Veterans Crisis Line

"If you are having occasional or current suicidal thoughts,

TAKE THE NEXT STEP.

Call the referral number listed below and press option #1 when prompted.  You will be directed to a live, CONFIDENTIAL, compassionate veteran service provider. 

 This veteran hotline is available 24-hours a day. 

Let someone help!  1(800) 273-TALK (8255) (press 1)

 

If you are a female who served in ANY capacity in the Armed Forces,

 "Women Vets on Point"

is an additional point of contact for resources and support.

For more information, visit: www.womenvetsonpoint.org

You may also connect with their live team via chat (M-F 0800-1700),

 
email WVOP@usvetsinc.org or
(213) 335-5432

Community Colleges Help Train Doctors

Medical Doctors who began their education at a community college are more likely to choose family medicine which helps the community. How Community Colleges Can Help End California's Doctor Shortage appeared in the California Health Care Foundation blog on 12-4-18.

Military Benefits

10 Military Benefits You May Not Know About: Free tax prep, long-term care, life insurance, etc. This information appeared on militarybenefits.info

https://militarybenefits.info/10-veterans-benefits-you-may-not-know-about/

A Dying Father

My wife, Quyen, taught me about the love between a daughter and her dying father.

"It is the love from a child to the person who gave her life . . ."

The Truest Thing appeared in Quiet Storm in October 2018.

What a Tip!

How do you brighten a restaurant worker's day? Leave a 10K tip. Man orders 2 cups of water at NC restaurant, leaves $10,000 tip appeared on MSN News.

Budgeting

I know; you'd rather have a root canal than work on your monthly budget and I'm with you (well almost -- I remember having a root canal and I think I'd rather work on my budget!). However here is why working with a budget is essential: you have to gauge how much money you have, how much you're spending, how much you're saving (or not saving), and make necessary adjustments or you're going to be in the red (read debt) and not have a clue about why. A budget is like the speedometer in your car; it tells you how fast you're going on the freeway to avoid a speeding ticket or how rapidly your savings account is growing or diminishing (hopefully growing). A budget also tells you if your plan is working.

How to set a budget and stick with it appeared on Yahoo! Finance. The article also gives you a good guideline to follow re: how much to allocate to essentials, discretionary, and savings.

Colleges That Change Lives

Looking for a college where you can make a difference in the world? Colleges That Change Lives started from a book by Loren Pope though it has no official affiliation with the author. Use the site as a resource for finding a college where you can make your mark on the world.

Need a Job?

The Career/Transfer Center at City has job listings! Employers can also post jobs on their site. For info, go to https://www.collegecentral.com/sdcity/ or contact the Career/Transfer Center in M-101 or 619-388-3722.

Saving Lives

Yukio Shige tries to save people who are about to commit suicide. He does it because he wants to help. At Japan's suicide cliffs, he's walked 609 people back from the edge appeared in MSN News.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

8-Year-Old Makes a Difference

Kindness can make a difference, at a football game or otherwise. 8-year-old noticed a boy holding back tears at football game, kindly offers him a seat until his dad arrives appeared on Yahoo! Lifestyle.

Scholarship Site

This college scholarship site doesn't require a login or registration. You can also browse scholarships and grants by category.

Suicide Prevention

This is an issue that deserves attention: Veterans Organization Places 5,520 Flags to Raise Awareness of Veteran and Military Suicide This Year appeared on ABC News.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

$ Playing "Fortnite"

Can you make money playing video games? Yes, find out how. This 26-Year-Old Makes $500,000 Every Month Playing 'Fortnite' In His Bedroom — Here's How He Does It appeared on MSN Money.

Worth Noticing

In our society, it's easy to get caught up in what is wrong with the world. This is an example of what's right: Youngster Tenderly Helps an Elderly Woman: A Simple Inspiring Act of Kindness Caught on Video appeared on MSN News. Maurice Adams, Jr. -- we salute your kindness.

Donovan Mitchell -- Kindness Personified!

This NBA All Star should be recognized for a lot more than his basketball skills. Donovan Mitchell's Acts of Kindness in Salt Lake City Continue appeared on Yahoo Sports.

Want To Be a Teacher? Read This 1st

If you are considering becoming a teacher, read about one person's experience before you go all in. I Love Being a Teacher -- But It's Not For Everyone appeared on MSN Lifestyle.

Negotiate A Good Price

Did you know that in negotiating a price, you should make an offer and then stay silent? This article tells you why and provides other tips for getting the lowest price. 10 Tips for Negotiating a Better Price on Anything appeared in MSN Money.

Comic-Con -- Write for the Entertainment Industry

Write for the Entertainment Industry

Would you like to write for TV? In 2017, I attended Comic-Con International, the annual popular arts extravaganza held every summer at the San Diego Convention Center. This is what I learned at a panel called “The Writer’s Journey: Breaking In and Managing a Career In Hollywood,” featuring advice from four industry professionals: Brandon Easton, Geoffrey Thorne, Ubah Mohamed, and Tony Puryear.

The Experts

Brandon Easton was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2014 for Watson and Holmes by New Paradigm Studios. His writing credits include Marvel’s Agent Carter and IDW’s M.A.S.K.

Geoffrey Thorne is a TV producer and has worked on TNT’s The Librarians and Marvel Comic’s Mosaic as well as USA Network’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Ubah Mohamed has written for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and ABC’s The Whispers.

Tony Puryear is an artist and writer and he worked on the Schwarzenegger film, Eraser and Dark Horse’s graphic novel, Concrete Park.  

Find Your Muse

Tony Puryear encouraged the audience to find their muse: “Being a writer is a holy calling. You must get in a quiet place and listen. It’s like joining a cult of one.”

