All posts tagged: unaffordable

Have you passed on a decent job offer because of unaffordable housing? | Work & careers

Have you passed on a decent job offer because of unaffordable housing? | Work & careers

Published by skeptic

We’re interested to hear from people who have recently opted to turn down a job offer they were interested in because they found housing in the area of the workplace too expensive. Whether you turned down a job because of unaffordable sale or rental prices for property within a reasonable distance to the workplace in question, and whether you chose to pass on the job offer or had no other choice, we’d like to hear from you. Share your experience Tell us if you’ve recently passed on an attractive job offer because of unaffordable housing in the area of the workplace, and what you did next. Your responses, which can be anonymous, are secure as the form is encrypted and only the Guardian has access to your contributions. We will only use the data you provide us for the purpose of the feature and we will delete any personal data when we no longer require it for this purpose. For true anonymity please use our SecureDrop service instead. If you, recently, haven’t taken up a …

‘Seismic shift’: driving unaffordable for many in US amid push toward SUVs | Automotive industry

‘Seismic shift’: driving unaffordable for many in US amid push toward SUVs | Automotive industry

Published by skeptic

At the start of the pandemic, Ceola Luna, a 45-year-old Lyft driver in Los Angeles, bought a 2005 Saturn Vue crossover, after her new Dodge Caravan (a minivan) was wrecked in a crash. The Vue wasn’t nearly as nice, but it was affordable at $4,000 – including rust, engine issues, and a dashboard full of warning lights. With no other income to support herself and three children, driving was an economic lifeline for Luna. But much of what she made ended up going to car mechanics as the small SUV kept breaking down. Then last year, Lyft informed Luna that her Vue had gotten too old for the platform, leaving her jobless. So she scrambled to find a new gig as a care worker for autistic children, and then the car failed again. To save up for another mechanic appointment, Luna has been taking the bus to her clients – sapping her earnings with hours of unpaid commute time. A replacement car is out of the question, because she barely has enough money for rent. …

The Guardian view on a UK citizen army: unpopular and unaffordable | Editorial

The Guardian view on a UK citizen army: unpopular and unaffordable | Editorial

Published by skeptic

Few will dispute that the international situation has darkened and is darkening. Neither Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nor the renewed Middle East conflict will end soon or conclusively. Across the Atlantic, a second Trump presidency is moving closer. As an era of peace ebbs, and with a widening prospect of an era of war, how should nations, including Britain, respond? By being ready to mobilise against Russia, says the head of Britain’s army, Gen Sir Patrick Sanders. In a speech on Tuesday, Gen Sanders said that armed citizens still win modern wars, just as in the last century. Britain therefore needed to “train and equip” a new “citizen army” that would be ready to fight a land war against Russia. The current professional army, set to fall to 72,500 by 2025, is too small for that. Even a force of 120,000 would not be capable of fighting an all-out war. In the general’s view, it was not just desirable but essential for Britain to follow Sweden’s example and take “preparatory steps to place our societies …

Housing is unaffordable for a record half of all U.S. renters

Housing is unaffordable for a record half of all U.S. renters

Published by skeptic

A new Harvard University report finds that housing was unaffordable for a record half of renters in 2022. And a softening rental market might not help those who struggle most. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption toggle caption Matt Rourke/AP A new Harvard University report finds that housing was unaffordable for a record half of renters in 2022. And a softening rental market might not help those who struggle most. Matt Rourke/AP Over the past two years, Genuine Campbell was shocked at how rent for her two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia just kept going up — from $1,300 a month to $1,600. She’s a single mom of four, and right as her rent was rising, her hours as a hotel valet were getting cut. Add in utility costs plus inflation, and every month brought a wrenching decision. “Do you want to pay the bills and then give half the rent, or do you want to try to do the whole rent and then be back on bills?” she says. Campbell says the area isn’t even safe enough for …

‘Free-from’ food increasingly unaffordable in UK, experts warn | Gluten-free

‘Free-from’ food increasingly unaffordable in UK, experts warn | Gluten-free

Published by skeptic

Patients with food allergies and health conditions affecting the digestive system are increasingly unable to afford supermarket “free-from” products, leaving them with painful symptoms or permanent damage, experts warn. About 2.3 million people in the UK have either a food allergy or intolerance, or coeliac disease, an autoimmune disorder that leaves people unable to eat gluten. To stay well, many have to buy free-from food, which costs much more than other produce. A report by the Food Standards Agency in 2022 calculated that adults with a food allergy, intolerance or coeliac disease already spend up to 27% more on food than those without food hypersensitivities. In some areas, patients can get help with medical diet costs. Coeliac patients in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are less at risk of long-term health complications because they can access free gluten-free bread, pasta and flour. But the cost of living crisis has made it much more difficult, especially for people in England, to afford free-from food. In England, of the 42 integrated care boards, about a third no …

Popular Reddit app Apollo may go out of business over Reddit’s new, unaffordable API pricing

Popular Reddit app Apollo may go out of business over Reddit’s new, unaffordable API pricing

Published by skeptic

The maker of Apollo, one of the most popular third-party mobile apps for browsing Reddit, may have to close up shop due to Reddit’s recently announced new API pricing terms. App developer Christian Selig shared today that Reddit’s API pricing appears to be bad news for the future of third-party Reddit apps as it would now cost him $20 million per year to keep running Apollo’s business as is. Customer backlash over Reddit’s terms is already growing in light of the news, given Apollo’s long history of thoughtful app updates, iOS-friendly design, and general ease of use, which has made the app a popular alternative to Reddit’s official client. The news is unexpected, as Reddit had assured developers the API pricing changes wouldn’t impact those who were building apps to help people use Reddit. Instead, the move was positioned as a way to protect Reddit’s sizable internet forum site from becoming free fodder for companies training their AI systems on large swaths of the internet. Essentially, Reddit wanted to get paid for its “corpus of …