Thursday, May 13, 2004

Posted here Thursday, May 13, 2004 at 5:09:02 PM     Bell-weather important, a new Gandhi http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/05/14/dl1401.xml&;sSheet=/opinion/2004/05/14/ixopinion.html India Shining" shed its rays only on that sector of the population that was epitomised for the West by software outsourcing and call centres in states such as Karnataka and Andra Pradesh. For the nearly two thirds of Indians who live off the land, among whom Mrs Gandhi campaigned vigorously, little had changed under BJP rule. Their prime requirements are running water, electricity and jobs. Lacking those, they used their votes to remind New Delhi and the wider world that development in their country, as in that other Asian giant, China, is very uneven. A foretaste of what was to come when the general election results were announced yesterday came on Tuesday in the defeat of Chandrababu Naidu, a BJP ally, in a state poll. As a chief minister of Andhra Pradesh who attracted substantial foreign investment in information technology, he was the very essence of "India Shining". But at the same time his state stood out for its high level of farmer suicides. ********

Posted here Thursday, May 13, 2004 at 11:06:43 AM     On jobs. Where the Jobs Are http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/opinion/13COXX.html Over the past decade the biggest employment gains came in occupations that rely on people skills and emotional intelligence — like nurse and lawyer — and among jobs that require imagination and creativity: designer, architect and photographer. But not all of the new jobs require advanced degrees or exceptional artistic talent; note the rise of employment for hair stylists and cosmetologists. Trying to preserve existing jobs will prove futile — trade and technology will transform the economy whether we like it not. Americans will be better off if they strive to move up the hierarchy of human talents. That's where our future lies. The problem is, most of the more humane jobs pay less, always have. Can that be reversed? Can being a teacher, mother, architect doctor, lead to a reasonable salary without the support of regulation that creates distorting careers - such as for layers and docs? It would be a good direction to go, but our education is still trying to produce technocrats and regimentable inarticulate workers. ********