International press reports on life and work in the revolutionary new world economy
		NewWork News Archives
				Home

Bankrupt no more, almost (Monday, 3/31/03)
US Airways is preparing to emerge from bankruptcy sooner than most experts had expected. Matthew Barakat has more from Arlington, Virginia.

Russia's economy improves (Monday, 3/31/03)
For a time after the collapse of the old Soviet Union, there was much talk about "freedom to starve" under Russian democracy in an economy that was considered an international basket case. However, things have improved considerably, and more momentum seems to be building, according to Andrius Vilkancas in Moscow.

Experts expect negative impact of war (Monday, 3/31/03)
Experts at Japanese research institutes expect the war in Iraq to hurt the already hurting Japanese economy, particularly if it goes on and on. Here's more from Toshiyuki Otaki in Tokyo.

Hum-drum March for New York City's economy (Monday, 3/31/03)
The Big City's economy was slammed hard by the 9-11 terrorist attack, and it's never fully recovered. Now, there's a war in Iraq which isn't helping much. Some improvement may be on the horizon, though. Here's more about an uninspiring March and guesses about the months ahead.

A smaller company needs fewer people to run it (Monday, 3/31/03)
Kmart already has shut down a lot of stores. Now, it's cutting 660 jobs at its corporate headquarters.

Strong, for a while, but smaller (Monday, 3/31/03)
Scott Burns has good news and bad news. The good news is that the American Social Security system isn't going to blow up entirely quite as soon as many people fear. The bad news is something we might refer to as "check shrinkage".

Trying not to overdose on war news at work (Monday, 3/31/03)
Stacy Teicher reports that employers realize everybody wants to keep informed, but work has to get done too. Here's more about the ongoing search for balance when really major development could occur at any moment, but, then again, the 24-news networks may spend the next several hours saying the same things over and over.

Increased security costs will be passed along (Monday, 3/31/03)
Sooner or later, one way or another, the people who consume goods or services pay the cost of providing those goods or services, unless everybody pays for them through taxation. Companies are having to pay more for security during a dangerous time, and those costs will be passed along to consumers too, writes Michelle Kessler of USA Today.

Take a couple of aspirin, and call yourself in the morning (Monday, 3/31/03)
It may be that the world will look back on the decades during which American physicians made more money than nearly anybody else as an historical aberration. Most countries have had doctors, but most countries haven't had all that many rich doctors. In the United States, though, for several decades, physicians tended to have earnings that most other people could only dream amount, including many of those with generally comparable levels of graduate or professional education. That seems to be changing now, though, as physician incomes continue their decline for a variety of reasons.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: FlightArrivals.com (Monday, 3/31/03)
If you do a lot of business travel, or for any travel for any purpose, you can get up-to-the minute information about flight Arrivals, departures, delays, and schedule changes in the U.S. and Canada on FlightArrivals.com.

Look who may be rescuing Argentina's economy (Sunday, 3/30/03)
Argentina's economy has been in a serious frump for four years, but, Tony Smith of the New York Times reports, the country's agricultural sector is booming, and it may make all the difference.

The poor borrow from the poorer (Sunday, 3/30/03)
North Korea's only cash crop seems to be things that blow up or deliver things that blow up. However, they don't have nuclear weapons to sell to terrorist organizations or other rogue states quite yet, so, to tide them over, they're going to try to borrow money from their own people by issuing government bonds. These are people, many of whom are searching for grains of rice in the streets in order to have something to eat.

A skilled labor shortage in Canada (Sunday, 3/30/03)
People who drill for oil or gas have to know what they're doing, so the companies can't simply grab folks off the streets. In Canada, there haven't been enough skilled energy workers recently, and that's curtailed oil and gas production.

A quarter century of affirmative action (Sunday, 3/30/03)
It's been twenty-five years since the Supreme Court's decision in the Bakke case. Warren Richey of the Christian Science Monitor says the debate continues, but it has changed over the years.

How did it happen that they make SOOOO much money? (Sunday, 3/30/03)
It is said that Pat Sajak is paid about $6 million yearly for his service during the 39 days or so during which a full year's worth of TV's "Wheel of Fortune" is taped. He spends most of the rest of his time as an entrepreneur and executive running his production company and his Maryland radio station. While major Hollywood types such as Pat aren't likely to need to apply for food stamps anytime soon, their earnings pale in comparison to what many top CEOs with major corporations have been knocking down recently. This story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune examines how those top-executive paychecks got so big in the first place.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: New Technology and Manufacturing Processes (Sunday, 3/30/03)
Technology has been one of the principal engines driving change throughout the modern world. The Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have issued a report on new technology and manufacturing processes.

Another reason Turkey is unhappy about the war (Saturday, 3/29/03)
As coalition forces prepare to take Baghdad, it might be time to remember the World War II battle for Iwo Jima, if you still expect Baghdad to be a pushover. Iwo Jima is an island of less than eight square miles. Taking it required about a month of fierce fighting that resulted in 28,000 U.S. casualties, including 6,800 killed. If you still think you'll be able to sleep easily tonight, consider what it will be like if Iran, Syria, and Turkey come into the war, just for starters, of course.

Why should Turkey care--in addition to the fact that its Kurdish population might like to join with northern Iraq's Kurdish population to form a Kurdish state, that is? There are also the economic consequences of the war so far. James Helicke reports from Ankara that Turkey's economic recovery is in jeopardy, which could produce political instability in a country that, at the moment, is truly rare and presumably what the American Administration would like to see many more of: Islamic, but with a secular democratic government.

Precedent at United? (Saturday, 3/29/03)
Dave Carpenter writes from Chicago that United Airlines' success in freeing itself from what it regards as excessively restrictive work rules may have broader implications.

Singapore quarantines workers (Saturday, 3/29/03)
More than 50 persons have died from the deadly pneumonia virus that has been terrorizing much of Asia. A worker in Singapore has become infected, so the government has quarantined 305 Motorola employees.

Unemployment in France (Saturday, 3/29/03)
France's unemployment rate has hit 9.2 percent, the highest level in two years.

The need for better outcome measures (Saturday, 3/29/03)
Alan Greenspan ain't just a former Julliard student and saxophone player. Well, okay, some things really aren't even worth saying at all. However, it may be interesting to consider that the Federal Reserve Chairman started out as an artist, but has become best-known as one of our most hard-headed and competent quantifiers. He likes to see us base choices and decisions on the use of solid measures and genuinely trustworthy numbers. Forget vague questions or pronouncements. Instead, how many, how much, to what extent, in what ratio or proportion, and how can we tell? Specifically.

In modern life, our effectiveness often is limited by how little we really know, as opposed to what we like to say we know. For instance, as Martin Crutsinger reports, Chairman Greenspan believes that flawed outcome data have limited the effectiveness of long-term government efforts for dealing with poverty in the United States.

