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The President feels his approach is vindicated (Sunday, 8/31/03)
President Bush interprets encouraging new economic data as evidence that his tax cuts are helping the American economy.

America's most poorly paid (Sunday, 8/31/03)
Louis Uchitelle says that Labor Day is a good time to remember the 26 million Americans who earn $8.23 per hour or less.

Chao plans big changes (Sunday, 8/31/03)
One of the interesting things about the United States is that people born in other countries can become high officials in the American government. Arnold Schwarzenegger may become an example, Henry Kissinger certainly was one, and Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao is another. Stephanie Armour of USA Today tells how Secretary Chao intends to bring about some of the most significant changes in many years. One of these has to do with overtime pay, which Kirstin Downey says already is a legal battleground within some companies.

Tentative contract agreement at University of Minnesota (Sunday, 8/31/03)
A Teamsters local representing 1,300 workers at the University of Minnesota has reached tentative agreement on a new two-year contract with the University.

Living off your house while living in your house (Sunday, 8/31/03)
After paying every month for years, many people are letting their houses pay them. Here's more from Catherine Burrough on the popularity of reverse mortgages.

Employer paternalism? (Sunday, 8/31/03)
Elizabeth Harris reports that many companies are concerned that their workers aren't doing enough to prepare for retirement and are trying to do something about it.

Education draws more career changers (Sunday, 8/31/03)
More people who are going back to school in order to become teachers are coming from other fields. Many of them are former executives. Here's more from Melinda Ligos.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Special Report on the U.S. Economy (Sunday, 8/31/03)
Here's a Special Report on the U.S. Economy from the Washington Post.

Here's what's wrong with American workers: there aren't enough of them (Saturday, 8/30/03)
On Labor Day weekend, the President attempts to put on a happy face, but acknowledges that he isn't satisfied--and won't be--until there are enough jobs for people who seek them. Labor leaders feel that he's got that right, and Leigh Strope reports that millions of Americans who are either unemployed or seeking full-time work aren't feeling all that celebratory this weekend. It's been nearly two years since the official end of the last recession, and the rate of economic expansion finally seems to be picking up. Still, job creation, if it's occurring at all, is hard to detect. David Francis says that the current "jobless recovery" is as baffling as any in the 120-year history of Labor Day.

Nonetheless, there do appear to be reasons. Among them, the exportation of jobs that we've discussed numerous times, plus, of course, the tendency of job creation to be a "lagging indicator" during an expansion. That is, employers want to see solid proof that the economy really has turned around before they make the considerable investment and incur the considerable risk of hiring new workers. Growth has been no more than anemic over the past nearly-two-years, and, for employers, that hasn't been encouraging.

Americans ARE spending, though (Saturday, 8/30/03)
The Commerce Department reports that July was a very good month for consumer spending, and that's good news for the economy, because American consumers are responsible for about two-thirds of the world's largest economic system.

Overtime rules change at Ford (Saturday, 8/30/03)
Many white-collar workers are about to lose overtime pay at Ford Motor Company. The Detroit News' Mark Truby reports via Louisville's Courier-Journal.

Labor turmoil at Yale (Saturday, 8/30/03)
Diane Scarponi reports from New Haven that students and their parents are having to cross picket lines in order to enter the campus. Eighty-three people have been arrested, including the union leader.

More on Greenspan's defense (Saturday, 8/30/03)
Fed Head Greenspan thinks that the Federal Reserve has been approaching the risk of deflation in the right way. Here's more from Martin Crutsinger in Wyoming.

Counselor boss? (Saturday, 8/30/03)
Managers who want to maintain an "open-door policy" probably don't want to become your amateur therapist. Amy Joyce discusses boundaries.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Supply-Side University (Saturday, 8/30/03)
Jude Wanniski may be best-known for his book, The Way the World Works, as well as his Wall Street Journal articles. His Supply-Side University is intended as a tutorial in supply-side economics, for which he has been a major advocate.

Something to celebrate? (Friday, 8/29/03)
So far, there is no abundance of jobs to celebrate this Labor Day, because job creation tends to follow rather than lead in a recovery. Still, as Amey Stone reports, some celebration is in order now that the American economy really does appear to be gathering serious momentum. Christopher Farrell agrees and says that the strong recovery finally has arrived. During the second quarter, the U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.1 percent. Among other happy indicators are personal spending and income, both of which were up in July.

Grim report on Air Force culture (Friday, 8/29/03)
Honor is supposed to be central to the training and identity of American military personnel, so it seems as though the Air Force Academy, which is a higher education institution, after all, has some unfinished work to accomplish. According to a new study from the U.S. Department of Defense, almost one in five women cadets at the Academy report having been sexually assaulted.

U.S. intends to tighten H1-B availability (Friday, 8/29/03)
Some people have been scratching their heads, wondering why H1-B visas have continued to be so widely available, given the condition of the American job market. It appears that will change next year. Here's more from India's Business Standard.

Greenspan answers some of his critics (Friday, 8/29/03)
In a speech in Wyoming, the Federal Reserve Chairman has responded to critics who feel that his approach to managing the American economy is too undisciplined.

Some work, but not too much work, is good for teens, researcher says (Friday, 8/29/03)
A University of Minnesota sociologist's research finds that work in moderation can benefit teens. Too much, though, while providing extra spending money, can hurt their education and overall development.

In the new global economy, business is cross-cultural (Friday, 8/29/03)
Much of what you've learned about how to be effective at work is rooted in a work ethic peculiar to your own culture, but may not play well in other cultures around the world. Psychologist Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks suggests that Americans may want to broaden their approach and loosen up a bit if they want to succeed cross-culturally in the new economy. Here's more from Stacy Teicher of the Christian Science Monitor.

Still divided, digitally speaking, but... (Friday, 8/29/03)
Here's an update on the digital divide from the Washington Post. Not surprisingly, wealth and education are two key factors determining incidence of Internet use, according to a new report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Census of India (Friday, 8/29/03)
The Census of India comes from a government agency that could be called the bureau of very big numbers, but isn't. With nearly a billion people and adding more than 43,000 persons each day, India is the second most populous nation on earth behind China. However, demographers are forecasting may surpass China later this century.

New deal near at Verizon (Monday, 8/25/03)
Seventy-eight-thousand Verizon employees have been working without a contract since the old one expired more than three weeks ago. The reason: ongoing negotiations seem to be getting the sides closer to agreement on a new contract, according to Leigh Strope in Washington.

It may be safe to stop chewing on your knuckles (Monday, 8/25/03)
Business Week's Ryan Brecht says that there are signs that the budget deficit is getting to be a bit more under control, and, anyway, it's important to put things into perspective. If you do that, you might find less cause for alarm.

Is low interest a good thing? (Monday, 8/25/03)
If you're borrowing money, you'll probably be happy with the lowest interest rates in a generation. However, if you're trying to live off interest on savings, that's another story. Here's more from the Detroit Free Press' Susan Tompor.

Caught between higher tuition and a cranky job market (Monday, 8/25/03)
State-supported higher ed institutions across the country are having some of their worst budget problems in years. This means increased tuition and reduced services for students who are building up more student debt at the same time that jobs are hard to find. Steve Giegerich is in Lawrence, Kansas and has more about how hard times are taking a lot of the fun out of being a student, faculty member, or university administrator.

