For more than a decade, NewWork News has surveyed the world's news having to do with life and work in the revolutionary new world economy. Over all these years, we have not made a significant effort to distinguish between straight reporting and editorial comment.

Written by Gary Johnson, NewWork News each day is more like a newspaper or magazine column than a newspaper's front page. However, nearly every item is linked to at least one original story from somebody else's "front page" so as to enable our readers easily to examine the original story without deliberate interpretation or commentary.

Some NewWork News items are highly analytical. Several of these have been gathered together for presentation below. All have been written by Gary Johnson.

The American economy has slowed almost to a "stop" (Thursday, 2/28/08)
Economic activity won't cease altogether, but economic growth nearly has. The next step could be "negative growth," which is to say, "shrinkage." The U. S. economy could get smaller, and this would create all manner or problems for tens of millions of people.

The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates aggressive, and more cuts may be coming soon. Also, some members of Congress are talking about the need for a second stimulus plan, but President Bush thinks that would be highly premature. Unlike many economists, the President doesn't seem to believe that the U. S. economy will go into recession.

He may be right. On the other hand, it may be the sort of optimism that he has displayed in relation to the war in Iraq, as well as "Brownie's" performance following Hurricane Katrina. At any rate, presidential candidate Barack Obama used the President's remarks as an opportunity to blast the presumed Republican candidate, John McCain, whom Obama has reason to believe he will face for the presidency in the November election.

America's "middle-class millionaires" are getting increasingly nervous (Wednesday, 2/27/08)
You've heard about the "working poor." How about the working rich?

One useful definition of "middle-class" Americans traditionally has been those persons or families who are fairly well off--e.g., who can afford some luxuries, can go on vacations, etc.--but who must keep working in order to do these these thing and in order to pay the normal expenses of living.

But, what about people who keep on working, even though they might be able to "retire" and live off the earnings from their assets instead? There are "middle-class millionaires" in America, and, according to Tom Van Riper and Kelly Nolan of Forbes, they're getting nervous about the future of the American economy and how it might affect their personal financial situation.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: A Global Map of Human Impacts to Marine Ecosystems (Monday, 2/25/08)
If you've noticed that fish has been getting more expensive in restaurants and supermarkets during recent years, you may not have noticed the half of it.

As we've pointed out numerous times, at no other time in its long history until VERY recently has Earth attempted to support anywhere near as many people as presently live on it. Until roughly 1840 or so, world population was always less than a billion. Now, it's approaching seven billion.

Moreover, while the majority of the world's people are impoverished, more people than the total population of Earth only about 170 years ago now enjoy a standard of living that would have been unimaginable to nearly all modern humans who have lived on the planet over tens of thousands of years. No wonder humans have been impacting on Earth's natural environment recently, including the oceans.

The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis is located at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Here's their excellent Global Map of Human Impacts to Marine Ecosystems.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Nuclear Threat Initiative (Sunday, 2/24/08)
Nothing is capable of fouling up the global economy more than the use of nuclear weapons, either by sovereign states or independent terrorist groups. There is particular reason for concern now that the know-how for producing them is readily available on the Internet or in conventional encyclopedias, and also because of the large number of "loose nukes" left over from the Cold War, many of which may not be under reliable control.

Billionaire philanthropist Ted Turner and former Senator Sam Nunn co-chair the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) with these dangers in mind. However, despite Turner's long identification with liberal politics and the fact that former Senator Nunn is a Democrat, the concern is broad-based and bipartisan.

For instance, in 1995, veteran Hollywood actor, former Senator, and recent Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson assisted in the production of the NTI film, "Last Best Chance," in an attempt to call public attention to the problem. Also, NTI's board includes a number of leading Republicans, such as current Senators Richard Lugar of Indiana and Pete Domenici of New Mexico.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Contagion (Saturday, 2/23/08)
"Epidemiology" is the the modern word we use for studying the incidence and prevalence of disease in large populations. Among other things, epidemiologists track contemporary epidemics and their sources, but, when it comes to learning more about some of the major epidemics of the past, Harvard does an excellent job on its site, Contagion: Historical Views of Disease and Epidemics.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Frontline: The Mormons (Wednesday, 2/20/08)
Along with CBS Television's "60 Minutes," PBS' "Frontline" is one of the most highly-regarded television documentaries in the United States. "Frontline's" four-hour television presentation, "The Mormons", which can now be watched online, as well, and its companion website have been timed just about right.