How women and men differ at work (Saturday, 3/29/03)
Author and workplace consultant Pat Heim first learned 20 years ago about the extent to which men can and often do "compartmentalize" on the job. For instance, a man can work side-by-side with another man for years without ever knowing how many children he has or whether he has any at all, something that would be inconceivable for most women. The Detroit Free Press' Jennifer Bott has more on workplace gender differences.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: University of Chicago Cultural Policy Center (Saturday, 3/29/03)
The University of Chicago's Cultural Policy Center conducts research and encourages public dialogue about the "practical workings of culture in our lives."

Ready for another dip? (Friday, 3/28/03)
Some analysts are saying that the American economy could be headed back into recession, according to Jeannine Aversa in Washington, and, as Sue Kirchhoff and Barbara Hagenbaugh report, many are thinking that it isn't just because of the war. However, few things influence a society like a war, and, as T.K. Maloy reports, one of the things that has been affected is the Bush tax-cut plan.

First, hired, then trained, then fired (Friday, 3/28/03)
The Transportation Security Administration has decided that it has too many airport screeners. As many as 3,000 people who were among those scrambling to obtain what appeared to be good-paying government jobs are likely to have to look for something else to do. Here's more from Leslie Miller in Washington.

US Air gets to switch pension plans (Friday, 3/28/03)
Bankrupt US Airways has said that it needs to replace its pension plan for pilots with one that costs less if it is to be able to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A U.S. bankruptcy court has agreed, which should enable the airline to restructure the way it feels is necessary.

High cancer risk workplace? (Friday, 3/28/03)
People who work on the 27th floor of Houston's First City Tower are wondering why so many of their co-workers have been diagnosed with cancer recently.

More on those new proposed overtime rules (Friday, 3/28/03)
The Labor Department wants to change the rules which determine who's eligible for time-and-a-half overtime pay and who isn't. Here are some of the main elements of the proposed regulations, while L. M. Sixel offers some guidance in determining whether or not you will be affected.

Unemployment in Denmark (Friday, 3/28/03)
The Danish unemployment rate has hit its highest level in 3 1/2 years. Here's more from Copenhagen.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: State Reports (Friday, 3/28/03)
Class Brain is intended for K-12 education, but its state reports feature offers interesting information on each of the states.

The U.S. economy grew unimpressively during 2002's final quarter (Thursday, 3/27/03)
The Commerce Department reports that the American economy grew at an annualized rate of only 1.4 percent during last year's fourth quarter, and little if any improvement is expect for this year's first quarter, which is about to end. However, economists are saying that increased military and security spending already is having a significant stimulative effect, as debate over additional tax cuts continues in Washington.

First-time jobless claims decline last week (Thursday, 3/27/03)
The Labor Department reports that the number of people applying for first-time jobless benefits fell last week, but says the job market is still very weak.

Tyson cleared (Thursday, 3/27/03)
Tyson Foods has been acquitted of charges that it conspired to import illegal immigrants to work in its plants.

New overtime rules proposed (Thursday, 3/27/03)
Federal regulations determining who is entitled to overtime pay have not been updated in 28 years, but, if the Administration has its way, they soon may be. The proposed changes would disqualify more than 600,000 white collar workers, but benefit more than a million low-income workers, according to the White House. Here's more from Leigh Strope in Washington.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Women in Military Service (Thursday, 3/27/03)
Women in Military Service traces the history of women who have served in the defense of the United States over the country's history.

Consumer confidence WAAAAY down (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
Employer confidence has been down, investor confidence has been down. Now, consumer confidence falls to its lowest level in a decade, according to the Conference Board's measure.

Penny smart, dollar dumb (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
One can always point to common American attitudes toward psychiatric illness as additional evidence of the deep disconnect between conventional beliefs and genuine verifiable knowledge. In fact, most of what most Americans and their political representatives believe about so-called "mental illness" is simply wrong. Moreover, it's even misleading to call this category of human disorders "mental," because that term arises from traditional ideas rather than contemporary knowledge of brain dysfunctions. Still, Olga Kharif reports in Business Week that an increasing number of states are trying to balance their budgets on the backs of some of their most vulnerable citizens, expecting, probably rightly, that those who are ill will have less political clout. But, this is an area in which an ounce of prevention can be worth tons of cure, so don't expect to save money in the long-run if you cut treatment now.

The education tax-break puzzle (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
If you like puzzles, but are tired of the daily crossword, you might try to figure out how to make out best on the government's tax breaks. It might be as challenging as the New York Times crossword puzzle, in fact. Here's more from Mark Schwanhausser of the Detroit Free Press.

Fed worker attitudes studied (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
A survey of more than 100,000 federal workers finds that many like their jobs, but would like for them to be more rewarding. In fact, more than a third are considering getting out and doing something else.

Borrowing too much (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
The increase in real estate values and low interest rates have encouraged many people to refinance or take out home equity loans. However, experts worry that too many people are overdoing it and could end up losing their homes.

Prepare to pay more for your Medicare (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
Your Medicare premiums are likely to increase by 12.4 percent next year, even though you may find it even harder to obtain service. That's because doctor's fees are likely to be cut at the same time. Many doctors already refuse to take Medicare patients, because they say they're losing money on each one.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Retirement Report (Wednesday, 3/26/03)
Among many other things, the New York Times finds in its special report on retirement that Americans are living longer, but that their late years are getting harder.

Awe, shocks, folks (Tuesday, 3/25/03)
It seems fairly obvious that the Administration's plans for Iraq's repressive regime have included the possibility that persons inside Iraq could be encouraged to take care of the problem so that military action, or, at least, extreme military action, would not be necessary. The President's repeated assurances that "We're coming; I mean we're REALLY coming," plus the massive movement of troops and hardware to the region, and even the large-scale antiwar protests in the streets could add to the credibility of his message. In addition, there was much talk in advance of the "shock and awe" bombing campaign to come, also intended--not only the campaign itself, but also the "telegraphing" of it ahead of time--to lead people high in the Iraqi government to suspect that they could have a personal future if they were to side with the invaders but no future at all with Saddam.

At this point, it does appear that the infamous regime of Saddam Hussein has greatly unraveled and that there is no doubt whatever about the final outcome. However, so far as we know, an insufficient number of the right people have been "shocked" or "awed," and coalition forces have been experiencing more resistance than many had expected. The Administration probably had hoped for the appearance on worldwide television of joyful multitudes delighted with their "liberation," but, so far, they can only be disappointed. Things haven't been happening quite as expected.

Historically, there have been many cases in which relentless bombing has strengthened the resolve of people, rather than destroying their will to resist. Yet, in each new war, it is widely expected that "things will be different this time." Also, is there any reason to expect that Iraqi military will continue fighting for Saddam, or whatever it is that they're fighting for? Why not? A very large number of German military continued to fight for Hitler, or whatever it was that they were fighting for, up until the very end.

