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It does sound like all may not be entirely lost, so, fingers crossed once more...
With a name like theirs there's a lot one could say about the House Speaker, but, I'd better not, LOL!
Hope something comes of this
CHEERS!
...I've seen a lot of...ummm..."nicknames" on some of the news blogs.
Thanks, at least finally things are finally moving. forward.
It's a gift,
He must expect people to be hard on him.
Hang on in there!
So sorry to hear that,
It sickens me when someone won't do something based on things that 'might' happen. Unless everyone starts dealing in definites nothing is going to get done or get better. If you CAN do something, DO IT, then things WILL happen!
Might is so wishy washy and undecided, this might happen if this is done. Yes, but, it also might not. If you DON'T because you think it MIGHT, then it NEVER WILL!!
World, get it together, people need you, and need definitive answers and solutions that WILL work!
Couple things..on the arthritis have you tried celebrex? I know I have arthritis in my hip joints and both knees and it worked really well and side effects wise I didn't really have any while I was on it (though everyone is different so hard telling how it would be for someone else) Also if your hands will work with you on it, you could try creating some packs. A fair few of those doing Poser content are disabled/ injured/ unable to hold conventional jobs etc. You work when you can and then don't when you can't. Not sure it would or wouldn't be something of interest to you but it may be an option possibly?
I haven't read through the entire thread so maybe someone mentioned all ready but have you tried:
http://www.homeforward.org/find-a-home/get-help-paying-rent/short-term-help
Granted seems to be short term and they may be low or out of funds but may be worth looking into :)
Also there are some various programs here as well
http://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/multnomah_county_assistance.html
Some may help with money for transportation, housing etc.
Not sure those will help but if they don't I would suggest contacting your state Congressman or State Representatives Office. Even if the rep is kinda eh the office has special departments for putting people in touch with available help in your area...pick the issue you think is either the hardest or easiest to solve/resolve and call them on it. I know I've had to do that before for issues and they reps here have always put me in touch with high ups in the local agencies I needed to deal with (and if referred by a congressman's office etc) they are FAR more likely to be helpful. If you call and get someone less then helpful, keep calling and calling till they cave or you get someone that will help you (had to do that too before LOL) I wish you the best of luck..I know how hard and stressful it can be...big big hugs :) Don't lose heart just keep fighting...and fighting ...the only person who can fight for you is you so just don't give up kk :)
I just got internet reconnected after 4 months without. I am sorry to hear about your troubles, but thought I might be able to give some ideas that could help out.
Three years ago I had some similar problems. I was applying for disability, my mother died(I had been taking care of her), and I had no prospect of regular income for several months.
First, I assume/hope that you are on Food Stamps(SNAP) and Oregon Health Plan. If you are receiving Food Stamps, you should qualify for the states telephone assistance and heating assistance programs. Talk to your case worker about these programs. The telephone assistance can reduce your bill drastically. My Cricket phone only costs me $17.50 per month, and if you have Century Link without any long distance carrier, your bill could drop to under $10 per month.
Century Link has a low income program for internet service as well. It costs a total of $17 or $22 per month with modem rental plus a $20 activation fee. If you buy a modem from the Goodwill or other thrift store($5-$10), you can save $5 per month. I recommend the Action Tec M1000, which will probably have the Qwest logo on it.
Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, and Catholic Family Services all have programs which may be able to help you with food and expenses. They might even be able to help you with 1-2 months rent so that you won't be evicted.
Consider donating plasma. I believe the maximum age is 65 and some medications or conditions could disqualify you, but you could make $200 - $300 per month.
Early on, someone mentioned going back to college. While I agree that student loans are not a wise option, you may qualify for grants and work study. You need to submit the financial aid form asap if you want to look into this option. You can also go to a community college career counselor without being a student, and they may be able to point you to some jobs you had not considered.
When applying for disability, the condition is less important than your ability to work. I have peripheral neuropathy, which is an iffy situation, but since it affects both my hands and feet, while severely reducing my abilities, I qualified for disability. After 2 appeals. The back pay is calculated from when you apply for benefits, not from when you left work as someone else said. Disability attorneys have to be registered with the Social Security Administration and are limited in how much they can charge you. If you don't receive disability/SSI, you don't pay them anything. The Social Security Administration has a list of approved attorneys they can give to you. A couple of things to make sure you do:
1) apply for both disability and SSI at the same time, they have different requirements.
