The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” because 37 percent of women don’t use the internet and 259 million fewer woman have access to the internet than men. If women aren’t able to access the Internet, they’re unable to develop digital skills, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue STEM careers. Read more →

Presidents’ Day sort of sneaked up on me this year. At times in the past, I’ve written about Presidents’ Day as a time to appreciate our democracy and celebrate the many freedoms we have as a result. As thoughts of democracy come to mind, the war in Ukraine looms large. Read more →

I don’t know about you, but 2022 went by so fast for me. After four years, I was finally able to get the first draft of the book about my journalism career done, but the printed copy is still elusive. I’m not a person who makes resolutions, but I’ve written about why people make them and how well they work or don’t work. Read more →

As a minimalist, I don’t do much shopping. Before the pandemic, I bought most of my clothes from the sales racks at Macy’s. Its clothes seem to be O.K. for older women. I did go shopping several times with my daughter Lisa, who lives in Madrid, and we shopped at H&M, Zara, and other stores. So, I got an idea of what fast fashion is. Read more →

On Labor Day, the day when we recognize the value of American workers, it’s positive that things for workers are better right now. Covid-19 contributed to the Great Resignation of 2021, during which record numbers of people quit their jobs. A recent survey shows that one-third of workers are still looking for a new job. Read more →

Bank of America will pay $250 million for botching the disbursement of state unemployment benefits at pandemic's height. The bank froze people’s accounts with a faulty fraud detection program, and then gave them little recourse when there was no fraud, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday. Read more →

Coca-Cola and Pepsi promote their products through exclusive marketing agreements called “pouring rights” contracts from 124 or 87 percent of the 143 public universities in the United States with at least 20,000 students. A new study looked at 38 contracts that had enough information to assess their overall value to the universities. Read more →

A predatory debt collection operation is being shut down for harassing consumers. The operation was made up of several companies, including JPL Recovery Solutions, which used misleading and abusive tactics to collect millions of dollars from hundreds of thousands of customers. Read more →

College debts are one of the largest financial burdens for Americans. They make up the second highest type of household debt after mortgages, totaling $1.61 trillion. That’s about $37,000 per borrower. High balances with payoff times that lasts into middle age force graduates to delay other financial goals. Read more →

When I was a kid, we used to make paper baskets, put flowers in them, hang them on door knobs, ring the bell, and then run. One time, I remember taking part in a maypole dance. It was really fun. Throughout the world, many countries celebrate May 1, May Day, as International Labor Day. Read more →