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Economically Challanged

admin — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:15:55 +0000

Are you economically challenged…no, not as in you need more money, we all could use more loot, but as in having trouble making sense of the current U.S. economy and the best strategy to help it recover? If yes, then you’re not alone.According to a post on Obsidian Wings:

I’ve been trying to make sense of why in debates over economic stimulus, the cleave between tax cuts and stimulus funded by deficit spending attracts so much heat. They are effectively the same thing from a deficit point of view. They are largely the same thing from a stimulus point of view (the tax cuts act faster, which is better, but the spending can also help people who aren’t working which is good). We really should do both if are convinced the stimulus is what we need.

More here!

To Be or Not To Be?

admin — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:59:21 +0000

Out at work that is. That’s a question for many recent LGBT college grads and even those who have been in the workforce for a while. So, if you’re a recent college grad about to head out into the workforce, You may want some advice on this one!With today’s economy, finding a job can be difficult enough, but with the current political climate, it may be even more difficult for those who identify as part of the LGBT community.

If you’re looking for some good advice on what to do if you’re a member of the LGBT community and you’re seeking employment, you may want to check out what they have to say on the Wall Street Journal blog Hire Education.

According to one post:

Recently, some of our alumni who identify themselves as GLBT talked about these issues to a number of graduating seniors. Many of their suggestions would serve any new graduates, not just those who are GLBT-identified.

Find out what they are by clicking here!

Happier Than Most?

James — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:00:02 +0000

Seems gay really does mean happy this holiday season, as the lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgendered community may be among the jolliest of Americans. According to a poll by Harris Interactive, this group is more optimistic about the pending financial recovery, with 34% saying they expect the economy to get better in the next six months, compared to 17% of heterosexual households.

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive and Witeck Combs Communications, a partnership that specializes in research and marketing to the LGBT community. This is a group long considered to have higher disposable income than the general population and this new study does little to dispel that.
“It’s not that they’re wealthier, but that they have more discretionary income,” says Wesley Combs, president of Witeck-Combs Communications. It’s just that in the last six months they have been constantly more optimistic than heterosexuals.”

More at: Wallet Pop!

2010 HRC Buying Guide

James — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:00:06 +0000

Just in time for Black Friday, the Human Rights Campaign ‘Buying for Equality 2010′ is now out and available for download. Let’s make sure we support those who support us!

According to HRC:

Despite the economic downturn, more businesses than ever rated 100 percent on the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index — the basis for this guide — through banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, providing benefits for LGBT employees and their families and supporting LGBT equality publicly. Find out more about the criteria.

Consumers can support businesses that support us through everyday purchases, but can also directly thank them for their support, ask them to revise their policies or encourage them to participate in the Corporate Equality Index. Take action now.

More than 300,000 people have used Buying for Equality to make informed purchases. You can do your part to support fair-minded businesses.

So click here to download the guide or contact HRC to have one sent to you! Again, support those who support us!

Another Dollar!

Jason Shaw — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:33 +0000

So, it’s another day and another dollar, or so the saying goes, but really, what’s the whole point, I mean, what can a single dollar buy you these days? NOT a great deal. Similarly, over here in England the same can be said of our little Pound. It wont buy all that much these days, not with this inflation, the economic climate, that has afflicted the world, not just England and America, but the whole gosh dang it world. And, no matter how bad it gets here, just think it could be worse, think of Iceland, that whole country is bankrupt, so yeah, as I said it could be worse, there are always those less fortunate than ourselves, and it’s about time we remembered that fact and lived live accordingly.

But, hey, hang on, wait a moment my mind raced, so I did, I stopped and I thought for a moment, what can you actually get for a pound?

1) A 2.5kg bag of King Edward spunds!

2) A burger or some fries from the 99p range at McDonalds

3) 2 Twix bars

4) A bottle of washing up liquid

5) Almost half a coffee in Starbucks?

6) 2 Cadbury sponge puddings (only cuz they’re on a half price office at Tesco!)

7) A tin of gravey

10 Bananas from Aldi

9) A tacky cardboard photo frame from the 99p store!

10) 20 mins in the internet cafe down the road in Portslade.

There are some bargains out there, if you look for them that are around or under a pound, mostly in the supermarkets, leisure is something different, it’s hard to find anything to do or get for a pound, after all even a 99 ice cream is upwards of £1.50 these days and your pound is only roughly 1/6 of a movie ticket (if you’re outside a big city that is)

As for dollars well at yesterdays exchange rate, your 1 dollar is worth just 61pence. Here’s just a few things you can buy.

1) $1 gets a loaf of bread in the 99cents store.