2) tell your doctor/specialist that you are applying for disability, this will affect what tests, exams, and reports they do.
3) keep working at it, it can take several appeals before you are approved, although an attorney can speed the process up.
As far as retirement goes, you can take early retirement at age 62. The benefits will increase at the regular retirement ages. You will also be able to collect SSI at age 65 if your retirement benefits are below $721 per month.
Good luck, I hope that things work out for you.
...thank you very much for the concern.
When I can get my phone service restarted I'll give Home Forward a call. In these cell and wireless phone days trying to find a public telephone box is a quest akin to finding the Holy Grail. What few pay telephones I know of are in such noisy locations you can't hear what the other person is saying.
I already am on the Oregon Health plan and have talked with Northwest Outreach but with the latter, cannot get rent assistance unless either the bill passes both the Senate and House or I have some other foreseeable income down the road. My basic utilities are included in my rent so cannot get help with that. Our local congressmen are more interested in upscale urban development in Portland than they are in anything else (Mods, please do not delete this response on that account as this is an actual issue).
As to content creation work. that is a dead end for me as I am not that good at modelling since cannot afford a decent stable modelling application. Hexagon is too crash prone, Wings3D is only box - not polygon modelling capable, and Bender has a learning curve as steep as the white cliffs of Dover due to it's incomprehensible and user unfriendly UI.
...as mentioned above, already on teh Oregon Health Plan. Have Food stamps but as my rent included utilities, cannot qualify for utility assistance.
Actually had Cricket for my internet and dropped them as the area of town I live in is what they call a "low service priority area". I'll look into CentruyLink for the phone, however a number of emails I received regarding setting up job interviews ore getting a pre-interview required I call a long distance number to the home office.
I know nothing about configuring a "generic" modem for someone's proprietary signal. Furthermore with Xfinity (which I have now), I get Norton IS included which I would normally have to pay for on my own. Not an "IT geek" so having to manually manage a bunch of open source security apps to make sure they are always up to date (on top of everything else) doesn't work.
As to rent assistance, the only agency that can help me is the one I mentioned above (Northwest Pilot Projects). For others like Salvation Army, St Vincent Depaul, and Goodwill, I need to be severely disabled (in a wheelchair, blind, mentally disabled, etc.). As I do not have dependent children, I also do not qualify for state assistance (not even for a monthly transit pass or weekly book of transit tickets).
SSI Disability is a wash where I am concerned. As I have mentioned before, the process has become so overly bureaucratised due to all the corruption and abuse to the point you need an attorney to plead your case for benefits you already paid into and should rightfully receive. Sorry but having to pay someone who makes a better living than I did in my last job out of benefits that will barely be enough keep a roof over my head is just wrong as it is promoting "leeching" off the disadvantaged. The entire programme needs to be reformed form the top down and the "middlemen" (the lawyers) need to be taken out of the equation.
As I am only 60 I am still two years from even early SSI retirement (which is about 2/3 of the benefits one would receive waiting until the "maturation" age of 66/67) Even if I did qualify, that would barely be enough to pay my rent and if I took even a part time job (provided I could get one) to supplement it, my benefits would be reduced by that amount so that turns into a "lose lose" scenario. Without some means of supporting myself, I will not even make it through the next 2 years anyway..
As to college, at my age spending 2 - 4 years is school is just not an option. Grants may cover tuition, fees, and materials but usually not living expenses so I'd still be stuck in the same boat of having to find a job to cover the rest of the costs. I refuse to bother with student loans anymore, got stuck in that trap once, never again.
...the original post was pulled, so suffice to say, mitigating circumstances basically have caused the Emergency Unemployment Extension measure t become a dead issue.
It is all over.
It is not all over unless you give up!
Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I was in a similar position to you and managed to pull through. You can, too.
1) Phone - it may be cheapest to buy a prepaid Trac Phone. You can get a cheap one with triple minutes at Walmart or online. Use it only for job search and emergencies, have friends email or visit. If you go with Centurylink, you can buy long-distance calling cards which are cheaper than a long distance carrier if you don't make many calls.
