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updated: 2016-09-01
 

"Minority students and Pell grant-eligible [i.e. lower-income] students were most at-risk of earning insufficient grades.   Students must maintain a 2.50 cumulative GPA to remain eligible for the A+ incentive.   More minority students and Pell grant-eligible students earned cumulative GPAs below 2.50 throughout the study period...   it was noted that students who were Pell grant-eligible were significantly more likely to earn a cumulative GPA below 2.50 early in the study period than students who were not eligible for a Pell grant.   This finding parallels research on other statewide merit aid programs where higher income students typically achieve higher GPAs (M. Binder & P.T. Ganderton 2004 'The New Mexico Lottery Scholarship: Does it help minority and low-income students?' In D.E. Heller & P. Marin (Eds.) _State merit scholarship programs and racial inequality_ Cambridge, MA: Civil Rights Project at Harvard University. Retrieved 2006 March 2 from: http://www.civilrightsproject.harvard.edu/research/meritaid/fullreport04.php; Dynarski, 2004)." --- Leslie M. Galbreath 2007-05-11 "Tracking Public-Post-Secondary Enrollment Patterns of Missouri A+ Program-Eligible Graduates" pp226-227 (240-241 in pdf)

 
 

2009 November

U	M	T	W	R	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

 

"Demographic analyses showed that a large majority of students who were still enrolled after 3 years were not eligible for a Pell grant.   This finding suggests that low-income students' ability to pay continued to affect their post-secondary persistence and attainment, which corresponds to Henry, Rubenstein, and Bugler's (2004) findings that the benefits of the HOPE scholarship only accrue to those students who remain eligible.   Because students are no longer eligible for the A+ incentive after 3 years, they must identify and utilize other financial resources to persist in the post-secondary system." --- Leslie M. Galbreath 2007-05-11 "Tracking Public-Post-Secondary Enrollment Patterns of Missouri A+ Program-Eligible Graduates" pg230 (244 in pdf)

 
 
 

captain William Scott's flag for the Republic of Texas.

2009-11-01

2009-11-01
_Minneapolis MN Star-Tribune_
Fertility rates fall; still, it's a tiny planet
"At a time when Malthusian worries are resurgent and people fear the consequences for an over-crowded planet, the decline in fertility is surprising and somewhat reassuring...   The fertility rate of half the world is now 2.1 or less -- the magic number that is consistent with a stable population and is usually called 'the replacement rate of fertility'...   The transition from a rate of 5 to that of 2, which took 130 years to happen in Britain -- from 1800 to 1930 -- took just 20 years -- from 1965 to 1985 -- in South Korea.   In Iran, it dropped from 7 in 1984 to 1.9 in 2006 -- and to just 1.5 in Tehran...   There are too many people for the Earth's fragile ecosystems.   It is time to stop -- and ideally reverse -- the population increase...   the world's population is still increasing and can do a lot more environmental damage before it [optimistically] peaks at just more than 9G in 2050."

2009-11-01
_Toronto Star_
Controversial federal program brings foreigners to Canada for temporary joba, leaves them ripe for abuse

2009-11-01
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Obama moves toward censorship

2009-11-01
Emma L. Carew & Paul Fain _Chronicle of Higher Education_
23 private college presidents are paid over $1M per year

2009-11-01
CocoaHeads meetings
NSCoder nights

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-02

2009-11-01 20:23PST (2009-11-01 23:23EST) (2009-11-02 04:23GMT)
_Wall Street Journal_
Pelosi's health care perversion proposal is Worst Bill Ever: Epic new spending and taxes, pricier insurance, rationed care, dishonest accounting: The Pelosi health bill has it all

2009-11-02 08:26:19PST (11:26:19EST) (16:26:19GMT)
John Boudreau _San Jose CA Mercury News_
Lowest number of H-1B visa applications since 2003

2009-11-02 09:17:39PST (12:17:39ET) (17:17:39GMT)
Pete Carey _San Jose CA Mercury News_
Hector Ruiz caught up in insider trading fuss

2009-11-02
_Consulting Specifying Engineer_
Slump sinking H-1B visa program: The weak economy continues to erode employment even among highly trained professionals

2009-11-02
Richard Springer _India West_
India issues 400K over-seas citizen cards, 43% in the USA
"The Indian government has granted almost 400K Overseas Citizenship of India cards, 43% of them through Indian consulates in the U.S.A. and 13% in the UK, according to a new report on the Indian diaspora by the Washington, DC-based Migration Policy Institute...   In 1999, India introduced the Person of Indian Origin Card and in 2005 the OCI card.   Both grant practical parity with Indian citizens but do not permit voting, standing for election, or government employment.   PIO cards are available to former Indian citizens and their non-Indian-born descendants (up to four generations) while the OCI card is limited to those whose parents or grandparents once had or were eligible for Indian citizenship as of 1950 January 26.   Also, OCI grants a life-long visa and does not require reporting to the police for stays longer than 180 days.   The total Indian American population in the U.S.A. numbered about 2.5M in 2007, including 1,678,765 born in India.   The Indian population in the United Kingdom was about 1.3M that same year.   Indian H-1B visa holders in the U.S.A. 'grew 5-fold between 1989 and 1999 and peaked in 2001 with 160K issuances', said the report.   'In that year, 82% of all computer-related H-1B visas were given to Indians and 85% of all Indian H-1B beneficiaries were counted as computer related.'   In 2007, India received one-third, or 158K, of all H-1B visas (including new visas and renewals).   The second largest number went to Canadian citizens, accounting for 26K visas...   According to data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, from 1986-2005, the 'annual total influx of Indian immigrants more than tripled from 27K to 85K, while the share in total immigration flows rose from 4.4% to 7.4%', the study said.   'Indian citizens accounted for 5.7% of all persons obtaining lawful permanent resident status in 2008.'   About 74.1% of those in the U.S.A. born in India in 2008 held at least a bachelor's degree, and 68.9% reported working in management, professional, and related occupations, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited in the report.   In 2007, 9,200 Afghanistan refugees (92% of them Hindu or Sikh) were living in India, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees."

2009-11-02
Joe McKendrick _SmartPlanet_/_Ziff Davis_/_CBS_
By one measure global poverty rates have fallen 80% since 1970
"Dr. Mark Perry of the University of Michigan recently posted some interesting data, culled from a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper from Maxim Pinkovskiy and Xavier Sala-i-Martin, which shows a significant plunge in world poverty rates across the globe."

2009-11-02
Andrew Nusca _SmartPlanet_/_Ziff Davis_/_CBS_
porous pavement being tested to filter pollutants from storm water

2009-11-02
Jim Stratton _Orlando Sentinel_
Out of Work, Dwindling Options

2009-11-02
Carla Fried _BNET_/_Ziff Davis_/_CBS_
Life Expectancy Calculators

2009-11-02
Linda A. Raber _Chemical & Engineering News_
A New Normal: Record unemployment requires a realistic attitude and creative thinking

2009-11-02
Ivan Amato _Chemical & Engineering News_
Donw But Not Out: Chemistry jobs took a beating this year, prompting out-of-work chemists to reinvent themselves

2009-11-02
Ivan Amato _Chemical & Engineering News_
Marcel Goes To St. Louis
"To be a research chemist at Kodak, in Rochester, NY, at a time when photography was morphing into an electronics-based technology was harrowing for electroanalytical chemist Marcel Madaras.   For years, he was skipping through the minefield, surviving layoffs and restructurings.   'Even from the time they hired me 7 years ago', Madaras says, 'there were lay-offs'.   As photography rapidly shifted to digital technology, Madaras says, 'the decision of the company was to cut, cut, cut'.   In the summer of 2007, the ax fell on him.   And in a matter of months, the Department of Labor's hiring statistics would begin free-falling into negative territory.   'At the macro level, I understood what happened, but at a personal level no one likes to hear they don't have a job.', Madaras, who is 43 and has 2 elementary school-aged children, tells C&EN.   Rather than jumping into the job market in search of another position like the one he had just lost, Madaras decided to leverage his joblessness into an opportunity to pursue an interest in the business side of chemical companies.   At the time, his wife was still employed by Kodak.   With that continued base of financial security, Madaras applied to a 16-month executive M.B.A. program at Rochester Institute of Technology.   The program was challenging enough, he notes, that he did not have time for a job search while immersed in it.   By the time he could tack that M.B.A. behind his name, the economic collapse had begun."

2009-11-02
Ivan Amato _Chemical & Engineering News_
Ken does the 1-2-3 step
"It's been a wild employment ride for Kenneth J. Barr over the past two years.   The adventure began when the present recession did, at the end of 2007.   Until then, Barr's professional life as a chemist had followed a conventional plan.   After getting a Ph.D. and finishing a postdoc in a reputable academic laboratory, Barr had enough credibility in the fields of synthetic and organometallic chemistry to land in 1995 a potential job for life at a major pharmaceutical company, Abbott.   He worked at that first job for five years before moving to California to the biopharmaceutical start-up Sunesis, which zeroes in on oncology drugs for both solid tumors and blood cancers.   'We were successful.', Barr says, but even before the economic downturn, the company began morphing its strategic approach by shifting much of its research over to the company's development partners, Barr notes.   'I was part of the letting go of the research division.', he says.   That was in September 2007.   He landed on his feet by getting a job a few months later at a brand-new company, Amplyx Pharmaceutical, whose mission is to develop anti-HIV, antibiotics, and other drugs that avert quick in-body degradation by getting sequestered in the protective environment inside cells.   Barr was Amplyx's third of 3 employees, and the company was entirely virtual, operating by way of out-sourcing, collaborations, and consultants.   'I worked out of my house in San Francisco.', Barr says.   The chief executive officer was in Boston, and the chief scientific officer was in San Diego.   'I knew from the start that Amplyx was risky, but it was experience worth getting.', he says."

2009-11-02
Ivan Amato _Chemical & Engineering News_
Jeff lands on his feet
"It was an ironic moment for him to lose his job, Moore notes.   'I was laid off on Tuesday, and the following Friday I was in Austin, Texas, training to become a career consultant for ACS.', he says."

2009-11-02
Susan Ainsworth _Chemical & Engineering News_
Courting cheaper, younger labor: Generation Y

2009-11-02
Linda Wang _Chemical & Engineering News_
Working for government
index

2009-11-02
_Dice_
Dice Report: 51,439 job ads

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-03

2009-11-02 16:59PST (2009-11-02 19:59EST) (2009-11-03 00:59GMT)
Thomas Sowell _Investor's Business Daily_
How Cost Of Drug Development Is Lost On Public And Politicians

2009-11-02 20:12PST (2009-11-02 23:12EST) (2009-11-03 04:12GMT)
_Wall Street Journal_
Pleading with Iran to be nice has gotten and will get nowhere

2009-11-02 20:45PST (2009-11-02 23:45EST) (2009-11-03 04:45GMT)
Moira Herbst _Business Week_
The H-1B Visa Lull Is Only Temporary: Demand for H-1B visas will rebound as the economy recovers, especially among bodyshops that are now the program's heaviest abusers

2009-11-03
Charles S. Johnson _Billings MT Gazette_
Farmers & ranchers hoping Berkshire Hathaway's purchase of Burlington Northern Santa Fe will lower shipping prices
"Governor Brian Schweitzer, a farmer and rancher, said he had spoken to both Buffett and Matthew Rose, BNSF's chairman, president and CEO...   In addition to controlling BNSF, on June 30 Buffett owned 1.9% of Union Pacific and 0.5% of Norfolk Southern, according to Thomson Reuters news service."

2009-11-03
Norm Matloff _H-1B/ L-1/ Off-Shoring News-Letter_
KALW-FM show on H-1B
 
Last Monday there was an interesting discussion of H-1B and related issues on KALW, an NPR affilate run by the San Francisco Unified School District.   Some of you may recall that back in April I was a guest on the main NPR affilate in San Francisco, KQED.
 
The KALW program's guests were professors Clair Brown and Ronil Hira of UC Berkeley and the Rochester Institute of Technology, respectively.   Listen to the audio (mp3).
 
The program, hosted by Lauren Meltzer, calls itself "the thinking person's talk radio show", a description that I consider apt.   I must say, though, that that goal was weakened a little in this case by the fact that the two discussants strongly agree on a vital point (fast-track green cards, explained below), thus providing no alternate voice on this important issue.
 
Nevertheless, the discussants did disagree on another major issue, concerning whether the tech industry can be divided into Good Guys and Bad Guys in terms of H-1B.   Brown stated repeatedly, in fact seemed quite anxious to bring the point up, that the tech industry, e.g. Intel, are the Good Guys while the Indian-owned firms such as TCS are the Bad Guys.   Hira disagreed, basically saying that no such dichotomy exists, and that basically they're all Bad Guys.
 
I'll go into the details of the Good Guys/Bad Guys shortly.   But first I must say that I am continually suprised that academics and others in "polite society", notably representative Zoe Lofgren, are scape-goating the Indians like that, making statements that basically imply that the Indian bosses don't have scruples while the "main-stream" bosses do.   As a long time minority activist (http://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/matloff.html), this bothers me.   I don't think Brown and Zoe Lofgren are anti-Indian, but it surely must bother Indian-Americans to hear public statements like that.   I wonder what Hira, an Indian-American, must have thought.   (Some readers may recall that in a debate on GE/MSFT/CNBC between him and Vivek Wadhwa, Wadhwa seemed to accuse Hira of being a "traitor" to his Indian ethnicity.)
 
Another point I wish to make before continuing is that I do feel quite strongly about this issue of (in my view, incorrectly) portraying the "main-stream" firms as the Good Guys concerning H-1B, and as such my criticisms below may lead the reader to think I regard Brown, herself, as a Bad Guy.   :-)   I do not.   I don't know professor Brown, but I know that she is a highly respected economist.   My remarks below, in which I strongly take issue with some of her statements, should not be inferred as meaning anything beyond the fact that I disagree with her on issues that are very important to me.
 
Now, what about the two discussants' views of Good/Bad Guys?   First let's consider Brown.   Her ideas on this boil down to saying that the "main-stream" firms tend to hire their H-1Bs off of U.S. university campuses, with these foreign students often having MS degrees or PhDs.   She took this as proof that the "main-stream" firms are the Good Guys.   She seems to believe that (a) the possession of a graduate degree seems to be an inherent good that makes these H-1Bs fundamentally different from the ones imported directly to the U.S.A., typically with just a bachelor's degree, and (b) this fundamental difference somehow means that the H-1Bs hired from U.S. campuses could not possibly be exploited.
 
Needless to say, I disagree with both (a) and (b).   In Brown's defense, I would note that she based her Good Guys view of the "main-stream" firms on the fact that IBM pays its H-1B programmers more than the Indian firms pay theirs.   That statement is true, but it ignores the fact that IBM's H-1Bs are of much higher quality [though the firm may not show it in the quality of their products and services], frequently seasoned experts of international quality, compared to the entry-level status of the vast majority of H-1Bs hired by the Indian firms.   (Brown seems also not to fully understand that many of the H-1Bs hired from U.S. campuses also are programmers, albeit with Software Engineer titles; same work, different traditions in job titles.)   So she's not making a valid comparison, and the disparity in salaries doesn't imply that IBM is paying its H-1Bs fairly, for their level of quality.   Brown's Good Guy/Bad Guy dichotomy is thus likewise invalid.
 
Hira disagreed with that dichotomy.   He noted that many "main-stream" firms, such as the [Bank of India], abuse the H-1B program, and he also pointed out that the services of those same Indian firms are used heavily by MSFT etc.   (He pointed out that Oracle actually owns one of the firms.)   How can Brown consider MSFT to be the Good Guys when they rent programmers from the Bad Guys?
 
As I've mentioned before, my research on the PERM (green card) data shows that most "main-stream" firms are paying their foreign workers at the official "prevailing wage" or just a bit higher.   If these are top-quality workers, they should be getting way over the official prevailing wage.   How can Intel, for instance, claim to be hiring "the best and the brightest" foreign workers when it is only paying those workers on average 9% above the official prevailing wage?   And as Hira pointed out (and noted in a GAO report), the official prevailing wage is well below the market wage, due to loop-holes.   (See the KQED link above on the issue of Intel using loop-holes.)   There are only two conclusions possible -- Intel is under-paying its H-1Bs or they are not the geniuses Intel claims them to be -- and either way, Intel doesn't come out looking like a Good Guy.
 