A call for broadening business education (Monday, 8/25/03)
For sometime, we've asserted that one of the fundamental attributes of the 21st century is that the context in which we will do nearly everything from now on has changed dramatically. The author of this Minneapolis Star Tribune article apparently agrees, and believes that, to succeed in the new global economy, business leaders will require broader education than what typically is offered in traditional business curricula.

Boomers pour money into their homes (Monday, 8/25/03)
Where's their money going? Is being spent or invested? Well, both. Home remodeling is popular among affluent members of the huge baby-boomer generation. It's a way of being self-indulgent while also investing, given the historic tendency of real estate to appreciate over time.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: La Follette School of Public Affairs (Monday, 8/25/03)
The La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin arose from a movement founded on the idea that government exists to serve the public before corporate interests.

What happens to the new global economy if the Internet is brought down? (Sunday, 8/24/03)
Computer viruses could be very bad for most businesses if they ever bring the Internet to its knees, but fear of them already is very good for some businesses. Some people are saying that increasingly powerful viruses might cause the total collapse of the Internet, but others say that such talk is simply good for business if you're selling anti-virus software. Companies throughout the world already are spending $4 billion on it each year, according to reports.

The grocery store squeeze (Sunday, 8/24/03)
It isn't necessary to go to a traditional grocery store in order to buy groceries anymore. For instance, you can buy food at Kmart and Wal-Mart in many cases, as well as at your local gas station. Traditional retail categories have been breaking down. Moreover, as Ellis Mnyandu reports from New York, many grocer chains are caught in a squeeze that includes, not only increased competition from all directions, but also increasing labor costs that don't afflict some of the major competitors, such as Wal-Mart, for example.

The herds of Wall Street (Sunday, 8/24/03)
One can find highly coordinated behavior among flocks of birds, schools of fish, or (flocks of? schools of?) investors. The New York Times' Charles Morris discusses how "herding" phenomena can be a consequence of unmet expectations, however unrealistic.

Mixing work and school (Sunday, 8/24/03)
Lawrence Van Gelder says that the boundary separating office from classroom is no longer so distinct as it once was.

Have necktie sales benefited from the recent dot-comedy? (Sunday, 8/24/03)
Claudia Deutsch reports that multitudes of refugees from failed dot-coms are now trying to adjust to the conventional corporate world, which, among many other things, may include re-learning how to wear the business uniform.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Biz/ed Question Bank - Economics (Sunday, 8/24/03)
Check your knowledge of 39 topics in economics by responding to multiple-choice questions from the Biz/ed Question Bank from the United Kingdom.

Former Enron workers gain company support (Saturday, 8/23/03)
Enron has agreed to support former workers who are attempting to recover $53 million that was paid to selected individuals shortly before the company filed for bankruptcy. Here's more from Eric Berger in Houston.

Controllers oppose privatization (Saturday, 8/23/03)
The air traffic controllers' union is resisting the Administration's plan to contract with private companies to operate control towers at smaller airports. The controllers say it is an effort to privatize air traffic controller jobs at all American airports, but the FAA says the plan is only intended to save money.

Japanese government moves to encourage increased birthrate (Saturday, 8/23/03)
Officials fear that government efforts to get the Japanese economy functioning at a level for which it was famous during much of the post-war period again may be in vain if the national birthrate continues to decline. We've reported previously on the cultural changes that already seem to have occurred as the country attempts to adjust to its role in the new global economy. Now, the government would like to see working men modify their roles in order to include more child-care responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Japan's national pension system is heading for major problems, and one of the reasons seems to be the great number of people who haven't been paying their premiums. The government intends to deny tax breaks to those who haven't paid what they owe.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies (Saturday, 8/23/03)
The Bank of Japan's Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies conducts policy-related research on economic and financial issues. Also, look at their virtual museum that traces the development of Japan's currency.

Most economists haven't changed their minds about America's immediate future (Friday, 8/22/03)
A moderate recovery is still expected, and it's still expected to be moderate. The usually well-regarded Conference Board's Leading Indicators have been up several times in a row, but Dan Ackman of Forbes isn't altogether impressed. He wonders if they're really leading anywhere.

Oil is hiring in Texas, but jobs aren't gushing (Friday, 8/22/03)
At least, a few drillers are adding jobs. Here's more from Michael Davis in Houston.

No sure thing seen at Goodyear (Friday, 8/22/03)
Tentative agreement has been reached on a new contract at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, but the membership still has to vote, and a very close vote is expected.

More layoff notices go out at Boeing (Friday, 8/22/03)
Boeing is headquartered in Chicago now, but most people affected by the latest round of layoffs are in the Seattle region. Layoff notices are going out to 1,440 persons.

Good days and bad (Friday, 8/22/03)
Alexandra Marks provides an update on welfare reform from New York. Many former welfare recipients like being independent and self-supporting--if they have a job--but they don't like being laid off and unable to find new work.

Caution: Plastic can be hazardous to your well-being (Friday, 8/22/03)
It's not a Surgeon General's warning, but it's one you should pay particular attention to if you're a college student. Credit cards can get you in real deep, real fast.

It can be a good idea to borrow money for investment purposes, providing that you really know what you're doing, but borrowing money for consumption generally is a bad idea, with housing mortgages and cars loans--sometimes--the rational exceptions. Moreover, credit cards provide the most expensive way to borrow money, unless you visit your local loan shark. The principal benefit is that credit card companies are highly unlikely to break your knees if you don't pay what you owe.

Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary agrees that, while credit cards are particularly dangerous for college students, debit cards can make sense. She explains.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program (Friday, 8/22/03)
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation supports the Kauffman Entrepreneur Internship Program in order to enable students to learn by working side-by-side with people who are starting businesses. The Foundation makes grants to colleges and universities.

Jobless claims best since February (Thursday, 8/21/03)
The latest Labor Department report on first-time jobless claims may be taken as additional evidence that better times are coming. Even more convincing may be the Conference Board's Leading Indicators for July, which somewhat more surely reflect tides rather than ripples. Overall, Barbara Hagenbaugh of USA Today agrees: optimism does seem to be in the air.

Brazil's central bank to cut rate (Thursday, 8/21/03)
It was widely expected that the Brazilian government would cut its overnight interest rate by 2 percent. Instead, it turned out to be 2.5. The move is taken as increasing evidence of nervousness on the part of government officials about reviving the Brazilian economy.

Trade treaty proposed (Thursday, 8/21/03)
The world's poorer food-producing countries feel that the rich countries are putting them at a serious disadvantage by subsidizing their agricultural sectors. They're demanding changes, and, as Naomi Koppel reports from Geneva, sixteen of the world's countries are offering an agricultural trade treaty proposal to the World Trade Organization.

Whoops--HP misses and plans to cut (Thursday, 8/21/03)
You will recall that there was considerable controversy, even among major stockholders, about whether the merger of Hewlett-Packard and Compaq was a good idea. Since it happened, it has seemed like it, but now the company has missed its financial targets for the first time since the big corporate marriage, and plans to cut 1,300 additional jobs.