2) Internet - if you are in a contract with Xfinity, stay with them. Their early termination fees are expensive. I don't know if you have a laptop or notepad/ipad or other wireless device. If you do, you should be able to get free wifi at your public library, and they also have free wifi at Starbucks and Safeway. As far as the modem I mentioned, Qwest changed their name to Centurylink, so it is just one of their modems with the old name on it. If you go that route, I can walk you through the setup, it is very easy.
3) College - the amount of grants and work study depends on your last years income. If it was low enough, you could receive enough to cover all or part of your living expenses. You also don't have to complete a degree. Attend until you reach 62, taking mostly art classes or others that interest you. As I said, you won't know unless you apply. That could help you as soon as June for summer term.
4) Disability - I agree that attorneys are pretty disgusting to prey on low income and disabled people, but be aware that they can only take a portion of the back pay owed to you. They can't charge you anything from your monthly payments. You can also get help from Legal Aid.
I did not use an attorney. It took me 2 appeals and 10 months to get my disability approved, but I was able to do it. You need to make sure that your doctor agrees that you should be considered disabled before you apply. If they do, then keep working at it.
5) Surviving - the ideas I mentioned take time and you need money for rent now, so consider some of the things I had to do.
- ask friends and family for help: gifts, loans, or a place to stay. I got loans with the understanding that it might be a couple of years before I could start to repay them.
- sell stuff: I figured that if I could not pay my rent and got evicted, I would lose my stuff anyway, so I sold a lot of what I owned. I was surprised at how much I was able to get for it. It paid for a couple of months rent.
- donate plasma: look into donating plasma, it is not much fun, but can earn you $200 - $300 per month.
- talk to your landlord: explain your situation and see if they will work with you. Mine actually let me pay my rent 2 weeks late one month.
Finally, if you do lose your house and have nowhere to go, consider moving down here to Eugene. It sounds like our social service agencies and charities are much more helpful than in Portland. Also, I can help you work your way through the beurocrasy here because I am very familiar with it.
If you want to contact me, feel free to PM me.
...don't have much of any value to sell unless I want to sell my computers and totally quit 3D (which is the only thing I have left to maintain any shred of sanity in this drekked up world) and never be able go online again. Besides, the depreciation on a computer makes a new car look like a sound investment.
My Xfinity plan is monthly so there are no contract fees. If I drop them I have no AV protection for either my notebook or workstation as they include the full Norton IS with their service. I would have to purchase my own version which is something like 70$ as I am not IT savvy enough to continually maintain and update a bunch of different open source/free AV apps. Also, with XP support ending in early April, I will have to migrate all my net activity to the workstation (which has Win7), as I don't have the resources to upgrade the notebook's OS and productivity software (I have Office2K which is not supported by Win7). This will pretty much kill any mobility.
The library here is limited to 1 hr sessions, that is barely enough time to even look for a job let alone submit resumes/cover letters. Furthermore I have so many different sign-ons and passwords for all the employment search sites I am registered with I could ever remember them off the top of my head which is why I have them stored in FF on my system.
I checked into a lot of those "prepaid" plans and all of them are now monthly and do not allow rolling minutes over. There used to be some that were based only on the total number of minutes you "bought" and when you ran out, then you recharged the phone, but that seems to be a thing of the past. My last plan gave me 500 minutes per month for 35$ of which I maybe used only 120 - 130 before the month ended (effectively getting only about 10$ worth of service a month).
If I ever did consider returning to formal education, it would be for something meaningful that would lead to a new career. My previous college work was in the arts and art/music education which while I was enrolled at the time became a dead end as the arts were the first thing to get axed when schools were forced to cut their budgets (which is why I left the programme without getting a degree). I was promised I would not have to pay one dime back for all the loans I took if I got a teaching position after graduation (which is why I will never deal with student loans again). Save for a few CS classes I took (and several of those are in what are considered today, "dead" programming languages) very little of my former credit us useful for anything but "filler" electives.
As to SSI, I need to keep working until at least 66 (preferably 70 for the extra bonus percentages to kick in) for it to be able to cover my basic living expenses. Any income you make "on the side" is subtracted from your monthly benefits as you are supposed to be "retired", so there is no "getting ahead".
Concerning the plasma thing, I have anemic blood (which is why I am so tired all the time) so that is not an option.
I have been getting some help from friends and have talked with my landlady who does understand my situation however she also makes part of her living off my rent and can only extend so much. Moving is just not an option and If I could, I'd go somewhere that offers a better chance for finding employment (and hopefully has more affordable housing prices) than here.
