A fortune in vodka bottles, Misfortune hits paychecks

Good day for recycling, Bad day for asking for a raise

GOOD DAY FOR: Recycling, after a homeless Russian man earned a small fortune digging through the trash for glass bottles. Leonid Konovalov, 63, told Russian tabloid Tvoi Den that over the past year he collected about 2,000 bottles a day—each bottle can be traded in for about 6 cents. “Russians are drinking a little bit more due to the crisis, and this helped me get out of the rubbish dump,” said Konovalov. He now trades stocks. (Reuters)

BAD DAY FOR: Asking for a raise, after pay cuts, sometimes accompanied by downgrades in job title, are at their highest levels since the Great Depression. Georgia state workers, California state university workers, and some employees of Hewlett-Packard and several airlines are among the growing number of workers hit by pay cuts. (The New York Times)

Tuesday: Good day for second chances, Bad day for thinking small
Monday: Good day for spiritual growth, Bad day for a reliable sidekick