Logistical Wizardry of OWS

The day starts slowly for some protesters after a night in a bag.

More than 40 days, 30,000 feet of granite, hundreds of occupiers, and zero Porta-Potties — perhaps one of the most extraordinary aspects of the Occupy Wall Street movement is the logistical finesse of its participants. As the protest nears its second month, Zuccotti Park has been transformed into a city within a city, complete with a kitchen, a sanitary team, a library and a sea of sleeping bags.

Protesters spend their days engaging in general assemblies and group discussions on issues like taxing the rich, cuts in public spending and tackling poverty.

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The Corner

Spend 10 minutes on the corner of 124th Street and Lexington Avenue and you’ll get a quick glimpse into two longstanding issues in East Harlem: drug addiction and homelessness.

There are seven recycling machines stretched along the wall of the Rainbow clothing store on the corner, offering money in exchange for aluminum, plastic and glass. The most common visitors of the recycling engine, also known as a redemption center, are either homeless or living in local shelters, says manager Auto Ferril, and many of them are either still on drugs or recovering drug addicts. Ferril opens the center at 6 o’clock every morning. In some cases, the change his visitors earn in exchange for digging through garbage for recyclable materials is their only income. Continue reading

From hoops to hire – Will the Barclays Center create jobs for Brooklyn residents?

Construction is underway for the new Barclays Center on Atlantic Avenue, and Brooklyn residents will soon have a new sports team, the Brooklyn Nets.

The Barclays Center website says the arena “will be a community centerpiece” for Brooklyn, and will offer local concerts and high school basketball games in addition to NBA events.

According to the Associated Press, part-owner Jay-Z announced plans to open the venue with a series of concerts next year.

The Brooklyn skyline will change, but will local economy improve? Can the new arena create jobs for Brooklyn residents in a down economy?

In a recent post, I spoke to Jose Reyes, a 28-year-old from Brooklyn about job creation in Sunset Park. Jose believes the new Barclays Center could boost the Brooklyn’s economy and potentially offer new jobs to people in his neighborhood. Continue reading

Five Ways to Ride Out Unemployment with Online Resources Between Jobs

This article was originally posted on WiredAcademic.com

Unemployment over 9% is the stubborn bane of President Obama’s administration. We wouldn’t wait for his help as he pushes through the new $300 billion jobs plan.

Here’s some ways to take matters into your own online hands.

1. Degrees: Brand matters

“I’ve been researching employer acceptance of online degrees since 1989. In 1989, the first year GetEducated.com surveyed corporations, less than 50% of managers rated a distance degree “as good as” a residential  degree. Today (2009 survey) more than 90% of corporate managers rate an online degree “as good as” a residential degree….. but only if 3 crucial characteristics are met,” said Vicky Phillips, Founder of GetEducated.com.

The most important factor is whether your future employer recognizes the name of your schoool.

Check GetEducated’s video for a more thorough discussion by Phillips.

2.  Who needs a degree, give me open source training.

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How do You Choose a Quality Online Degree to Get that Next Job?

This article originally appeared on WiredAcademic.com

There are over 1,000 online degree programs, according to the Online Education Database (OEDb). If you’re jobless, or simply looking to expand your career horizon with online training, deciding to get started is the easiest decision. Choosing a program is where things get complicated.

Job seekers are not only lining up for interviews. U.S. News reports that jobless Americans are overwhelming retraining programs across the nation as well.

Just last week, we provided a quick list of online resources to looks at, but that’s only the beginning. U.S. News also covered the subject by focusing on career paths with promising growth prospects. Continue reading

Finding Work Isn’t Easy– Even for the Educated

It used to be pretty straightforward for young students: graduate high school, go to college, find a good job. But in today’s economy, it’s not such a sure thing.

These stories shed light on some of the attitudes and coping mechanisms current and former college graduates face in a declining jobs market: Continue reading