Dear Christine, I’m a single gay man living in Ferndale with 2 gay roommates. During this pandemic, we’ve all been on unemployment income and have been riding it out safely at home. Lots of games, drinking, experimenting with new recipes and zooming with friends. It was fun, for a while. Last weekend, my roommates decided the quarantine was over and…
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Just for fun, we have compiled a list of fun facts about dogs that you probably don’t know! 1. Dogs have 18 muscles in each ear. 2. Dogs have a sense of time and can predict future events, such as regular walk times 3. The average dog is about as smart as a human two-year-old; knowing roughly 250 words and…
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.Purchasing a home is arguably one of the biggest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime. As you start your hunt, don’t forget there will be other costs associated with your purchase then the price of the home. Here are 5 fees to keep in mind as you begin to budget. Home inspection. This is a crucial step in…
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‘MISTAKE’ WHEN CERTIFYING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS COULD COST WORKER THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS QUESTION: I began receiving unemployment benefits when I was laid off work at the end of March. In late April, my boss asked if I could do a little work from home – but it’s only about 10 hours per week. I didn’t report the work when I…
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Dear Christine I’ve heard stories of other people being at their wits end with husbands, wives, partners and kids driving them nuts during the shelter in place order My living situation is I like with my husband and his younger brother rents a room in our basement. Until the virus we all worked different hours so we didn’t see each…
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QUESTION: I read an opinion piece by a FOX News commentator about the current “protests” online. I liked it on Twitter, and posted my approval of the piece with a link and some comments on Facebook. A co-worker read my post and comments and informed my boss, who owns the company. He said my comments were racist and inflammatory, and…
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BOSS WORRIED ABOUT VIRUS TELLS WORKER, ‘GET ON A PLANE, AND YOU’RE OUT OF A JOB’ QUESTION: I have been planning a trip to Texas in August to attend a family gathering. I booked the flight before the coronavirus shutdown. While I’m still a little worried about a cancellation, so far it looks like the reunion is on. Trouble is,…
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CALLED BACK TO WORK, BUT WE STILL HAVE KIDS AT HOME! QUESTION: I have been working from home since the middle of March under the emergency coronavirus order. My husband was laid off in April. He will be called back to work if the emergency order is lifted in a couple of weeks. We have two school age children. With…
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CREATE THE HOME OFFICE OF YOUR DREAMS Whether you work full-time at home or occasionally need to conduct business in the evenings or on the weekends, a home office a great way to utilize an extra room. A dedicated workspace in your home can be designed to increase productivity and comfort. Here are 5 ideas to get you started. Invest…
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Books to Teach Young Readers About Money Reading books to your children is fun, and one of the great joys of parenthood is watching them learn to read by themselves. Lessons about personal finance and how money works can be included in books you read to children, or in books they read with you or on their own. Here are…
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Disinfecting Commercial Offices During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis Working in an office, many people including co-workers, clients, repair people and others walk in touching various surfaces. In commercial office spaces, at any time, but especially during the flu season or this pandemic, commercial cleaning companies should be disinfecting high-touch surfaces such as light switches, doorknobs, and computer keyboards daily. This…
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EMPLOYEE QUESTIONS WHETHER SHE IS BOUND BY ‘RUSHED’ SEVERANCE AGREEMENT QUESTION: The company I worked for decided to merge my department with another department as a cost-saving measure, and 15 of us were laid off. I was called into the manager’s office at around 10 a.m. and given a 4-page document, titled “Employee Separation Agreement.” He told me I would…
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Dear Christine, I’m trying hard to keep my stress and anxiety levels down. I have high blood pressure as it is. I struggle to stay away from all news and social media but at the same time, there’s a need to know. I’m not too afraid of getting it myself (well maybe a little) I’m social isolating and lonely. My…
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BOSS WANTS TO KNOW, DO WORKERS GET PAID LEAVE WHEN SENT HOME DUE TO VIRUS FEARS? QUESTION: I run a diner. Because of fears around the Corona Virus, our Sunday business was down by more than 60 percent. I can’t afford to stay open with numbers like that; I told staff we will close for the next two weeks. Do…
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Pandemic Rev Lynn Ungar What if you thought of it As the Jews consider the Sabbath– The most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, On trying to make the world Different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those To whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your…
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