How the same dollars could buy more healthcare (Thursday, 8/21/03)
A new study finds that nearly twice as much of each healthcare dollar is spent on administration in the United States as in Canada. Here's more from Gene Emery in Boston.

Explaining Americans (Thursday, 8/21/03)
A lot of American work has moved to India to be done by Indians. Suddenly, there's big demand for special training to help Indian technical people learn about the American culture.

Too many networkers? (Thursday, 8/21/03)
Now that there are so many job-seekers, Michael Laskoff says the consensus seems to be that networking no longer works. Is this consensus correct? Here's more from Mr. Laskoff in Business Week.

The decline of the company funeral (Thursday, 8/21/03)
If you haven't known that there were company funerals in the first place, you've been out of touch with Japanese business culture. But, as Toshihiro Yamanaka reports, that culture has been changing along with many other things Japanese during the decade and more that the Japanese economy has been struggling.

Back-to-school pilferage (Thursday, 8/21/03)
The Detroit Free Press' David Lyman says that many businesses are finding that their supply cabinets seem to become more depleted when it's time for kids to return to their classrooms.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Starting Your Business (Thursday, 8/21/03)
Here's advice and information you may need for Starting Your Business from the Small Business Administration.

Blackout dims mortgages (Wednesday, 8/20/03)
Applications for mortgages declined by 10.7 percent last week, in part because many mortgage offices were closed due to lack of electricity. However, rising rates also seemed to have had something to do with the dip following the recent refinancing boom.

The two Koreas implement deals (Wednesday, 8/20/03)
While North Korea continues to rattle its nukes at the U.S.--although not as loudly as a few weeks ago--it seems to be moving ahead with efforts to build closer economic relations with its wealthy and increasingly democratic neighbor to the south. Agreements signed at the end of 2000 are going into effect now to make it less risky for businesses from South Korea to set up shop in North Korea.

Teamsters seek independence and may get it soon (Wednesday, 8/20/03)
The fourteen-year period of government oversight may be about to end. The feds have offered the Teamsters a proposal for ending government control of the long-troubled union. Here's more from Leigh Strope in Washington.

"Output gap" means rates can stay low, according to Fed official (Wednesday, 8/20/03)
The American economy contains enough unused labor as well as unused production capacity to enable it to grow rapidly without heating up inflation, according to Federal Reserve President Alfred Broaddus. That means that interest rates can safely remain at 40-year lows for a while, according to him.

Clark finds Silicon Valley depressing (Wednesday, 8/20/03)
Entrepreneurial legend Jim Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics and Netscape, has moved to Florida and spends as little time as possible in California's Silicon Valley. He tells why in this Business Week interview.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: CTI Economics (Wednesday, 8/20/03)
The Computers in Teaching Initiative Centre for Economics is located on the campus of the UK's University of Bristol, and includes an electronic archive of the Computers in Higher Education Economics Review newsletter.

How much longer will the U.S. be the world's only superpower? (Tuesday, 8/19/03)
At the moment, the United States stands astride the world like a colossus. It dominates the world more than any other society in world history, including the Roman Empire. Its military outclasses all of the others put together, and U.S. military spending will soon exceed the total military spending of all other countries on the earth. The U.S. economy dominates the world, and American political and popular cultures are being exported around the globe.

However, so are its jobs, including many of its best jobs, which is to say that much of its buying power and affluence are being drained away. Will current American dominance be used to democratize the world and eliminate war as an instrument of foreign policy, as author Tom Clancy has suggested, and will this dominance last long enough for anything resembling this happy outcome to occur?

Danny Hakim and Anne Berryman find that being very, very good at what you do is no guarantee that you will be able to keep doing it in the new economy, particularly when other capable people are available who are willing to work for a tiny fraction of what Americans need to earn in order to maintain their standard of living. Hakim and Berryman offer the Ford plant near Atlanta as an example.

USA Today's Paul Craig Roberts offers an overview of joblessness in the United States and the underlying reasons for it. Also, here's a major report from Rutgers University on Disposable American Workers. Thanks to SUNY Professor William Raynor and noted author and editor Dale Archibald, respectively.

Layoffs in Williamsburg (Tuesday, 8/19/03)
It's where much of the American Revolution was brewed. It's adjacent to the College of William and Mary where Jefferson studied law. It's where Dr. Benjamin Rush broke with the past and built a mental hospital that really was more hospital and less a dungeon. It's Colonial Williamsburg, and it's having big-time budget problems. In fact, this major American historical site is suffering a $35 million deficit, and layoffs are inevitable, according to Rex Ellis, a top official at the site.

Costly heat wave (Tuesday, 8/19/03)
Europe has been sweltering and disaster-relief budgets have been evaporating. There are other economic costs as well, according to Business Week's Christina Passarielo.

Meanwhile, in other European news, are things looking up for the German economy? There is hope, and there are indications, but David Fairlamb is withholding judgement for a while.

Wages driven down (Tuesday, 8/19/03)
If you're a man and work along side recent Hispanic immigrants, you're likely to earn less because they're paid less, according to a new analysis of Census data from UCLA.

Who may no longer qualify for overtime pay? (Tuesday, 8/19/03)
New rules are brewing, and many people who have been used to being paid for their extra work hours may soon be ineligible. Here's more from John Pain in Miami.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Doubling Up (Tuesday, 8/19/03)
According to the National Science Foundation, in 1997, more than 11 percent of scientists and engineers held second jobs. Here's a NSF 2001 report from 2001 on who these people were and what their motivation was at the time.

Back to work (Monday, 8/18/03)
On the first regular business day following the biggest blackout in American history, business is returning to normal. Michael Hill reports that millions of Americans have returned to work. In Ontario, people are returning to work as well, and the government is urging Canadians to cut their energy consumption in half while providers work to get the system back up to speed.

IBM lays off hundreds of workers (Monday, 8/18/03)
There was a time when International Business Machines corporation was known for never laying off its employees, but when that policy changed years ago, it was taken as a sign that job security had ended in the United States. In the new economy, IBM does most of the things that the majority of companies feel they have to do in order to survive in a brutally-competitive market, including exporting jobs to regions of the world where labor costs are far lower. The latest news is that hundreds of jobs will be cut at a Vermont plant, and thousands will be told they will have to take a week off without pay in order to help the company cut costs.

What to do when you lose your health coverage (Monday, 8/18/03)
A COBRA policy could be your best bet, although you may be able to join an organization that offers group insurance as a member perk. Here's more from today's Houston Chronicle.

Holding on to senior workers in Japan (Monday, 8/18/03)
Japan's nearly decade and a half of economic problems has led to significant cultural changes, including the virtual end of the "Japan, Incorporated" model, which, during much of the post-war boom period, involved companies taking care of their workers and the government taking care of the companies. Unemployment is a feature of the new Japanese economy, but it's still interpreted as shameful by many of its victims, and the Japanese suicide rate has increased since the early '90s too.

As if Japan needs additional problems, an historic demographic shift also is going on. As the country's average age increases, the population, including the working population, will get smaller. As a consequence, some companies are trying to look beyond the current slump to a time when they will need all the experienced workers they can get, and they're doing their best to hang on to the ones they have now. Here's more from Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun.