In the unrealistic expectations department, many in the antiwar movement seem to believe that everything would have been just peachy if only President Bush had decided not to go ahead with an invasion of Iraq. Some of what participants have been saying sounds like a verbatim transcript of what some Americans were saying about Hitler, Roosevelt, and Churchill, respectively, in the late 1930s. As Mark Twain said, history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

In what may first appear to an irrelevant observation, Texas now has executed more than 300 of its criminals, and, while other states haven't been quite so vigorous in killing people, there's still widespread support for the death penalty, and a favorable attitude toward its application is one of the things that Presidents Bush and Clinton, as well as Bush's 2000 adversary, Al Gore, have in common. Apparently, this policy is based on the assumption that people will shape up and that their most antisocial actions will be deterred if you threaten them with death. Never mind that approximately 30,000 Americans KILL THEMSELVES each year, while several hundred thousand others give it their best, unsuccessful efforts. Never mind that radical Islam seems to have no problem recruiting people for suicide missions. People who intend to kill themselves may not mind too much if they find that you want to kill them too. And, how many people USE the death penalty as a way of killing themselves? In this way, to what extent does the state promote or encourage capital crimes?

Some arguments against the death penalty can be accused of being "bleeding heart." However, with respect to others, it might not be so much matter of hearts as brains. The fact that the human brain in default mode within social contexts is capable to believing things with so little evidence or with no evidence at all or even AGAINST all available evidence is itself an interesting commentary on human nature. So many people in government believe what they believe, expect what they expect, do what they do, because so many persons in the general population so frequently fall victim to some sort of socially-transmitted "brain disease." That's the way it's always been, but the special vulnerabilities of the very new world in which we will spend the remainder of our lives makes this popular tendency far more dangerous.

What's wrong with all of these pictures? Why do things keep turning out so differently from what so many people seem to expect? It's because of the extreme inadequacy of popular theories of human nature which are based more on long tradition than genuine verifiable knowledge. In fact, since at least the time of Copernicus, but greatly accelerating during the 20th and 21st centuries, there has been a growing divergence between what most people believe about nature, including human nature, as well as the past, on the one hand, and our best knowledge of these things, on the other.

It's only fairly recently that we have come to understand what it takes to arrive at trustworthy answers to empirical questions; i.e., factual, questions about present and past things and events in the natural world. This means that through most of human history, people HAVEN'T been doing what it takes, and this means that any randomly-selected popular belief about nature, including human nature, has a high probability of being flat-out wrong.

Now, what about the economic implications of all that you're reading on the front pages or on which you are OD-ing from the 24-hour news channels? The stock market represents some sort of weighted average of the choices of millions of individuals, some wise, some foolish, some informed, some ignorant, some normal, some pathological, all in varying degrees, plus computer programs which are totally stupid about context. As a consequence, the market tends to over-react to nearly everything.

First, it surges because the start of the war seemed to remove a lot of the previous uncertainty, then it "tanks" when evidence begins to mount that it won't be a "cake walk" after all, even though few military leaders actually in charge of the war ever said it would be. Author Tom Clancy probably is right when he says that top U.S. generals tend to have the same level of professional competence as top medical experts at a place like Johns Hopkins in Clancy's native Maryland.

U.S. and Japanese "think tanks" have been trying to develop guestimates of how a long war might affect the world's major economies. Japan's economy, which has been struggled with a series of recessions over more than a decade, doesn't need any additional problems. Its central bank held an emergency meeting and decided to leave monetary policy alone for the time being. David Francis of the Christian Science Monitor reports that Fed policy makers in the U.S. have been getting their heads together too, trying to determine, with difficulty, how either a short or a relatively long war might affect the U.S. and world economies. One cost to the economy may be the increased stress and preoccupation of workers with the inundation of media war coverage. Paul Davidson of USA Today says many employers are trying to help their employees cope with stress, and, while some of their efforts may be altruistic, it can be assumed that many consider it be in their own enlightened self-interest.

Some individual industries expect to suffer as a consequence of the threats and hostilities. Chris Woodyard of USA Today says that business travelers are finding reasons to stay in the office more of the time, and U.S. airlines say that the war may cost them $10 billion.

The effects of the war is one thing; the immediate cost of it is something else, and there are greatly varying estimates. However, as Elisabeth Bumiller and David Firestone report from Washington, President Bush will ask Congress for $74.7 billion to pay the bill. Will that be enough, or is that a politically-motivated, excessively optimistic PR move on the part of the Administration? We don't know either.

US Air awaits news (Tuesday, 3/25/03)
The bankrupt airline has reached a deal with its pilots on a new pension program which could mean its emergence from bankruptcy. However, Matthew Barakat reports from Washington that it's up to federal pension regulators. Meanwhile, a bankruptcy judge has good news for Bethlehem Steel and bad news for 30,000 of its retirees.

Women move up, but salaries continue to lag (Tuesday, 3/25/03)
Nearly half of the managers and executives in the United States are women now, which is major news in itself. Still, according to Census Bureau data, there's still a large gender gap when it comes to pay.

It's important to at least give the appearance of industriousness (Tuesday, 3/25/03)
As many companies examine personnel data with the hope of finding additional workers they can do without and as those seeking jobs continue to face a cranky job market, fewer people are calling in sick, according to new data. In some cases, that may mean that people are choosing to work even when they're not well, while, in others, it may mean that fewer people are taking what they consider to be "mental health days" that mental health professionals might feel are not necessary. Speaking of layoffs, the tech sector continues to shed workers, according to a report from the American Electronics Association.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Arab Human Development Report 2002 (Tuesday, 3/25/03)
Many observers have pointed out that one reason that Islamic extremists in some Arab countries have been able to recruit young people willing to destroy themselves in service of what they are led to hope will be the destruction of the West is that they see so little future for themselves under present circumstances. After leading the world centuries ago, Arab cultures "stalled" and failed to attach themselves to the modernization movement that has swept over much of the globe. Currently, their economic development is likely to depend on other types of development. A United Nations-sponsored report published last year tells about the present state of Arab human development.

A dangerous occupation in which even the training can be life-threatening (Friday, 3/14/03)
During the Gulf War, which soon may be referred to as Gulf War I, a quarter of the American casualties were the result of "friendly fire" that wasn't all that friendly after all. Equally, well, disappointing, is when soldiers give their lives for their country without going to battle at all. Fred Bayles writes from Fort Drum, New York on the great hazards of military training.

The American economy's bright spot (Friday, 3/14/03)
Thirty-year mortgage rates continue to decline, making it the best time in forty years or so for many people to buy a house, or to refinance. Here's more from Jeannine Aversa in Washington.

