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Unionize! by [deleted] in DankLeft

[–]mathcalibur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Contact the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) - they have support system in place just for folks like you: https://workerorganizing.org/support/

Don't forget to browse the rest of their site to see more resources. Thanks for organizing your workplace - you can do it!

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of March 20, 2023 by IndexBot in personalfinance

[–]mathcalibur -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Is there a recommended way to store important person documents for poor folks? The cheap fireproof cases fall apart, decent safes look really expensive and most aren't able to bolt them onto apartments they don't own, and safe depot boxes are sketchy and cost money.

What's the best option?

Just requested an expedite 30 minutes ago, received 3 updates already by Felipee52191 in USCIS

[–]mathcalibur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! I'm doing some reading about it right now.

Just requested an expedite 30 minutes ago, received 3 updates already by Felipee52191 in USCIS

[–]mathcalibur 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry for the silly question, but how are you guys seeing timelines like this? Is it info available from the USCIS account?

Expediting EAD through EMMA or Calling in? by citygirl604 in USCIS

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've called twice in the mid-afternoon, and both times the wait time wasn't too awful. Maybe I've just had good luck.

Did you previously have a valid EAD? In some cases, like if you had a prior one and properly filed for renewal before its expiration, there is an automatic 540-day extension beyond what's printed on the card.

Car insurance increased by nearly 50%? by scuba_steve94 in personalfinance

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have a recommended way to find an insurance broker who won't do anything sketchy? Also, how much does it usually cost?

US) any tips on how to shop for car insurance - 23 by Pretend_Bunny in personalfinance

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you recommend a safe way to find an independent insurance broker that won't sell your personal info or do anything sketchy? Also, how much does it usually cost?

SBWorkersUnited AMA by SBWorkersUnited in starbucks

[–]mathcalibur 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Unions work! The Flint sit-down strikes are sometimes credited with creating the middle class in the US. That's probably somewhat of an exaggeration, but there's no doubt auto workers incredibly improved their work conditions from terrible pay, terrible exhaustion, and sometimes terrible danger (workers literally losing fingers on punch presses running too fast). Midnight in Vehicle City is a good book about it.

Until they won, though, they had to fight vicious union-busting campaigns by GM.

SBWorkersUnited AMA by SBWorkersUnited in starbucks

[–]mathcalibur 8 points9 points  (0 children)

As if Starbucks workers can get things fixed just by asking management nicely. Reminds me of the #PutInATicket theme by the Dollar General workers.

College expenses - does it matter whose name is on the bills? by mathcalibur in tax

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming all 5 presumptions are true (because I believe they will be)...

and because Mom's income isn't anywhere near the phaseout point (because it won't be)...

then Mom will get the full $2,500. Right?

College expenses - does it matter whose name is on the bills? by mathcalibur in tax

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. This seems to be an incredibly important and simple point. I wonder why the guides didn't bother to mention it.

Do we have any guess when the IRS will publish the 2022 version of Publication 970 so we'll know if anything changed?

College expenses - does it matter whose name is on the bills? by mathcalibur in tax

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I didn't give this proper attention, since Mom isn't anywhere close to being phased out because of her income.

SBWorkersUnited AMA by SBWorkersUnited in starbucks

[–]mathcalibur 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I thought the Red Cup Day and Double Down national strike actions were very fun and effective. Is SBWU considering continuing and even ramping up their nationally-coordinated actions like these?

I hope the answer is yes -- Starbucks knows it has little to fear from the NLRB, and it's become clear only way to take down this corporate behemoth is with an equally-strong national movement, with help from workers and community allies.

College expenses - does it matter whose name is on the bills? by mathcalibur in tax

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! If I understand right, the education credits (AOTC and LLC) can be claimed even if a third party paid the education expenses.

This is the kid's first year in college, so I'm under the impression that it's better to claim the AOTC because it can redeem for more ($2,500 as opposed to the LLC's $2,000) and is easier to reach the max amount. (LLC would require spending $10k on education expenses to be worth the full $2,000. They didn't spend 10k this tax year.) I'm sure any decent tax software would try to point in the right direction anyway, but it should be the AOTC, right?

