Sunday, May 5

Tag: working

Millions of America’s working poor may lose out on key anti-poverty tax credit because of the pandemic
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IN OTHER NEWS

Millions of America’s working poor may lose out on key anti-poverty tax credit because of the pandemic

The pandemic is driving American families to the edge, with tens of millions at risk of losing their homes and over 1 in 10 U.S. adults reporting their households didn’t have enough to eat in the previous week. While Congress debates extending unemployment benefits that expired on July 31 and other additional aid, there’s an important program that already exists that could help struggling Americans get through the crisis however long it lasts. Known as the earned income tax credit, or EITC, it provides aid primarily to the working poor. In a typical year, it lifts more than 8.5 million people out of poverty, while improving the health and well-being of parents and children. Since the credit depends on earned income, many families may be at risk of losing all or some of the benefit becaus...
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Retractions and controversies over coronavirus research show that the process of science is working as it should
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SCIENCE

Retractions and controversies over coronavirus research show that the process of science is working as it should

Several high-profile papers on COVID-19 research have come under fire from people in the scientific community in recent weeks. Two articles addressing the safety of certain drugs when taken by COVID-19 patients were retracted, and researchers are calling for the retraction of a third paper that evaluated behaviors that mitigate coronavirus transmission. Some people are viewing the retractions as an indictment of the scientific process. Certainly, the overturning of these papers is bad news, and there is plenty of blame to go around. But despite these short-term setbacks, the scrutiny and subsequent correction of the papers actually show that science is working. Reporting of the pandemic is allowing people to see, many for the first time, the messy business of scientific progress. Scienti...
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Working From Home? 5 Things You Need in Your Home Office
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SOCIETY

Working From Home? 5 Things You Need in Your Home Office

When you work at home, even part time, you discover that a makeshift desk area on a kitchen counter or the dining table isn’t the best setup. Having a dedicated home office, even if it’s compact, makes a big difference in comfort and productivity. Once you’ve chosen a room or area for your home office, here are five must-haves to include in it. Janiczek Homes 1. Comfortable Chair If sitting at a desk is a big part of your workday, make sure you have the right chair for the job. This is especially important if you work at a computer. Look for an overall fit that supports your back and encourages good seated posture. Features to look for include adjustable seat, arms and back, as well as legs on rollers and a seat that swivels so you can easily get in and out of the chair and reach for ...
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Why It’s Unclear Whether Private Programs For ‘Troubled Teens’ Are Working
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SOCIETY

Why It’s Unclear Whether Private Programs For ‘Troubled Teens’ Are Working

I first became interested in what I’ve learned is called the “troubled teen industry” more than 20 years ago, when my parents sent me away to a program they thought would help me finish high school. At that point I was skipping a lot of school and running away. Simply put, I was seeking emancipation, community and safety – albeit in a headstrong way. The troubled teen industry is a mostly unregulated collection of for-profit programs that claim to rehabilitate out-of-control youth. Between 50,000 and 100,000 adolescents currently spend at least part of the year in these facilities. Their enrollment – or confinement, depending on the arrangement or their perspective – can prevent these relatively privileged kids from joining the 48,000 youth caught in the U.S. juvenile justice system. I’m...
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Ending Domestic Violence Requires Working With Those Who Harm, Too
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LIFESTYLE

Ending Domestic Violence Requires Working With Those Who Harm, Too

The Alliance for Boys and Men of Color’s Healing Together Campaign aims to end intimate partner violence by advocating for policy changes—and seeking healing for both survivors and the people who harm them. Prompted by experiencing domestic violence in her own family, Jacquie Marroquin started working in the violence against women movement in California in 2001. In doing so, she recognized an irony. Marroquin knew all of the support systems available for victims of domestic violence and how to best use them, and yet she knew her own family would never take advantage of those services. They didn’t want law enforcement involved. Their situation isn’t uncommon. In Marroquin’s work as the director of programs for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, she sees ...
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Fewer Americans are working don’t blame immigrants or food stamps
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Journalism

Fewer Americans are working don’t blame immigrants or food stamps

Where did all the jobs go? Well, we’re finally starting to find some satisfactory answers to the granddaddy of all economic questions. The share of Americans with jobs dropped 4.5 percentage points from 1999 to 2016 - amounting to about 6.8 million fewer workers in 2016. Between 50 and 70 percent of that decline probably was due to an aging population. Explaining the remainder has been the inspiration for much of the economic research published after the Great Recession. Economists and politicians have pointed at immigration, China, video games, robots, opioids, universities, working spouses - everything up to and including the academic equivalent of shrugging their shoulders and muttering, “Kids these days.” Until recently, there was no good system to untangle it all. University of ...
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Afraid of the Dark – Working With Black Men in Corporate America
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Journalism

Afraid of the Dark – Working With Black Men in Corporate America

I've worked on-and-off in corporate America for 12 years as a consultant, independent contractor, and an employee. In that time, I've had the dubious distinction of being the only black man, and many times, the only black person, at the companies where I was employed. The thing about being the only black person in the office is that it comes with responsibility. Not job responsibility, because that's a given, but psychosocial responsibility. Many times, I, and other black men in similar situations, represent the lone intimate contact that our white colleagues will have with other black people, and black men in particular. The extent of these interactions will be largely determined by their comfort level and acceptance. While many (white people) find it shocking that a black man can s...
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