Among the busiest offices on campus (Friday, 3/14/03)
An economy is like an airplane in flight. It can't stand still or it will lose altitude. When a society's population continues to grow, its economy also has to grow simply in order to keep things the same. When that doesn't happen, in effect, a society becomes less wealthy and can't afford a lot of the things to which people have become accustomed. More and more people get priced out of the market, and access, even to what people have come to think of as "essential" services, constricts. Presently, state budgets are a colossal mess, and this is influencing nearly everybody, including students. Greg Winter and Jennifer Medina write about the increasingly long lines at university financial aid offices which contain a lot of young people who are trying not to think about how much of their lives will be required to get out from under all that debt after they graduate.

Bethlehem retirees won't be cut off...yet (Friday, 3/14/03)
Bethlehem Steel is bankrupt and had planned to terminate health benefits for its retirees at the end of this month, which provoked outrage from a number of influential people, including Leo Gerard, President of the Steelworkers union. A deal has been reached under which those benefits will continue for a while longer. Meanwhile, General Motors is acting to strenthen its employee benefit plans by pumping in an additional $1.24 billion. Throughout the U.S. economy, though, workers will have to get used to picking up a greater share of the tab for their health care, as employers prepare to cope with insurance premium increases of at least 17 percent per year for the next five years during which, according to the old "rule of 72," premiums will more than double.

Phillips jobs in the U.S. to be cut (Friday, 3/14/03)
The big Dutch electronics firm, Philips, will close a plant in San Antonio, Texas as part of a restructuring move that will eliminate 1,600 jobs in the U.S. and Europe.

What people are telling a noted columnist (Friday, 3/14/03)
Kansas City Star columnist Diane Stafford has been hearing from some of her readers, some of whom are among the nearly 8.5 million unemployed Americans who can expect to search for at least 18 weeks before finding another job. That's about the average of what it takes, but, for some, it will be much longer. War jitters are taking their toll on the American economy, including the spenders who aren't spending as much while waiting to see if the world will begin blowing up in slow motion. Still, Germany's economic crisis seems to be more serious. Tony Czuczka reports from Berlin on what Chancellor Schroeder hopes to do about it.

How's that again? (Friday, 3/14/03)
When communication is sloppy, business gets sloppy. Here's more on the importance of clear communication from Yvette Armendariz of the Arizona Republic.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: History of the Workhouse (Friday, 3/14/03)
For a couple of centuries, people in Britain who had no alternative, were given the opportunity to work for room and board, which made it fairly difficult to get ahead. At any rate, here's Peter Higginbotham's History of the Workhouse.

Consumers stay home in February (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Anxieties about the economy as well as the unstable geopolitical situation seem to be taking their toll on the American consumer's willingness to spend money. Retail sales were unexpectedly dismal last month, according to Commerce Department data.

Schroeder prepares to bite the bullet (Thursday, 3/13/03)
David McHugh writes from Frankfurt about why Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder may be about to tackle painful labor reforms that might have been unthinkable and politically untenable only a short time ago.

China's internecine tech competition (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Will it be Hong Kong or will it be Shanghai that becomes China's information technology leader? The competition is heating up, according to Bruce Einhorn. He's right about that, but he's wrong when he says it's been ten years since Hong Kong was turned back to China by the British. Not quite.

Is your pension fund supporting people who want to blow us up? (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Christine Dugas says that many American cities and states are examining their funds with a strong microscope in order to sure that the investments aren't providing uintended support for terrorism.

Many Americans lose their Medicaid (Thursday, 3/13/03)
With states suffering the worst budget problems in 50 years, most are trying to cut costs wherever they can. Patrick McMahon reports that this means that more than a million low-income Americans have lost or are likely to lose their subsidized health care. In other healthcare-related news, Janelle Carter reports from Washington that House Republicans are moving a bill through that would limit jury awards in malpractice suits.

Think about this as you enjoy your fish dinner (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Outside of combat, the job of the fisherman seems to be the most dangerous of all. Here's more from Gary Stoller of USA Today. Speaking of dangerous jobs, Hispanics seem to have more than their share in the United States. Jim Hopkins has more information about the growing fatality rate among members of America's largest minority.

What does it mean to be "married?" (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Is it a religious sacrament? Not for many persons in an increasingly diverse America. Is it just a legal contract? That settles and clarifies quite a lot of issues, but it doesn't seem to, well, capture the heart of the matter. More and more people feel that they're the ones who should decide if and when they want to pair off, and don't feel that they need anyone else's "permission" or approval, but that CAN complicate things, particularly if the relationship goes bad. Nonetheless, "domestic partnerships" are achieving growing recognition in society as legitimate household arrangements. Laurent Belsie reports that many employers are recognizing them too, when it comes to a lot of the practical stuff.

Small is good (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Clayton Collins tells about entrepreneurs who successfully think "small." Sara Terry of the Christian Science Monitor has more about the "microloans" which are just what some people need. Bigger isn't necessarily better for everybody.

Bad habits are hard to break, and it isn't just about "cooked books" (Thursday, 3/13/03)
Some candidates for Berkeley's MBA program are rejected because of "cooked resumes." Business Week's Brian Hindo has more.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The History of Commercial Aviation (Thursday, 3/13/03)
With commercial airlines in the news so much lately because of their economic problems, you may be interested in learning more about the industry as a whole. Here's former commercial pilot Sarah Ward's History of Commercial Aviation.

War could finish breaking the backs of many U.S. airlines (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
The Air Transport Association says that war in Iraq could result in the elimination of an additional 70,000 airline industry jobs. Here's more from John Crawley in Washington. Meanwhile, Bill Hensel of the Houston Chronicle reports that many airlines fear bankruptcy, and offers a summary of their respective situations. Most feel they need federal help, and Jon Herskovitz of Forbes reports that union members at American Airlines marched at major airports today, calling on Congress to toss their industry a lifeline.

European labor organization calls for work stoppage Friday to protest possible war (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
Leaders of the European Trade Union Confederation would like to see 60 million European workers walk off their jobs to protest a possible U.S.-led war in Iraq.

After 115 years, Brazil attempts to REALLY abolish slavery (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
Slavery was legally abolished in Brazil in 1888, but the most primitive of human institutions persists still, according to Axel Bugge in Brasilia. The country's President has a plan for getting rid of it once and for all.

What the Fed can do about deflation (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
Not much, they say, and Scott Burns writes about how deflation could hurt the housing market, particularly the less expensive part.

For-profits run by nonprofits (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
It may be a way of having your cake and eating it too. Jeremiah Hall reports from San Francisco on the growing number of nonprofit organizations that are spinning off for-profit enterprises, presumably in service of the nonprofits' original social commitments.