Indeed, Cisco only pays 7% above "prevailing wage" (again, note that that is still BELOW the market wage), hardly indicating that their foreign workers are Einsteins.   Some of you may recall the green card scandal involving Cisco, where an American found that his application to the firm was being read not by Cisco's HR Dept. but rather by Cisco's immigration law firm, Fragomen, the largest in the nation.   In the words of another immigration lawyer, Joel Stewart, "Employers who favor aliens have an arsenal of legal means to reject all U.S. workers who apply." (Joel Stewart "Legal Rejection of U.S. Workers" Immigration Daily 2000 April 24), and that appears to be precisely what Cisco was doing.
 
As mentioned, Brown and Hira do agree in supporting proposals for fast-track green cards.   Most such proposals would give an automatic green card to any foreign student who obtains a tech grad degree from a U.S. university.   However, their motivations differ greatly.
 
Hira's point is that as de facto indentured servants, H-1Bs are exploited, in terms of salary and aspects.   Giving fast-track green cards would fix that problem.   He also stated twice that U.S. employers LIKE that de facto indentured servitude (lots on this in my University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform article (pdf)), which Brown didn't respond to; more on this below.
 
Brown's point is again that grad degrees somehow have inherent value that makes H-1Bs holding these degrees "special".   Though she didn't mention it during the show, the reasoning is that not enough Americans pursue PhDs in tech, so we "need" those foreign students, and we should give them instant green cards in order to keep them in the U.S.A.
 
Alert readers know where I'm going next on this -- the National Science Foundation's machinations to flood the PhD market with foreign students to keep salaries down, etc. -- but there's an interesting twist here relating to Brown.
 
For recently added subscribers to this e-news-letter, here is the issue with the NSF.   [Over 20] years ago, the NSF made a pitch to Congress to establish the H-1B program, in order to flood the market as described above.   The NSF noted that it then wouldn't be profitable for American students to pursue a PhD, and many would avoid doctorate study accordingly.   The NSF's projections were correct, and now about 50% of computer science PhDs, for example, go to foreign students.   The 2000 study by the National Research Council, commissioned by Congress, made the same point: An American student who pursues a PhD in a tech area will incur a net LIFE-TIME LOSS in earnings.
 
Now from what I've said so far, you might think that professor Brown is unaware of this.   But no, on the contrary, she has made such statements herself.   For instance, in 2006 at the Center for Work, Technology and society site she wrote, "causes for concern... [include that] a declining premium for MS and PhD degrees indicates that graduate training may not be a good investment for domestic students."
 
If it is a cause for concern, why does Brown support exacerbating the problem by giving special incentives (automatic green cards) to foreign grad students at U.S. universities?   As noted, Brown called repeatedly during the show for this "staple a green card to their diplomas"legislation.
 
Brown went into more detail on this in another NRC publication, The Off-Shoring of Engineering: Facts, Unknowns, and Potential Implications (2008).   On p.164, she and her co-author Greg Linden wrote:
 
In our earlier discussion of returns-to-education, we noted that the earnings premium for a domestic BSEE who pursues a graduate degree was relatively low.   For foreign BSEEs, however, the financial incentive to pursue a U.S. graduate degree is much greater.   A U.S. graduate degree opens the door for these students to high-paid jobs both in the United States and at home.
 
This echoes statements originally made by the NSF.
 
During the show, a caller cited his excellent credentials but said that he is having trouble finding work, because employers are hiring H-1Bs instead.   Brown sharply disagreed, saying that the visa program was not the cause of his troubles, which she blamed on the recession.   Of course, given that the caller claimed H-1Bs were being hired instead of him, the recession argument doesn't work, but there's more:
 
As readers of this e-news-letter know, in discussing the use of the H-1B program for cheap labor, I've distinguished between what I call Type I salary savings -- paying H-1Bs less than Americans of comparable experience, education etc. -- and Type II savings -- hiring younger, thus cheaper, H-1Bs in lieu of older, more expensive Americans.
 
I've never met Brown, but in 1998 she kindly gave me permission (in e-mail) to post on my web site a short note she had written.   Here are some relevant excerpts (emphasis added):
 
...high-tech engineers and managers have experienced lower wage growth than their counterparts nationally...
 
Why hasn't the growth of high-tech wages kept up?   We believe that the large increase in graduate engineering students along with companies' desire to hire engineers with the latest education dampens wage growth for experienced engineers.   FOREIGN STUDENTS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORY.
 
Brown then goes into the issue of the flooding of the graduate-degree market by foreign students, and its adverse impacts on wages.   Remember, this is exactly what the NSF not only projected but in fact explicitly advocated.
 
Brown also notes the de facto indentured servant status of the H-1Bs:
 
Foreign graduate students are particularly attractive [to employers]: they are often bound to a company for several years while applying for a green card.
 
Granted, Brown's support of a fast-track green card would partially solve that problem.   (Only partially, as most such proposals would still create a multi-year period of "servitude".)   But clearly she is recognizing here that foreign students with graduate degrees ARE exploitable after all, and that those mainstream firms that hire them are not Good Guys after all.   Furthermore, a fast-track green card program would exacerbate, rather than solve, the main problems of the dampened wages due to flooding of the labor market, and the displacement of older workers, which she does recognize in the fuller context of the above excerpt:
 
Companies have little incentive to train older engineers because they can hire from the large flow of newly-trained and cheaper engineers.   Companies save money on training since the recent graduates already have cutting-edge knowledge.   Foreign graduate students are particularly attractive: they are often bound to a company for several years while applying for a green card.   Any decision to increase visas for foreign high-tech workers should be accompanied by the requirement that companies provide training for experienced engineers to ensure that the young engineering graduates are not simply displacing older engineers.
 
Brown mentioned retraining on the show too, but this is totally unrealistic.   The up-to-date skills issue is phony, just a pretext to avoid hiring the older engineers.   An older engineer with retraining -- and many do retrain themselves, at their own expense or own time -- is still an older engineer, just plain too expensive.   Why hire a 40-year-old with the newest skills when one can hire a 25-year-old with those skills?   Needless to say, the retraining funds Congress included in its subsequent H-1B increase legislation did not help the older engineers, as the Dept. of Commerce later found.
 
Clearly, Brown's own writing shows why she was wrong to dismiss the caller's job search problems as not being related to H-1B.
 
Kim Berry of the Programmers Guild also called in.   Kim discussed his daughter, a new BS/MS civil engineering graduate of USC, one of the nation's top engineering schools.   She had a 3.84 GPA, a valuable internship etc., but cannot find a job -- all while H-1Bs are being hired.   Even the show's host remarked that it was a powerful example.   (More details.)
 
One more point: Brown is not the only one to take this Good Guys/Bad Guys stance.   In fact, it's become the new conventional wisdom among a certain crowd of people, including some researchers who are rather critical of H-1B. It must be comforting to them -- it's a lot easier to blame one segment of the industry (the Indians) than to believe that Congress has been bought off by our favorite household-name firms -- but frankly, they just haven't thought things through, and lack key knowledge of what happens on the level of the shop floor.
 
Norm
---30---

2009-11-03
Michael Cutler _Family Security Matters_
Enforcement of Immigration Laws Benefits the Economy

2009-11-03 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 16)
Martin Peretz _Jewish World Review_
Beware, Barack.   Beware, Rahm.   Beware, Axelrod

2009-11-03 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 16)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
The "Costs" of Medical Care part 1
Investor's Business Daily
"We are incessantly being told that the cost of medical care is 'too high' -- either absolutely or as a growing percentage of our incomes.   But nothing that is being proposed by the government is likely to lower those costs, and much that is being proposed is almost certain to increase the costs.   There is a fundamental difference between reducing costs and simply shifting costs around, like a pea in a shell game at a carnival.   Costs are not reduced simply because you pay less at a doctor's office and more in taxes -- or more in insurance premiums, or more in higher prices for other goods and services that you buy, because the government has put the costs on businesses that pass those costs on to you...   Providing free lunches to people who go to hospital emergency rooms is one of the reasons for the current high costs of medical care for others.   Politicians mandating what insurance companies must cover is another free lunch that leads to higher premiums for medical insurance -- and fewer people who can afford it."

2009-11-03 15:55PST (18:55EST) (23:55GMT)
Thomas Sowell _Investor's Business Daily_
How MisRegulation Of Drug Industry Discourages R&D And Costs Lives

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-04

2009-11-04
Norm Matloff _H-1B/ L-1/ Off-Shoring News-Letter_
rare admission that H-1B is really about age
 
An issue that I've really stressed regarding H-1B is that it's really about age.   Employers use the program to hire younger, thus cheaper, H-1Bs in lieu of older, more expensive Americans.   Unfortunately, this is something that even major critics of the H-1B program are unaware of.
 
I laid out the case for this issue in my University of Michigan article, and then in more detail in my article in the California Labor and Employment Review, published by the California State Bar Association.   In the latter article, I have a couple of quotes by employers that show that the age issue is indeed at the core of employers' love for the H-1B program.
 
The [linked] article from BusinessWeek includes another such quote:
 
Bendor-Samuel points to what he considers secular trends that will keep demand strong for H-1B visas: an increasing proportion of foreign nationals studying math and science in U.S. universities and the impending retirement of many skilled workers.   "Also, while it's politically incorrect to say so, people with 10 to 30 years of [tech] experience are having trouble," he adds.   "Employers are under financial pressure to hire cheaper workers coming out of college."
 
It couldn't be clearer.
 
Norm
Moira Herbst: BusinessWeek: The H-1B Visa Lull Is Only Temporary

2009-11-04
Kelvin Soh, Argin Chang & Anshuman Daga _Washington Post_/_Reuters_
MSFT to set up cloud computing research center in Taiwan

2009-11-04
Marty Hauff _New Electronics_
engineering knowledge half-life: when is it OK to NOT know the detail?
"While looking online for some training material, I stumbled across a website reporting the half life of engineering knowledge to be around 2 years.   That means that half of what I know today as an engineer will be obsolete in 2 years' time.   And in 10 years, only 3% of today's knowledge will still be relevant!   To some extent I question the statement's accuracy given that it was posted on a web-site that was building a case for its training services.   But continued web searching revealed broad support for the knowledge half life concept with figures ranging from 2 to 8 years.   So, while we could all argue about the exact time-frame, the reality is that our knowledge as engineers is decreasing over time and unless we do something about it, so too will our value..."

2009-11-04
Deanne Amaden _DoL ESA_
Southern California Maid Service and Carpet Cleaning Inc. owners, Sergio Maldonado and Lorenza Rubio jailed for failing to comply with court order to pay back wages
"The owners of a Southland residential cleaning service were taken into custody and later released after failing to comply with a court order directing payment of $3.5M in back wages, plus interest, fines and liquidated damages to at least 385 workers."

2009-10-04
Michael Gerson _Washington Post_
Forcing the young to pay for health care perversion
"His employees in their 20s, on average, cost the company about $1,500 a year in health bills.   Those in their 50s cost at least 10 times more...   Precisely because younger people have lower health costs, [perverters] want to draft them into the broader health insurance system so their premiums can subsidize the health expenses of older, sicker consumers.   Thus, in every version of [health care perversion], the young are required to purchase coverage.   This mandate explains the political coalition behind health-care [perversion]...   The most consequential element of the New Deal -- [Socialist Insecurity] -- has been a large transfer of resources from young to old.   The same is true of the Great Society's Medicare program, which has channeled massive spending toward health care for seniors.   Two-thirds of Medicaid spending goes to nursing homes.   In 1965, there were 4 workers paying for the benefits of each retiree.   Soon, there will be only 2."

2009-11-04
Emma Jackson _Medill_
from 66,404 in September announced job cuts fell 16% to 55,679
Money Control/Reuters
Sudeep Reddy: Wall Street Journal
CNN
Seeking Alpha
UPI
Terri Cullen: National Socialist Television
Central Valley Business Times
"The 1,192,587 lay-offs announced so far this year are 36% higher than the 875,974 cuts recorded through 2008 October. Only 31,406 more cuts must be announced to exceed the 1,223,993 planned lay-offs recorded in 2008.   Planned lay-offs in October were driven by the automobile industry, with 13,420 announced lay-offs.   The sector, with a total of 164,440 planned lay-offs this year, may see more down-sizing in 2009, the report said.   The second-ranked government and non-profit sector has announced plans to reduce pay-rolls by 160,434 workers this year."

2009-11-04
Rob Sanchez _V Dare_/_Job Destruction News-Letter_
India's business visa crack-down

2009-11-04 10:44PST (11:44EST) (16:44GMT)
John Letzing & Dan Gallagher _MarketWatch_
MSFT dumped another 800 employees

2009-11-04
Malcolm Gladwell _London Times_
Britain's national socialist medicine and failures of massive privacy violation project
"A chat with Malcolm Gladwell the other day has thrown an interesting across-the-pond perspective on the malfunctioning relationship between the NHS and information technology.   Gladwell believes that many of the problems encountered by the health services IT programme (£12.4G and counting, before you ask) may actually make for a better service.   Gladwell has taken an interest in the IT project -- the linking up of personal care records, hospitals, GPs, pharmacists et al into and integrated, computerised whole -- because of its intersection between the public and innovation."

2009-11-04
_Federal Observer_
Vanishing Jobs: work in the 21st century

2009-11-04 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 17)
Tom Hamburger & Kim Geiger _Jewish World Review_
Should prayers be covered?: Christian Scientists want "spiritual care" as part of health bill

2009-11-04 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 17)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Economic Myths and Irrelevancy
"By 1930 April, the stock market had recovered to its pre-crash level.   What is not taught in history books is the Great Depression was caused by a massive government failure.   The most important part of that failure were the actions by the Federal Reserve Bank that led to the contraction of the money supply by 25%.   Then, the name of saving jobs, Congress enacted the Smoot-Hawley Act in 1930 June, which increased U.S. tariffs by more than 50%.   Other nations retaliated and world trade collapsed.   U.S. unemployment rose from 8% in 1930 to 25% in 1933.   In 1932, the Herbert Hoover administration and a Democratic Congress imposed the largest tax increase in U.S. history, raising the top tax rate on income from 25% to 63%.   The Roosevelt administration followed these destructive policies with New Deal legislation that massively regulated the economy and extended the Great Depression to after World War II...   the chief enabler of both the Great Depression and our latest economic downturn is the Federal Reserve Bank...   Between 1787 and 1930, our nation has seen both mild and severe economic down-turns, sometimes called Panics, that have ranged from 1 to 7 years.   During that interval, there was no thought that Congress or the president should intervene in the economy to enact stimulus packages, jobs programs or massive corporate handouts.   Probably, the reason that no one thought to do so was that there was [and is] no constitutional authority to do so."

2009-11-04 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 17)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
The "Costs" of Medical Care part 2
Post Chronicle
"when it comes to medical care, there seems to be remarkably little attention paid to questions of both quantity and quality...   Americans have higher rates of obesity, homicide and narcotics addiction than people in many other Western nations.   There are severe limits on what doctors and medical care can do about that...   If we want to compare the effects of medical care, as such, in the United States with that in other countries with government-run medical systems, then we need to compare things where medical care is what matters most, such as survival rates of people with cancer.   The United States has one of the highest rates of cancer survival in the world -- and for some cancers, the number one rate of survival.   We also lead the world in creating new life-saving pharmaceutical drugs.   But all of this can change -- for the worse -- if we listen to clever people who think they should be running our lives."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-05

2009-11-05 05:30PDT (08:30EDT) (12:30GMT)
Scott Gibbons & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report: Continuing to follow typical weekly pattern for the year
DoL home page
historical data
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 480,178 in the week ending October 31, a decrease of 14,216 from the previous week.   There were 466,341 initial claims in the comparable week in 2008.   The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.7% during the week ending October 24, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week.   The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 4,915,719, a decrease of 69,231 from the preceding week.   A year earlier, the rate was 2.5% and the volume was 3,310,892.   Extended benefits were available in AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, and WI during the week ending October 17...   States reported 3,459,148 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending October 17, an increase of 90,239 from the prior week.   There were 836,629 claimants in the comparable week in 2008.   EUC weekly claims include both first and second tier activity.   [Note: The seasonal adjustment factors have been changed by DoL going back to at least the beginning of 2009.]"
graphs
more graphs

2009-11-05
Dolline Hatchett & Joseph de Wolk _DoL ESA_
Jury weighed in against Tyson for refusing to comply with court order to pay back wages
"The Department of Labor's law-suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.   The federal department alleged that Tyson Foods did not keep accurate records and failed to pay production line employees for the time they spend donning and doffing safety and sanitary gear, and performing other related work activities.   The violations cover the period from the year 2000 to the present and affect approximately 3K current and former workers at the plant."