Is "communist capitalism" an oxymoron? (Monday, 8/18/03)
China's ruling party still calls itself "communist," but its decision to amend the Chinese constitution to grant private property rights as well as let free-market ideologues participate in the government no doubt would cause Marx and Mao to suffer extreme cases of indigestion. Is there any sense at all in which China is still a "communist" country now? It might be more accurate to say that it remains autocratic and that entrepreneurs and others will be wise not confuse officially-endorsed economic freedom with political freedom. Elaine Kurtenbach is in Shanghai and has been giving these issues considerable thought.

How to buy a home when you lack documentation (Monday, 8/18/03)
The Washington Post's Nurith Aizenman discusses the ways that illegal immigrants in the Washington, D. C. region are managing to buy their first houses in the United States.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: National Association for the Self-Employed (Monday, 8/18/03)
The National Association for the Self-Employed claims to be the leading resource for people starting or operating "micro-businesses." Among other things, you can ask questions of small business specialists.

Shadow or substance? (Sunday, 8/17/03)
The recovery is beginning to look more and more real, but is it? National Economics Correspondent Mike Meyers looks at the evidence for reality vs. mirage.

For many who used to have VERY good jobs, a good job now is the one that's available (Sunday, 8/17/03)
During an earlier period when technical experts were having employment problems, a cartoon ran in major publications showing a consumer in front of a hot dog cart who apparently had just been complaining about the hot dog he purchased. The proprietor says something like, "Look, I'm a chemical engineer with a Ph.D. and two master's degrees, so, by god, when I say it's done, it's DONE!"

Adam Geller reports from Sudbury, Massachusetts that many highly-qualified people are having similar experiences now, given the loss of nearly 3 million jobs in about two and one-half years.

Still looking (Sunday, 8/17/03)
One of the things that characterizes the current job drought is that so many of the unemployed remain jobless after such a long period of time. Gwendolyn Freed tells about qualified people who have been searching for YEARS.

There has been progress, but minority women are still challenged by circumstances (Sunday, 8/17/03)
Time has seen some improvement, but minority women are still disproportionately represented in low-pay, dead-end jobs, according to a new EEOC study.

The 21st century economic...and political...reorganization of the world (Sunday, 8/17/03)
Politically and economically, the world with which we have become so familiar is fundamentally different from the world of the early days of the 20th century. A century ago, the Austro-Hungarian empire still dominated continental Europe, Britain dominated much of the world's population, and the United States was not yet a major world power. How will wealth, power, and influence be distributed around the globe a hundred years from now? Which of the current countries will still exist? How will political boundaries be different?

The New York Times' Louis Uchitelle sees a grim future for American influence in the world if U.S. manufacturing continues to move elsewhere.

Important, even when so often wrong (Sunday, 8/17/03)
Ross Levin examines the black art of making projections. It helps if the public has a short memory and if the people making projections have limited capacity for embarrassment.

Why are there so many more age-bias complaints? (Sunday, 8/17/03)
It's illegal to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of age, but that apparently isn't keeping many people from trying. The Orlando Sentinel's Harry Wessel discusses the 41 percent increase in complaints between 1999 and 2002.

Scrambled nest eggs (Sunday, 8/17/03)
Virginia Munger Kahn has some suggestions on how to keep from outliving your money without shortening your life.

Gender gap (Sunday, 8/17/03)
According to recent research, more women than men are going to college, and women are now outperforming men across most fields of study. Bonnie Miller Rubin of the Chicago Tribune writes about the Northwestern University study suggesting that women make better managers too.

High culture in the workplace (Sunday, 8/17/03)
Karren Mills reports that General Mills, the company credited with first bringing fine art into the workplace, is among those still displaying fine art during a period of corporate cost-cutting, and even has a full-time curator.

You bet your life (Sunday, 8/17/03)
Linda Stern describes a new kind of life-insurance policy that is enjoying growing popularity among young people. Stay alive long enough, and you'll get all your premiums back. Here's more about refund of premium life policies.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Life Insurance Needs Estimator (Sunday, 8/17/03)
How much coverage do you need? You may choose to use this Life Insurance Needs Estimator to help you find out. Will the results be accurate? We don't know either. Look at the tool's source, and make up your own mind.

The cost of American history's biggest blackout (Saturday, 8/16/03)
Anna Willard reports from Washington that many economists expect that the U.S. economy has been hurt somewhat by Thursday's loss of power, but the damage should not be major. For example, things looked fairly good on Wall Street as the power started to come back on in the Big City. The New York Times' Louis Uchitelle says the overall economic effect may turn out to be no greater than from a major snowstorm, which usually isn't lasting. Gary Strauss of USA Today tells why it could have been much worse. Greg Schneider and Dana Hedgpeth report that retailers and factories in affected regions of the U.S. and Canada have been dealt a blow, but the effects for them may not be permanent either. One industry with special vulnerability that can't stand many more problems is commercial aviation.

Of course, the entire incident points out the special vulnerabilities of greatly interconnected modern life. During the 18th or 19th centuries, except for a meteor strike, it would not have been possible for a single event to affect nearly everyone across vast regions of northeastern United States and southeastern Canada within a few minutes.

Wait until 2004--2003 may look better then (Saturday, 8/16/03)
According to data offering a fresh perspective, we're not in a "jobless recovery," even though job creation is slow. We're not really in a "job-loss recovery" either, even though there is growing concern about the exportation of American jobs overseas, particularly now that higher-skill jobs requiring sophisticated education or training are among them. Overall, though, according to this New York Times story, things are a bit better than many people, including some government statisticians, seem to think.

Your extension has been extended (Saturday, 8/16/03)
If you filed for the automatic four-month extension on your taxes last April, and, if you live in the blackout area, you'll have another week to file your return.

Corporate secrets hidden in plain sight (Saturday, 8/16/03)
A security expert finds that sensitive information thought to be deleted from corporate files online often can be recovered with ease by people who may not be friends of the company. Here's more from the New Scientist.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Blackout History Project (Saturday, 8/16/03)
The Blackout History Project examines the big blackouts of 1965 and 1977.

What a relief! The CPI was up in July (Friday, 8/15/03)
We seem a long way from having to worry about inflation, given two consecutive months of only a 0.2 percent rise in the Consumer Price Index. But, it probably means we don't have to worry so much about deflation for now either.

Australia's retirement worries (Friday, 8/15/03)
The U.S., with its huge "baby boomer" generation approaching its later years, isn't the only country with large numbers of people who are not saving enough for retirement. Australia has similar concerns. Here's more from the Sydney Morning Herald.

The growing power of minority consumers (Friday, 8/15/03)
Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of the American economy, and has been holding the U.S. economy out of recession for nearly two years. Moreover, a new study from the University of Georgia finds that the buying power of U.S. minorities is growing faster than that of the white population.