It comes down to the fact that I just want to get back to work and not have to depend on the "giverment" to survive anymore. they have totally let me own in this matter. I am taking what advantage I can of some really good services and classes offered by the WorkSource office here that are giving me better 'ammunition" to deal with the task of getting reemployed. I believe I still have a lot to offer a company. It's finding the right angle to convince the HR departments out in the private sector which is the trick.
not sure if anyone mentioned it but if you are on government assistance you might be able to get a free cell phone with 250 minutes and 250 texts. = http://www.assurancewireless.com/Public/Welcome.aspx is one provider. If you can pay (not real sure on your situation for this) but walmart offers a pay as you go type plan. unlimited talk and text and web (depending on the phone) for between 30-40 dollars. (got two cells last month 1 a flip non fancy phone for 25 something a month unlimited talk and text and my daughter's which is a iphone type for 40 a month with unlimited talk, text and web.)
sorry can't help more. but i thought i'd mention the free phone in case it helps you.
This is the antivirus software I use on all the PCs in my family. It's free, and updates itself. I feel confident in saying that it works as well as Norton or any of the paid products.
http://free.avg.com/us-en/free-antivirus-download
For your aging XP laptop, I recommend Linux Mint. It is easy to install and use, and comes with Firefox and word processor, etc. software to help you continue your job search.
http://www.linuxmint.com/download.php
...not into moving to linux as again I don't have the techie savvy to set up and maintain it. As bad as Windows may be, at least it has auto updating (I have mine set to give me reminders) and works pretty much the way I need it to "out of he box".
As I mentioned, many sites will only specify Word (and sometimes PDF) files for uploading resumes & cover letters as that is what they use to open and read them with. This means they have to be in .doc or .docx format. I've seen only a few that also allow .rtf. Having a difficult enough time the way it is without limiting whom I can upload a resume to because of file format issues.
I've read (even here) about Avast interfering with downloads. I've never had an issue with Norton regarding this in all the years I've used it. Norton also has features like keylogger protection and Safe Web which flags sites as to the level of security risk they pose up front and gives you details about a site's rating before you click on it.
Because of where I live, I need a direct hardwired system as wireless broadband connectivity is very spotty which is why I gave up on it last summer and switched to Xfinity. If CenturyLink does have a wired system, it would require the need for a service tech to come in and install a line, switch-box, etc. Since my place previously had cable, all Xfinity had to do was reactivate the existing line from their end which saved on installation fees. I'm currently on the most basic of service options and connectivity is still way faster than via phone line and extremely stable compared with wireless.
[ETA]
...bleedin' site software logged me out when I posted this and then misdirected me to my account page instead of back to the thread after I signed in. Fortunately I was able to back up and save the post to the clipboard.
It's been almost 22 months, why hasn't this been fixed yet?
Don't give up. Don't EVER give up.
On this page there is a link to various rental assistance programs by state. There is also a section on getting assistance with your utility bills. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/rental_assistance
Here is a link to apply for a free cell phone.
https://www.safelinkwireless.com/Enrollment/Safelink/en/Public/NewHome.html
Also, many states have programs for transportation services which are not just for people with physical disabilities. They range from free or reduced cost bus passes to a transit van picking you up at your doorstep.
As far as getting on to disability is concerned, keep fighting. There are many many lawyers out there that will take on your case for a simple percentage of the awarded amount. You just need to talk to them and get an explanation in writing of how they will pursue your case. They don't get paid till you get disability so they are very driven to succeed on your behalf. Your case may get denied and the appeals process gone through but again, that's what the lawyer is for.
For "right now" emergency assistance, search out the local charities in your area.. Also many national charities have emergency assistance programs. These sorts of things range from cash assistance with rent, bills, and groceries to necessary medical care.
I know things are grindingly tough right now but don't give up.
On the other subject I agree never give up.
Just because MS is ending support for XP doesn't mean you have to give up the laptop. Just be careful where and how you use it. Designate it and it's email account for you job search. There are plenty of free AV and anti-malware products out there that will automatically update for you.
Have you checked into some other versions of word processing apps. I haven't heard much about OpenOffice of late but you should check them out. Calibre used to have an office suite as well. As annoying at times as Ashampoo can be with their offers, they run deals all the time. Deals like $100 worth of their software products for $20.