2009-11-05
Doug O'Brien _Big Government_
Cooking the books on job markets
Hoppy Kercheval: WV Metro News
Beaufort Observer
Bob Secter & Erika Slife: Chicago Tribune
Even the leftist Boston Globe/NY Times admit it
David Freddoso: Washington Examiner
"One school district that employs a total of 290 teachers was listed as saving 473 teaching jobs thanks to the Obama administration, all for only $4.7M tax dollars.   Another district saved 665 jobs with stimulus money, even though a district official told the Tribune that their entire head-count is only 600 workers.   And in a feat that Doug Henning would appreciate the state reported that the Wilmette Public Schools saved 166 jobs while the district superintendent told the Tribune that 'the number should be zero'.   The Associated Press reported that the stimulus money supposedly saved 935 jobs at Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, but only 508 people work there.   The Wall Street Journal found a Kentucky shoe store owner who said he saved 9 jobs by supplying 9 pairs of boots to the Army Corps of Engineers.   One Head Start preschool agency in West Virginia said it saved or created 145 jobs with a grant of $344,848, but another Head Start office reported its grants of over $822,000 saved or created just 19 jobs.   A West Virginia College reported 1 work study position funded with $31,422 from the stimulus.   Another college reported 3 work study jobs from a $27K grant.   The WSJ reports that 'as many as 86% of the jobs estimated by recipients of Head Start grants could have been inaccurately reported'...   the federal office of Administration for Children and Families reported 14,506 jobs reported saved, but 9,300 were existing employees in local agencies that received raises."

2009-11-05 09:30PST (12:30EST) (17:30GMT)
Ravi Nessman _Washington Examiner_/_AP_
India restricts coverage of Dalai Lama's visit, and today, several media permits were revoked

2009-11-05 09:03:19PST (12:03:19EST) (17:03:19GMT)
Pete Carey _San Jose CA Mercury News_
14 have been charged in Galleon insider trading case
"Prosecutors said they have received guilty pleas from Roomy Khan, 51, a stock trader who lived in Atherton but now lives in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and who is widely reported to be their key informant in the case; and Ali Far, 48, of Saratoga and Richard Choo-Beng Lee, 53, of San Jose, who ran the Spherix hedge fund in San Jose...   Ali Hariri, 38, of San Francisco, an Atheros executive...   Raj Rajaratnam...   Intel executive Rajiv Goel, McKinsey consultant Anil Kumar; New Castle hedge fund officers Mark Kurland and Danielle Chiesi, and IBM executive Robert Moffat.   All have denied the charges...   Two others who have entered guilty pleas to insider trading in the case are Steven Fortuna, formerly with Boston hedge fund S2 Capital, and Gautham Shankar, a New York trader.   Others charged are Svi Goffer, a New York broker dealer who once worked at The Schottenfeld Group and who currently operates Incremental Capital in New York; Arthur Cutillo, a lawyer with Ropes & Gray in New York; Jason Goldfarb, a New York lawyer; Craig Drimal, who worked in the offices of the Galleon Group but who was not one of its employees; Emanuel Goffer, formerly of Spectrum Trading in New York and currently with Incremental; Michael Kimelman, who is associated with Incremental, and David Plate, formerly with Schottenfeld and currently with Incremental.   A ninth defendant, Deep Shah, 27, formerly of Moody's, is reported to be in India."

2009-11-05
Tom Lutey _Billings MT Gazette_
Montanans prepare measure to block national socialist health care perversion

2009-11-05
Mike Boyer _Cincinnati OH Enquirer_
Tata employs 300 at Miami twp Clermont county OH center: Still no word on whether any Greater Cincinnati natives, Buckeye or US citizens have been hired
alternate link
Business Courier of Cincinnati
2009-11-05 governor Ted Strickland's PR blather
class action against Tata

2009-11-05
John Nolan _Oxford OH Press_
GE, which promoted off-shoring, got $120M state tax credit for demolition and renovations at Evendale aviation complex
KY Post

2009-11-05
Patrick J. Michaels _Cato_
More "Work" for the President: The Obama administration takes aim at climate scientists

2009-11-05
_NASA_
Athabasca oil sands in Canada

2009-11-05 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 18)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
The "Costs" of Medical Care part 3
Real Clear Politics
"if we cannot afford the quantity and quality of medical care that we want now, the government has no miraculous way of enabling us to afford it in the future...   Over the years, scandal after scandal has shown waste, fraud and abuse to be rampant in Medicare and Medicaid.   Why would anyone imagine that a new government medical program will do what existing government medical programs have clearly failed to do?   If we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical drugs now, how can we afford to pay for doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical drugs, in addition to a new federal bureaucracy to administer a government-run medical system?...   Economics and politics confront the same fundamental problem: What everyone wants adds up to more than there is.   Market economies deal with this problem by confronting individuals with the costs of producing what they want, and letting those individuals make their own trade-offs when presented with prices that convey those costs.   That leads to self-rationing, in the light of each individual's own circumstances and preferences."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-06

2009-11-06
_Washington Times_
US House radical leftists push to pass health care perversion bill while tens of thousands protest
Fox
Devin Dwyer: abc

2009-11-06
Mark Rachkevych _Kyiv Post_
Ukranian employee of US embassy in Kyiv (Kiev) suspected of involvement in visa-fraud scheme
"A ring of 20 individuals in the United States and 5 in Ukraine is suspected of helping Ukrainian nationals illegally obtain visas to America using fake or forged application documents."

2009-11-06
John McCormick _Weekly Standard_
Nancy Pelosi broke pledge to make final version of House health care perversion bill available on-line for 72 hours before a floor vote

2009-11-06
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
president Obama's accomplishments

2009-11-06
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Government as Narcotics Pusher

2009-11-06
Jeffrey Tucker _Ludwig von Mises Institute_
All those trilions for a little white space on a graph

2009-11-06
_Iowa Politics_
senator Grassley once again asks DHS to hold employers accountable for H-1B fraud

2009-11-06
Cain Burdeau _San Jose CA Mercury News_
After decades of corruption and months of notice for them to dispose of incriminating materials, ACORN computers and records were finally seized at Louisiana offices

2009-11-06
Samuel Sherraden _CNN_
Landing a job today is getting to be as difficult as getting into Harvard
"Since the beginning of the recession in 2007 December, job openings declined from 4.4M to 2.4M and the number of officially unemployed persons grew from 7.5M to 15.7M, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.   If the 15.7M officially unemployed [and actively seeking work] were to apply for those 2.4M jobs, the chance of any one of them finding a job are about 15%, or roughly the same odds as being accepted to the University of Pennsylvania...   If you include ["discouraged"] workers, the unemployment rate would rise to 13%, or 21.3M.   If these workers were to apply for the 2.4M jobs available, the odds of securing a job would be 11.2%, or roughly the same as getting into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...   During the current recession, workers who are 'part time for economic reasons' have grown from 4.6M to 9.3M.   Adding part-time workers to the number of officially unemployed and the discouraged workers, as labor market expert Leo Hindery, Jr., has observed, results in a rise in the real unemployment rate to 19.2%, or 30.6M people.   The odds of any one of these 30M securing one of the 2.4M full-time jobs available is 8%, the same as the admissions rate of the Ivy League gold standard, Harvard University."

2009-11-06
_NASA_
Illinois river flooding

2009-11-06 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 19)
R' Berel Wein _Jewish World Review_
Choosing to hear: Attune yourself to the angel right next to you

2009-11-06 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 19)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
The "Costs" of Medical Care part 4
"Within living memory, most Americans had no medical insurance.   Even large medical bills were paid off over a period of months or years, just as we buy big-ticket items like cars or houses."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to

2009-11-06

DJIA	10,023.42
S&P 500	1,069.30
NASDAQ	2,112.44
Nikkei	9,789
10-year US T-Bond	3.49%
crude oil	$77.43/barrel
gold	$1,095.10/ounce
silver	$17.38/ounce
platinum	$1,348.20/ounce
palladium	$330.70/ounce
copper	$0.18375/ounce
natgas	$4.595/MBTU
reformulatedgasoline	$1.9243/gal
heatingoil	$2.0035/gal
dollarindex	75.790
yenperdollar	89.88
dollarspereuro	1.4840
dollarsperpound	1.6353
swissfranksperdollar	1.0174
indianrupeesperdollar	46.815
mexicanpesosperdollar	13.3871
MorganStanleyHighTechIndex	534.01

I usually get this info from MarketWatch.
 
 
 

2009-11-07

2009-11-07
Kim Berry _Programmers Guild_
Orlando FL shooting prompted by H-1B visa program, unemployment insurance run-around and Family Court pressures
"The firm that had fired the engineer, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc., had filed 11 LCA to hire H-1b engineers in FY2008, and 6 in FY2007.   LCA Records (xls).   This is yet another story of a U.S. engineer that could not find work for over a year, even as Congress allows foreign engineers to flood into the U.S. job market.   (In the week prior to the shooting the state jerked him around about even getting his unemployment check.)
 
U.S. unemployment is now 10%.   Yet congress has done NOTHING to stem the flood of foreign workers into the U.S. Congress has done NOTHING to stem the flow of jobs out of the U.S. President Obama has not addressed either of these key problems all year.   Instead they argue about health care plans.
 
Perhaps if the job market were not flooded with H-1b (and the dozen related visas) willing to do anything to work in the U.S.A. the employer would have tried to find a suitable position for this engineer rather than terminating him.   But the availability of $50K indentured servant engineers is hard to resist -- and hard for American workers -- both new graduates and people with 20 years of experience -- to compete against.
 
For 9 months his gross income was under $900 per month working at Subway.   Among his debts was $11,085 in child support.   (After the debt exceeds $5K it is a felony.)   I believe that even bankruptcy court cannot clear a support obligation, nor the civil and criminal penalties associated with the debt.
 
The U.S. and state legislators did nothing to help this American, and everything to destroy him.
 
If he had been the female he probably could have obtained spousal support until he was able to find work.   But family court rarely awards spousal support to noncustodial fathers, regardless of need.
 
CNN
Jason S. Rodriguez listed his assets at $4,675 and his liabilities at $89,873.31.   His 2002 Nissan XTerra with 110K miles represented $4K of those assets.
 
He said his monthly income as a 'sandwich artist' at a Subway Restaurant in Orlando, where he had worked for 9 months, was $890.67, and he listed his monthly expenses at $815.
 
He faced an $11,085 claim of child support.
 
Orlando lawyer Charlie Price represented Rodriguez in his case.   'It's not that atypical from most everyone I see.', he told CNN in a telephone interview.   'That's how it is right now.   He's a very typical client.   Of people that are suffering through the economy right now, there's nothing extraordinary about him... except that.'
 
abc
 
Rodriguez told detectives that the company had fired him without cause and had made him look incompetent.   He told them he was unemployed for a year and a half before getting a job at a Subway, where worked until recently.
 
He told them the shop couldn't give him enough hours, and he later filed for unemployment.   He expected to get a check recently but when it didn't arrive he blamed Reynolds, Smith and Hills, thinking it was harming his efforts to qualify, police said.   He told police he could no longer support his family.
 
After the divorce, Rodriguez seldom saw his son, but he called last week while the child was at Holloway's house and the boy asked his father why he did not come over, too.
 
''He said, 'Because I don't have any money.   I don't have a job.   I don't have anything to eat.   When things get better, I'll come see you.''', Holloway said Rodriguez told his son."
Fox

2009-11-07
_Wall Street Journal_
Washington, DC and the jobs markets: The U.S.A. needs to stop pouring money into a Keynesian cul-de-sac (with graphs)

2009-11-07
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Austrian school economists have repeatedly correctly predicted impending recession

2009-11-07
John Cochran _Ludwig von Mises Institute_
About Ludwig von Mises from the Wall Street Journal
Mark Spitznagel: Wall Street Journal: The Man Who Predicted the Depression: Ludwig von Mises explained how government-induced credit expansions led to imbalances in the economy

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-08

2009-11-08
Mary Pickett _Billings MT Gazette_
Everyone in the USA did something for the WW2 effort

2009-11-08
Tom Lutey _Billings MT Gazette_
Ag producers and consumers sell/buy local in back-lash to globalism, contaminated and genetically engineered produce
"To Hoff, these beans are seeds of hope.   Discouraged by a global farm economy offering profit margins as thin as 3 percent, Hoff is trying something that hasn't been done in these parts for decades.   He's raising food for his neighbors, for the local school lunch program and Montanans wanting to know from where their food comes...   There was a time when 70% of what Montanans ate was produced in state.   They grew watermelons in Whitehall, green peas in Bozeman, apricots in Corvallis, beans in Glendive, all for commercial sale...   'Montana was a net exporter of processed foods and vegetables, and of course that was canned, but the state had the infrastructure to deal with a surplus of processed food.', said Nancy Matheson, who oversees commodity development for the state Agriculture Department.   'Cantaloupes were raised in Circle, green peas were raised in Gallatin Valley.   Turkeys were raised in Park County.   Cheese and other dairy products were raised across the state.   And we grew enough to export them.   We served other markets.'   In 1947 more than 4K Montanans drew pay-checks from the 200-plus canneries, dairies, slaughterhouses and mills processing Montana food.   Those companies as a group were one of the state's largest employers, Matheson said.   That all changed in the 1950s with the massive expansion of the federal interstate highway system and the arrival of powerful, diesel-engine trucks.   Before the war, it was nearly impossible to haul food more than 50 miles...   Just 4 decades later, despite producing enough grain to provide 40 loaves of bread a day to every man woman and child in the state, farmers are producing only 5% of the food in an average Montanan's diet.   The rest is imported through an elaborate national food network."

2009-11-08
Idy Fernandez _Miami FL Herald_
New enrollment in North American computer science and engineering programs rose 8% during the 2007-2008 academic year

2009-11-08
Steve Sailer _V Dare_
Fort Hood Massacre, High Unemployment, 700M Wannabe Immigrants -- A Busy Week For Diversity

2009-11-08
_Chronicle of Higher Education_
Are too many students going to college?
"Charles Murray: It has been empirically demonstrated that doing well (B average or better) in a traditional college major in the arts and sciences requires levels of linguistic and logical/mathematical ability that only 10% to 15% of the nation's youth possess.   That doesn't mean that only 10% to 15% should get more than a high-school education.   It does mean that the four-year residential program leading to a B.A. is the wrong model for a large majority of young people...   Richard K. Vedder: A large sub-set of our population should not go to college, or at least not at public expense.   The number of new jobs requiring a college degree is now less than the number of young adults graduating from universities, so more and more graduates are filling jobs for which they are academically over-qualified...   Bryan Caplan: There are two ways to read this question.   One is: 'Who gets a good financial and/or personal return from college?'   My answer: people in the top 25% of academic ability who also have the work ethic to actually finish college.   The other way to read this is: 'For whom is college attendance socially beneficial?'   My answer: no more than 5% of high-school graduates, because college is mostly what economists call a 'signaling game'.   Most college courses teach few useful job skills; their main function is to signal to employers that students are smart, hard-working, and conformist.   The upshot: Going to college is a lot like standing up at a concert to see better.   Selfishly speaking, it works, but from a social point of view, we shouldn't encourage it...   Vedder: While it is true that areas with high proportions of college graduates tend to have higher incomes and even higher rates of economic growth than other areas, it does not necessarily follow that mindlessly increasing college enrollments enhances our economic well-being.   My own research shows that there generally is a negative relationship between state support for higher education and economic growth.   Sending marginal students to four-year degree programs, only to drop out, is a waste of human and financial resources, and lowers the quality of life for those involved...   Murray: A large wage premium for having a bachelor's degree still exists.   For everything except degrees in engineering and the hard sciences, I submit that most of that premium is associated with the role of the B.A. as a job requirement instead of anything that students with B.A.'s actually learn.   The solution to that injustice—and it is one of the most problematic social injustices in contemporary America—is to give students a way to show employers what they know, not where they learned it and how long it took them.   In other words, substitute certifications for the bachelor's degree...   Murray: Ideally, students themselves [should pay all of the costs of their college education].   If that means delaying college for a few years to save money, so much the better—every college professor has seen the difference in maturity and focus between kids straight out of high school and those who have worked or gone into the military for a few years.   The ideal is unattainable.   But somehow we've got to undermine the current system whereby upper-middle-class children go to college without having to invest in it."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-09

2009-11-09
Jennifer Fowler _Daily Illini_
Graduate Employees Organization approved formation of strike committee at U of IL
"Instead of advocating on the behalf of students and workers, administrators were granting costly favors to state politicians.   The former Chancellor diverted $450K of discretionary funds to provide jobs and scholarships for politically well-connected but undeserving applicants.   Another $400K went to the attorneys who represented the University before the governor's investigative committee, and another $550K to new faculty appointments for the former President and Chancellor.   In this context, the GEO finds it hard to trust the UIUC administration when it argues that there is not enough money to provide a living wage.   From the GEO's perspective, it appears that budget priorities are simply out of place.   When campus revenues rose by 7% in FY2009, only 0.8% ($2.7M) went to under-graduate instruction.   Meanwhile, the Chief Information Officer's budget rose by 10.9% ($1.6M), and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics budget increased 6.2% ($4.1M)."