Too good to be true (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
Shannon Buggs of the Houston Chronicle says that this is the time of year when many taxpayers become particularly vulnerable to schemes and scams that can trigger an IRS audit plus additional problems. It's not so much that there is something for everybody, but that there is somebody for everything, including the myths about how to cut taxes that are floating around. Many people deeply want to believe them, but the IRS has heard about them all, and myths are myths. Sandra Block of USA Today offers similar cautions. Careful you don't end up paying somebody to help you commit tax fraud, but with YOUR name on the dotted-line, not your "helper's."

Work is not the place for web entertainment or personal commerce (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
Believe it or not, the Internet access that your employer provides isn't free, and depending on how it's used, your employer may be subject to legal exposure. The Washington Post reports that a growing number of employers are cracking down on unauthorized use of the Internet by employees while at work.

Strength in numbers (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
Families headed by single mothers tend to be badly understaffed. Jennifer Wolcott reports that some single moms are joining together with other single moms to share housing and to produce a less vulnerable "extended family unit." There have also been interesting cases of women deciding to adopt each other as "sisters," even when they don't live together, in order to form the network of support that many other persons come by naturally. A sister is someone whom you won't feel bad about calling on when your car won't start in the winter or when you need a family member to pick up the kids at school. People choose their spouses; why shouldn't they be able to choose their siblings?

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Salary Wizard (Wednesday, 3/12/03)
The HotJobs site's Salary Wizard can help you determine likely salary levels based on job title and geographic locations.

Time to turn the bright lights back on (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
Striking musicians on Broadway have made a deal with producers, and 18 musicals are coming back to life.

Even lower rates may be coming (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
Interest rates have been hovering at their lowest levels in a generation or two--since the Kennedy administration, in fact. Nonetheless, there are growing signs that the Fed may push them even lower. Here's more from Martin Crutsinger in Washington.

Home grown food solutions, with a little help from outsiders (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
From all available evidence, all American citizens are "African Americans," if we simply trace their ancestry back far enough. Africa is where we all began, but many descendants of the early humans who have remained on the huge continent have been having a hard time of it in recent years. One of the recurring miseries is starvation. Justin Gillis reports that several major agricultural companies are pooling their resources in order to share their scientific expertise in order to help Africans boost their food production.

Help from the boss while you serve (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
Stephanie Armour of USA Today reports that many employers are doing their part to support the families of military reservists called to active duty. Some things are required by federal law, but it's not unusual to find companies willing to go above and beyond those requirements.

The tech wreck rolls on (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
Rumors of a tech sector rebound may be premature. Michelle Kessler writes about continued job cuts during January and February.

Mouse-click resumes (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
Anne Kadet compares two computer programs that claim to be capable of turning the frustrating business of preparing a resume over to your computer. We don't know if this will tend to make you appear to be a lot like many of the job seekers with whom you are competing. Interestingly, many employers also use computers to screen resumes. Much work is being done by computers too, so, perhaps human beings really can be taken out of the process altogether.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Wall Street Poet (Tuesday, 3/11/03)
If your finances are worse, put them to verse. No, no, scratch that. Instead, be entertained by reading Wall Street Poet Michael Silverstein's satirical verse about all things financial and economic.

Stocks hit 20-year low in Japan (Monday, 3/10/03)
"Pacific" means calm or peaceful, and many people in Japan, including high government officials, are wishing that some of the great ocean's calmness would wash up on Japanese shores. Here's more from Ken Belson in the International Herald Tribune.

Chinese farmers suffer less than expected from WTO membership (Monday, 3/10/03)
After a long struggle, China finally gained membership in the World Trade Organization more than a year ago. While many anticipated a general gain for the burgeoning Chinese economy overall, it was widely expected that Chinese farmers would suffer as a consequence. While vast numbers of people in the Chinese countryside haven't benefited significantly from the latest Chinese revolution, WTO membership doesn't seem to have hurt them as much as expected, according to Christopher Bodeen in Newsday.

Incidentally, according to Audra Ang in Beijing, Chinese textile workers in the northeastern part of the country have been engaging in a protest march with hopes of recovering back pay. In the "bad old days," all of them might have disappeared into some sort of black hole, never to be heard from again. That can still happen in the world's most populous country whose government is now "communist" in name only, but still autocratic. However, there is such a thing as public opinion in China now, and the government, which is looking more and more like the dog that caught the truck, has to pay some attention to it.

The ability of a relatively few people in any government to manage or regulate a much larger population depends, in part, on shared ideology or some sort of core consensus, usually--e.g., the American Constitution "works" because a sufficient number of Americans carry parts of it in their heads as a portion of their assumed interpretations of reality, not because it's written on parchment in the National Archives. Also, governments tend to be highly organized while population masses tend not to be. It's why mobs are so dangerous. Large numbers of people can end up pushing in the same direction--a type of organization--and swamp the authorities. The fact that mobs usually are mindless as well makes them even more dangerous to public order and civilized life. Governments can be overthrown and replaced with chaos.

The current Chinese economic revolution, which could result in China's becoming the world's leading power before the end of the century, so far, is benefiting a relatively small portion of the vast Chinese population, while leaving great multitudes behind. The government, which has let the tiger out of its cage, is now mounted on it, and can neither dismount nor fully control it. Stay tuned.

National health coverage awareness campaign begins (Monday, 3/10/03)
More than 40 million Americans are without health insurance at any particular time, and a number of major organizations are starting to work together to stimulate public awareness, which might give the Administration and members of Congress sufficient support and political cover to bring about action to fix a system that is clearly broken. Interestingly, this coalition of organizations includes some whose names usually don't appear in the same sentence except in reports of conflicts with one another. Aaron Berstein of Business Week has more from Washington.

Chicken counting before hatching? (Monday, 3/10/03)
It may or may not seem premature, but major companies, including some with strong ties to famous Republicans, already are submitting bids for the rebuilding of Iraq. If the world essentially blows sky-high, the work might be delayed awhile.

Maybe "boom" really meant "blowing up" (Monday, 3/10/03)
When Silicon Valley's boom ended, unemployed tech experts were left strewn every which way throughout the region. Lisa Baertlein writes from Sunnyvale, California on what life is like after the boom and during the bust. The tech sector in the United States and elsewhere has been suffering from recession followed by unimpressive growth, war jitters, and suppressed business tech spending, partly because of war jitters and partly because of overcapcity. For example, try to sell somebody telecommunications gear when most already have more than they need and possibly more than will ever be used, given what seems be the great "wireless leapfrog" phenomenon already underway. At the very least, if you're trying to sell to increasingly cost-conscious customers, it will help to have less expensive products, according to this report from Hanover, Germany, and that might boost technology in general.