Mormon Mitt Romney was a recent candidate for President of the United States, and, during his campaign for the Republican nomination, there was serious question about whether he would be able to attract a sufficient number of votes because he is a Mormon.

The controversy over former Massachusetts Governor Romney's religion brought to mind John Kennedy's Catholicism nearly fifty years ago and the political issue it became at the time.

It's hard to believe now, considering that, Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Jew, was a candidate for Vice President in 2000, and not too much was made of the issue. Similarly, several members of Congress, including five current Senators are Mormons, and they includes the very powerful Democratic Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Not many Americans seem to care.

Incidentally, Mitt Romney's father, George, was a Mormon as well, and a Governor of Michigan, as well as a presidential candidate himself in the late 1960s. Not much was made of his religion at that time either.

Telecommuting lags among government workers (Tuesday, 2/19/08)
Is it just because of the way that government is, or, at least, is thought to be by many Americans whose ideas were reinforced by the federal response to Hurricane Katrina? Is it that most government workers still have rotary phones in their offices as they attempt to master ball-point pen technology, and listen to eight-track players in their Studebakers to and from work?

Whatever the reason, a new survey finds that most government workers could do at least part of what they do from their homes, but only about 20 percent are "telecommuters." Here's more from Grant Gross of InfoWorld.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students (Tuesday, 2/19/08)
Generations of graduate students in technical fields have giggled while describing easy introductory courses as "math for poets" or "statistics for poets," all the while, probably underestimating the intellectual power that it takes to be a successful poet.

Actually, both Albert Einstein and William Shakespeare often are referred to as "geniuses" by people who don't seem to be assuming that one is somehow superior to the other. Nonetheless, it's probably safe to say that one could not substitute for the other, and it's likely that they were geniuses in their own special ways.

If many people are very strong with language but not so strong with quantitative concepts, it's also likely that many technical people would like to be stronger in their ability to express themselves clearly. Scholars at Penn State and Virginia Tech have gotten together to help with their Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students site.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa (Sunday, 2/17/08)
The largest Islamic population is not found in an Arab country, but in an Asian one: Indonesia. Nonetheless, the world has special reason for being concerned about what happens in the Middle East and North Africa, where large numbers of Muslims are found and where few young people believe they have a future. Thomas Friedman has pointed out that the combined gross domestic product of the twenty-two Arab countries is about equivalent to that of Spain.

These regions need vibrant, dynamic economies, and, for these during the 21st century, they need highly educated populations. The World Bank recognizes this and has prepared The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa.

Oil in the new global economy (Saturday, 2/16/08)
There was a time when somebody like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez couldn't have gotten very far by threatening to cut off oil shipments to the United States, because, one way or another, much of the world's oil would reach the U. S., because that's where a major part of the market was. Times have changed, though. Chavez may be right when he says that Venezuela can sell its oil even if the United States doesn't buy it. Other economies are hungry for diminishing supplies, including Western Europe, China, and India. Here's more from Matthew Walter of Bloomberg News.

B. F. Skinner and American teachers (Saturday, 2/16/08)
For a time during the 20th century, it appeared that B. F. Skinner was the greatest psychologist of the century, but he and his ideas fell out of favor somewhat during the century's late decades. It wasn't so much a matter of a change of fashion as of new research suggesting that the "reinforcement" ideas begun by John B. Watson decades earlier and developed by Skinner was somewhat like classical physics: true, but only part of the story.

It is true that we tend to get more of whatever behavior is rewarded or recognized and less of that which is ignored. Assuming that we're talking either about laboratory rats or human beings in isolation, that is.

However, humans are tremendously social creatures, and that makes a huge difference. For instance, for a time, there was great optimism that Skinnerian "piece-rates" in factories would result in greater output and greater profitability for entire companies. What could be more obvious--directly reward or "reinforce" performance. The more "widgets" an individual produces, the more he earns. Rewards connect directly to individual performance.

However, it was quickly understood that most individuals don't work in isolation, and conformity pressures and other social factors can quickly cancel out whatever benefits one might expect from "piece-rate" reward systems, causing unanticipated consequences for the company as a whole. Moreover, groups can be "more than the sum of their parts" too and be responsible for performance increases that are beyond the capability of individuals.

Claudia Wallis picks up one of the hottest contemporary debates: what it takes to produce great teachers, and whether it's time to institute "performance pay" systems. Maybe it's also time for school boards and government education officials to study the Scanlon Plan.

