long as you want to work. For most, that is a dream – literally.
The reality: you go to work every day not knowing whether it will be your last. Be on the lookout for something that can enable you to smile as you are being laid off.
Peter
WORKING FROM HOME CHANGING HOUSING MARKET
#WorkFromHome #coronavirus #COVID-19 #commuting
Technology is allowing more people to work remotely.
That’s changing the way people think about where to live.
In and around big cities may not be the only option for those able to carve out office space at home.
Lisa Prevost took on this subject in an article for The New York Times. It was also published Sept. 25, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of last year, 24 percent of employed persons worked at least part of the time at home, the article says. That percentage has undoubtedly increased as coronavirus (COVID-19) fears and precautions have set in.
Among those with advanced degrees, it was 42 percent, the article quotes the figures.
In a survey last year of 23,000 new home shoppers, John Burns Real Estate Consulting, a firm with offices nationwide, 30 percent worked at home between one and four days a week. Some 13 percent worked at home full time, the article says.
States like Vermont are offering incentives for people to move there and work from home, the article says.
Is this a trend? Let’s look at it from all sides.
In past decades, employers frowned on people working from home for lack of supervision. They didn’t trust that employees could give full attention to their work, or give a full day’s work, from home.
It’s not that people would necessarily cheat their employers , though there are certainly those who might try. It’s more that home provides distractions – kids, TV, personal phone calls etc. – that would prevent an employee’s 100 percent concentration on his or her job.
But longer commutes, or even short commutes in heavy traffic are forcing people to spend more time getting to and from work, adding stress that could interfere with their ability to do their jobs.
Commuting and traffic add to the general societal problem of overcrowding and gridlock in cities, pollution from vehicles and portions of life wasted commuting.
So, the attitude about working at home may be changing, and technology is enabling people to do their jobs from anywhere.
Be careful what you wish for. You pay for the freedom to work from home with the electronic leash from work that never gets removed.
Certainly, technological advancement is a blessing and curse. But it is here, and people must adapt.
But what if you could work from home at a job you enjoyed, and could work when you wanted? There are many vehicles out there that allow people to work independently, yet have a network of colleagues they can call for help. These programs are designed for people who want to be their own bosses. They certainly require work, but, with no one watching you, are aimed at people who are self-motivated.
If you believe you are that self-motivated person, regardless of your education and skills, and want to learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
The bonus with these programs is you can live and work from anywhere.
Business and society are certainly warming up to the idea of having people work from home. They have to evaluate people more on tasks than hours worked.
Is it right for you? Remember, there are benefits and costs – freedom, but loss of interactions and gain of distractions. You have to evaluate your own situation to determine whether such an arrangement would suit you.
Peter
ROBOTS SERVING AT RESTAURANTS? INDEED
#robots #restaurants #FastFood #novelties
Maybe you went into a certain line of work thinking that a machine could never replace you.
Now, they have robots at restaurants.
Ligaya Figueras, food columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, found one such robot at Big Bang Pizza in Brookhaven, Ga. She featured the topic in her Sept. 23, 2019, column.
One customer, age 4, was excited by the robot greeter at the pizza place.
But, if you earn a living, or make a little extra money, as a restaurant server, you may one day be replaced by a robot.
Not only is it happening at Big Bang Pizza, some restaurants cut down on server time by allowing you to order at your table by computer.
That’s a modern variation on the “order first, be seated later,” restaurants.
If you are in the restaurant industry, the news is not all bad.
Restaurant workers are getting difficult to find in some places. Some restaurants or restaurant chains that would like to open in Location X, decline to do so for lack of good help.
If you live in a community where younger people are in relatively short supply – that means high school and college students who need to earn a little part-time income or summer income – you may be deprived of certain dining options for that reason.
The Big Bang Pizza owners used the robots as a hook to stand out among the plethora of pizza joints, Figueras points out.
“Here is your food. Please take it away from my tray and when you’re done, touch my hand so I can get back to work,” the robot named Pepper tells a Big Bang customer, according to Figueras.
The pizza place still has many human employees who take orders, mix drinks from the full bar, cook the pizzas and program the robots to deliver food to the table, Figueras writes. The employees actually like working with the bots, she says.
At Big Bang, the attraction becomes a practical alternative to people. It requires no benefits, no salary, no tips – nothing a human would require. In another article by Sam Dean for the Los Angeles Times, a robot named Flippy, being used in Pasadena, Calif., had sensors to tell it when to flip a burger, or pull a basket of fries out of the boiling oil. That article was published March 9, 2020, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. By the way, the restaurant’s cost to lease Flippy: $3 per hour, Dean’s article says.
Couple the food robots with the coming of driverless vehicles, delivery services by drone etc., and you can see where some jobs are headed.
But there is good news for workers. There are programs out there that can allow you to invest a few part-time hours a week to earn a potentially substantial income that could dwarf what you are earning in your W-2 job. You just have to be open to checking them out, since they may not be for everyone. To check out one of the best, message me.