2009-11-09
Brynn Twait _Daily Illini_
Cool weather, timing of rain put Illinois farmers behind schedule
"By November 1, 19% of corn and 35% of soybeans in Illinois had been harvested, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.   By that time last year, 63% of corn and 88% of soybeans were harvested...   'Historically, by the end of October we would have about 100% harvested, but this year corn is only 20% done and soybeans are only 44% done (in the area).', he added.   It rained 20 days and 8.7 inches in October, making it a very late harvest for farmers, according to the Illinois State Water Survey."

2009-11-09 09:20PST (12:20EST) (17:20GMT)
Wallace Witkowski _MarketWatch_
Pfizer to close 6 of their 20 R&D sites, plus move work from PA, NY and MO locations

2009-11-09 12:47PT (15:47EST) (20:47GMT)
Sue Chang _MarketWatch_
Sprint to axe 2,500 before end of year

2009-11-09 13:43PST (16:43EST) (21:43GMT)
Dan Gallagher _MarketWatch_
Electronic Arts plans to axe 1,500 employees

2009-11-09
_Wall Street Journal_
What's wrong with the way charity works today in the USA? It's gotten overly bureaucratic and indirect

2009-11-09
David Forsmark _Front Page_
_Architects of Ruin_ by Peter Schweizer

2009-11-09
Tim McCown _Examiner_
84% of "green technology" jobs are being off-shored

2009-11-09
John Hull _Examiner_
The Palestinian occupation of Israel

2009-11-09 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 22)
Mary Steyn _Jewish World Review_
Terrorism at Ft. Hood exposes hole in US terror strategy

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-10

2009-11-10
Ianthe Jeanne Dugan _Wall Street Journal_
Applications for Trade Adjustment Assistance Jumped
"Early this year, 50K people were getting the benefits, barely 1% of jobless Americans. Now, some 1,500 applications are in the pipe-line, representing as many as 150K people, based on the average size of applications last year. Not all of these will be approved, although the government has been validating a vast majority."

2009-11-10
Anne Fisher _CNN_/_Fortune_
Over 50 and zero job offers
AOL

2009-11-10
Tom Lutey _Billings MT Gazette_
Prices for young cattle are rising

2009-11-10
Matthew Brown _Billings MT Gazette_
Government sued to halt slaughter of bison who leave Yellowstone Park

2009-11-10
_Daily Illini_
GEO makes plan for strike to possibly begin Monday

2009-11-10
Barbara Hollingsworth _Washington Examiner_
Importing teachers to the District of Columbia

2009-11-10
Mary Kathleen Flynn _The Deal_
Additional lay-offs at AOL (6K), Sprint (2.5K) and Electronic Arts (1.5K), RealNetworks (70), MSFT (800)

2009-11-10
_Economic Times of India_
Deloitte-Touche accounting body shop plans to hire 15K in India
"'We are very upbeat about the Indian economy and have major expansion plans in India.', said Deloitte's global chief executive Jim Quigley.   'At present, we are employing about 11K people in India.   To increase our business, we are planning increase it by 15K people over the next 2 to 3 years.', Quigley told reporters."

2009-10-10
Freeman Klopott _Washington Examiner_
Man accused of infecting Fannie Mae's computers with malware was/is a body shopped
"A former Fannie Mae contract worker accused of leaving behind a virus designed to wipe out the mortgage giant's computer network has been hired by Sun Microsystems, court documents said.   Rajendrasinh Makwana has been out on bail since February, when he was indicted on computer intrusion charges.   Late last month, his attorneys asked for and received permission from a federal judge in Maryland for Makwana to move to Wauwatosa, WI, for a job on a Sun Microsystems' project with General Electric."

2009-11-10 05:00PT (08:00EST) (13:00GMT)
Ronald D. Orol _MarketWatch_
FDIC urging banks to make small loans
"Amarillo Bank is one of 31 commercial institutions in 26 states, including Texas, Louisiana and Illinois, participating in a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. program to offer short-term, small-dollar loans of under $2,500 to low-income Americans, many of whom have low or no credit scores.   Amarillo has offered small-dollar loans for decades, but roughly half of the banks in the program first started offering them as part of the FDIC program.   So far, the banks collectively have offered $28M in loans under $2,500."

2009-11-10 09:29PST (12:29EST) (17:29GMT)
_Chronicle of Higher Education_
The Economy Is Down, but Pay for Football Coaches Is Up
USA Today/Gannett

2009-11-10 15:30PST (18:30EST) (23:30GMT)
_International Business Times_
Adobe to dump 680 employees
"Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe..."

2009-11-10
Bob Beadles _Detroit Examiner_
The "war on poverty" and Obamacare

2009-11-10 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 23)
Michael Doyle _Jewish World Review_
Author of book exposing CAIR _Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Seeking to Islamize America_ ordered by federal judge to remove supporting documents, obtained in violation of NDA, from the web
Investigative Project: CAIR-Hamas-Muslim Brotherhood links
Discover the Networks: Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
anti-CAIR
Discover the Networks: Muslim Brotherhood (MB)

2009-11-10 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 23)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
Random Thoughts
Gaston NC Gazette/Freedom Communications
"If politicians stopped meddling with things they don't understand, there would be a more drastic reduction in the size of government than anyone in either party advocates...   Although the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation backs up bank accounts, a recent audit suggests that the FDIC does not have enough money in its own account to do its job.   No doubt more money will be printed in Washington if necessary.   But what this means is that even the record-breaking federal deficit under-states the government's real financial liabilities, because agencies like FDIC and the Federal Housing Authority are likely to need increased amounts of money to keep going...   Among the many infirmities of age is omniscience...   There is no point dwelling on all the foolish mistakes we have made in our lives.   For one thing, it can be very time-consuming.   One of the few advantages to the country in having Congress overwhelmingly in the hands of one party is that the lack of need to compromise lets the leaders of that party reveal themselves for what they are -- in this case, people with unbounded arrogance and utter contempt for the right of ordinary people to live their lives as they see fit, much less the right to know as citizens what laws are going to be passed by their government.   The question is whether voters will remember on election day in 2010."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-11: Veterans' Day

2009-11-11
Sangwon Yoon _Yahoo!_/_Reuters_
US Jews returning to Israel to escape economic recession
"The key aim is to safeguard a Jewish majority in a country where Arab citizens make up 20% of the population.   In 2008, some 15,400 Jews immigrated to Israel, of whom 3,200 came from North America.   MASA, which means journey in Hebrew, oversees 160 such programs.   It has seen the number of participants double and even quadruple this year, especially among those aged 21 to 30.   Participation in Burdetsky's hotel management internship scheme jumped from 10 last year to 55 this year.   The World Union of Jewish Students Israel Hadassah, a post-university experience program, recorded a 100% increase in registrations, with 100 participants scheduled for the second half of 2009, compared with 50 all of last year."

2009-11-11
_Washington Times_
Federal Reserve predicts sluggish, jobless recovery

2009-11-11
_WorkPermit_
USCIS has unilaterally declared that they will issue H-1Bs to applicants with sponsors who have not filed LCAs
USCIS press release
"U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is announcing a 120-day period in which it will temporarily accept H-1B petitions filed without Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) that have been certified by the Department of Labor (DoL).   USCIS has received requests from the public to accept H-1B petition filings that include LCAs that have been filed with DoL but that DoL has not yet certified.   Processing delays arising from DoL's recently implemented 'iCERT' system have resulted in increased processing times (beyond 7 days) for certain LCA certifications.   Affected employers and beneficiaries have reported being negatively impacted by DoL's increased processing times which currently delays their ability to file H-1B petitions with USCIS.   DoL expects that the current increase in LCA processing times is temporary.   As a public accommodation, USCIS will begin to accept H-1B petitions filed with uncertified LCAs for a 120-day period, commencing 2009 November 5 and through 2010 March 4.   However, USCIS will only accept such H-1B petitions if they are filed at least 7 calendar days after the LCAs were filed with DoL and include evidence of these filings.   The only acceptable evidence of filing is a copy of DoL's e-mail giving notice of receipt of the LCA.   Petitioners who seek to take advantage of this temporary flexibility in the normal filing procedures for H-1B petitions must wait until they receive a request for evidence (RFE) before they submit the DoL-certified LCA to USCIS in support of the H-1B petition.   USCIS will give petitioners a period of 30 calendar days within which they must send in a DoL certified LCA in response to the RFE.   USCIS will only approve H-1B petitions that include certified LCAs."

2009-11-11
Zach Benoit _Billings MT GAzette_
Yellowstone county Cub Scouts learn significance of Veterans' Day and proper care of the US flag

2009-11-11 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 24)
R' Avi Shafran _Jewish World Review_
Jews and Money: When anti-Semitism isn't

2009-11-11 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 24)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Constitutional Contempt
"Speaker Pelosi's constitutional contempt, perhaps ignorance, is representative of the majority of members of both the House and the Senate.   Their comfort in that ignorance and constitutional contempt, and how readily they articulate it, should be worrisome for every single American...   It's a matter of whether we are going to remain a relatively free people or permit the insidious encroachment on our liberties to continue...   Republicans have demonstrated nearly as much constitutional contempt as have Democrats...   It's a safe bet that if and when Republicans take over the Congress and White House, they will not give up the massive increase in control over our lives won by the Democrats.   In each new session of Congress since 1995, John Shadegg, R-AZ, has introduced the Enumerated Powers Act, a measure 'To require Congress to specify the source of authority under the United States Constitution for the enactment of laws, and for other purposes.'   The highest number of co-sponsors it has ever had in the House of Representatives is 54 and it has never had co-sponsors in the Senate until this year, when 22 senators signed up.   The fact that less than 15% of the Congress supports such a measure demonstrates the kind of contempt our elected representatives have for the rules of the game -- our Constitution."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-12

2009-11-11 17:04PST (2009-11-11 20:04EST) (2009-11-12 01:04GMT)
Kim Hart _The Hill_
STEM executives increasing lobbying in DC

2009-11-12 05:30PDT (08:30EDT) (12:30GMT)
Scott Gibbons & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
DoL home page
historical data
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 529,446 in the week ending November 7, an increase of 46,904 from the previous week.   There were 539,787 initial claims in the comparable week in 2008.   The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.8% during the week ending Oct. 31, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week.   The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 4,944,307, an increase of 10,863 from the preceding week.   A year earlier, the rate was 2.6% and the volume was 3,460,633.   Extended benefits were available in AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, and WI during the week ending October 24...   States reported 3,520,151 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending October 24, an increase of 22,390 from the prior week.   There were 820,503 claimants in the comparable week in 2008.   EUC weekly claims include both first and second tier activity.   [Note: The seasonal adjustment factors have been changed by DoL going back to at least the beginning of 2009.]"
graphs
more graphs

2009-11-12
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Why place your bet on teh horse that always loses?: government health care intrusions have always jacked up costs

2009-11-12 11:08PST (13:08EST) (18:08GMT)
Robert Schroeder _MarketWatch_
US government ran $176G deficit in October: 13th straight month

2009-11-12
Greg Gross _Cumberland PA Sentinel_/_Lee_
Dillsburg residents seek answers as quakes continue
"The Dillsburg activity has been going on for over a year now...   817 have been reported to date, several of a magnitude about 2.9 but most registering at less than 1 on the Richter scale...   Dillsburg is going on 14 [months], and so far he hasn't found reports of any other earth-quake swarm that lasted as long...   Local quakes have generally been less than a kilometer below the surface of the earth, compared to the 5 to 10 kilometers below of quakes in California's San Andreas fault.   Most epicenters are clustered in a small area on Old York Road near Orebank Road and Mandy Lane just south of Dillsburg, they said, but data indicates that a number have originated significantly outside that area."

2009-11-12
Chaz Valenza _Op Ed News_
6 reasons to dump Wall Street
"1. Picking stocks is for suckers...   2. External variables are unrelenting...   3... Billions are spent to make you believe you can pick stocks, futures, and currency exchange rates...   4. Fees. All kinds of fees [will more than overcome your gains]...   5. What return?... Fast Trading... insider trading... derivatives... dozen ways to steal from the house. Wall Street has thousands...   6. By investing in publicly traded corporations you are feeding the machine that is [cheating you].   They are taking more money out of your pocket through deals that add nothing to the real economy.   These same 'quality' corporations are exporting jobs and using H-1b visas to drive down the wages they pay even the most technologically advanced workers.   They have an unfair competitive advantage over small business in their ability to borrow and sell equity with no intent of ever repaying this funding.   This, in turn, crushes local employment, farming and self-sufficiency."

2009-11-12
Patrick J. Buchanan _V Dare_
James K. Polk and our just war against Mexico
"As Merry relates, the problem is not with 'Young Hickory', the protégé of Andrew Jackson, but with historians who ever allow political correctness to blind them to true greatness.   The Mexican War was as just a war as we have ever fought.   In 1836 at San Jacinto, Sam Houston had won the independence of Texas with his defeat of Santa Anna, butcher of the Alamo and Goliad...   Santa Anna had signed Texas away to the Rio Grande.   Mexico said the border was the Nueces River, far to the north.   In dispute were thousands of square miles.   To enforce America's claim, Polk sent general Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande."

2009-11-12
Heather Hollingsworth _Atlanta GA Journal-Constitution_/_AP_
Teacher glut

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-13

2009-11-13
Tom Lutey _Billings MT Gazette_
Agricultural industry is not recession-proof

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to

2009-11-13
W.R. Schneider _Willamette Valley Oregon Statesman Journal_
Enforcing laws would help Americans get jobs
"Since unemployment is so high, I think Congress should make E-verification permanent and fine all employers who hire illegal aliens.   They should also stop the H-1B programs that bring many professionals from other countries to fill American jobs.   It is about time to enforce all our immigration laws and stop pandering to illegals at the expense of American citizens."

2009-11-13
Bryan Griffith _Center for Immigration Studies_
immigration head-lines: Sec. Com. identifies 100K immigrants with criminal records; H-1Bs skip LCA; ICE targets MS-13; CA city not to enforce; IA executive found guilty
Julia Preston: NY Times: 110K criminal immigrants
John Marzulli: NY Daily News: feds target MS-13
Alejandro Cano: Fontana CA Herald News: DUI check-points will continue in Fontana, but police will not 'enforce immigration laws on the streets' after ACORN protests, chief insists
Tom Barton: Des Moines IA Register: Agriprocessors Inc. meat plant VP, Sholom Rubashkin, was found guilty of 86 of 91 counts of financial crimes after illegal alien employment raid; In December, Rubashkin will face a second federal trial on 72 immigration charges

2009-11-13 07:29PST (10:29EST) (15:29GMT)
Greg Robb _MarketWatch_
UMich consumer sentiment fell from 70.6 in October to 66.0 in early November

2009-11-13
_Washington Times_
US government porkulus spending creating jobs in Red China, not USA: Democrats tax recession-wracked Americans to buy Asian machinery
"Indeed, the 11 U.S. wind farms that received stimulus money from the Treasury have imported 695 of the 982 wind turbines to be installed, creating 4,500 jobs over-seas.   That's far more over-seas work than the stimulus money has created in the United States.   On October 29, a joint venture of American and Chinese companies unveiled plans for a new $1.5G wind farm in West Texas consisting of 240 Chinese-made turbines.   The project is seeking 30$ of its funding in government stimulus dollars.   At best, hundreds of millions of [tax-victim] dollars will create a grand total of 30 permanent jobs.   That's $15M for each job if the project gets the expected level of federal funding."

2009-11-13
John Derbyshire
A sad, dark week in the Republic, Radio Derb listeners

2009-11-13
John Stossel _Colusa county Sun Herald_
The U.S. House of presumptuous meddlers
"Competition is a 'discovery procedure', Nobel-prize-winning economist F.A. Hayek taught.   Through the competitive market process, we producers and consumers constantly learn things that force us to adjust our behavior if we are to succeed.   Central planners fail for two reasons: First, knowledge about supply, demand, individual preferences and resource availability is scattered -- much of it never articulated -- throughout society.   It is not concentrated in a database where a group of planners can access it.   Second, this "data" is dynamic: It changes without notice.   No matter how honorable the central planners' intentions, they will fail because they cannot know the needs and wishes of 300M different people.   And if they somehow did know their needs, they wouldn't know them tomorrow."