"Superperson" may not be just an action hero much longer (Monday, 3/10/03)
David Plotz of Slate reports on various efforts to design and build a superior human being. Ma Nature may have the same thing in mind, if Greg Bear's science fiction book, Darwin's Radio, is right about our future. This is real SCIENCE fiction, incidentally, not tech fiction, and the story is set in the near future, meaning that it rests, for the most part, on genuine current knowledge taken a step or two further. At the very least, it encourages provocative "what if" speculations, and is sufficiently credible to result in a mostly favorable review in the March 2000 edition of the prestigious journal, Nature, written by San Francisco State University biologist Michael Goldman.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Economic Calendar (Monday, 3/10/03)
The Washington Post Economic Calendar tells when the key economic reports are due..

There's nothing like a war to make people want to stick close to home (Sunday, 3/9/03)
Kerstin Gehmlich writes from Berlin about how the $460 billion global tourism industry is likely to be affected by war in Iraq.

Wall Street has become sensitized (Sunday, 3/9/03)
The recent scandals involving various analysts and Wall Street firms have caused a greater degree of sensitivity to both the reality and the appearance of wrong-doing. Patrick McGeehan of the New York Times reports that this seems to include a very serious attitude toward sexual harassment.

How cash-balance pensions would affect members of Congress (Sunday, 3/9/03)
Mary Williams Walsh has sharpened her pencil in order to see how pension reforms favored by some people in Congress would affect them personally if they were included with other workers under new legislation. Many would lose big, she says.

For richer or poorer, but hopefully not poorer (Sunday, 3/9/03)
The Washington Post's Michelle Singletary passes on some specific financial advice for newlyweds from Boston CPA Andrew Schwartz.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: World of Money (Sunday, 3/9/03)
If you're interested in knowing more about money, rather than simply having more of it, the British Museum's World of Money exhibit is likely to interest you. Their online exhibits are acceptable substitutes for those who aren't able to visit the great museum in person. Online, there is the additional benefit of not becoming "trapped." If you visit in person, you may feel an overwhelming desire to spend most of the rest of your life in the middle of one of the world's leading treasure-troves.

The cost of a war that hasn't happened yet (Saturday, 3/8/03)
Actually, the war to unseat Saddam Hussein already has begun, but not on the scale that seems likely during the next couple of weeks or so. The Administration hasn't ventured an official guess about what all that will cost, let alone the ongoing cost of rebuilding the country after the shooting stops. However, as L. M. Sixel reports, worry about war already has slammed the U.S. economy pretty hard, and, if the uncertainty were to persist for a couple more months--which is highly unlikely--the American economy probably would fall back into recession. Leigh Strope offers perspective on February's 5.8 percent unemployment rate, the worst drop since right after the 9-11 attack. Finally, interest rates, which have been at their lowest levels since the Kennedy administration, might fall even lower according to some economists.

First Kirkland, now Sweeney (Saturday, 3/8/03)
There has been a precipitous decline over the past half-century in the proportion of the private sector workforce that is unionized. For this and other reasons, organized labor has lost a significant amount of its political clout. AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland was ousted less than a decade ago because union leaders didn't feel he was doing enough. Now, some seem to have the same opinion of John Sweeney. Here's Business Week's report on what they refer to as a "palace coup."

The shows aren't going on after all (Saturday, 3/8/03)
The bright lights of Broadway have been turned off for a while following the refusal of actors and stagehands to cross striking musicians' picket lines.

Resettlement program to begin in China (Saturday, 3/8/03)
The Chinese government says that more than 28 million of its citizens are impoverished--some would say a LOT more--and 7 million of these have no hope for improvement where they are. The government intends to move 500,000 people per year to regions where economic improvement is possible.

The Chinese economy seems to be the fastest growing in the world, but a relatively small proportion of the huge Chinese population is participating in and benefiting from the current free-market revolution in the world's most populous country. Various estimates have suggested that approximately 300 million persons in the cities may be benefiting from the high rate of overall GDP growth. If true, that still leaves more than a billion persons for whom things may be getting worse, not better. Sometime ago, it was estimated that China had approximately 100 million unemployed persons as a consequence of the dismantling of the huge failed state-owned industrial system. One of China's greatest challenges is to continue the economic growth that may eventually give it the world's largest economy while distributing the benefits quickly enough to avoid massive social upheaval which could threaten the existence of China as a single country under a central government.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: From Wallet to Waistline: The Hidden Costs of Supersizing (Saturday, 3/8/03)
The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity reports that fast food "value meals" may not be such a good value after all, if you take health risks into account. Here's their 14-page report, From Wallet to Waistline: The Hidden Costs of Supersizing.

The American economy deteriorates further (Friday, 3/7/03)
The unemployment rate in the United States rose to 5.8 percent in February, as payrolls contracted by 308,000.

Trend reversal (Friday, 3/7/03)
Many of the world's major cities have their "China town" areas reflecting the fact that, for a major portion of modern history, Chinese people have left their homeland to settle throughout many regions of the world after being driven out by stultifying tradition, political chaos, poverty, or totalitarian government. But, where are the best and brightest people of Chinese ancestry finding their most attractive opportunities now? David Lynch reports from Beijing that China's booming economy is calling many people back home.

It's getting harder to be right about healthcare's immediate future (Friday, 3/7/03)
It's difficult to establish workable policies in the absence of reliable information, and, in the healthcare area, that's getting more difficult to come by. At least, accurate predictions, even for a few months ahead, have been getting harder. Here's more from the Houston Chronicle on the challenges faced by corporate management as well as workers during a period of renewed health cost inflation.

Musicians strike on Broadway (Friday, 3/7/03)
The shows must go on, and it won't require performers to sing acapella. For the time being, Broadway theaters will replace striking musicians with computer-generated orchestras. In other labor news, employees at a Texas Wal-Mart who have been trying to unionize allege unfair labor practices on the part of the company, and the National Labor Relations Board is looking into the matter.

Maybe it's time to start taking recorded books with you to work (Friday, 3/7/03)
Laurent Belsie of the Christian Science Monitor says commutes are getting longer in the United States, despite the fact that an increasing number of jobs are located in the American suburbs.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (Friday, 3/7/03)
The International Labor Organization, an agency of the United Nations that is older than the UN, reports that its Convention No. 182 calling for immediate action to ban the most egregious forms of child labor throughout the world has been the fastest-ratified in its history. Here's the ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour.

A by-the-numbers picture (Thursday, 3/6/03)
The Federal Reserve's latest report shows that the American economy had a cold and wintry January and February. It doesn't appear to be shrinking, but it really isn't growing either. Here's more from Gregg Fields of the Miami Herald. Jobless claims lurched upward last week, while retail sales were unimpressive during the month of February. Productivity increased more than expected during the fourth quarter of 2002, which can be seen as good news, because a society's standard of living is a function of productivity in the long-run. However, short-term increases in productivity can simply mean that fewer people are doing the same amount of work, and that can occur because of layoffs. On the other hand, not all apparent good news is really bad news. Mike Meyers of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on what appears to be a strengthening trend the critically-important manufacturing sector.

