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Posted by Lizzie on Sep-5-2008
There’s a lot of talk about women’s issues this election cycle. Thanks to Hillary Clinton, and now Sarah Palin, we’re back in the spotlight. In that vein, Congress is pressing for a revote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which failed to pass previously. McCain has come out again it:
“I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what’s being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems,” the expected GOP presidential nominee told reporters. “This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system.”
I’ve recently engaged in a half-hearted IT job search - in anticipation of my eventual graduation from the Tech program. There seems to be a little available, but I’ve heard that women are not treated favorably in the IT industry. It would please me, and thousands of other women, tremendously if this actually became law. Would I know that my male counterparts were making more than me? Probably not. But this act would give me recourse should I find out about a pay discrepancy after the fact. As a woman hoping to work in a male-dominated field, I would feel just a little better knowing I had a safety net.
There was some talk that this law isn’t necessary. I beg to differ. I worked with a company (unrelated to the tech field) that cut me a mystery check. When I inquired to what the purpose of the check was, I was told that it was to make up for a pay difference between me and my male counterparts. I had no idea that the men were making that much more per hour than I was, but there was a lawsuit and the settlement agreement was that this company would pay the hourly difference to each female for whatever period of time they agreed to (I think it was 3 months, even though I’d been there for over a year at that point). I left that company not long afterward, but my eyes had been opened. The reasoning for the lower pay was that women are mothers and so are prone to miss work because of their sick children. Men, on the other hand, are more reliable and should be rewarded. Really?
At a time when a major political party has nominated a self-proclaimed “hockey mom” to be vice president, there should be no more “she should get less because she’s a mom”. This woman is seeking a job while parenting 5 children (and potentially helping parent a grandchild) so the reason listed above would apply to her and her pay should be cut significantly. Right? No. Wrong. Her husband will be able to tend to the children while she runs for office and he can tend to the children while she continues to govern Alaska (except that he’s got a full-time job plus an extra job on the side in the summer, but that’s not this issue). It’s only fair that the rest of American women enjoy the same equality in pay as the women who govern them.
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Mar
13
Posted by Lizzie
The last few months I’ve been getting deeper and deeper into SEO and blogging for dollars (to put it lightly). I’ve joined some forums, read a lot of posts and used a couple of different services. I don’t think I did as well as some, but not as poorly as others. I like what I’m doing currently, but it’s not making me rich (though I have paid a couple of bills this month- thanks). But the drama sucked me in.
After Google penalized bloggers for doing paid posts, there was much teeth gnashing and hair pulling. Then bloggers started turning on each other. One company assures it’s contractors that they are going to eliminate Google’s algorithm from their segmentation. This has many of the more vocal supporters of said company dancing happily while waiting…and waiting…and waiting. Anyway, it’s a mess and I don’t even know why I care. That’s the problem.
So, I went back into my bag of tricks and found a couple of more things that work for me. One of them is Brijit. For Brijit, you pick from the available articles and write a 60-100 word synopsis (abstract) of the article. They have 3 slots, but only pick one article. So, it’s kind of a competition, the best one written gets published and you get $5. After publication, the Brijit staff then cleans (edits) it up to make it more palatable for the site . The more abstracts you write, the more likely you are to get published. And if you look at the articles/videos that are due the soonest, find one with 3 open slots, you’re more likely to get chosen. It’s not guaranteed, but if you’re a good writer then you can make some money at it.
As an example, here is one I did today (it was published today):
I Don’t Believe in Atheists - ![]()
Wilder talks to Chris Hedges about his new book, I Don’t Believe in Atheists, and his ongoing debates with New Atheists such as Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens. Hedges candidly explains why he believes that New Atheists are just as bad as Christian fundamentalists; both groups are full of hate and bigotry. As for the blow-by-blow, he calls Harris “intellectually shallow” and Hitchens “amoral.” Hedges’ insight is in-depth and revealing, and Wilder does an excellent job of drawing out his ire.
in Salon by Charly Wilder, 13 March 2008
This abstract was edited by Brijit. Read more here…
I use this as an example of other supplemental income. I recently saw a post by a young lady lamenting her loss of PageRank and how this could potentially threaten her health. She mentioned different companies that pay for PageRank and that Google has effectively taken away her livelihood. I thought that was way off the mark, simply because Google never agreed to pay her anything and it was the companies that contracted her that hurt her by depending on PR. Someone mentioned that fact in the comments and I almost asked if she did anything like Brijit.
If you’re burnt out on the SEO thing and not making enough off of your blog (or are writing for literally a dozen blogs) then you might consider something a little different. Even as a supplemental. Brijit is just one example. For other resources, the WAHM.com message boards are full of information. It’s more than just “not putting all your eggs in one basket” at this point.