2009-11-13
Thomas Sowell _Investor's Business Daily_
Housing Bust: The Politics of the Housing Bubble
Housing Boom and Bust
Richard Cooper: Ground Report: Economist Explains The Housing Boom and Bust

2009-11-13 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 26)
Caroline B. Glick _Jewish World Review_
Obama's failure, Netanyahu's opportunity

2009-11-13

DJIA	10,270.47
S&P 500	1,093.48
NASDAQ	2,167.88
Nikkei	9,775
10-year US T-Bond	3.42%
crude oil	$76.35/barrel
gold	$1,116.70/ounce
silver	$17.38/ounce
platinum	$1,385.50/ounce
palladium	$356.75/ounce
copper	$0.185625/ounce
natgas	$4.39/MBTU
reformulatedgasoline	$1.9162/gal
heatingoil	$1.9661/gal
dollarindex	75.648
yenperdollar	89.72
dollarspereuro	1.4903
dollarsperpound	1.6672
swissfranksperdollar	1.0135
indianrupeesperdollar	46.31
mexicanpesosperdollar	13.50
MorganStanleyHighTechIndex	553.61

I usually get this info from MarketWatch.
 
 
 

2009-11-14

2009-11-14
Unite Against Amnesty for Illegal Aliens

2009-11-14
L.M. Sixel _Houston Chronicle_
Computer Careers and Consulting in Pearland has agreed to pay $17,831 in back wages to 8 foreign computer programmers and system analysts
"The government investigation found the company failed to pay the workers for periods of time when they were hired to work but were not given work to do, made improper wage deductions and didn't use the correct prevailing wage on its foreign labor applications for the H-1B visa program, according to the Labor Department."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-15

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-16

2009-11-16
Jennifer Fowler _Daily Illini_
Graduate student employees at U of IL are on strike
"The University's latest proposal sought to increase the minimum stipend for graduate students who work 20 hours a week nine months out of the year and increase the student health insurance fee subsidies.   The proposal also wanted to create a parental accommodation period following the birth or initial adoption of a child, offer protection against changes to the Board of Trustees' tuition waiver policy for graduate assistants and grant the right to bargain over any changes to that policy, according to the University's press release...   The GEO wants protection waivers mentioned in the contract which are not being offered by the administration, said Peter Campbell, communications officer for the GEO...   UI, GEO agree on: Increase the minimum stipend for graduate students who work 20 hours a week 9 months out of the year; Increase the student health insurance fee subsidies; Create a parental accommodation period following the birth or initial adoption of a child Grant the right to bargain over any changes to that policy.   UI, GEO disagree on: Offer protection against changes to the Board of Trustees' tuition waiver policy for graduate assistants."

2009-11-16
Jeffrey Young _The Hill_
Radical leftists conspire on health care perversion

2009-11-16
Jim Hightower _Niagara Falls NY Reporter_
Real Recovery Is Easy To Spell: J O B S

2009-11-16
Patrick J. Buchanan _V Dare_
Is the USA a Serious Polity?

2009-11-16 12:57PST (15:57EST) (20:57GMT)
Roger Kimball _Lou Dobbs_
The Excommunication of Lou Dobbs: Why do the extremists think they're the middle ground?
"But according to what dispensation are entities like the New York Times and Media Matters, individuals like Burns and Krugman, endowed with that coveted imprimatur?   Who says that they get to determine what is acceptable and unacceptable to polite company?   That they get to stake out what counts as 'the middle ground'?   To decide what 'elevates' and what is merely ideological pandering?...   The English critic William Hazlitt once spoke disparagingly of "common place critics" who pretend to put themselves "in the middle, between the extremes of right and wrong." Something similar could be said of the rancid, illiberal liberalism of commentators like Krugman and Burns.   They look upon their own opinions less as opinions than as universally applicable observations that reflect the state of nature.   Their opinions are just what any enlightened, virtuous member of 'polite' society believes.   Only those who disagree with them have 'fractious', line-crossing opinions unacceptable to such polite company as represented by Krugman, the New York Times and Media Matters.   Here's what's really at stake in the controversy of Dobbs and CNN.   It's not only Dobbs who's been rusticated: It's also the robust liberalism that thrived on disagreement, argument and polemic."
Matea Gold: Los Angeles CA Times

2009-11-16
Evann Gastaldo _Newser_
inside Barack Hussein Obama ii's extended family
Tristan McConnell & Andrew Rice: NY Magazine

2009-11-16
"Devvy Kidd"
Demand congress stop withholding taxes now

2009-11-16 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 29)
R' doctor Asher Meir _Jewish World Review_
When "borrowing" is stealing

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-17

2009-11-17
_Immigration Voice_
PERM fraud in action
"I am working on an H1B visa for one of the world's largest retailers.   I am in my 5th year of my H1 visa status and it expires in 2011.   If an LCA is filed before July 2010 which is a 365 day point I will be allowed to extend my H1 for another 3 years while my Green Card is in process.   The situation is that the advertisement has been done in NJ and they received 100 applications which makes it difficult to support their statement of me being the most capable one beyond all US citizens.   So they have decided now to advertise once again in a remote location in NJ and another in VA.   Is it ok to file the LCA for a single employee from 2 different locations.   Are there any risks involved?   Do I need to move to VA in case it is approved before the whole process is done? or can it be avoided till I get my Green Card as I'm working for the same employer in a different state?"

2009-11-17
Kurt Nimmo _Prison Planet_
Incidents of battery on TEA Party demonstators continue

2009-11-17 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 30)
Steven Emerson _Jewish World Review_
How Does the 4th Amendment Impact Terror Finance Investigations?
[So, establish probable cause, freeze the assets, then obtain the warrant, then seize them.]

2009-11-17 (5770 Mar-Cheshvan 30)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
Bowing to "World Opinion"
Washington Times
Orange county CA Register
Redding Record SearchLight/E.W. Scripps
"Assyrian International News Agency"
"Terrorists are not even entitled to the protection of the Geneva Convention, much less the Constitution of the United States.   Terrorists have never observed, nor even claimed to have observed, the Geneva Convention, nor are they among those covered by it...   Secrecy in warfare is a matter of life and death.   Lives were risked and lost during World War II to prevent Nazi Germany from discovering that Britain had broken its supposedly unbreakable Enigma code and could read their military plans that were being radioed in that code.   'Loose lips sink ships' was the World War II motto in the United States.   But loose lips are mandated under the rules of criminal prosecutions.   Tragically, this administration seems hell-bent to avoid seeing acts of terrorism against the United States as acts of war...   Internationally, the law of the jungle ultimately prevails, despite pious talk about 'the international community' and 'world opinion', or the pompous and corrupt farce of the United Nations.   Yet this is the gallery to which Barack Obama has been playing, both before and after becoming President of the United States...   how large or small an act is depends on its actual consequences..."

2009-11-17
_Agence France Presse_/_Christian Broadcasting Network_
Red China fuels USA foreign student boom: US Knowledge Drain
"The number of foreign students increased 8% to a record 671,616 in 2008-2009 from the previous academic year, the sharpest growth since 1980-1981 and more than any other country, said the annual report by the Institute of International Education...   But [Red China] was the key driver of growth, with the number of Chinese students heading to the United States increasing 21% to 98,510.   [Compare this to the reported 30K Red Chinese spying front-businesses planted in the USA.]...   The United States also enjoyed dramatic growth in the number of VietNamese students, with the figure soaring by 46% last year [as US tax-victims continue to heavily subsidize foreign students]...   The United States in 2008 pulled in 21% of the world's estimated 3M foreign students, compared with 13% for Britain.   France came in third at 9%, followed closely by Germany."

2009-11-17
Jennifer McKee _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Former manager of Montana Dept. of Revenue program opposes off-shoring
"'The out-sourcing is a bad idea.', said David Clague, a retired software engineer who managed 2 parts of a failed Department of Revenue computer system known by its acronym as POINTS.   POINTS, undertaken in governor Marc Racicot's second term, cost Montana an estimated $60M in the software, which was abandoned in 2005, and in lost tax revenue.   The system was supposed to integrate Montana's property and income tax programs into one, but it never worked correctly.   Law-makers decided to pull the plug on POINTS in 2005.   Several pieces of POINTS were built in India by a company called Tata, which was hired as a sub-contractor of the global firm, Unisys.   Tata's employees were 'very smart' and well-educated, Clague said.   But their location in a country 12 time zones away, combined with a communication barrier among some of the workers, helped bring about the demise of POINTS.   'Managing the quality was probably the biggest thing.', Clague said...   Montana programmers would get Indian-written pieces of POINTS.   If they found a problem, which is common in complex computer systems, getting it fixed -- or simply communicating the problem to the person who actually wrote the code -- took several cumbersome steps and usually several days...   the Tata leads didn't always understand the nuance of what the Montana managers were trying to say.   'And the leads would pass on what they thought was the change, and then we would go through the process again.', Clague said.   The changes 'didn't always get expressed correctly, and the changes made in India would maybe be right, maybe be almost right'...   Adding to the confusion was the time difference; most things a Montana manager might request here wouldn't get to the Indian programmer until the next business day...   Clague also questioned the assertion that Indian-written programmers are cheaper.   He said that integrating Indian- and Montana-written code required much more time than rolling out a product made in one place.   Testing, de-bugging and testing again took a great deal of time and drove up costs, Clague said.   'Time is dollars.', he said."
Extortion software firm: Most work will be done in Montana
"A company that drew headlines recently for proposing to do some Montana tax-funded computer programming with foreign workers over-seas intends to complete more than three-quarters of the work in Montana...   a contract to build a computer program to run Montana's food stamp and cash welfare assistance programs, known by their acronyms as SNAP and TANF...   Deloitte, a global [body shop] that included in its proposal the intent to do some of Montana's IT work by foreign workers over-seas.   Another company, Northrop Grumman, had proposed doing the same work for cheaper with only its Montana employees.   But, as agency officials told law-makers Monday, the Montana-only program would cost more over the life of the software and may not be what the federal government has required in SNAP and TANF administration...   [Deloitte] already has 10 employees in Montana and intends to hire 20 more.   Northrop Grumman has placed 9 of its Montana employees on unpaid furlough after it was not the top-ranked company for the contract...   Deloitte's 78% Montana-made figure also means the company could apply to become a 'Made In Montana' entity and place 'Made In Montana' stickers on its products.   Northrop Grumman's 125-person Helena branch is already a 'Made In Montana' entity.   State law requires that companies do at least 50% of their work in Montana to qualify as a 'Made In Montana' entity.   [State senator] Christine Kaufmann, D-Helena, and a member of the committee, said she is philosophically opposed to sending tax-funded work to over-seas workers.   However, she said, she thinks Montana firms may not have been able to meet the technical requirements of what Montana is seeking to run SNAP and TANF."
class action against Tata

2009-11-17
Mary Pickett _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Expansion of multi-state medical school program proposed
"Since the program started in 1973, 20 students have been admitted each year.   Their first year of medical study is in Bozeman.   Their second year is spent at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.   Students then may serve clinical clerkships at hospitals in Montana their third and fourth years."

2009-11-17
Galen Gruman _CIO_/_InfoWorld_/_IDG_
IT Takes Biggest Job-Cut Hit in the Back Office: 2M IT positions are expected to have been eliminated from 2000 to 2014, according to Hackett Group, which forecasts an "extended jobless recovery"

2009-11-17
_Investor's Business Daily_
Stimulus Fraud

2009-11-17
Chuck Baldwin _V Dare_
USA's troops wearing UN colors

2009-11-17
Michelle Malkin _V Dare_
Obama's double-talk on political dissent

2009-11-17
John Miano _Center for Immigration Studies_
The Big Lie Behind H-1B Visas
"'Ironically, the closest thing to a crisis has perhaps been the distress of un-employed and under-employed engineers in the early 1970s, mathematicians and physicists in the 1990s, molecular and cellular biologists in the late 1990s, and Silicon Valley scientists and engineers thereafter. But these developments are the manifestations of surpluses, not shortages, in the STEM work-force.'... Go read the [NSF] report and you find that the cited section has nothing to do with labor shortages; the phrase 'critical shortage' appears nowhere in the report, and the report does not find a shortage of workers."
Walt Gardner: Atlanta GA Journal-Constitution: Tech executives invented talent shortage panic
Steady as She Goes: 3 Generations of Students through the Science and Engineering Pipe-Line (pdf)
H-1B visa numbers
William Butz, Terrence K. Kelly, David M. Adamson, Gabrielle Bloom, Donna Fossum, & Mihal Gross: RAND Corp.
NAP/NSF: Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-18

2009-11-17 16:42PST (19:42EST) (00:42GMT)
Michael J. Boskin _Wall Street Journal_/_Hoover Institution_
A pay-roll tax cut would add 3M to 4M jobs at a fraction of the cost of the stimulus bill

2009-11-18
_Daily Illini_
Graduate student/employees suspend strike
"In the 3 year contract, tuition waivers will not be reduced for graduate and teaching assistants who have qualifying assistantships, make progress toward graduation in the program they started in, and are in good academic standing, said Robin Kaler, University spokeswoman, in a press release.   The contract is effective retroactive to 2009 August...   graduates will receive $13,840 in the first year of the contract, $14,250 in the second year and $14,820 in the third year.   They also agreed to increased student health insurance fee subsidies.   Graduates will receive a 65% subsidy in the first year of the contract and 75% in the second and third years.   On Saturday, the bargaining teams agreed to increased minimum stipends for graduates with 50% appointments, who work 20 hours a week for 9 months a calendar year."

2009-11-18
_Chronicle of Higher Education_
One-Third of College Employees Are Part-Timers, Reports US Department of Educationism

2009-11-18 12:18PST (15:18EST) (20:18GMT)
Patrick Thibodeau _Computer World_/_IDG_
Tech workers take OPT/H-1B case to Supreme Court: Programmers Guild, others seek OK to challenge Bush-era foreign student visa extensions
Susan Hill: IT Business Edge

2009-11-18
Alan Kotok _Science_
More H-1B Work-Place Inspections Under-Way
Patrick Thibodeau: ComputerWorld
Roy Mark: eWeek

2009-11-18 (5770 Kislev 01)
R' Yonason Goldson _Jewish World Review_
Face Off: What Judaism has to say about the secret of the Mona Lisa's smile

2009-11-18 (5770 Kislev 01)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Excused Horrors
"Nazis were responsible for the deaths of 20M of their own people and those in nations they conquered.   Between 1917 and 1983, Stalin and his successors murdered, or were otherwise responsible for the deaths of, 62M of their own people.   Between 1949 and 1987, Mao Tsetung and his successors were responsible for the deaths of 76M Chinese...   the reason why the world's leftists give the world's most horrible murderers a pass is because they sympathize with their socio-economic goals, which include government ownership and/or control over the means of production...   Unfortunately, it matters little whether there is a Democratically or Republican-controlled Congress and White House; the march toward greater government control continues.   It just happens at a quicker pace with Democrats in charge...   what do you think would happen if some Americans began to rise up and heed Thomas Jefferson's admonition 'Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.', and decided to disobey unconstitutional congressional edicts?"

2009-11-18
Brenda Walker _V Dare_
Treason Lobby Triumphant As Dobbs Goes Down: Internet Matters More Than Ever!

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-19

2009-11-19 05:30PDT (08:30EDT) (12:30GMT)
Scott Gibbons & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
DoL home page
historical data
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 479,295 in the week ending November 14, a decrease of 53,132 from the previous week.   There were 513K initial claims in the comparable week in 2008.   The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.7% during the week ending November 7, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week.   The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 4,881,874, a decrease of 79,243 from the preceding week.   A year earlier, the rate was 2.6% and the volume was 3,521,971.   Extended benefits were available in AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, and WI during the week ending October 31...   States reported 3,622,091 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending October 31, an increase of 101,838 from the prior week.   There were 772,645 claimants in the comparable week in 2008.   EUC weekly claims include both first and second tier activity.   [Note: The seasonal adjustment factors have been changed by DoL going back to at least the beginning of 2009.]"
graphs
more graphs

2009-11-19
Mary Ann Mason _Chronicle of Higher Education_
Title 9 and mothers in STEM fields

2009-11-19
George W. Grayson _Christian Science Monitor_
Better health maintenance and medical care in Mexico could reduce invasion of illegal aliens into USA
"80% of Americans are loath to subsidize illegal immigrants according to a 2009 June Rasmussen poll...   The Mexican government spends $535 per capita on health-care, yet American [tax-victims] fork out more than $1,100 in health-care for the 12M-plus illegal aliens in the USA...   Each year, about 1 in 10 births in this country are to illegal aliens."