Competition in the streets of Washington (Thursday, 3/6/03)
The Bush administration would like to farm out a lot of the government's work by allowing private contractors to compete with 450,000 government employees. Here's more on that story, and you can expect MUCH more over the months ahead.

Among the changes in workplace health coverage... (Thursday, 3/6/03)
Beth Koblinger examines new "health reimbursement arrangements," in which employers provide workers with healthcare savings accounts. Meanwhile, Julie Appleby reports that a growing number of employers may be asking personal health-related questions only you and your doctor may have been interested in previously.

French vs. U.S. workers (Thursday, 3/6/03)
The French military didn't distinguish itself during World War II, given that it was defeated almost instantly by Hitler, and many French citizens are still a bit sensitive about that. Some persons in the United States have been poking old wounds a bit recently because of French-U.S. disagreement over war in Iraq. Virtually no Americans are claiming that the French military would be needed for a successful prosecution of the war that seems to be coming very soon, but there is profound disagreement about what France's role should be in the rebuilding of Iraq after Saddam. Some of it has gotten silly and childish, such as when Americans refuse to eat French fries or French toast.

Meanwhile, some French executives, while not claiming any sort of military superiority in relation to the Americans, are saying that French civilian workers are better than American workers. So THERE!

Incidentally, does France owe its survival to the U.S. and Britain, given that it was liberated from Hitler in 1944? Probably.

But, does the United States owe its existence to France? Certainly. When Cornwallis at Yorktown saw the French fleet offshore, he knew that it was time to surrender. The American Revolution almost certainly could not have been successful if France had not been an ally fighting on the side of the rebellious colonies.

There would be no France as we know it if it had not been for the United States near the middle of the 20th century. There would be no United States at all if it had not been for France during the last quarter of the 18th century.

Hard times for techs creates new needs, new opportunities (Thursday, 3/6/03)
TechEngage helps laid-off technical personnel keep their skills current at a price they can afford.

Wherever you are, you may be working along side an Arizonan (Thursday, 3/6/03)
The Arizona Republic's Jon Kamman reports that tens of thousands of people from Arizona are working outside the state, according to Census data, and there is considerable mobility within the state as well.

Wi-Fi wherever you go (Thursday, 3/6/03)
Soon, you may be able to have wireless access to NewWork News just about anyplace in the world where tourists or business travelers are likely to be found. The Wall Street Journal reports that a number of companies are working on the development of networks that would allow seamless wireless Internet access across countries. Here's the original story, but you'll have to be a Wall Street Journal subscriber in order to access it.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The International Archive of Women in Architecture (Thursday, 3/6/03)
The International Archive of Women in Architecture documents the history of women's role in architecture and is a joint project of two Virginia universities.

Stats reality check (Wednesday, 3/5/03)
Mark Clifford writes from Hong Kong for Business Week that some have doubts about China's widely-reported GDP growth numbers. There are growing worries about the rapid rate at which housing construction and real estate values have been growing too, according to the Washington Post. Some are concerned that their may be a bursting bubble in China's near future.

Speaking of bubbles, Yale University's Robert Shiller has been discussing "naturally occurring Ponzi schemes," such as the one that expanded stock values beyond all reason during the 1990s. Don't expect a reoccurrence for quite a while, he says. In fact, it may be longer than the time you have left. Contrary to conventional market wisdom, he doesn't think we should expect stocks to outperform other forms of investment in the long-run either. Are you feeling better now?

Turn-down at American Airlines (Wednesday, 3/5/03)
The Austin American-Statesman reports that American Airlines ground workers have declined an opportunity to help their company save money by accepting $620 million in concessions.

How "43 million Americans without health insurance" can be made to sound a little better (Wednesday, 3/5/03)
Approximately 75 million Americans were lacking health insurance coverage during at least part of 2001 or 2002, according to a new survey.

Moreover, as we've been reporting, the American Medical Association, as well as many big-time Republicans, have been seeking caps on jury awards in medical malpractice cases, saying that the high insurance premiums that result are driving many physicians out of the profession and reducing everyone's access to medical service, whether or not they have insurance coverage.

However, Peter Eisler, Julie Appleby and Martin Kasindorf say that a study conducted by USA Today suggests that it's possible to exaggerate the seriousness of the situation. Mr. Kasindorf provides more detail in his report on California's experience with award caps.

Expect to hear more about this issue as the 2004 presidential election approaches. Republicans claim that the nation's trial lawyers are among the principal supporters of Democratic candidates. In fact, one of them IS a Democratic candidate for President. He is Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, the first in his family to attend college, and was a very successful and very rich trial lawyer before becoming a United States Senator.

Strange bedfellows, indeed (Wednesday, 3/5/03)
In the United States, many fundamentalist Christians seem to conceive of heaven as a sort of hedonistic religious Disneyland in which you will get to spend all eternity with people like Tammy Faye Baker and Jerry Falwell--which seems more like a description of hell to others. Trouble is, there are people who want you to go there, whether you like it or not, and some won't feel bad if they can hurry your departure.

When people convince themselves that what they want is also what God wants, it may be time for everybody else to run for cover. Until the cynical totalitarian systems of the 20th century, at least, more blood has been spilled across the centuries because of fervent religious commitments than for any other reason.

In the early 21st century, the principal stressors include high and greatly inconsistent rates of change affecting the entire world. Most of the presumably solid things people have assumed they could stand on, depend on, are up for grabs, causing widespread anxiety and disorientation. One way of attempting to cope is to more vigorously assert familiar traditions, and many of the most ancient have come into daily collision throughout the world. If you say it louder or more repetitively, it may seem to make it more true somehow. If you can silence the opposition--permanently, if necessary--it may seem to make it more true as well.

Even mortal enemies can share SOMETHING in common. So, what do Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush have in common?

Let's see, now. Both are the opposite of self-made men, in the sense that both were born into famous, wealthy, politically powerful families. Born to privilege, both were taught to be fairly sophisticated about money and to take power for granted, but somehow managed to reach adulthood with a limited world view and a limited view of history. Both seem amazingly unsophisticated about numerous issues of increasing importance in a world afire in which geography is becoming increasingly irrelevant.

And, oh yes, both are strong personalities as well as religious fundamentalists, in their way. Both seem to feel that they've been called by God to rid the world of evil and won't mind too much if it becomes necessary to kill for the Almighty. Osama bin Laden would repeal the Renaissance, if he could, and feels that it would be God's work. President Bush, who seems equally ambitious, would re-make the eternally troublesome Middle East as well as bring about permanent structural changes in American society. And, with God behind you, how could things possibly go wrong? Osama and George seem committed to leading their people on to opposite ends of a tightrope. And, with God as their protector, who needs a net?