Some jobs are inevitably going away, perhaps sooner rather than later. If you can prepare ahead of time for that day – remember, you may not get a warning from your employer – you might be able to be shown the door, yet leave with a smile.
To do that, you may need an open mind, a willingness to be coached, and a willingness to do something you may have thought you would never do.
So, open up, take a look and, perhaps, see your future.
Peter
SUPER CITIES LOSING THEIR LUSTER
#SuperCities #Seattle #KingCounty #SantaClaraCounty #MovingOut
For the first time in at least a decade, 4,868 more people moved out of King County, Wash. – home of Seattle and Amazon – than moved in.
Santa Clara County, Calif., home of Silicon Valley, lost 24,645 people, its ninth consecutive loss.
These figures from the U.S. Census Bureau were featured in an article by Eduardo Porter for The New York Times. It was also published June 2, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Eight of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the country, including those around New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Miami, lost people to other places in 2018, the article says.
Thirty of the 44 largest counties, with populations above 1 million, recorded more domestic outflows than inflows of people in 2018, according to the article.
As the article points out, these big metro areas offer more opportunities for highly educated people. But, moving to opportunity it not what it once was, the article says.
“Big cities have lost their luster for workers without four-year college degrees. They will make no more than they would in, say, small-town Alabama,” the article quotes Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist David Autor. His work was part of another New York Times article by Emily Badger and Quoctrung Bui, Porter’s article says.
If folks cannot get a big enough pay increase to offset the higher cost of living in those big cities, there seems little point to move there.
That begs the questions: where do YOU want to live? Do you live there now? Are you able to move?
What if you could live anywhere you wanted? What if the cost of living there didn’t matter to you? What if the job opportunities didn’t matter to you?
Well, there are plenty of vehicles out there that will allow you to potentially increase your income by devoting a few part-time hours a week. You just have to open to checking out something that you may have never thought you would do. If you’re in that mind-set and want to know about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
There are certain reasons we may live where we live. A job, family, friends etc., create attachments for us.
Plus, moving can be scary to some. Living some place where you don’t know a soul can be daunting. To others, the adventure of moving to a whole new place can be exhilarating.
What’s important is whatever makes a person happy. For some, who can’t change the people around them, changing the people around them — meeting all new people – may be just what the doctor ordered.
Cost of living can be important. Paying three times as much – or more – for rent or a house that’s basically the same as the one you left may seem ridiculous. Ironically, some of the most expensive areas to live are some of the most fun and opportunistic. Their desirability may have a lot to do with why they are so expensive.
Remember, rents and house prices usually are set at what the market will bear. The more desirable a location, the more expensive it likely will be.
So explore your options – if you dare. There are ways that will allow you to live wherever your heart wants you to.
Peter
FRACKING SLOWING DOWN
#fracking #oil #DemandForOil #FrackingEquipment #AlternativeEnergySources
Fracking – hydrolic fracturing to dig crude oil and natural gas out of hard-to-reach places – is facing a slowdown.
Halliburton, the largest supplier of fracking equipment, is trimming 8 percent of its North American workforce and shelving unused fracking gear, according to David Wethe, in an article for Bloomberg News. It was also published July 23, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In February, Halliburton and its competitors would have 24.4 million horsepower available for fracking, yet only 14.4 million would be needed this year, the article quotes industry consultant Rystad Energy.
The reduced demand for fracking, which helped the U.S. reduce its demand for Middle Eastern oil, can only mean one thing: there is less demand for oil, period.
Fracking’s history was fraught with peril. Environmentalists had initial questions about the technology, and whether there would be unintended environmental consequences.
Fracking was even accused of inciting earthquakes.
Yet, it survived, and helped places like North Dakota thrive economically. It helped turn the U.S. back into one of the largest, if not the largest, oil producers in the world.
Now, it seems alternative energy sources are getting cost-effective enough to substitute for petroleum products as fuel in many cases. As a result, both oil and natural gas have become so cheap, it may cost more to retrieve the oil and gas from the ground than they can get for it.
More importantly for us, the story of fracking presents a parable from which we can all learn.
Even “new” technology can become obsolete, or nearly, very quickly. It’s often said that those in some professions need to learn new skills to stay relevant in a competitive job market. Frackling is fairly new technology. But from the Bloomberg report, it’s already heading toward becoming a flash in the pan.
As you go to work, no matter your job, do you ever ask yourself how long that job is going to be there for you? Did you get “retrained,” only to find that your “retraining” is now obsolete?
Do you ever think that one day, the demand for your product or service will wane, and put you out of a job, as has happened to the undoubtedly surprised Halliburton workers?
Here is a safe presumption: no matter what job you do, figure that it will go away one day, probably before you want it to.
That requires one to look at other ways to make money. Fortunately, there are many programs out there that allow you to turn a few, part-time, non-work hours into income that can potentially dwarf what you are making on the job. To learn about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
Digging fossil fuels out of the ground is a lot of trouble, tough work and, in some cases, hazardous to workers’ health.
As a nation, we should be happy that our reliance on fossil fuels is waning. However, if you work in that industry, the job cuts can be devastating.