Expect the relative political and economic influence of American whites to diminish during the years ahead, as the United States approaches a time when it will no longer be a nation with a dominant majority, but, instead, a nation of minorities. Not only that, the very idea of "racial diversity" is beginning to dissolve, as an increasing number of Americans have greatly mixed ancestry. The traditional "black" vs. "white" dichotomy is already seriously out of date. For example, is Colin Powell "black?" Only partly, if "black" means "African American." He says that his ancestry is African, Caribbean, Native American, and Irish. It seems easier to simply call him "Colin Powell."

Is Tiger Woods "black?" Only partly. His mother is Thai. And, incidentally, are Hispanics "black" or "white?" The old dichotomy seems parituclarly useless in their case, and Hispanics now make up America's largest minority. Many, in fact, have a mixed ancestry of European, African, and Native American, as do many non-Hispanic Americans.

At long last, after so many centuries, we may be seeing a time when people will be thought of more as individuals rather than as members of categories. Even the American pop culture is showing signs of healthy social change. Minority stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry are presented by Hollywood and accepted by millions of Americans as models of female beauty and sexiness, and there have been a growing number of Hispanic and African American male stars who are perceived by Americans of all ethnicities as similarly attractive and desirable. It isn't necessary to be blond and blue-eyed anymore to be seen as beautiful, which is the way it always should have been. It's also good news for millions of children and youth who are in the process of developing identities and feelings of self-worth.

All this is happening at a time when research disciplines such as biology and population genetics are demonstrating that "race" isn't even an attribute, but only an idea, and one that we can safely leave behind. Nonetheless, our institutions continue to lag further and further behind. For instance, where does all this leave the traditional "affirmative action" argument? Who's "African American?" What percentage of one's ancestry must be "black" in order for one to qualify as "black?" Doesn't this kind of thinking sound a bit too familiar from a long, sordid period of American history that we've been trying to put behind us?

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: National Centre for Development Studies (Friday, 8/15/03)
Australia's National Centre for Development Studies examines development issues in East Asia and the South Pacific, as well as other regions. Its working papers are available free online.

Jobless claims up slightly (Thursday, 8/14/03)
First-time jobless claims increased a bit last week. Here's more about the latest data from the United States Department of Labor.

Pick the expert with whom you are most comfortable (Thursday, 8/14/03)
Attitudes, including their belief components, are cheap; everybody has them, and passing judgment doesn't require knowing anything. In fact, it's such a basic social response, it doesn't even require being human. When a stranger comes to your door, your dog probably decides right then and there whether to growl or wag its tail.

In politics (human, not dog), for instance, perceptions ARE reality, so people's judgments and interpretations determine what happens, whether they have any basis in fact or not. Politicians and their campaign workers are most interested in guiding interpretations in order to achieve some practical result, such as gathering votes.

However, there are others who really are interested in knowing what the truth really is, no matter whom it might favor. Problem is, in relation to many complex issues, the best-available information is highly ambiguous. Nobody really knows, even though politicians, for their own obvious reasons, almost never feel that they can say so.

So, are the President's economic advisors correct about how to stimulate the American economy, or are his opposition's economic advisors correct, and what is their motivation for saying whatever they're saying?

We don't know either. Stay tuned, but, in the meantime, you can read Gail Russell Chaddock's account of one of the differences between the Clinton administration and the Bush administration, as well as the metathesis of some sort that seems to have occurred in recent years. Wasn't it the Democrats who were more casual about deficits and the Republicans who were talking about balanced budgets and "getting our house in order" all the time, rather than the other way around? What's happened?

Can U.S. and European farmers expect to be more on their own soon? (Thursday, 8/14/03)
Many economists claim that, while subsistence agriculture has worked successfully throughout the world for centuries, farming as a business seems to be inherently unprofitable. Stay in it long enough, and you'll go out of business. However, protecting its food source is a matter of a country's national security, so industrial societies tend to provide subsidies to their farmers to keep them in business. Many U.S. administrations, for instance, Republican and Democrat, have been in favor of the idea. However, subsidies seem inconsistent with free trade, and farmers in poorer countries want more open access to American and European markets. Paul Meller and David Barboza report from Brussels that the U.S. and the E.U. have reached agreement on how to reduce subsidies in order to give next month's Cancun, Mexico meeting some chance of success.

America's dependence on its consumers (Thursday, 8/14/03)
Consumer spending makes up about two-thirds of the U.S. economy, so a willingness to purchase greatly influences the economy overall. Barbara Hagenbaugh reports that retailers had a good month in July. However, even though consumers have been keeping the American economy out of recession for quite a long time, that can continue only so long, given the persistently grim jobs picture.

Europe's dependence on Germany (Thursday, 8/14/03)
Germany's economy is the third-largest in the world and the largest in Europe, so the fact that its government statistical agency has announced that the country has entered a shallow recession is of interest to many people across the continent who wonder if recession is in their futures too. Paul Geitner reports no recession yet, but no growth either across most E.U. countries during the second quarter.

Nice guys finish first, or, at least, best? (Thursday, 8/14/03)
Cheyenne Hopkins reports that a study at the University of Michigan finds greater productivity among pleasant, friendly people, and they think they know why.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: USDA Economics and Statistics System Reports (Thursday, 8/14/03)
Add your name to the USDA's mailing list, and you will receive USDA Economics and Statistics System Reports automatically within hours of their release.

The Fed holds steady (Wednesday, 8/13/03)
As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve's overnight interest rate remains where it has been at 1 percent, the lowest since the Eisenhower administration. The Fed isn't expectecd to raise nterest rates until 2004, at the earliest.

Bush hears from his advisors (Wednesday, 8/13/03)
The President's advisors are telling him what he wants to hear, and, if it really turns out to be true, it's probably what we want to hear too. The economy is improving, they say.

Better times in Japan (Wednesday, 8/13/03)
Despite persistent fears that Japan's deflation problem could keep a lid on the country's economic recovery, the second quarter was better than expected.

A dubious tactic? (Wednesday, 8/13/03)
In an effort to put pressure on Verizon's management during contract negotiations, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is suggested that it may encourage the company's customers to take their business to AT&T. If the move is successful in getting people to switch, wouldn't it mean less need for jobs at Verizon?

Another look at productivity gains (Wednesday, 8/13/03)
Nine workers are now doing what ten were doing in March 2001 in America's 100 largest companies. Del Jones and Barbara Hansen examine the reasons for the recent increase in labor productivity. Doing more with less can be bad news for some of the individuals affected, but good news for a society's standard of living in the long-run.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Handbook of Methods (Wednesday, 8/13/03)
In its Handbook of Methods, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the methods used in obtaining and preparing economic data for its reports.

Fired Venezuelan oil workers to receive severance (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
Despite what Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said during the two-month oil strike, 18,000 fired workers will receive severance payments. Here's more from the Houston Chronicle.

Iraq is fundamentally a resource-wealthy country, but... (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
...This doesn't mean that it will have a large, affluent middle class, according to Mark Fritz. In fact, the odds are against it, despite what the Bush administration is saying, according to various experts.

Incidentally, Sue Kirchhoff reports that military spending was the second-largest contributor to the 2nd quarter's growth. If it had not been for the war and occupation in Iraq, economic growth during the April-June period would have been fairly feeble.