Dancing on high wires is a very dangerous business, which is why so many Democrats are seeking their party's presidential nomination for 2004. If the President slips, it's not likely to be a slight stumble from which he can recover easily, meaning that the Democratic nomination could be worth a very great deal next time. Under the right circumstances, nearly any Democrat might be able to defeat the President in 2004, and many of them would like to be ready and in position if a fall comes.

On the other hand, if the Bush-led invasion of Iraq goes well, and any post-Saddam political mines left behind in the region don't explode until after a Bush II second term ends, the President may sufficiently grow his political capital so as to make implementation of his domestic agenda far more likely than it has seemed recently. Linda Feldmann of the Christian Science Monitor writes about the President's $400 billion prescription drug plan as the "latest move for an administration bent on shaping history." Meanwhile, one state's historic budget crunch has claimed a prescription medication plan that was seen as a model for the country only a few years ago.

Ups and downs (Wednesday, 3/5/03)
For many years, there seemed to be fairly regular business cycle before things got muddled. That's happened with prices too, according to Sue Kirchhoff of USA Today. Traditionally, inflation has been expressed as a type of average, but we should keep in mind the old thing about how, if your head is in the refrigerator and your feet are in the oven, on the average, you'll be comfortable. Take a closer look, and you'll see that we have both deflation and inflation at the same time, depending on what we're talking about.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: World-Wide Quality of Life Survey (Wednesday, 3/5/03)
Mercer Human Resource Consulting has conducted a world-wide quality of life survey, and their press release includes considerable detailed information. Also, here's their list of the top 50 cities in the world for personal safety, as well as their list of the top 50 cities for overall quality of life.

Higher-priced oil eventually means higher-priced nearly everything (Tuesday, 3/4/03)
The Christian Science Monitor's Ron Scherer tells how higher oil prices produce a dribble-down effect and drain vitality from the economy at the very time it could use more lubrication. Another recession could lie ahead, he says.

Screeners join existing unions (Tuesday, 3/4/03)
Airport screeners have been denied the right to collective bargaining, but thirteen of them have joined unions anyway. Here's more from Leslie Miller in Washington.

If you're tired of worrying about war, you can worry about health issues again (Tuesday, 3/4/03)
A report from the American Medical Association says that access to health care in the United States is being jeopardized by large jury awards to plaintiffs in malpractice suits and the high insurance premiums that result. The AMA has added six states to the dozen from a previous survey in which doctors claim to have reduced or discontinued medical service because of prohibitively expensive liability insurance premiums. Meanwhile, President Bush has told delegates at an AMA convention about the virtues of his plans for a free-market approach to Medicare. While Congress is likely to be spending increasing time on issues relating to Medicare and prescription medications, some lobbyists are hoping to persuade official Washington to increase VA health care spending. According to a survey conducted by the American Legion, veterans often have to wait for months in order to see a primary care physician.

Not necessarily a bubble, but... (Tuesday, 3/4/03)
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan expects the U.S. housing market to cool somewhat, and that could cool consumer spending as well. Low mortgage rates have encouraged refinancing at lower rates, which has freed up more money for people to spend elsewhere. That may be changing, says Mr. Greenspan.

Looking for a place to live? (Tuesday, 3/4/03)
If you have the entire world to choose from, you may want to consult the results of a new survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting which identifies the best and the worst places to live, according to their criteria. Jason Hopps has more details from London. And...drum roll...the best of the best, in Mercer's judgment, is...Zurich, Switzerland.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Black Facts Online (Tuesday, 3/4/03)
Black Facts Online offers information about African American History, and comes to you from MIT-trained Kenneth Granderson.

Consumer spending drops in January (Monday, 3/3/03)
Measures of consumer confidence have been declining recently, and the diminished confidence seems to be resulting in reduced spending. The Commerce Department reports that consumer spending in January declined for the first time since September of 2002, although personal income was up in January. Meanwhile, some economists are worrying that "stagflation" could make a comeback.

Intermittent rail strikes threatened (Monday, 3/3/03)
German trains may be rolling to a halt at various times throughout the country during the week ahead as railroad unions threaten brief strikes to enforce their demands for a 5 percent pay increase. Across the Atlantic to the west, service workers at Yale University have begun a five-day strike.

Judge decides not to stand in the way, but... (Monday, 3/3/03)
US Airways claims that it needs to be able to jettison its pilots' pension plan in order to have a chance of emerging from bankruptcy by the end of the month as planned. A bankruptcy judge has agreed, but only if an arbitrator is willing to go alone. The arbitration report is due soon.

Globalization and the poor (Monday, 3/3/03)
Debate continues to rage about whether globalization works to the detriment of the world's poor. Mark Clifford of Business Week offers a quick review of Indian economist Surjit Bhalla's new book, Imagine There's No Country: Poverty, Inequality and Growth in the Era of Globalization which goes so far as to argue that globalization may even result in the virtual elimination of poverty.

The human destruction didn't end once the buildings were down (Monday, 3/3/03)
Ground Zero seems to have been filled with hazards for the workers who spent so much time there. Stephanie Armour writes about the widespread health problems suffered by people who labored in one of the toughest American work settings of recent years.

Finalists for heavyweight champions of the world (Monday, 3/3/03)
The earth may be wobbling a bit in its orbit now that the U.S. has gotten heavier. Christopher Farrell examines the economics of the big American weight gain.

Monster.com sends out warning (Monday, 3/3/03)
ID theft seems to be approaching epidemic levels, and Monster.com, a major online jobs site, is warning the quarter million persons whose resumes are in its database to be careful. For instance, to protect yourself, never, never, never give out Social Security numbers or other critical information. Here's more about how fake job postings from scam artists can suck you into a LOT of trouble.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: 2002 United Nations Human Development Report (Monday, 3/3/03)
Interestingly, the United Nations, many of whose member states are not democratic, asserts in its 2002 human development report, Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World, that democratic government has been shown to be most capable of preventing conflict and also of producing and sustaining economic well-being.

This may be a particularly important time to consider these issues, considering that three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman said on television the other night that the combined Gross Domestic Product of the 22 Arab nations is about equal to that of Spain. It helps explain why so many young Arabs seem to be despairing of their future possibilities. In non-democratic societies, people are compelled to pretend that they are more alike than the really are, and to suppress efforts to fulfill their unique possibilities. Stagnation is a major consequence, and resentment and rage are others. Human freedom is an effective antidote for many life-limiting and life-destroying ailments.

Here are NewWork News stories from previous months

Home

---

Copyright © 1995-2007 Gary Johnson Communications. All rights reserved. BraveNewWorkWorld, NewWork, NewWork News, Careers in the NewWork World, WITNE, and WITNE: Women in the New Economy are trademarks of Gary Johnson Communication.