Among many of your options as a federal employee and former active-duty soldier, buying back your active-duty military time is usually the one voluntary benefit that quietly delivers the biggest return — but also comes with the most confusion. Why So Many Federal Employees Get Confused Let’s start with this: many get confused about military … Read more
Updated Oct. 22 at 11:55 p.m. Despite the Veterans Affairs Department keeping most of its employees working through the government shutdown, the agency’s leader said on Wednesday, the funding lapse is having significant impacts on key services for former military members. Around 30,000 VA employees are currently furloughed as a result of the shutdown, VA … Read more
What Actions to Take During Shutdown and Possible Employment Loss This is a rough time for federal employees—especially those now classified as “non-essential” and who may not be reporting to work and facing a potential loss of employment. Experiencing stress and strain in this situation is no surprise. If you do not feel the stress … Read more
The federal government shutdown is now in its third week, making it the second-longest in U.S. history. Perhaps it will set a new record for the length of a shutdown. Despite mounting economic and political pressure, neither Congress nor the White House has found a successful strategy for reopening the government. Here is the latest … Read more
A coalition of more than 50 House Democrats on Wednesday urged utility companies not to issue late fees or terminate services to federal employees and contractors impacted by the ongoing federal government shutdown. The current lapse in appropriations entered its fourth week Wednesday. Later this week, many federal workers will miss their first full paycheck, … Read more
Create a Budget Knowing exactly what your monthly fixed, variable, and discretionary expenses are will help reduce stress and allow you to know what areas of your budget can be cut quickly. Prioritize bills and essential expenses and make arrangements with creditors or utility providers if necessary. Build an Emergency Fund Strive to have eight … Read more
Astronomy is the oldest science, and the sky is among our first laboratories. Long before the written word, people erected stone circles to frame the first dawn rays of the summer solstice, etched lunar calendars in bone and wove the planets into their myths. Eventually, we learned to measure the heavens, and in the 16th … Read more
At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) taking place in Sydney this week, representatives from the United States and Australia gathered to sign a framework agreement that strengthens collaboration in aeronautics and space exploration between the two nations. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy and Australian Space Agency Head Enrico Palermo signed the agreement Tuesday on behalf … Read more
The Big Bang may have spawned these theoretical black holes, whose lives are thought to end in a burst of extremely energetic particles.
On a clear night, you might see thousands of stars in the sky. Most of these stars are dozens or hundreds of light years away from us. A light year is the distance a beam of light travels in a year: about 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers). This means that for those stars we … Read more