Other panelists added: Never chase a trend because it leads to a brick wall. Instead, go after what you feel passionate about.

Decide what kind of writer you want to be: TV, motion picture, comics and graphic novels, or novels because they are different. Then research the business thoroughly. Find out everything you can about that industry—the roles, the terminology, the people, the ins and outs.

Paid Off $68K in Loan Debt

Kudos to Guen Garrido, who paid off $68K in student loan debt without winning the Lotto. How One Millennial Paid Off $68,600 in Just Over 3 Years appeared on MSN Money.

A Good Deed Gets Rewarded

J'Mmar Coleman probably wasn't thinking of a reward when he helped a man who had just wrecked his car, but karma does happen. Migos Rapper Offset, Cardi B's Fiance, Buys Good Samaritan A Car For Helping Him After Accident appeared in Good Morning America and Yahoo! News. 

Making a Difference

As a boy, James Harrison received 13 units of blood during a surgery. It may have saved his life. Since then he has made it his life's mission to help others by donating blood. For Six Decades, ‘the Man with the Golden Arm’ Donated Blood — and Saved 2.4 Million Babies appeared in MSN News and The Washington Post.

Job Security

If job security is important to you, here are the jobs with the most job security. The 30 Jobs with the Best (and Worst) Job Security also shows the job's unemployment rate, how many are in the labor force, median annual wage, projected job growth, and entry level education needed.

Texas Teen Gets Into 20 Colleges

"Micheal Brown, 17, is a senior at Lamar High School in Houston. He got into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and Georgetown."

Texas Teen Gets Into 20 Colleges, Receives Full Ride to All of Them appeared on Yahoo! News.

Martin Luther King's Granddaughter Speaks at Rally

"My grandfather had a dream that his four little children would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I have a dream that enough is enough. That this should be a gun-free world. Period." -- Yolanda Renee King, granddaughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King at the "March for Our Lives." 

Yolanda Renee King, Granddaughter of MLK Jr., Shares Her Dream at "March for Our Lives" appeared on CBS News.

March For Our LIves Moments

"Six minutes and about 20 seconds," Parkland survivor, Emma Gonz lez, said, after breaking a six minute and twenty second silence to mark the beginning of the 'March for Our Lives' rally.  

"In a little over six minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured, and everyone, absolutely everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered."

Seven Most Memorable Moments from 'March for Our Lives' appeared on MSN News. 

Chanting "Vote them out!" and bearing signs reading "We Are the Change," ''No More Silence" and "Keep NRA Money Out of Politics," hundreds of thousands of protesters packed Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House.

'This Just Needs to Stop': Hundreds of Thousands Decry Guns appeared on MSN News and AP.

Parkland Students Rally to Stop Gun Violence

"No student should ever have to cover themselves with a deceased classmate to survive, but I was that student," -- Parkland shooting survivor Aalayah Eastmond said.

"And we can't only focus on school shootings though. Urban communities and low-income communities have always been hit with gun violence. I lost my uncle due to gun violence in Brooklyn 15 years ago, and nothing has changed. Columbine happened. Nothing changed. Sandy Hook happened. Nothing changed. Parkland happened. Nothing changed. -- Eastmond.

"They (Lawmakers) don't know what it's like to be 20 feet from an AR-15," --Parkland survivor Alfonso Calderon.

"Every single day you wake up and it might be a thought in your head, 'I might die today,'" -- Calderon.

March for Our Lives: Students Hold Events in Washington and Across the Nation appeared on MSN News. 

Scholarships

Looking for scholarships? Here's a site that you can load your profile and they will send you scholarships that fit your profile: Fastweb.

Waitress Wins Scholarship for Her Kindness

"Waitress Evoni Williams worked the hectic morning shift at the Waffle House in La Marque, Texas, saving up for college. Amid clanking plates, a sizzling grill and customers on the go, an elderly man timidly asked Williams to cut his ham. She did. Someone snapped a photo that spread across social media. Now Williams has a college scholarship."

A Waitress Takes Time to Cut Elderly Diner's Ham. Kind Act Wins Her a Scholarship appeared on MSN News.

Generation Z Mobilizes Around Gun Issue

Generation Z Finds a Purpose: "People are saying that it's not time to talk about gun control, and we can respect that. Here's the time: March 24. In every single city, we are going to be marching together as students begging for our lives. This isn't about the GOP. This isn't about the Democrats. This is about the adults. We feel neglected. At this point, you're either with us or you're against us." -- Cameron Kasky, high school student at Parkland, Florida. 

A Changing of Guard: After Unthinkable Tragedy, Generation Z Emerges Loud and Clear appeared on MSN News. 

Trump Processes Florida Students' Grief As President, Parent appeared in the Associated Press. 

We Need Survival Training to Survive Active Shooter Emergencies appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune. 

Dignity

You never know where you're going to find inspiration. Reading about LA Laker's Luol Deng taught me a lot about how to handle adversity. The Player They Can't Trade Can Only Pretend to Play appeared in the Charlotte Observer.

14 Acts of Kindness

There's enough bad news in the world. Check out these 14 stories to lift your spirits. Kindness rules!

Best Jobs for 2018

For pay and employment outlook, here are The 25 Best Jobs of 2018 according to US News & World Report. 

Mark Cuban's Money Tips

Mark Cuban knows a little bit about money. Here are his three money tips to help you get started on the right track for 2018. This article appeared on MSN Money. 

Best Cell Phone Plans

Paying too much for cellular? Here's a guide to the best cell phone plans for your needs. The Best Cell Phone Plans appeared on The Wirecutter.

Stop Buying These Things

Do you buy multivitamins, bottled water, medications, or insecticide? Read this article to find out why you're wasting your money.

28 Things You Should Stop Buying in 2018 appeared on MSN Money.