Public Posts

"How does poverty in the US compare with what’s going on in similar economies? ... ..."The U.S. has one of the highest rates of poverty among Western industrialized nations. Whether the focus is on working-age adults,  children, people over 65 or the population as a whole, the U.S. is near the top in terms of the extent and depth of its poverty. More at The Conversation ➜

“I remember when we had over 1,000 dairy farms in this county. Now we have less than 40,” Orr, an agriculture adviser for Greene County, Tennessee, told me with a tinge of sadness. More at The Conversation ➜

"There is no end to America’s most egregious case of shrinkflation"  More at The Hustle ➜

Ray Kroc  (1902 -1984), spent most of the first decades of his professional career selling paper cups and milkshake machines. In that process he came across a popular California hamburger restaurant owned by Dick and Mac McDonald, Curious as to why a small restaurant needed 40 Milkshake machines, he looked into it and was impressed by his process, simplicity and cleanliness. He went into business with the brothers and launched the McDonald's franchise in 1955. He went on to purchase the company in 1961 and to transform McDonald's into the world’s largest restaurant franchise. By the time of his death in 1984, the chain had 7,500 outlets across the world with gross sales of $8 billion.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2023 - To Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L’Huillier
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 - To Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Aleksey Yekimov
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2023 - To Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman
The Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 - To Jon FosseThe Nobel Peace Prize 2023 - To Narges Mohammadi
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel - To Claudia Goldin

More at The Nobel Organization ➜

"Garment workers in the US are paid far below minimum wage. New legislation, if implemented successfully, would change that. For decades, the “Buy American” movement rested on the belief that such labels guaranteed a certain standard of quality and care. There lingered an assumption that US-made garments were produced in a more ethical manner than their foreign competitors, particularly those imported from lower-cost countries. The reality, however, is a bit more complicated"  More at The Nation ➜

"Usually banks, like all companies, fail after a prolonged period of lackluster performance. But SVB, the nation’s 16th-largest bank, had been stable and highly profitable just a few months before, having earned about US$1.5 billion in profits in the last quarter of 2022. However, financial history is filled with examples of seemingly stable and profitable banks that unexpectedly failed".... Read more

"It’s kind of strange how the labor market remains quite strong, with notable gains in labor-intensive service sectors like hospitality and leisure, health care and retail. That’s also where wage growth in February was strongest"...Read more

Senior caregivers provide much-needed services for their loved ones, often helping them manage daily tasks while ensuring that they remain active and vital. For many caregivers, it’s a time-consuming, physically demanding job that isn’t always recognized, but you can make a big difference in the lives of these caregivers by providing products or services that will help them thrive. If you know you want to help but are unsure of how to get started, read on for some ideas that may help you.

Step 1: Write out a business plan

Brainstorm a few ideas for your business and think about the best fit for your specific skill set; do you have experience with professional cleaning services? If so, you might start a company that offers those services to seniors and their caregivers in order to make their lives easier and ensure that their living spaces are healthy. Do you have connections or resources that would prove helpful for caregivers who are looking for mental health support? Consider starting a business that brings senior caregivers together with the right counselor or support group. These services are extremely beneficial for individuals who work with elderly loved ones all day.

Once you have a solid idea of what you want to do, start writing a business plan that includes your plan for funding, the details involved in daily operations, your financial projections, and the structure you’re going to choose. Having a plan will help you map out each aspect of your business so you’ll have peace of mind along the way.

Utilize social media to bring in clients

Once your business plan is written out, you’ll need to figure out the best ways to find clients or customers. Social media is one of the most popular options for businesses of all kinds since it’s a cost-effective platform to share information and ads on. It also provides a wide reach, meaning you can help caregivers from all over the country or even the world, depending on what type of business you’re in.

You can also use social media to share infographics. Not only do infographics quickly capture the attention of viewers, but they also provide an easy way to present complex data in an uncomplicated format. Additionally, the creative use of visuals and engaging contents piques readers’ interest and makes it easier to remember what they read. If you’re looking for an affordable way to create eye-catching infographics, this may help. After choosing a predesigned template, you can adapt it with your own images, fonts, and icons.

Make sure you have the right permits and licenses

When starting a business of any kind, it’s crucial to ensure that you have the right legal status to do so. This might mean obtaining anything from a business license to a certification that proves you’re qualified to handle certain materials or equipment or that you’re knowledgeable about the services you’re providing. Do some research to find out more about your responsibilities as a business owner, specifically where your chosen business type is concerned.

Get your financial details organized

After writing out your business plan, you’ll have a solid idea of how much income you can expect to bring in as well as what your expenses will be, but it’s crucial to find the right tools to keep up with this information. Finding the best accounting software for your business type and using data analytics to learn about trends and reduce costs are important moves in the beginning, as they’ll help you stay on top of your needs and ensure that you can make accurate predictions for the coming months.

Starting a business that helps family senior caregivers is a rewarding experience that can make a major difference in your community and beyond. With the right tools, you can market your business on social media, keep track of your finances, and keep your customers happy in order to grow your company exponentially.

Post contributed by Claire Wentz at CaringFromAfar.com
Photo credit: Andrea Placquadio via Pexels

"In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, more than 100 major companies pledged to suspend political giving to the members of Congress who voted to invalidate Joe Biden's presidential victory." However, since then, "At least 228 Fortune 500 companies have provided financial support to members of Congress who sought to invalidate the 2020 presidential election results. Together, the companies have poured a total of nearly $13.2 million into those politicians’ war chests. By contrast, about 100 companies from the Fortune list have not given to these members through their corporate PACs". Read more

"The Nonprofit, RIP Medical Debt was launched in 2014. They started raising money from donors to buy up debt on secondary markets — where hospitals sell debt for pennies on the dollar to companies that profit when they collect on that debt....... To date, RIP has purchased $6.7 billion in unpaid debt and relieved 3.6 million people of debt. The group says retiring $100 in debt costs an average of $1.... Read the full NPR article

Words written now,
transform into glass,
no matter the lies,
the truth may not pass.

Inflation is high,
blame corporate greed,
as company profits rose,
costing all in need.

Back in history now,
time to manage the seed,
for raising prices hurts
consumers. Indeed.