Where the health care jobs are (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
A new study from the Milken Institute finds that Boston and New York tie for the greatest number of jobs in the health care sector, with Philadelphia and Chicago close behind. The Twin Cities metro area is in the top 10 on jobs, and is third in the nation on medical devices, but, as one of America's "smaller" big cities, its share could easily be swallowed up by a few of the cities on the top of the list, according to the survey.

Erosion of client confidentiality (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
For as long as most people can remember, information provided to physicians, lawyers, and clergy by those they serve, when the professionals are acting in the official capacity, is privileged, which is to say that the client has the right of confidentiality. In recent years, the clients of other professionals--e.g., psychologists--have obtained a similar legal right. This is not to say that the professional can choose NOT to share information about his/her clients or patients--it is ILLEGAL for him/her to do so without the express permission of the client or patient, to whom the information belongs.

The right to confidentiality has not been absolute, of course. For instance, physicians have to be able to communicate with each other if referrals are to be made, and psychiatrists or psychologists have to be able to share information with some other individuals if commitment proceedings are to be initiated. Similarly, in many states, professionals are obligated to report any suspected child abuse.

However, client confidentiality may be eroding in legal circles, as Jonathan Glater reports. It will be interesting to see if these changes generalize to other professions during the years ahead during a time when personal privacy seems to be under siege from many directions.

For instance, DO NOT put your residential telephone number on the Internet in email messages or on web sites. Given your phone number, with only a few keystrokes, anybody can use a reverse phone directory, probably get your home address, then get specific directions on another site, and walk right up to your front door.

What does it take to deal effectively with work stress? (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
A workplace stress expert says there are four principal factors that determine how well a person copes with stress on the job. The Arizona Republic's Christine Romero describes the respective roles of perspective, autonomy, connections and tone.

Vactions stress out the boss (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
Not the boss' vacation, necessarily, but employee vacations. Better advance planning might help.

The courage for shy entrepreneurs to do what needs to be done (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
Sooner or later, one of the things that needs to be done is selling, and for some people, that isn't easy. Here are some tips on how to make it easier.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (Tuesday, 8/12/03)
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research has approximately 60 staff members. Much of its work focuses on health policy issues in the State of California, but many of its reports are of broader interest.

Pro vs. con on the white-collar outsourcing question (Monday, 8/11/03)
SUNY Professor William Raynor stirred a cauldron that has been cooking ever since his BNWW article on the outsourcing of white-collar jobs was published on our site a few months ago. He attracted the attention of CNN, Money magazine, CBS Radio, which invited him on one of its programs, and even IBM before they announced that they would send MILLIONS of higher-skill jobs to India and elsewhere over the next 15-20 years. It may be a train that nobody can stop. It may also have profound implications for how the world will organize itself over the remainder of the 21st century. Business Week magazine offers a pro-con view of some of the issues, and attempts to provide alternative points of view in their strongest forms.

Take a very deep breath. Then, think about Medicare's unfunded liabilities (Monday, 8/11/03)
An analysis by economists Jagadeesh Gokhale and Kent Smetters finds that the unfunded liabilities of Medicare are about five times the unfunded liabilities of Social Security. Here's more from Scott Burns in the Houston Chronicle.

How many businesses does eBay support? (Monday, 8/11/03)
According to estimates, as many as 160,000 Americans earn a significant part of their income from businesses that involve buying and selling on eBay. Many are full time, and many have moved out of the garage or the basement into warehouses and offices with employees.

How to get more tax revenue without a tax increase (Monday, 8/11/03)
Donald Alexander, formerly of the IRS, thinks that the budget deficit would all but disappear if the feds could simply collect all the taxes presently due.

What to see in Philadelphia (Monday, 8/11/03)
Once the U.S. capital, once the nation's largest city, Philadelphia remains a treasure-trove for history enthusiasts. Jeff Meyer apparently doesn't expect the new display in the lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank, "Money in Motion," to become one of the great city's major tourist attractions, but it's very much worth seeing anyway. Many Americans probably don't know what the Federal Reserve is, let alone what it does, and this display could help. Here's more from Jeff Meyer in the City of Brotherly Love.

China's big customer (Monday, 8/11/03)
Not so many years ago, about the best Americans could do was gaze at a handful of people and water buffalo across the no-man's-land from Hong Kong's New Territories. For the most part, China's billion people were isolated from the United States and Americans knew almost nothing about them.

Then, Henry Kissinger made a secret trip to China to make arrangements, and President Nixon visited an elderly and somewhat ditzy Mao. Things developed from there. Now, America buys $120 billion more from China each year than it sells to the world's most populous nation, and that's affecting many Americans at home. In addition, China has attracted huge investments from the West, including the United States, as well as a very large number of tourists and their money.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Corporate Crime Reporter (Monday, 8/11/03)
Legal professionals, various types of scholars, and people who are simply curious about corporate crime, corporate criminals, or the legal specialty that deals with both have been reading Corporate Crime Reporter since it began publishing in 1986.

Japan becomes more dependent on its service sector (Sunday, 8/10/03)
It appears that it will be Japan's service industry, not manufacturing, that will determine its economic recovery, according to Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun.

The cost of job stress (Sunday, 8/10/03)
Stress on the job is a major contributor to a variety of health problems which cost American business $300 billion per year, according to estimates. Here's more from Steve James in New York.

New York City's long road back (Sunday, 8/10/03)
Janny Scott reports that there are growing reasons for optimism that the worst economic days may be in the Big City's past.

Penny wise, pound foolish? (Sunday, 8/10/03)
Louis Uchitelle of the New York Times examines the impact of the states' budget deficits on higher education. In brief, it's getting more expensive for students, which means that access to higher education is narrowing, with major implications, not only for the individuals involved, but for American society and its economy.

Unintended consequences? (Sunday, 8/10/03)
Three states that contain 30 percent of America's poor people are among the biggest losers as a consequence of the federal matching rate for Medicaid, according to a study from the General Accounting Office.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: EconEdLink (Sunday, 8/10/03)
EconEdLink will be of interest to academic people in search of course content, as well as people who want to increase their understanding of selected economic issues.

Messy California politics makes economic mess messier (Saturday, 8/9/03)
If most national trends begin in California, it may be time for the rest of the country to run for cover. The world's fifth-largest economy is going through a very rough period, even without considering a budget shortfall of more than $38 BILLION in a state with 35 MILLION people. Now comes the recall election, which Michael Liedke in San Francisco says is likely to put even more of a drag on the California economy.

Layoffs averted in Mexico (Saturday, 8/9/03)
An agreement has been reached which will avoid 2,000 layoffs at Volkswagen's manufacturing plant in Mexico.

Mediators call time-out at Verizon (Saturday, 8/9/03)
Nearly a week after passing the original strike deadline, negotiators are still talking at Verizon Communications, or, at least, they were until mediators suggested a pause until Tuesday. Here's more from Leigh Strope in Washington.

How increased productivity should lead to more jobs (Saturday, 8/9/03)
Carlos Torres explains why the recent good news about productivity should bolster corporate profits, which should encourage additional hiring. Stay tuned.