So, if you are not already thinking about what you will do when your job goes away, you should be. If you believe you’ll be able to work at your current job for as long as you want to, you might be right. Or, you could walk into work one day with a nasty, economically devastating surprise waiting for you.
As the saying goes, it’s always best to prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best. However, the best may be yet to come in a form you never thought you would ever see.
Peter
A CITY HARDLY ON THE MEND
#BerlinNH #economy #jobs #BoomingEconomy
The “booming economy” is not benefiting everyone, or everywhere.
Take Berlin, N.H., my hometown.
Griff White profiled Berlin in a Feb. 9, 2020, article for The Washington Post.
The bottom fell out of Berlin in the early 2000s.
The city’s main employer, a paper mill, once employed thousands with good, mostly union jobs. Today, a few dozen work there, the article says.
“The last elementary school shuttered last year, capping a long-term exodus of young families,” White writes. “The once-bustling downtown is so scarred by closures, demolitions and fires that it looks, according to the city’s mayor, ‘like a bomb was dropped in the middle of it,’” the article says.
“We’ve got no businesses, nothing to attract people. There aren’t the kind of jobs here that can sustain a family,” the article quotes Paul Labrecque, one of many who lost his good job when the paper mill closed.
The poverty rate in Coos County, which includes Berlin, increased between 2017 and 2018, the article quotes census figures, while, nationally, the poverty rate fell.
“People are yelling and screaming that we’ve got this great economy,” the article quotes Berlin Mayor Paul Grenier. “But we’re not feeling that here. Our area is the first to fall into recession. And it’s the last to climb out,” the article quotes the mayor.
The graduating class at Berlin High School numbered 400 in 1973, the article says. The class of 2019 numbered 98.
Do you live in a place like Berlin? Are there jobs to be had, but only ones that pay a pittance – not enough to live on?
Has this “great economy” benefited you yet?
If not, there is good news.
There are many programs out there that can enable you to earn money – potentially a lot of money – without having to worry about taking a job that doesn’t pay a living wage.
But, you have to be open enough to take a look at them. You have to believe that you CAN overcome your circumstances and better your life.
To check out one of the best such programs, message me.
Berlin may not be unique. The people there indeed may be just like you, with similar circumstances.
Such circumstances could get you down, even depress you. They could prompt you to look at other vices, like drugs or alcohol, to help ease your pain. The article talks about many in Berlin who’ve resorted to such vices.
But YOU can change you. You have to believe that you are better than your circumstances. You have to believe that you can overcome those circumstances, and you can help others do the same.
It takes a can-do attitude, an open mind and the ambition to succeed.
If you have all those things, you just have to check out the various solutions that are available to you, regardless of age, education or experience.
Your surroundings may be depressing, but they don’t have to depress you.
Peter
OLD AGE
#OldAge #aging #AgingPopulation #GrowingOld
North Dakota is getting younger.
All other states are growing older, in terms of population.
The national median age rose to 38.2 years last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Reporters Alex Tanzi and Shelly Hagan discussed this data in an article for Bloomberg News. It was also published June 22, 2019, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
At the time of the data collection, there were approximately 3.9 million babies under age 1 as of July 1, 2018, the article says.
This is the smallest age group until age 64. The largest age cohort, making up 4.8 million of the population, is 27-year-olds, the article says.
A record 12.7 million people are 80 and older, up from 11.2 million counted in the 2010 Census. The 1.4 million-person growth is roughly equivalent to the population of Phoenix, the article says.
“The aging (phenomenon) is driven in large part by baby boomers crossing (age 65),” the article quotes Luke Rogers, chief of the Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Branch.
We all get older. As we do, our needs and wants change.
Some of us may want to slow down. Some of us can’t slow down for any number of reasons. Others of us want to cross things off our bucket lists as soon as possible, lest we die before we do.
Some of us have to ponder how we will afford to retire. Retirement today comes in various forms, but more and more of us have little say on when that day is. Decisions often get made for us, whether we are ready or not.
This prompts us to ask ourselves: what would happen if we went to work tomorrow and were told to pack up our personal belongings and go home? Would we be ready for that?
Of course, there are ways to prepare for it, but one must start as early in his or her career as possible. One has to prioritize saving for retirement starting as soon as we start working as adults.
Remember, your retirement security largely depends on you, as company pensions shrink or disappear – if they were ever offered at all. Social Security will undoubtedly change over time, regardless of whether Washington plays wit it or not. Even if Social Security doesn’t change, it alone is not enough to produce a retirement income that would allow anyone to live the life he or she is living now.
Also, there are many vehicles out there that allow people to spend a few, part-time, off-work hours of effort to produce a stream of income that could eventually dwarf your W-2 income. To learn about one of the best such vehicles, message me.
America is getting older. We are getting older. It’s incumbent upon us not to just swallow that inevitability and wallow in its effects. Rather, it’s incumbent upon us to look at the years ahead as the best years of your life.
Start now. Prepare for success and work toward it starting today, regardless of your age.
Peter