Aslo check the site Giveaway of the Day every day. You can pick up free AV, recovery apps, and other software which is fully licensed for free.
If you need a pdf convertor, toss free pdf convertors in the search engine. One of the oldest around used to be pdf999. Yes, its shareware and has annoying pop ads but if you can't afford anything else, it's better than nothing.
If you need to learn how do configure apps, learn. At least it would give you something to concentrate on and every new thing you learn might help in the future.
Pretty well all of the office suites will save .doc and most will save .docx. Microsoft have a free Word Viewer that you could use to check the format before uploading.
Yes MS is ending support for XP. It is also true that you don't need to give up the laptop. Just , as a previous poster said, be careful in how you use it. I did just check on Open Office and it does have a utility to create and or convert to .pdf now. Also Avast Antivirus is a very capable product. I have used it myself in the past. Couple that with the free versions of utilities like Ccleaner and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for periodic scans and you will get decent results.
One thing you need to do right now is create a "restore package" for this laptop. Get the last service pack for windows XP in a form that you can download and burn to a cd for future use. Microsoft's service packs are generally cumulative fixes so having the last one published should have the important patches and bug fixes for you. You can find that here :
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=24
Burn this do a dvd and store it alongside your windows XP install disk. Also find all the latest versions of drivers and system utilities that you are using and burn them to a disk as well. This is whats going to allow you to restore your laptop if things go south in the future.
From a previous post, a reluctance to consider linux was mentioned . Its something you might want to consider. At least you will have an active support community to work with should you run into trouble in the future. I am adding a link here:
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/527392/with-xp-ending-what-are-your-alternatives/
that will allow you to download and create a "live disk" that will, providing you follow the directions carefully, allow you to create a "live disc" so that you can check out linux without having to uninstall XP. Just remember to follow the directions exactly AND to have backed everything up and created/collected the "restore package" for your laptop. Maybe you will find you like linux or maybe you wont but I present this in the interests of giving you an option. Options are important.
Good luck, keep fighting , and keep us posted?
1) AVG is not Avast. It does have link checking and many other security features, even in the free version. It keeps itself up to date.
2) Linux Mint Debian updates itself. Linux has changed a lot over the past few years. You no longer need to be a "techie" to use it.
3) LibreOffice, the free office software that comes with most Linux distributions and also works on Windows and OSX, can read and save all MS Office files, including .doc and .docx, and can also create PDF files. So can Google Docs, for that matter.
I am not saying that AVG or Linux are necessarily the right solutions for you, but I think it's important not to eliminate potential solutions for invalid reasons.
I know that when we are reading about the troubles of people online, we don't have all the facts and limitations that dictate choices-- we can't. So all we can do is offer suggestions to think about, and more importantly, listen and let the other person know we care.
It is frustrating sometimes to read "that won't work for me because...." and be thinking, "What? That's not true, so why isn't this person considering this alternative?" Forgetting that we each have our own barriers that we work within, that aren't always visible or reasonable from the outside. :)
You are absolutely correct. AVG and Avast are totally different products. Both are more than adequate and Avast also has a freeware version. I mis-spoke/ mis-typed myself there. Apologies for any confusion I may have caused. :)
I just installed Avast last night and running a scan now. I installed Real Play and ended up with a ton of malware. I had crap popping up all over the place. Adds, videos, blocked pages, the works.
So Real Play is adware supported ?
I never had a problem with it in the past but this time I did. After looking up some stuff I learned it very common for them to put adware in the installers
Thanks for passing that on. :)
More and more free apps like RealPlayer are coming with adware included the installer. Things like toolbars and you end up with your homepage being changed.
It's usually a good idea to run the installer as a custom install. That's when you see all the adware. Some installers take you to an accept/decline screen for every piece of adware and some have a general accept/decline all.
Better than my problems with AVG! Turns out AVG 2014 has a known issue that doesn't allow windows 7 to boot on an SSD some times. Debugging that one was fun.
It was changing my home page about every 20 minutes to their search page
That's when you'd like to go find the person who added all that to the installer without warning you it was there and strangle them...have you tired doing a system restore to the last point before you installed RealPlayer?
What was the solution, if I may ask? was there an update from AVG, or is it better just not to use it?