2009-11-19 07:00PST (10:00EST) (15:00GMT)
_Red State_
Arrests of illegal aliens are down: Arrests of guitar manufacturers are up
Stephen Dinan: Washington Times

2009-11-19 10:46PST (13:46EST) (18:46GMT)
Noel Sheppard _Media Research Center_/_Wall Street Journal-
Holder befuddled over proper treatment of terrorists

2009-11-19 08:23PST (11:23EST) (16:23GMT)
Joseph Cress _Cumberland PA Sentinel_
Carlisle borough council proposed 18.5% increase in property extortion
"Carlisle Borough Council got its first loo Wednesday at a 2010 budget that calls for a 0.57-mill increase from the current 3.08 to 3.65 mills.   Borough Manager Steve Hietsch recommended the 18.5% tax increase to close an anticipated $631,799 deficit in the proposed $13M general fund budget...   If council approves the proposed tax hike, an individual owning a home assessed at the borough-wide average of $113K would pay an additional $64.41 per year, or $412.45, Hietsch said...   The economic slow-down has led to dramatic short-falls in the real estate transfer tax which dropped from a high of $629,445 to a projected $230K in 2010, Hietsch said.   He added, for the same reason, building permit revenue has fallen from a high of $481,223 in 2006 to $140K projected for next year.   Revenue is also projected to go down from the earned income tax from $1,744,388 in 2007 to a projected $1.43M in 2010, Hietsch said.   Changes in the state law regarding the administration of the local services tax will result in that revenue source dropping $343,840 in 2007 to $635K projected for next year."

2009-11-19
_Washington Times_
Latest senate proposal for national socialist health care perversion might get 1 of 3 required readings
"What's even more interesting is that Senate Rule XIV (paragraph 2) states that every bill and joint resolution 'shall receive 3 readings prior to its passage'.   'Upon demand of a senator, these readings shall be on 3 different legislative days.', the rules say...   the reading -- with occasional pauses and sips of water for parched throats -- could take more like 48 to 54 hours."

2009-11-19
_PR News Wire_/_Center for Immigration Studies_
Government Data Imply High Immigrant Crime Rates; Findings Contradict Older Research Showing Low Rates
Immigration and Crime: Assessing a Conflicted Issue

2009-11-19
Bernie Sanders
senators Sanders and Grassley have introduced legislation to prohibit large firms with mass lay-offs from using guest-work visas to displace US citizen workers
David Needle: InternetNews
"Recently, industries that have hired tens of thousands of guest workers from over-seas have announced large-scale lay-offs of American workers.   The high-tech industry, a major employer of H-1B guest workers, has laid off over 345K workers since 2008 August.   The construction industry, a major employer of H-2B guest-workers, has laid off more than 1.5M workers since 2007 December.   Large companies that have announced lay-offs of 50 or more American workers over the past year would be subject to this guest worker prohibition."

2009-11-19
_Keep America at Work_
how the H1-B's really stick it to Americans while our "representatives" hold us down
The White House's dirty little secret: data for 2006

2009-11-19
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Le Corbusier and Robert Moses: Totalitarian Architecture

2009-11-19
Patrick J. Michaels _Cato_
The Long Road to Copenhagen

2009-11-19 14:46PST (17:46EST) (22:46GMT)
Ronald D. Orol _MarketWatch_
House committee votes to audit the Federal Reserve and capt its spending at $4T
"Paul's measure, which was approved by a vote of 43 to 26, would require the Government Accountability Office to audit the central bank's interest rate policy, agreements with foreign governments, foreign central banks and the International Monetary Fund.   It also would permit audits of a roughly $800G Fed mortgage-backed securities purchase program, which could grow to $1.25T, Paul said.   The GAO would be instructed to complete a Fed audit within 12 months of passage of the bill.   'We're dealing with trillions of dollars that doesn't get audited.   There is no reason whey the world can't know, eventually, what the Fed is doing.'   Represenatative Ron Paul's provision has the bipartisan support of 309 law-makers in the House...   Paul's provision was opposed by representative Barney Frank, D-MA, the committee's chairman."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-20

2009-11-19 23:52PST (2009-11-20 02:52EST) (2009-11-20 07:52GMT)
_MarketWatch_
Red China ramping up Internet spying and curbing markets

2009-11-20
Cathy Ulrich _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Adult Ed program in Billings matches students with jobs
"Participants work at their own pace to prepare for career certification.   Certificates offered include medical transcriptionist, medical coding, phlebotomy technician, certified nurses aide, dental assistant, pharmacy technician, search engine optimization, CompTIA A+, customer service, sales and retail management; weatherization, web design, accounting assistant, administrative assistant and paralegal, which is an on-line program...   Classes are offered during day and nighttime hours.   Many of the computer and medical classes are self-paced.   Back-end scholarships are offered, so students can sometimes earn their fee back upon completion of a class.   Students can test out of classes they have a proficiency in, without paying a fee."

2009-11-20
Jennifer McKee _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Despite widespread poverty, children in Montana are healthier
"Montana's children are healthier than kids in the rest of the country.   They are more likely to have been breast-fed as babies.   They are thinner, less likely to watch lots of television or play video games.   The vast majority doesn't have television sets in their rooms and most are read to each week...   Almost half -- 42% -- of Montana's children live in moderate poverty, and a full quarter of children younger than 5 live below the federal poverty line...   Nationally, about a third of children aged 10 to 17 are obese.   In Montana, only 26% of those children are obese.   Some 86% of Montana children younger than 5 were breast-fed as babies, compared with just 76% nationwide.   Breast-feeding has been linked with lower obesity rates and higher IQ.   Only 9% of Montana's children between the ages of 6 and 17 spent more than four hours a week watching TV or playing video games, compared with 11% of all American children.   And while half America's children have a TV set in their bedrooms, only 36% of Montana's children do...   The number of children living in extreme poverty has doubled from 4% in 2000 to 8% today, up slightly from last year.   The number of young children -- those 5 and younger -- living in poverty has grown from 17% nine years ago to 25% today.   The figures also show that a 'baby boom' that began a few years ago has continued, with a birth rate that is up.   Yet, the state's infant mortality rate is also up to 6.1 deaths for every 1K births.   That's still better than the U.S. as a whole, which as an infant mortality rate of 6.26, according to the 2009 CIA World Fact Book."

2009-11-20
Patrick Thibodeau _Computer World_/_IDG_
New H-1B hiring bill takes aim at tech firms: Law-makers may be setting the stage for the fight over broader immigration reform
CIO

2009-11-20
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Reid, Pelosi and their radical leftist party are trying to play the US public for fools

2009-11-20
Peter Wonacott _Wall Street Journal_
Indian production workers want a piece of rewards for increased productivity

2009-11-20
Dan Stein _FAIR_
Mass Immigration and "Raw Political Power": Frank Sharry Comes Clean

2009-11-20
_mondaq_
India Guidance On Its Visa Regimes May Create Major Change For Companies Doing Business In India
"the GOI is tightening the belt on immigration in an effort to protect the local work-force.   Companies should assess staffing needs for upcoming projects in India carefully, as the ability to transfer certain employees to India may now be compromised."

2009-11-20
Patrick J. Buchanan _Human Events_
Dumbo University: Spending vs. Performance in Education

2009-11-20 15:51PST (18:41EST) (23:41GMT)
Thomas Sowell _Investor's Business Daily_
Housing Boom and Bust: How a Little Law from the 1970s Brought the Financial System to Its Knees

2009-11-20 (5770 Kislev 03)
Caroline B. Glick _Jewish World Review_
Whither American Jewry?

2009-11-20 (5770 Kislev 03)
R' David Aaron _Jewish World Review_
How to make every second of your life come first
"Torah prescribes to live for the moment, but to cram into it everlasting meaning...   How does one truly live for the now?   How do we make every moment the most incredible, beautiful, powerful, meaningful moment of our life?"

2009-11-20 15:51PST (18:41EST) (23:41GMT)
Melanie Phillips _Family Security Matters_
"Muslim Council of Britain" spokesman still advocates initiation of force & fraud, still extreme

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to

2009-11-20

DJIA	10,318.16
S&P 500	1,091.38
NASDAQ	2,146.04
Nikkei	9,498
10-year US T-Bond	3.36%
crude oil	$76.72/barrel
gold	$1,146.80/ounce
silver	$18.44/ounce
platinum	$1,441.90/ounce
palladium	$364.35/ounce
copper	$0.19425/ounce
natgas	$4.424/MBTU
reformulatedgasoline	$1.9692/gal
heatingoil	$1.9756/gal
dollarindex	75.647
yenperdollar	89.03
dollarspereuro	1.4860
dollarsperpound	1.6505
swissfranksperdollar	1.02
indianrupeesperdollar	46.66
mexicanpesosperdollar	13.086
MorganStanleyHighTechIndex	544.01

I usually get this info from MarketWatch.
 
 
 

2009-11-21

2009-11-21
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Warmist conspiracy?

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-22

2009-11-22
Jackie Borchardt _Casper WY Star-Tribune_/_Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Cash boost offers schools no instant positive results
"The average teacher in Wyoming earns $68,793 -- $14,883 more than the national average.   Wyoming spends the fifth most money per student -- $14,932 -- and the most after regional adjustments -- $18,443 -- in the nation.   The state system for funding K-12 public education changed dramatically in 1997 after the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled the funding system unconstitutional.   The state was charged with offering the same opportunities to all students in the state out of a communal 'basket' of goods and services."
Ten Sleep school trying tiny classes

2009-11-22
David S. Broder _Washington Post_
Left and right agree: National socialist health care perversion proposals are budget-busters

2009-11-22
Jeffrey Herf _Chronicle of Higher Education_
The long, toxic after-life of Nazi propaganda in the Arab world

2009-11-22
Jim Simpson _Truth & Consequences_
Cloward-Piven government via manufactured crises
Discover the Networks

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-23

2009-11-22 23:16PST (2009-11-23 02:16EST) (2009-11-23 07:16GMT)
Andrea Coombes _MarketWatch_
Older and wiser? Say so: Combating age bias in the job search
"The unemployment rate for workers 55 and older in October was 7%, well below the 10.2% rate for workers overall.   But a significant portion of older job seekers stay unemployed for six months or longer.   In October, about 46% of unemployed workers age 55 and older had been looking for work for 27 weeks or more, compared with 38% of workers aged 25 to 34, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics.   Certainly, age bias exists, though measuring it isn't easy.   One proxy is the number of employment-based age-bias claims filed.   That figure is up sharply in the economic down-turn, with claims of age discrimination rising 29% in fiscal year 2008 compared with a year earlier, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...   Find someone to recommend you.   'I don't care if you're 24 or 54, if you can get a personal introduction, it's almost like all stereotypes are off.', Habelow said."

2009-11-23
Pankaj Mishra _Economic Times of India_
Indian cross-border bodyshopping and off-shoring firms expect to snag $1G in contracts from the USA during recovery
"US banks are increasing off-shoring...   'Since the beginning of the economic crisis, many of these contracts have been put on hold.   That is beginning to change.   It is looking like the Q4 of 2009 is shaping up to be 20%-plus over Q4 of 2008'...   The government's decision to allow these banks to repay TARP funds also reflects a growing pressure to operate independently, devoid of any political and public interference.   In a September survey of around 480 firms... only 2% said they plan to reduce off-shoring, while almost 37% of the respondents said they will increase off-shoring...   merged banking entities are seeking to partner with a vendor having significant off-shore presence."

2009-11-23
_Rediff_
US executives want special treatment for India

2009-11-23
Jackie Borchardt _Casper WY Star-Tribune_/_Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Laramie WY schools making quick gains
"'Most schools reach a majority of their kids.', Sorenson said.   'It's the 20% to 30% of kids that you have to come up with answers that work for A kid.'"

2009-11-23
Jon N. Hall _Technology Commerce Society Daily_
The Price of the Public Health Insurance Mandate

2009-11-23
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
When Fanatical Agendae Obliterate Science: Leftists treat all challenges as heresy
James Delingpole: London Telegraph: Left's visceral loathing of open debate revealed in e-mail messages regarding climate
Keith Johnson: Wall Street Journal: Scientists' Leaked Correspondence Brings to Light Bitter Feud over Global Warming
Benny Peiser: Global Warming Policy Foundation: Nigel Lawson calls for investigation of Climate Research Unit
Orange County CA Register
Judy Lowe: Christian Science Monitor
Caroline Davies & Suzanne Goldenberg: Manchester Guardian
Barry Napier: Canada Free Press
Terence Corcoran: Canadian Financial Post
Jeff Young: Chronicle of Higher Education
Kim Zetter: CNN/Wired
Wall Street Journal
Kyle Wingfield: Atlanta GA Journal-Constitution
"'Astonishingly, what appears, at least at first blush, to have emerged is that (a) the scientists have been manipulating the raw temperature figures to show a relentlessly rising global warming trend; (b) they have consistently refused outsiders access to the raw data; (c) the scientists have been trying to avoid freedom of information requests; and (d) they have been discussing ways to prevent papers by dissenting scientists being published in learned journals.'"

2009-11-23
Rob Sanchez _V Dare_/_Job Destruction News-Letter_
Italian Welders Work On Dallas Bridge While Texans Remain Jobless

2009-11-23
Penny Mudd _San Francisco CA Chronicle_
Trying to survive
"The start-up firm I'd been with for the last 8 of those years was on track to find a buyer.   I had imagined the day that I could leave the grind and make a direct contribution to society.   Maybe be a teacher.   Gone would be the 60-plus hour work weeks.   No more massaging boy wonders' unchecked egos.   Hello summers off and dinner at home at a reasonable hour.   But in late 2007 I was kicked to the curb by the aforementioned start-up.   A second Dickensian moment occurred on Christmas Eve in 2008 when I opened a package informing me -- with all the details down to the penny -- that instead of commendation and reward for the long stint I had dedicated to the firm, the CEO and Board had engineered the disbursement of very paltry sums to the long time employees, while they loaded up the stockings -- to the tune of seven figures -- for a relatively new management team.   I found myself in a fog of disillusionment.   Finally, there came the third event and (near) coup de grace: The Recession.   I'd skated through the last two downturns (1990, 2000) so I had no clue how to protect myself.   My skills were still in demand, but there was now super-abundance of applicants, both American and from the vast H-1B job pool.   I had no choice but to re-evaluate my earlier day-dreams in light of these changed circumstances and start building a new professional identity from scratch at age 50."

2009-11-23
David Needle _IT Management_/_Datamation_/_internet.com_
Tech H-1B cross-border bodyshoppers vs. Employ America Act
"Companies in the high-tech industry, a major employer of H-1B guest workers, have laid off more than 345K workers since 2008 August.   The construction industry, which employs large numbers of H-2B guest workers, has laid off more than 1.5M workers since 2007 December."

2009-11-23
_Oxford OH Press_
18% of Ohio hospitals plan lay-offs

2009-11-23 (5770 Kislev 06)
Rabbi Doctor Asher Meir _Jewish World Review_
Negotiating Nuisances

2009-11-23 (5770 Kislev 06)
Rabbi Doctor Asher Meir _Jewish World Review_
Money Matters: Living beyond your means

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-24

2009-11-23 18:23PST (2009-11-23 21:23EST) (2009-11-24 02:23GMT)
George Melloan _Wall Street Journal_
Future living standards will take a hit as federal borrowing balloons and bank lending to business shrinks: Risk aversion perversion
"A number more relevant to what the government is actually demanding from the capital markets is the Treasury's financing requirement.   At a recent Chartered Financial Analyst Institute conference, Treasury official Karthik Ramanathan proudly described the prodigious fund-raising task he and his colleagues pulled off in the fiscal year, what one might call a borrowing feat unparalleled in human history: 'In the course of 291 auctions in 251 business days, Treasury issued nearly $7T in gross Treasury marketable securities to raise approximately $1.7T to finance the government.'"

2009-11-24
David Edwards & Daniel Tencer _Raw Story_
Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers executives cashed in before the melt-down
"The top 5 executives at Bear Stearns made a total of $1.4G from bonuses and equity sales between 2000 and 2008, while the top 5 executives at Lehman Brothers made around $1G during that same period -- the period during which the companies ran up the bad investments that would see them collapse in 2008, according to _The Wages of Failure_ (PDF), a report from Harvard Law School's Program on Corporate Governance...   Nell Minow... 'The whole idea of capitalism is that the people provide the capital and the executives take care of it for us.   In this case, the people provided the capital, and the executives took it.'   Bear Stearns CEO James Cayne personally made $388M in the 8-year period leading up to the bank's collapse, while Lehman Brothers CEO Richard Fuld made $541M."