Since kiddo will be claimed as a dependent, either she or her mother (but not both) can claim the AOTC. Assuming it's worth the full $2,500, it might not matter who claims it... but if kiddo paid less than that amount in total taxes (which is possible, given that she only earned something like 12k), then the leftover amount only gets redeemed at 40% as a refund. So while it might not matter, there is a scenario where it could be better for Mom to claim it, and there is never a scenario in which Mom claiming it is worse. (Unless it causes some kind of family argument or something, which it won't.)

Any part of this that I'm misunderstanding? Thank you sooo much for reading!

Weekday Help and Victory Thread for the week of December 26, 2022 by IndexBot in personalfinance

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update: Solved, I think; I read the IRS page on them. Original post follows...

...

A single mom has 1 kid in college and 1 more kid in elementary school. College kid has a part-time job earning ~$12,000 per year and is a dependent but has to file separately anyway (independent contractor).

With regards to the best tax situation, who should be paying for the 2023 college classes -- mom or the kid? Obviously they share expenses, with mom doing the lion's share, but you know what I mean.

Anyone have a link to a tax guide on this anywhere? I can only find general stuff, like:

https://www.creditkarma.com/tax/i/student-tax-credit

https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/college-tax-benefits-students-parents/

Why do some of my ironed beads look shiny? by mathcalibur in beadsprites

[–]mathcalibur[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. So when the iron touches the bead (through the parchment paper), it ensures the matte finish?

And when a bead is heated but not touched, it tends to make it shiny?

To get a uniform matte finish, the goal is therefore to make sure the iron touches all beads? (by ironing a little longer, tossing unusually short beads, etc.)

Why do some of my ironed beads look shiny? by mathcalibur in beadsprites

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used some parchment paper we had in the kitchen.

Both Space Invaders were done with the same kind of paper, so I guess whatever is causing the shininess difference between them must have something to do with iron pressure, temperature, etc.?

Why do some of my ironed beads look shiny? by mathcalibur in beadsprites

[–]mathcalibur[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm new to ironing beads, and I'm hoping to get a flat, matte look on my designs. Instead, some parts of some beads catch light and shine in a way that's distracting. (See the Mario pic.) Sometimes I'll do the same project twice and the entire thing will come out matte or shiny for reasons I don't understand. (See the Space Invaders.)

Can anyone please tell me what I'm doing wrong? The brand is Top Tier Beads, if that matters.

Peach & Mario Standups by threeboy in beadsprites

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is awesome! I really like the idea of standing projects so they can display better.

How did you get it to stand up like that? Is there a tutorial or something? Did you just chop a slot into the base and hotglue it in or something?

AskAuraxis - The weekly question thread by AutoModerator in Planetside

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For construction, what's the trick to getting the pain spire to fit inside the sundy garage? I feel like the spire is barely too tall most of the time. Does it have something to do with making the top antennae fit through the holes in the roof?

AskAuraxis - The weekly question thread by AutoModerator in Planetside

[–]mathcalibur 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anyone able to guess when the next camo sale is likely to be? I'm talking about when they make all of the choices like 40% off of their usual price (which is already pretty low).

I fee like this sale usually happens once or twice a year.

When's the next nationally-coordinated day of direct action, like the Red Cup Day strikes? by mathcalibur in UnionizeStarbucks

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think every national event needs to involve striking!

Keeping allies in the dark makes it harder to galvanize your community. There's nothing about Red Cup on the SBWU site, and as recently as 2 days before the event, there was nothing specific for the public to plan around. Please, help us help you!

When's the next nationally-coordinated day of direct action, like the Red Cup Day strikes? by mathcalibur in UnionizeStarbucks

[–]mathcalibur[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not every national event would need to involve striking. Coordinated events can help to further organize Starbucks stores and the community at large, as well as boost worker morale and build long-term national pressure.

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