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Mar
09
Posted by Lizzie
I read today that the U.S. job loss is the largest it’s been in 5 years.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Employers unexpectedly cut jobs in February at the steepest rate in nearly five years, a second straight month of employment losses that heightened fears the world’s largest economy has skidded into recession.
“The question appears no longer to be are we going into a recession but how long and deep it will be,” said economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors Inc in Holland, Pennsylvania.
The Labor Department on Friday said 63,000 non-farm jobs were eliminated on top of an upwardly revised loss of 22,000 in January, sharply contrary to Wall Street economists’ forecasts that 25,000 positions would be added in February.
Every time I see an article like this I recall that the president refuses to admit that we’re in a recession. Not only does he refuse to admit it, but he insists the economy is booming. And people believe him. Even though they’re struggling to make ends meet and watching their jobs evaporate. It’s frustrating.
I have to say that I feel lucky to be doing what I’m doing. I’m not able to afford any Patek Phillipe watches, but my family isn’t facing the loss of our home or any other essentials. I don’t want to sound like a cheerleader, but I’m really thankful to the unnamed companies that contract with me. I’m thankful that even with my illness I can contribute to our household and make sure we don’t fall into a huge hole- yet.
I think I’ll show this article to Grump and see what he says. He doesn’t particularly care for his job either, but he’s got one and that’s what counts. Not only that, he doesn’t really consider what I do to be work- though he likes the money I bring in. Now I can show this to him and say “See? Not too shabby, huh?” He’ll refuse to acknowledge that silver lining, but that’s ok.
Here’s hoping that things turn around with a new executive administration. Otherwise I might not be singing this same tune next year.
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Oct
12
Posted by Lizzie
I’ve just come off a flare, so I have all kinds of energy. Is this how it is for other folks that have fibromyalgia? I haven’t been doing too much research today because I’ve been trying to be productive. I just think it’s crazy that when I’m done having a flare I feel like I’m wired- so much energy! And my mind is clear. I love that! I haven’t had to take any pain meds today. That was fabulous. And I did get around to organizing the upstairs- I put everything away until the contractors were done (a whole other story).
I went to see a rheumatologist yesterday. The man was awesome! He really was the best doctor I’ve seen so far. I’ve been through three doctors (not counting my gynecologist) for this condition and not one of them did a real physical exam. By that I mean, getting dressed down, lying on the table, pokes/prods/listens, etc. This doctor did all that. He even did the trigger point test. My PCP didn’t do that. My neck and upper back were sore, but that was it for those. Anyway, he took my arms and legs and twisted them in all kinds of crazy ways, thumped a bunch of different places, and really seemed to hear me when I spoke to him. I think the listening was the best part. I told him all of my symptoms and apologized if I was bundling stuff in there that didn’t seem to fit, but I didn’t know what was part of my condition and what wasn’t. He scoffed at my apology and said it was his job to hear all of that information and evaluate it and that he was glad I was keeping track. It made his job a little easier. I swear, I almost kissed the man right there. It was nice.
So, I get to the part about my eye. Now I don’t know if I’ve mentioned all of my symptoms or not, but when I have a flare my right eye seems to swell and droop. It looks like I’m cocking my left eyebrow. I don’t even know if it’s actually swelling, but I certainly can’t open it all the way. It’s like my eyebrow is slipping down my face or something. My PCP didn’t seem too bothered by that. This doctor was.
“That doesn’t happen with fibromyalgia. You should really get that checked.” Ha! I really did laugh right at him. Um, doc, I did tell my PCP and he wasn’t concerned. “Well, I’ll run some tests and we’re going to have to keep an eye on that. That should not be happening.” Lovely. I gave about a pint of blood and donated some urine for good measure. Then it was time to go. I thought about researching the droopy eye, then I decided to wait. I really don’t want to scare myself anymore.
I also found Cash Crate. It’s one of those get paid to fill out surveys and get lots of junk mail. So far I’m up to almost $10 and got there pretty quickly. My first $6 worth of offers were verified right away, but now I’ve $13 bucks just sitting there with no verification. I’m wondering if I’ll make it to my $10 payout. I’m not going to do more until I find out. I did research the company before I joined, but, of course, everything I could find was telling how nice it was and stuffed with referral links (the above link is one too… lol). I’ll let you know if I get that payout.
Also, PPP approved me! Isn’t that wonderful? I’m thrilled. Two of the other paid blogging type services rejected me outright and I thought for sure I was rejected for PPP. Then I got the email! Yay!
Have a great weekend!
Technorati Tags: Cash Crate , Fibromyalgia , Living with Pain , PayPerPost
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