2009-11-24 04:18PST (07:18EST) (12:18GMT)
_Wall Street Journal_
climate propagandizers' e-mail messages reveal an effort to hide the truth about climate
"...these 'scientists' feel the public doesn't have a right to know the basis for their climate-change predictions, even as their governments prepare staggeringly expensive legislation in response to them...   we do now have hundreds of e-mails that give every appearance of testifying to concerted and coordinated efforts by leading climatologists to fit the data to their conclusions while attempting to silence and discredit their critics."

2009-11-24 08:48PST (11:48EST) (16:54GMT)
Ronald D. Orol _MarketWatch_
FDIC: 552 banks in trouble: Insurance fund in the red
"The FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund, which is used to protect depositors, swung to an $8.2G loss in the third quarter, the largest drop since the savings-and-loan crisis of the 1990s.   As a result of the loss, the agency was forced to dip into its contigency fund, which has dropped to $30.7G from $38.9G."

2009-11-24 08:54PST (11:54EST) (16:54GMT)
Ruth Mantell _MarketWatch_
US GDP revised to 2.8% annualized growth in third quarter

2009-11-24 11:10PST (14:10EST) (19:10GMT)
Lisa Cornwell _Akron Beacon Journal_/_AP_
Illegal aliens sue Ohio for cancellation of registrations

2009-11-24 11:32PST (14:32EST) (19:32GMT)
Ronald D. Orol _MarketWatch_
Federal Reserve expects high unemployment rates to continue for at least a couple years as Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama depression continues

2009-11-24
Dave Gibson _Norfolk VA Examiner_
Illegal alien Ramon Alvarado sentenced for burning 83 year old woman to death
Chelsea Schilling: World Net Daily

2009-11-24
Mona Charen _Santa Barbara CA Noozhawk_
Democratics are like Nurse Ratched with health care perversion bills

2009-11-24
_Wilson county TX News_
Texas Border Volunteers watch, report illegal aliens

2009-11-24
James Shott _Annuit Coeptis_
USA government is soft on terrorism

2009-11-24
William P. Hoar _New American_
Infected Bill of Health
"The last thing free people need to do is to give the corruptible central government more power..."

2009-11-24
Michelle Malkin _V Dare_
Turkeys of the Year

2009-11-24
Chuck Baldwin _V Dare_
My Thanksgiving Prayer

2009-11-24
Bill Heyns & Doris Heyns _North Fort Myers FL Neighbor_
Follow the constitution, no national socialist health care perversion
"We don't know how many of you saw the piece on a recent Opinion Page by Walter Williams titled 'Show of Constitutional Contempt'.   It was about how the Executive and Congressional segments of our government are ignoring the constraints the Constitution puts upon them and are passing laws that are not in their power to pass.   And we, the people, also ignorant about the contents of the Constitution, are allowing them to do it because, although these actions take away our freedom and liberty, do not want to take on the individual responsibility ourselves.   It is not the federal government's job to bail us out of all our problems.   That was to be ours and the individual state's job.   The trouble with a centralized government controlling everything is that there is no provision for individual circumstances.   It is a one-size-fits-all approach, which open up the process to fraud and deceit and in some cases forces people to lie in order to get any help at all.   And as the aforementioned piece points out, if we are forced to buy health insurance, what else will the government force us to buy?   It is true that we have to buy car insurance to drive.   But it is not mandated on everyone and people are not charged a tax if they don't purchase it.   They just don't drive.   Mr. Williams also made mention of a bill introduced by John Shadegg R-AZ.   requiring that Congress specify the source of authority under the Constitution for each bill introduced.   Unfortunately, it has never garnered much support from Congress.   So members of Congress either do not know what the Constitution says or wish to remain ignorant of the constraints that document places upon them.   We have read the Constitution and if Congress followed it they wouldn't be in Washington for very long each year because there wouldn't be much for them to do.   Most of the work of government would be done by the individual states.   As an example of government intrusion into our lives, think of the Dept. of Education.   Education was the soul responsibility of each state.   But when the states saw the money, they abdicated the right to educate their children as they saw fit, to the federal government and we can see the results.   Once we were near the top in the world rankings, and now we are near the bottom.   Europe is used to a father figure government that takes care of you from birth to death.   We are used to doing our own thing, being in charge of our own affairs without government interference.   We don't like being told what to do.   Government has intruded into our lives in more ways then we are aware of.   Health care is another layer of governmental control.   What will they try to control next?"

2009-11-24
_Clermont county OH Chamber of Commerce_
Tata now employs 300
"A crowd of Clermont County community leaders was on hand at TCS Seven Hills Park in Milford to hear a report to the community on Thursday, November 5.   Ohio Governor Ted Strickland was also in attendance at the event hosted by Tata Consultancy Services.   Tata Consultancy Services Seven Hills Park is the location of the TCS North American Training Center.   Surya Kant, president of TCS North America, announced that over the last several months the company has added 225 associates from top universities throughout the country.   The new associates have recently completed a six-week training program as part of the TCS' Initial Learning Program...   Tata Consultancy Services opened in the United States in 1979.   The company employs more than 13K workers in 26 locations throughout the country.   TCS opened its doors in Milford on 2008 March 17 and currently employs more than 300 associates at the Seven Hills Park.   As business increases a staff of more than 1K workers is planned.   TCS is part of a global business which employs 140K IT consultants [bodies shopped] worldwide in 42 countries.   The company generated $6G in revenue through 2009 March.   [No word on how many of the bodies shopped are US citizens, how many were born in Greater Cincinnati, and how many were born in Ohio.]"
class action against Tata

2009-11-24
Robert McMillan _ComputerWorld_/_IDG_
Felahy of Newport Coast CA pled guilty to selling counterfeit chips to the US Navy
"Felahy, his wife Marwah Felahy, and her brother Mustafa Abdul Aljaff operated several microchip brokerage companies that imported chips from Shenzhen, in [Red China's] Guangdong province.   They would buy counterfeit chips from [Red China] or else take legitimate chips, sand off the brand markings and melt the plastic casings with acid to make them appear to be of higher quality or a different brand...   According to court filings, the accused imported more than 13K fake chips, worth more than $140K.   They sold counterfeit Intel, Fujitsu, Via, National Semiconductor and Analog Devices chips, filings state.   The 3 operated companies under a variety of names including MVP Micro, Red Hat Distributors, Force-One Electronics and Pentagon Components...   Tougher, military-grade integrated circuits can fetch a better price than regular chips...   chip counterfeiting is an open business in southeast [Red China], where workers remove components from old computer boards and repackage them as newer items."

2009-11-24 (5770 Kislev 07)
Rabbi Avi Shafran _Jewish World Review_
The Atheists' Unintended Gift

2009-11-24 (5770 Kislev 07)
Thomas Sowell _Jewish World Review_
Solving Whose Problem?
Abilene KS Reporter News
One News Now
Dallas TX Morning News
Gaston Gazette
"politicians are not trying to solve our problems.   They are trying to solve their own problems -- of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two...   The current economic down-turn that has cost millions of people their jobs began with [among other, longer-running causes] successive administrations of both parties pushing banks and other lenders to make mortgage loans to people whose incomes, credit history and inability or unwillingness to make a substantial down payment on a house made them bad risks.   Was that stupid? Not at all.   The money that was being put at risk was not the politicians' money, and in most cases was not even the government's money.   Moreover, the jobs that are being lost by the millions are not the politicians' jobs -- and jobs in the government's bureaucracies are increasing.   No one pushed these reckless mortgage lending policies more than Congressman Barney Frank, who brushed aside warnings about risk, and said in 2003 that he wanted to 'roll the dice' even more in the housing markets.   But it would very rash to bet against Congressman Frank's getting re-elected in 2010."

2009-11-24 (5770 Kislev 07)
Walter E. Williams _Jewish World Review_
Voluntarism or Self-Interest?
Patriot Post
"I put my faith in people's self-interest as the most reliable way to get them to do what I want and believe most other people share my faith...   Every year, at least 1K Americans die and others suffer because they cannot find a matching bone marrow donor.   The reason why there is a shortage of donors is the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA), enacted by Congress in 1984.   NOTA makes it illegal to give anything of value in exchange for bone marrow and that includes, for example, giving a college student a scholarship or a new homeowner a mortgage payment.   Everyone involved in such a transaction -- doctors, nurses, donors and patients -- risks up to 5 years in a federal penitentiary...   there is a fundamental biological distinction between renewable marrow cells and nonrenewable solid organs.   In the case of bone marrow, the donor's bone marrow is completely replenished in a few weeks."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-25

2009-11-25 05:30PDT (08:30EDT) (12:30GMT)
Scott Gibbons & Tony Sznoluch _DoL ETA_
un-employment insurance weekly claims report
DoL home page
historical data
"The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 543,926 in the week ending November 21, an increase of 68,080 from the previous week.   There were 609,138 initial claims in the comparable week in 2008.   The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 3.8% during the week ending November 14, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the prior week.   The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 5,070,712, an increase of 187,642 from the preceding week.   A year earlier, the rate was 2.8% and the volume was 3,782,040.   Extended benefits were available in AL, AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MA, MI, MN, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, PR, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, and WI during the week ending November 7...   States reported 3,639,036 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending November 7, an increase of 16,370 from the prior week.   There were 766,565 claimants in the comparable week in 2008.   EUC weekly claims include both first and second tier activity.   [Note: The seasonal adjustment factors have been changed by DoL going back to at least the beginning of 2009.]"
graphs
more graphs

2009-11-25
Quin Hillyer _American Spectator_
Who will conservatives run for president?

2009-11-25 06:22PST (09:22EST) (14:22GMT)
Ruth Mantell _MarketWatch_
USA durable-goods orders fell 0.6% in October

2009-11-25 06:30PST (09:30EST) (14:30GMT)
Ruth Mantell _MarketWatch_
US consumer spending increased in October
"Inflation-adjusted, or real, consumer spending rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% last month, a reversal from the 0.7% drop seen in September.   Real disposable incomes for October also increased, up a seasonally adjusted 0.2%, following a gain of 0.1% in September."

2009-11-25
Dave Gorak _Madison Examiner_
Illegal alien ally Luis Gutierrez

2009-11-25
Michael Cutler _Reality Check_
Catch and Release
"'It tells me that we're picking sand up with a fork.', Hall said.   Clearly the goal of ICE is to create the illusion that the job is getting done and, in a way it is.   For the folks at DHS, the Department of Homeland Surrender, the job is crating the illusion that illegal aliens are being arrested and being ordered to go before immigration hearings.   The problem is what happens (or doesn't happen next) -- Nothing happens!   This is reminiscent of the game of 'Hide and Seek' we all played as kids.   The illegal aliens hide and ICE doesn't seek."

2009-11-25
_Beaufort Observer_
senator Inhofe calls for investigation of climate warmists

2009-11-25
Jacob G. Hornberger _Lew Rockwell_
Gold, Freedom, and the Fed
"With a few notable exceptions, such as Ron Paul, the federal government attracts the type of people who love spending money, as long as that money has been forcibly taken from others.   This love of spending other people's money knows no bounds.   These big spenders are able to come up with an unlimited number of programs that they are convinced are essential to the security and well-being of the nation.   Their imagination on how to spend other people's money has no bounds."

2009-11-25 07:24PST (10:24EST) (15:24GMT)
_Gwinnett GA Herald_
Duluth GA lawyer pled guilty to immigration fraud

2009-11-25 10:34PST (13:34EST) (18:34GMT)
Patrick Thibodeau _Computer World_/_IDG_
Obama sends out "We're all 3rd worlders" message with India bash
Reuters
"Among those at the luncheon was Thomas Friedman...   And among the 16 people seated at the head table were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Ohio governor Ted Strickland, whose state was picked by Tata Consultancy Services for its North American Delivery Center in Milford.   The state offered about $19M tax credits and other incentives to get Tata and, as of this month, 225 Ohioans work at the facility, according to the governor's office.   But although more than 50% of Tata's revenue comes from North America, of the more than 123K workers employed by Tata Consultancy Services, only 900 are Americans, says a report Tata issued in July [less than 0.7%].   In fact, Tata has more workers who are Ecuadoran than American.   Also at the head table was Ratan Tata, of the Tata Group, the parent of the IT consultancy group, says a White House pool report from the luncheon filed by Politico reporter Amie Pames.   Tata's Ohio project, announced in 2007 October, was expected to create 1K positions within the first 3 years.   But Tata and Indian off-shore firms will have to add a lot more U.S. workers if legislation by U.S. senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) is adopted.   Of particular [importance] is the bill's so-called '50-50' rule that limits the number of workers on H-1B or L-1 visas to half of a firm's total U.S. head-count.   The majority of Indian companies in the U.S.A. have far more people working with visas than not...   '[Expanding trade relationships] in the absence of needed policy changes means that more American jobs will be shipped over-seas.', Hira said.   'That may be good for U.S. companies but it will be another blow to American workers.   Obama has not lifted a finger for American workers when it comes to off-shoring, and he's done even worse by giving the false impression he would.'   Among the steps that Hira said he believes are needed are changes to the H-1B and L-1 programs so U.S. workers 'aren't being forced to train foreign replacements', action on government tax subsidies for multi-nationals that operate in low-tax places, and a 'full accounting' of the work that it's moving off-shore.   'What's more troubling with pronouncements like this is that Obama isn't even addressing the real concerns American workers have about out-sourcing.', said Hira."
2009-11-05: Business Courier of Cincinnati: Tata work force up to 300
2009-11-05 governor Ted Strickland's PR blather
"We started our day by visiting Tata Consultancy Services, an information technology company [cross-border bodyshop and off-shoring operation], in Milford.   Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to celebrate the opening of Seven Hills Park with TCS and welcome them to Ohio, and I'm happy to return today to learn about the company's continued progress here.   The State has partnered with TCS since the project's inception with more than $19M in incentives.   I announced TCS' selection of Ohio in 2007 September, and have since kept up an open dialogue with the company.   About 225 'Ohioans' [most of whom are not natives of Greater Cincinnati, nor citizens of Ohio, nor US citizens] work at the Seven Hills Park facility, which serves as TCS's North American Training Center.   Maintaining open communication with our existing businesses is crucial to staying on top of their needs and encouraging their continued job growth.   We then traveled to GE Aviation's Evendale campus to join with CEO David Joyce for an announcement of a new partnership between Ohio and GE Aviation that will support the company's efforts to revitalize their 417-acre campus here and retain more than 5K Ohio jobs.   This project includes modernizing engine test and production facilities, and acquiring new equipment for long-term stability and growth.   The State played a strong role in bringing the project partners together -- Hamilton County, the Village of Evendale, the University of Cincinnati, and others -- and invested at least $120M in Job Retention Tax Credits and other incentives.   GE Aviation opened their doors in Evendale in 1941 and quickly became a world leader in the aviation business.   And for decades, UC and GE have collaborated on many aerospace research projects, while thousands of GE personnel have graduated from the university, and thousands of UC co-op students have received on-the-job training at GE.   There's no doubt GE Aviation has helped contribute to Ohio's dynamic aviation and aerospace industry, and the state is working every day to strengthen those partnerships."
class action against Tata

2009-11-25 08:38PST (11:38EST) (16:38GMT)
Laura Mandaro _MarketWatch_
UMich consumer sentiment index rose from an early November reading of 66 to 67.4

2009-11-25
Jessica Heffner _Oxford OH Press_
Butler county OH unemployment rate has jumped to 9.5%
graphs

2009-11-25
Anna Gorman _Los Angeles CA Times_
HIV immigration ban ended

2009-11-25
Devoe Moore _Tallahassee Demagogue_
Small businesses make cuts; local governments give perks
"My fee for one building in September was $825; in October it jumped to $1,832 -- a 125% increase. We all pay property taxes from which we expect government to provide basic services, including fire protection, but let's look at whether the new fee is fair... I recently heard that county commissioners in Lowndes County earn $7,800 per year; ours [get] more than $70K, and our city commissioners $36K... our local governments provide high-salaried and elected officials high-dollar pension benefits guaranteed for life with built in COLA's; annuities at no cost; health insurance and a generous sick and annual leave (they get paid lump sum when they retire, and payment is included in their pension benefit package); paid holidays; 1,200 hours of catastrophic leave time; and, for some, comp time."

2009-11-25
Marc Sheppard _American Thinker_
Climate warmists' source code and les factors de fudge

2009-11-25 (5770 Kislev 08)
Daniel Pipes _Jewish World Review_
Islamism 2.0
"if Ayatollah Khomeini, Osama bin Laden, and Nidal Hasan represent Islamism 1.0, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (the prime minister of Turkey), Tariq Ramadan (a Swiss intellectual), and Keith Ellison (a U.S. congressman) represent Islamism 2.0.   The former kill more people but the latter pose a greater threat to Western civilization."