Fed fears that deflation still threatens (Saturday, 8/9/03)
Russ Wiles of the Arizona Republic finds that many analysts don't expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates for quite a while, given ongoing concerns about the possibility of deflation infecting the American economy.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Brookings Policy Briefs (Saturday, 8/9/03)
Washington, D. C.'s famous policy "think-tank", The Brookings Institution, now makes many of its policy briefs available online, arranged by date.

Sprint to hang up on American workers? (Friday, 8/8/03)
If you're a techie in search of a job, you might want to look in Bangalore, but don't expect to earn what you've been used to in the United States. The outsourcing overseas of white-collar jobs seems to be building momentum and stimulating increasing concern, as well as governmental attention. Sprint is the latest tech company apparently intending to ship many technical and service jobs to India.

Productivity numbers are good news for the Fed (Friday, 8/8/03)
Michael Wallace of Business Week tells why the latest report on increased productivity broadens the options of the Federal Reserve.

Herbert on the "job-loss recovery" (Friday, 8/8/03)
Columnist Bob Herbert says that the current Republican administration has put the voodoo back in economics, creating despair among the jobless, and he offers some of the reasons why.

Lump sum or annuity? (Friday, 8/8/03)
It's not just a question you have to answer if you win the lottery. It's also a decision for retirees, and Christine Dugas says more people are deciding to take all the money at once.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Baby Boomers Envision Their Retirement (Friday, 8/8/03)
The so-called "baby-boomers"--persons born between 1946 and 1964--make up the largest generation in American history, about 76 million people. What do they expect their retirement to be like? Among the organizations that are likely to be greatly affected as this huge cohort ages is what used to be called the American Association of Retired People, but which is now officially named just AARP. AARP's study, Baby Boomers Envision Their Retirement: An AARP Segmentation Analysis, finds, among many other things, that the majority of boomers expect to work during their retirement.

More encouraging economic news (Thursday, 8/7/03)
During recent days, we've reported on the surge in orders for manufactured goods as well as an increasingly robust services sector. Now, the Labor Department reports on a big increase in productivity during the second quarter of the year, as well as a decline in first-time jobless claims last week.

Michigan governor intends to save factory jobs (Thursday, 8/7/03)
The state of Michigan has lost large numbers of manufacturing jobs during recent years, and it's not the only one. Michigan's Governor Granholm intends to do something about it and may become the leader among governors who have a similar mission. Here's more from the Detroit Free Press' Tom Walsh.

Help-wanted advertising slumps (Thursday, 8/7/03)
Newspaper help-wanted advertising revenues have declined by 50 percent in only about three years. Competition from the Internet is part of the reason.

Child care during off-hours (Thursday, 8/7/03)
Not everybody works 9-5, so, as Christine Romero reports, many child-care centers are no longer just for daycare anymore.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Canadian Subsidy Directory (Thursday, 8/7/03)
The Canadian government offers more than 2000 subsidies, grants, or loans, all of which are described in the 2003 edition of the Canadian Subsidy Directory. The publication will cost you, but here's a description and information about how it can be obtained.

Good month for services (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
The U.S. service sector grew at its fastest rate in six years last month. It was a better month for services than had been predicted by economists.

Strike ends at Hyundai (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
A strike that tied up operations for a month at South Korea's largest automaker has ended. Agreement has been reached on higher wages and a shorter work week. Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers have started negotiations with American car companies. This time, competition from foreign manufacturers are much on the minds of both management and labor.

Unemployment increases in Germany (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
The Financial Times reports that unemployement went up last month, despite modest improvement in the German economy. Again, though, employment statistics are lagging indicators. Economic conditions have to improve and convince employers that the improvement is real before they will be greatly motivated to add employees.

Union wants pilots trained to use guns (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
A union representing 11,000 pilots in the United States wants expansion of the government program to arm pilots, given the threat of new terrorist attacks.

Selective boom, balloon? (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
You've been hearing a lot about the residential real estate boom, but, as David Leonhardt reports, it hasn't been consistent in all regions of the country.

Hispanics more optimistic than non-Hispanics? (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
A new poll conducted by CBS and the New York Times finds that most Hispanics in the United States see a good future for themselves and their children. Many of their attitudes and reported experiences seem to contrast significantly with those of non-Hispanics, including other minorities.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: America's Most Literate Cities (Wednesday, 8/6/03)
The University of Wisconsin's Jack Miller investigates literacy as an attribute of "quality of life." His study examines the literacy rankings of the sixty-four largest cities in the United States.

Factory orders are up (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
The Department of Commerce reported yesterday that demand for manufactured products was strong in June. Here's more from Jeannine Aversa in Washington. It's a good sign, of course, but, on the other hand, mortgage rates have leapt up very recently, which is likely to slow the real estate sector and add a weight for the economy to drag behind as it attempts to advance.

Is optimism on the rise in Japan? (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
Yuri Kageyama says a new report from the Cabinet Office warns of excessive optimism. Nonetheless, their August report is the first in several months that sees more reason for cheer than during the previous month. Tokyo's Asahi Shimbun begins a three-part series on Japan's sputtering but perhaps finally real recovery, and says that restructuring is beginning to pay off.

A long-term problem for Japan's economy has to do with its shifting demographics. Like several other mature industrial societies, its population is aging and declining, and that means that its workforce will be shrinking too. Traditional attitudes about foreigners and "ethnic purity" mitigate against immigration as a solution, but that may be a necessary possibility if Japan's economy is ever to regain the momentum for which it was famous over many of the post-war years.

A growing American export (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
It's high-skill, white-collar jobs. SUNY Professor William Raynor helped break the story with his BNWW article about the overseas exportation of white-collar jobs before he was interviewed on CBS Radio. Nearly everybody has reported on it since, and it may very well be one of the most important economic stories of the decade. Here's Stephanie Armour and Michelle Kessler's report from USA Today.

Boom and bust in New York City (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
How much of the gay '90s gains have been lost in the Big City? Economists will not know for sure for quite a long time, but clues are emerging, according to Janny Scott.

Consulting firm says stronger corporate email policies are needed (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
The Arizona Republic's Christine Romero tells about what a new study says about the improper use of email by employees and the kinds of risks this poses for employers.

Fewer, but stronger (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
Leigh Strope reports that organized labor's political influence has been increasing, even though the number of workers belonging to labor unions has been declining steadily for many years.

Message to workers (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
Consultant Tom Wamberg says that companies need to pay more attention to how they compensate their CEOs now for internal PR purposes, among other things. The truth can make employees mad, according to him.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Advance Child Credit Status (Tuesday, 8/5/03)
Do you qualify for the Advance Child Credit? You can find out by entering a little information on the Internal Revenue's site intended to help you learn what you want to know without having to call them. The IRS started mailing checks out on July 25 to those taxpayers whose Social Security number's last two digits are in the 00-33 range. For those in the 34-66 range, checks were mailed August 1. Finally, checks to qualified persons in the 67-99 range will be mailed August 8.

Talks continue at Verizon, and job security seems to be the principal sticking point (Monday, 8/4/03)
The rapid rate at which service jobs have been exported recently makes workers at a telephone company nervous. A strike has been averted for the time being, as some progress is reported in negotiations, but Pete Yost reports that the two sides are hung up on job-security issues at Verizon.