2) Mac & Cheese packet for 1 if a $1 in Wal-Mart

3) A small packet of Pringle’s

4) 1 1/2 Cans of Cola

5) A little bag of those chewy candies.

6) A Candle

7) Cooking foil

Paper plates

9) Dish cleaning sponge

10) 2 postage stamps

There are loads of things to be had for around a dollar in those dollar stores, where most things are, well you guessed it, a dollar, but, I did notice the last time I was Stateside, not everything in them there stores was a dollar, some things were well over those 100cents! Still I did notice that the US stores had more useful things in them, and indeed Yankee general stores have more cheap goodies in them, far cheaper than back here in good old England.

Yet on that note, looking at it if were away from home, your money would be worth more, for example, here’s what a single dollar could get you elsewhere in the world! Ghana $1 buys 2 1/3 bottles of palm oil, 8 cups of milk for $1 in Kenya, in Bangladesh you’d be able to afford 1 dozen eggs or if eggs didn’t tickle your fancy and you were particularly grubby, you could get 7 bars of soap! If you were a little bit sick, you’d be able to get yaself 87 penicillin tablets for a single little $ !

So think of that, the next time you pondering your choices on Bob Evans or Applebees, where $1 wont even get you a drink!

Jason Shaw, counting the pounds and pence, the dollars and cents!

India Decriminalizes Homosexuality

James — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:34:21 +0000

A petition 8 years in the making finally resulted in the High Court of Delhi legalizing consensual sexual relations between gay couples. This ruling overturned a law, existing for almost 150 years in the Commonwealth country, on the basis that such a prohibition contravened India’s Constitution, protecting the fundamental rights of Indian citizens.

“We have finally entered into the 21st Century” exclaimed Anjali Gopalan, director of the Naz foundation, the gay rights lobby which launched the petition 8 years ago. This petition argued that the archaic law, equating homosexuality to paedophilia and residing with animals, was not only giving justification to rampant police homophobia, but ultimately leading to the vastly increased suicide rate existing amongst the Indian LGBT community.

Read more at LGBT Finance!

Gay Couples Pay Extra 1 Billion in Taxes Yearly

James — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:00:17 +0000

The April 15th tax filing deadline is a reminder of the inequalities remaining in the way the United States handles same-sex relationships. Gay couples in state-sanctioned domestic partnerships, civil unions or same-sex marriages often pay higher taxes because they do not get the federal tax benefits that go with marriage.

While Massachusetts is the only state to allow gay marriage, nine other states and Washington D.C. have begun offering civil unions or domestic partnerships that give some or all of the state level legal protections of marriage. But for couples in state-sanctioned domestic partnerships, civil unions or same-sex marriages, filing federal income taxes can involve doing three sets of paperwork instead of one. That’s because the state-sanctioned unions do not enable couples to file federal taxes jointly due to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which prohibits the Federal Government from treating same-sex relationships as marriages, even if they are recognized as marriages by the state.

Read more at Gay Executive.com where they seek to provide career, financial and political information and advice to gay professionals.

Boycott Jamaica!

James — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 11:00:39 +0000

the new website promotes boycotting Jamaican products and travel to Jamaica. I am sure many of you know how absolutely unbelievably homophobic Jamaica is. If you do not, well it is! It is common for gay Jamaicans not only to be beaten and bashed, by mobs no less, but also murdered. It is truely unspeakable.

Read more at Gay Volt!

A Higher Value on Love?

James — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 11:00:46 +0000

As the nation’s economic news worsens, and Valentine’s Day approaches, many gay men in America are re-assessing the value of true love in their lives.

“We’ve been hearing from our clients across the country that the recession has helped them re-prioritize,” said Patrick Perrine, a professional private matchmaker for gay men, and the founder and CEO of the gay dating service myPartner.

Read the entire post at Queer Cents!

Five Worst Gay Charities

James — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:06 +0000

This holiday season’s been haunted by the Ghost of the Economy’s Future, with a steady procession of Very Bad News marching out like an unstoppable phalanx of sad-faced tin soldiers. Yesterday, the Fed effectively cut interest rates to zero percent. Retail prices are in a spiraling free fall. While we’re all vulnerable, charities have been hit particularly hard, whether as a result of donor fraud or the simple fact that charitable giving is the first thing to go in hard times. Is it any wonder that Wayne Besen, of the gay non-profit Truth Wins Out, is sending emails with “Please, Stop the Sky From Falling” in the subject line?

In an effort to help you help struggling but necessary non-profits, Queerty presents its list of the five worst gay charities for your dollar.

Find out by clicking here.