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-26

2009-11-26
Alexander C. Hart & Rick Pearson _Chicato IL Tribune_
Obama is just another bought and paid for leftist politician
"The 320-person guest list...   Penny Pritzker, chair of his national campaign finance committee, and Paula and Jim Crown, who ran his Illinois finance committee...   But the dozens of Indian-Americans on the list attested to that group's heightened profile.   They ranged from Indra Nooyi, the CEO of PepsiCo, to author Deepak Chopra to TV medical journalist Dr. Sanjay Gupta, to Republican Louisiana governor -- and possible 2012 Obama challenger -- Bobby Jindal.   Presidents of both parties have used state dinners to reward donors.   Tuesday's invitation list included at least 28 top campaign donors, known as bundlers because they assemble or bundle contributions.   One who attended, Balvinder Singh, is the owner of a carpet store and an Indian community and political activist on Chicago's Devon Avenue.   Singh raised between $50K and $100K for Obama in the 2008 election, according to the Open Secrets web site...   Vinai Thummalapally, a friend of Obama's who raised at least $100K [now] ambassador to Belize...   Preeta Bansal, a one-time solicitor general of New York state, raised at least $100K, Open Secrets says.   Earlier this year, she was appointed general counsel of the Office of Management and Budget."

2009-11-26
Richard Adams _Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs at Ashland University_
Regressive Bigotry vs. Natural Law

2009-11-26 09:05PST (12:05EST) (17:05GMT)
William L. Watts _MarketWatch_
Dubai having trouble rolling over government debt, creates financial tumult worldwide: And they appear to be in much better shape than USA

2009-11-26
Zach Benoit _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
teachers fielding questions from students after hours via e-mail

2009-11-26
Mike Dennison _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Merchants complain of increasing fees for credit-card transactions
"Dave Sutey... whose 14 Thriftway Super Stop stores in southwest Montana have paid $312K in these fees the first 10 months of this year...   While interchange fees may vary from card to card, merchants say VISA and MasterCard, the two most widely used cards, generally charge merchants 2% of the purchase price, plus a flat fee of 10 cents per transaction.   So, on a $2 bottle of pop, the fee is 14 cents: 10 cents plus 2 percent of the price.   On a $50 worth of gasoline, the fee is $1.10...   debit cards are supposed to be like an electronic check, taking money directly out of someone's bank account.   If run with the customer's PIN number, it's usually a small flat fee, perhaps 60 cents, he said.   But, if the debit card is run like a credit card, the banks charge a percentage that can range up to 4%, he said...   When a credit-card transaction occurs, the merchant receives money from its local bank for the purchase -- usually the next day -- minus the fee.   The local bank keeps about 15% of the fee and sends the rest to the card-issuing bank, which then pays a portion to the credit-card company."

2009-11-26
Alan Tonelson _American Ecnomic Alert_
Obama Is Looking for Jobs in All the Wrong Places

2009-11-26
Joe Guzzardi _V Dare_
the Treason Lobby's ululations about Lou Dobbs' recent departure from CNN proves how desperate they are

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-27

2009-11-26 20:39PST (2009-11-26 23:39EST) (2009-11-27 04:39GMT)
Patty Fisher _San Jose CA Mercury News_
Homeless engineer and former shipping clerk launched successful Baby Brat Inc.
"In their first year, the guys sold $4K worth of diapers and toilet paper.   Now they wear suits and ties to business meetings and are interviewing business school grads to work for them.   In 2010 they hope to sell at least $1.5M.   They pledge to give 3% of their profits to homeless shelters and Boys & Girls Clubs."

2009-11-27
Donna Healy _Billings MT Gazette_
Sons of Norway set to launch vessel tonight at Holiday Parade

2009-11-27
_FAIRUS_/_PR News Wire_
Maryland Study Reveals Staggering Increase of Illegal Immigration Costs and Voter Dissatisfaction

2009-11-27
Dave Haley _North Caroline News Network_
Civitas puts up state legislature's bills for a vote: and the worst bill is...
"Senate Bill 848, that alllows illegal immigrants to attend North Carolina community colleges [at local student rates]."
Civitas
results

2009-11-27
_Right Side News_/_Judicial Watch_
Carolyn Maloney has introduced bills to grant amnesty to 14 illegal aliens who are relatives of illegal aliens who died by terrorists on 2001-09-11
"The 14 illegal immigrants who would get green cards were married or are the foreign-born kids of undocumented employees at the World Trade Center's restaurant, Windows on the World.   All of the illegal immigrants have received hefty payments-ranging from $875K to $4.1M -- from the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund...   All 14 have in the past been granted a temporary immigrants' parole..."

2009-11-27
Lloyd Marcus _News with Views_
Successful blacks who avoided the victimhood mentality
"Chris Gardener, whose life story is topic of the hit movie, 'The Pursuit of Happyness'.   Will Smith portrayed Gardener in the movie.   Thomas Sowell is a brilliant American economist, social commentator, and author of dozens of books.   Walter Williams is a syndicated columnist and Professor of Economics at George Mason University.   Oprah these are 'non victim minded' extremely successful blacks America should meet.   Who could better introduce these great black American role models than the great, one and only Oprah Winfrey?"
Jim Burst: St. Louis MO Examiner

2009-11-27 (5770 Kislev 10)
Caroline B. Glick _Jewish World Review_
Bibi's bad week
"The day after Netanyahu bowed to US pressure and announced a total freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria for ten months, Yediot Ahronot reported that the Obama administration now wants Israel to release a thousand Fatah terrorists from prison.   The Americans also want Israel to allow US-trained, terror supporting Fatah paramilitary forces to deploy in areas that are currently under Israeli military control.   Moreover, the Americans are demanding that Israel surrender land in the strategically crucial Jordan Valley to Fatah."

2009-11-27 (5770 Kislev 10)
Rabbi Meir Leibush Weiser _Jewish World Review_
Angelic Directions

2009-11-27

DJIA	10,309.92
S&P 500	1,087.27
NASDAQ	2,138.44
Nikkei	9,082
10-year US T-Bond	3.23%
crude oil	$76.05/barrel
gold	$1,174.20/ounce
silver	$18.302/ounce
platinum	$1,447.10/ounce
palladium	$365.70/ounce
copper	$0.19334375/ounce
natgas	$5.192/MBTU
reformulatedgasoline	$1.9262/gal
heatingoil	$1.9622/gal
dollarindex	74.97
yenperdollar	86.71
dollarspereuro	1.4956
dollarsperpound	1.6479
swissfranksperdollar	0.9910
indianrupeesperdollar	46.40
mexicanpesosperdollar	13.0192
MorganStanleyHighTechIndex	544.33

I usually get this info from MarketWatch.
 

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-28

2009-11-28
Thomas E. Brewton _View from 1776_
Life-Threatening Words
Peter J. Wallison: Wall Street Journal: Lack of Candor and the AIG bail-out

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-29

2009-11-29 12:57PST (15:57EST) (20:57GMT)
_MarketWatch_
More shopping, less spending than last year
"The National Retail Federation's survey, conducted over the weekend, found that 195M shoppers visited stores and web sites, up from 172M last year, but the average spent was about $343, down from about $373 a year ago.   For the weekend, the total spending figure is an estimated $41.2G...   Also regarding Black Friday, it was the second-heaviest day in on-line spending to date in 2009 with $595M in on-line sales, comScore Inc. said Sunday.   That's 11% higher than last year's Friday after Thanksgiving.   The actual holiday saw 10% higher e-commerce sales, totaling $318M, comScore added."

2009-11-29
Jennifer McKee _Billings MT Gazette_/_Lee_
Students in Montana's 2-year colleges rack up more debt per degree credit-year
"Statistics show student borrowers with two-year, associate degrees are only saving $57 a month compared to borrowers with four-year bachelor's degrees when it comes to paying back their student loans.   There's no doubt that tuition at two-year schools is less, an average of 30% lower than at four-year schools, said Mary Sheehy Moe, deputy commissioner for two-year education in the University System...   About 72% of those students took on debt to earn their associate degrees, according to information from the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Association, which handles loans for Montana students.   The average debt load for those graduates was $15,509.   That averages to $7,754 per degree-year.   About two thirds -- 66.3% -- of four-year students also took out student debt.   The average debt load for four-year students upon graduation was $20,508, or $5,127 per degree-year.   That's $2,627 less per degree-year than graduates of Montana's two-year colleges of technology...   According to the Montana Guaranteed Student Loan Program, the average monthly loan payment on a debt of $15,509 -- the average debt for graduates of two-year schools -- is $178.48.   The average monthly loan payment on $20,508 -- average for graduates of four-year schools -- is $263.02...   A two-year degree program is 60 credits, Moe said.   But the average two-year graduate has 82 credits upon graduation."

2009-11-29
Jim Simpson _Truth & Consequences_
Holder sending federal funds to ACORN in violation of federal law

2009-11-29
Jonathan Leake _London Times_
Climate change data dumped in the 1980s

2009-11-29
Lorrie Goldstein _Toronto Sun_
Leaked 'climategate' documents show huge flaws in the back-bone of climate change allegations
"The file -- 274 pages long -- describes the efforts of a climatologist/programmer at the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia to update a huge statistical data-base (11K files) of important climate data between 2006 and 2009.   The computer coding, along with the programmer's apparently unsuccessful efforts to complete the project, involve data that are the foundation of the study of climate change -- recordings from hundreds of weather stations around the world of temperature and precipitation measurements from 1901 to 2006, sun/cloud computer simulations, and the like...   Reading 'HARRY_READ_ME.txt' it's clear the CRU's files were a mess.   The programmer laments huge gaps in data, bug-filled programs and worries about all the guesswork he's doing.   His comments suggest the problems go back years.   The CRU at East Anglia University is considered by many as the world's leading climate research agency.   Here's how CBSNews.com's Declan McCullagh describes its enormous impact on policymakers: 'In global warming circles, the CRU wields outsize influence: It claims the world's largest temperature data set, and its work and mathematical models were incorporated into the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report.   The report...is what the Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged it relies on most heavily when concluding carbon dioxide emissions endanger public health and should be regulated.'"
HARRY Read Me

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009-11-30

2009-11-30
Andrew McKillop _Market Oracle_
Carbon Dioxide in the Cuckoo's Nest

2009-11-30
George Russell _Fox_
Documents reveal UN's goal of dictating global environmental controls

2009-11-30
Timothy Prickett Morgan _IT Jungle_
There are plenty of capable STEM workers, but will we let them stay in the profession?
"'Over the past decade, U.S. colleges and universities graduated roughly 3 times more scientists and engineers than were employed in the growing science and engineering work-force.', explains Lowell.   'At the same time, more of the very best students are attracted to non-science occupations, such as finance.'...   'the data show our high schools and colleges are providing an ample supply of graduates.', says Salzman...   First, pay STEM students more to stay in the tech field.   You can't tell me MSFT, Google, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Cisco Systems don't have the dough.   They just want to have cheaper labor and be able to spend great gobs of money on share buy-backs and acquisitions."

2009-11-30
Peter Brimelow _V Dare_
Record Unemployment -- But Still No Talk Of An Immigration Moratorium

2009-11-30
Dan Vergano _USA Today_/_Gannett_
Controversy over anti-scientific methods of Warmists continues
Antonio Regalado: Science
Andrew C. Freedman _Washington Post_/_Columbia University_ capital weather gangsters
James Taranto: Wall Street Journal
Brad Buck & Tom Wright: New Mexico Free Press
Africa News
Heartland Institute
Patrick Michaels: Cato Journal: Scientific Short-Comings in the EPA's Endangerment Finding from Green-House Gases (pdf)
Bret Stephens: Wall Street Journal: Follow the Money: Climate change researchers must believe in the reality of global warming just as a priest must believe in the existence of God
"Last year, ExxonMobil donated $7M to a grab-bag of public policy institutes, including the Aspen Institute, the Asia Society and Transparency International.   It also gave a combined $125K to the Heritage Institute and the National Center for Policy Analysis, two conservative think tanks that have offered dissenting views on what until recently was called—without irony—the climate change 'consensus'.   To read some of the press accounts of these gifts—amounting to about 0.0027% of Exxon's 2008 profits of $45G -- you might think you'd hit upon the scandal of the age.   But thanks to what now goes by the name of climategate, it turns out the real scandal lies elsewhere...   Consider the case of Phil Jones, the director of the CRU and the man at the heart of climategate.   According to one of the documents hacked from his center, between 2000 and 2006 Mr. Jones was the recipient (or co-recipient) of some $19M worth of research grants, a sixfold increase over what he'd been awarded in the 1990s...   Thus, the European Commission's most recent appropriation for climate research comes to nearly $3G, and that's not counting funds from the EU's member governments.   In the U.S., the House intends to spend $1.3G on NASA's climate efforts, $400M on NOAA's, and another $300M for the National Science Foundation [NSF].   The states also have a piece of the action, with California—apparently not feeling bankrupt enough—devoting $600M to their own climate initiative.   In Australia, alarmists have their own Department of Climate Change at their funding disposal.   And all this is only a fraction of the $94G that HSBC Bank estimates has been spent globally this year on what it calls 'green stimulus' -- largely ethanol and other alternative energy schemes -- of the kind from which Al Gore and his partners at Kleiner Perkins hope to profit handsomely.   Supply, as we know, creates its own demand.   So for every additional billion in government-funded grants (or the tens of millions supplied by foundations like the Pew Charitable Trusts), universities, research institutes, advocacy groups and their various spin-offs and dependents have emerged from the woodwork to receive them...   In one of the more telling disclosures from last week, a computer programmer writes of the CRU's temperature database: 'I am very sorry to report that the rest of the databases seems to be in nearly as poor a state as Australia was...   Aarrggghhh!   There truly is no end in sight...   We can have a proper result, but only by including a load of garbage!'"

2009-11-30 15:49PST (18:49EST) (23:49GMT)
John Tierney _NY Times_
Putting Ideas in Science to the Test: Climate

2009-11-30
Christopher Monckton of Brenchley _Watts Up With That_
Summary of Climate Warming scam and its issues
"The Climate Research Unit [CRU] at East Anglia had profited to the tune of at least $20M in 'research' grants from the Team's activities.   The Team had tampered with the complex, bureaucratic processes of the UN's climate panel, the IPCC, so as to exclude inconvenient scientific results from its four Assessment Reports, and to influence the panel's conclusions for political rather than scientific reasons.   The Team had conspired in an attempt to redefine what is and is not peer-reviewed science for the sake of excluding results that did not fit what they and the politicians with whom they were closely linked wanted the UN's climate panel to report.   They had tampered with their own data so as to conceal inconsistencies and errors.   They had e-mailed one another about using a 'trick' for the sake of concealing a 'decline' in temperatures in the paleo-climate.   They had expressed dismay at the fact that, contrary to all of their predictions, global temperatures had not risen in any statistically-significant sense for 15 years, and had been falling for nine years.   They had admitted that their inability to explain it was 'a travesty'.   This internal doubt was in contrast to their public statements that the present decade is the warmest ever, and that 'global warming' science is settled.   They had interfered with the process of peer-review itself by leaning on journals to get their friends rather than independent scientists to review their papers.   They had successfully leaned on friendly journal editors to reject papers reporting results inconsistent with their political view-point.   They had campaigned for the removal of a learned journal's editor, solely because he did not share their willingness to debase and corrupt science for political purposes.   They had mounted a venomous public campaign of disinformation and denigration of their scientific opponents via a website that they had expensively created.   Contrary to all the rules of open, verifiable science, the Team had committed the criminal offense of conspiracy to conceal and then to destroy computer codes and data that had been legitimately requested by an external researcher who had very good reason to doubt that their 'research' was either honest or competent."

2009-11-30
Michael Cutler _News Blaze_
Response to article about national socialist health care perversion failing to block illegal aliens from coverage
Stephen Dinan: Washington Times

++ S887; Durbin, Grassley; H-1B and L-1 visa program reform
Status of S877
+++ S2804; Sanders; Employ Americans: prohibit firms who lay off large numbers of capable US citizens from making use of guest-work visas
more of what congress-critters are up to
 
 

2009 Autumn
Caroline M. Hoxby _Stanford University_
The Changing Selectivity of American Colleges (pdf)
The Return to Attending a More Selective College: 1960 to the Present (pdf)

2009 November
top 500 fastest super-computers
 

Proposed Bills 2009

USA Over-Population Clock
World + USA Over-Population Clocks
Jimbo Wales's WikiPedia on World Over-Population
 

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Neither this page, nor the opinions expressed or implied in it are endorsed by Michael Badnarik, Ron Paul, Bob Barr, Wayne Allyn Root, Warner Brothers, Gary Johnson, president Donald Trump, nor by my hosts, Kermit and Rateliff.

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