What that ruling on IBM's pension plan means for others (Monday, 8/4/03)
Deepa Babington writes that the rules are in conflict, and this is giving many employers headaches.

Minorities particularly hurt by economic sluggishness (Monday, 8/4/03)
Even though the U.S. economy hasn't been in recession since shortly after 9-11, it hasn't been growing enough to make very many people happy either. Deborah Kong writes from California about the special effects that the sluggish economy has had on Hispanics and African Americans.

The U.S. economy has been sending mixed signals about its near-term future. The "technical recovery" that's going on doesn't seem real at all to people without jobs, according to Adam Geller in New York. Maybe job growth will get better soon, maybe it won't, and Ron Scherer says that the uncertainty is stressing job seekers. Sue Kirchhoff reports that state governments have been eliminating jobs for months, as they attempt to cope with their budgetary problems, and this isn't helping the grim overall job market.

How Argentina worked its way down...with help (Monday, 8/4/03)
At one time, Argentina was the wealthiest country in Latin America. In fact, less than a century ago, it had a standard of living that exceeded that of the United States. What happened? The Washington Post's Paul Blustein says that Wall Street helped Argentina's economy collapse in an historically spectacular manner.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Calculate Your Take-Home Pay (Monday, 8/4/03)
Want to determine just how much money you're really earning? Calculate your take-home pay and more at paycheckcity.com.

So far, no strike at Verizon (Sunday, 8/3/03)
Tens of thousands of Verizon Communications workers have decided to remain on the job as negotiations resume today. A strike deadline has been allowed to pass because of reported progress.

Xerox loses in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (Sunday, 8/3/03)
The Court upheld a lower court ruling in a class-action case alleging that the company underpaid former workers. Xerox must pay approximately $300 million in damages.

What's Iraq's economy really like, and how can we tell? (Sunday, 8/3/03)
The World Bank is trying to conduct the first assessment of Iraq's economy in nearly twenty-five years, and cautions that its first snapshot is likely to be blurred. Here's more from Cynthia Johnston in Baghdad.

Where women earn more (Sunday, 8/3/03)
On average over the entire country, there's still a gender gap when it comes to pay, with women still coming out on the short end. No so in all localities, however. In some cases, there's no gap, and in a few, women earn more than men. Moreover, this probably isn't where you would expect. Laurent Belsie reports from St. Louis on where women are earning more than men.

Microsoft has some billionaires and a LOT of millionaires (Sunday, 8/3/03)
Blaine Harden writes from Seattle about how Microsoft stock options have changed many lives.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Faith and Philanthropy (Sunday, 8/3/03)
Faith and Philanthropy examines the relationship between religious and secular giving. Among the findings: Over eighty-five percent of households who contribute to religious organizations also provide financial support to secular organizations. The report comes from the National Council of Churches and an organization called the Independent Sector.

Americans may have a mind to change their minds (Saturday, 8/2/03)
Tax rebate checks are beginning to arrive in many American mailboxes, and, despite earlier survey results, many people are deciding to spend, rather than save, according to John Reinan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. This is likely to be sweet music to the President's ears, given that he has been hoping that lower-income taxpayers will spend the extra money and stimulate a higher rate of growth in the American economy. However, many leading Democrats are expecting that it won't happen or that it won't be enough to make a major difference. Given that there's a presidential election next year, they may be hoping...secretly...that a sluggish economy will continue to be a heavy burden for President Bush to drag into the campaign.

Huh? How can unemployment decline as the economy eliminates more jobs? (Saturday, 8/2/03)
Fewer people are working, but even fewer people are still looking for jobs. Many have given up. The U.S. unemployment rate was at 6.2 percent in July, down from 6.4 percent the month before, but 44,000 jobs were lost during July, and that's the sixth month in a row of job losses. Here's more from Mike Blahnik of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Missed your chance: cheap mortgages rapidly disappear (Saturday, 8/2/03)
Very low mortgage rates recently encouraged large numbers of people to buy houses or refinance the mortgages they already had. However, the frenzy is subsiding as mortgage rates move upward again. Thomas Fogarty reports that they're averaging more than six percent now for the first time in 2003.

Speaking of mortgages, Sandra Block reports that "reverse mortgages" can be a wonderful thing for elderly people by providing them an opportunity to live off the equity in their homes. However, be careful. Read all the fine print. In fact, it's probably a good idea to consult with a trusted and competent financial advisor or lawyer.

More earnings heads south (Saturday, 8/2/03)
Mexicans working in the United States frequently send money to their families back home. In fact, the amount of money sent south of the border increased by nearly 30 percent during the first six months of this year compared to the first half of 2002.

Many of those 1960s long-hairs are now also white-hairs (Saturday, 8/2/03)
Yes, hippies still exist, and, yes, at least one commune still exists. Russ Oates reports from Tennessee that capitalism has kept it going.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Office of University Partnerships (Saturday, 8/2/03)
The Office of University Partnerships was established by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help higher education take advantage of funding opportunities in order to make a difference in their communities.

U.S. unemployment dips, but... (Friday, 8/1/03)
July's unemployment rate declined to 6.2 percent from the nine-year high of 6.4 percent in June. However, the Labor Department analysis says that most of the decrease can be attributed to hundreds of thousands of persons who simply gave up looking for work. The unemployment statistic reflects only those persons who are actively seeking employment.

Still, there appear to be more and more signs that the American economy may finally be in the process of getting on its feet nearly two years after the end of the most recent recession. The Washington Post's John Berry examines the implications of the better-than-expected 2.4 percent rate of expansion during the second quarter of this year.

IBM loses one in court (Friday, 8/1/03)
A federal judge has decided that IBM's revamped pension plan discriminates against older employees. The big tech company has indicated that it will appeal.

Settlement at BA (Friday, 8/1/03)
British Airways and its unions have reached agreement on the settlement of a costly strike. Here's more from The Guardian..

Why isn't everybody happy? (Friday, 8/1/03)
Christopher Farrell reports that the U.S. now seems to have what so many people say is a good thing: price stability. Now what?

Congress clears everything up (Friday, 8/1/03)
Okay, so that's a sarcastic headline. In reality, more people seem to be getting more confused as testimony is offered relating to the Administration's desire to change the criteria determining who would be eligible for overtime pay.

The 1990s was a good decade for minority women (Friday, 8/1/03)
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, African-American, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian women made major gains in the workplace during the booming 1990s. However, Hispanic women enjoyed the greatest progress. The EEOC study surveyed 39,000 businesses.

The need for selective assistance (Friday, 8/1/03)
William Easterly of Forbes says that there are at least two things that Presidents Kennedy and Bush would agree on--that America's national security depends on what happens to the world's poor nations, and that it's important to be very careful who receives American aid. It's easy to end up simply pouring the money down a bottomless hole.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Small States: Meeting the Challenges in the Global Economy (Friday, 8/1/03)
Small States: Meeting the Challenges in the Global Economy is a 127-page report from the World Bank examining the special development problems of the world's independent states with populations of fewer than 1.5 million persons.

Here are NewWork News stories from previous months

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