Monday, January 19, 2004

jobs Posted here Monday, January 19, 2004 at 10:55:56 PM     overheard - For example, as we noticed last week, the Christmas season - following the biggest burst of stimulus ever applied to an economy - produced almost no new jobs. Our friend John Mauldin, digging through last week's Dallas Fed report, noticed the average wage for temporary labor was $13.50, down a buck fifty from a year ago. And there were actually 72,000 fewer temp workers during the retail season than December 2002. Stephen Roach pointed out that 84% of the total non-farm increase in employment from August to November is traceable to one of four hiring segments: temporary staffing, health, education and everyone's favorite sector, government. ********

Military votes - who counts? Posted here Monday, January 19, 2004 at 9:23:19 PM     Things to worry about.. overheard January 1, 2004 As a Vietnam-era veteran, I feel obligated to let our troops know about the DoD internet voting scam already in place for 2004. The Pentagon has awarded a contract to Accenture, the renamed consulting wing of Arthur Anderson (of Enron fame), to count up to 6 million military votes in the offshore tax haven of Bermuda with no scrutiny whatsoever. Very ironically, internet and touch screen voting came about after the debacle in Florida in 2000 and were supposed to ensure voting integrity. Instead, lucrative contracts were given to companies with strong Republican ties to our current administration and these new machines are nonverifiable, nonauditable and have no paper trail. There is already ample evidence these machines may have changed the outcome of several Congressional and gubernatorial races in 2002. Up to now, a proprietary trade secrets law has been successfully used to prevent any auditing of results. Please check out http://www.ecotalk.org (Voting Security) and scroll down to these two articles: "Offshore Company Captures Online Military Vote" and "Internet Voting-the End of Democracy?" Both articles are written by Lynn Landes, one of the country's top experts on this subject (the articles are short and easy to read). This problem has, up to now, been overshadowed by the growing controversy over touch screen voting stateside. ********

Cheny Posted here Monday, January 19, 2004 at 9:02:22 PM     An interview with Dick Cheney, well, not quite an interview. If it is accurate, it is scary. A man who likes war and weapons, and seems to have no other passion but power and silence.   ********

Male female differences Posted here Monday, January 19, 2004 at 7:10:42 PM     overheard According to Baron-Cohen these two brain types, with their particular strengths and weaknesses, largely determine the professions each sex tends to adopt. "People with the female brain make the most wonderful counselors, primary-school teachers, nurses, carers, social workers, mediators, group facilitators, or personnel staff," he writes. "Each of these professions requires excellent empathizing skills. People with the male brain make the most wonderful scientists, engineers, mechanics, technicians, musicians, architects, electricians, plumbers, taxonomists, catalogists, bankers, toolmakers, programmers, or even lawyers. Each of these professions requires excellent systemizing skills." Comment: the integration of these into the economy and power is the next real question. The women's movement freed up women to play male roles, but at th suppression of the loving and relational side, to the detriment of men and women. How to build a healthy society with rich rewarding lives for all, 'tis the question.   ********