There's no doubt that major parts of American public education "need work." In many districts, there aren't enough places for students to sit, or not enough textbooks to go around. However, there are wonderful schools and school districts too, where academic excellence has been the norm for many years. We're hoping that whatever is done with the intention of "fixing" K-12 education in the United States doesn't have the unintended consequence of limiting or destroying excellent schools where excellent teachers do excellent work every day. Some of these schools produce high school graduates who are better educated than many college graduates.

One of the problems in the United States has been that many institutions have been failing--government, community, family--and many people have been expecting public education to take a broader range of responsibilities in order to compensate for other institutional failures. The condition of young people when they leave school is determined by lots of factors, not only what happens to them as they move through the educational system. Also important are their condition when they enter the school and how supportive family and community institutions are along the way. The schools, including individual teachers, can't fix everything that's broken on their own.

Is it a sign of things to come, or simply the power of that magical word "free" (Saturday, 2/16/08)
Well, many people seem to think that anything that is "free" is worth what it costs. On the other hand, personal finance expert Suze Orman offered a free electronic version of her book, Women & Money, on Oprah the other day, and more than a million persons scrambled to download it. Maybe it's simply the power of Oprah. If she says a book is worth reading, millions of people believe her.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Uncommon Knowledge (Saturday, 2/16/08)
One of the brainier programs on public television is "Uncommon Knowledge," from the Hoover Institution at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Now, an archive of all of the programs is available on the Internet. Peter Robinson is host.

Incidentally, when he was a presidential speechwriter, Mr. Robinson was responsible for writing President Reagan's famous line, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Robinson de-emphasizes his role, though, saying that it really was the President's line, because the President and the President alone was responsible for deciding what to say under the circumstances.

Also, the Hoover Institution at Stanford is one of several major institutions or landmarks named after one of the two greatest FORMER presidents in American history, in the judgment of many. Both President Hoover and President Carter, Republican and Democrat, respectively, had what most historians regard as undistinguished presidencies, to say the least. However, both have had outstanding post-presidential careers, demonstrating repeatedly their status as great men, great Americans, great FORMER presidents.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Statistical Literacy (Tuesday, 2/12/08)
In modern life, we are surrounded by things which are inherently statistical, so an ability to interpret numbers has become an essential part of what it means to be "literate." Australia's University of Wollongong attempts to contribute to accessibility and public understanding through its statistical literacy site.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: A Midlife Money Checkup (Monday, 2/11/08)
If you've just received an invitation to join AARP, it means that you've turned 50, maybe even only minutes ago. They don't waste any time.

Rather than simply sounding like an amphibian mating call, AARP used to stand for the "American Association of Retired Persons." However, in order to make itself into one of the largest lobbying organizations, many people like yourself who feel far from retirement were invited to join.

Even if 50 is "the new 40," odds are that your memory now extends further into the past than your life will extend into the future. Maybe it's time for a checkup, and not just medical. Penelope Wang offers some advice for that midlife money checkup that you really need as well.

It appears that a majority of the American public believes that a recession already is underway (Sunday, 2/10/08)
According to the results of an Associated Press-Ipsos poll, nearly two-thirds of those surveyed said that they believe that the United States economy already is in recession.

But, what is a "recession?" Technically, it means that the U. S. economy has been undergoing "negative growth" (translation: "shrinkage") for at least two consecutive quarters. Is that what respondents had in mind when surveyed, or did they simply mean that they and many people they know are hurting economically, which may not be quite the same thing? Previous polls have found that a majority of those surveyed felt that the economy is in recession when it's actually been growing. It helps explain some of the things that politicians say during campaigns.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: World War One Color Photos (Sunday, 2/10/08)
It has been nearly a century since World War I started, and many living persons have had long conversations with people who clearly remembered the "Great War" or the "war to end all wars."

History isn't "dead," because we respond to things in terms of how they look to us, and historical context has a lot to do with determining how things look. As a consequence, it's very important that we not lose touch with our past. As we've pointed out numerous times, any family that contains an Alzheimer's patient knows how devastating loss of memory can be, and societies can suffer from similar afflictions.

Somehow, color photographs make things seem more "current." Here are several hundred World War One Color Photos taken by the French Army during the final two years of the Great War.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Auschwitz Through the Lens of the SS (Friday, 2/8/08)
As we've said so many times, two critical questions about which humanity has learned a great deal in recent years are 1) WHAT DOES IT TAKE to be RIGHT about something? and 2) WHAT DOES IT TAKE to be SURE about anything?

The first question relates to what philosophers for centuries have called "epistemology," and we know a lot more about this issue than we did only a few years ago. In fact, our greater understanding has made modern research and knowledge explosions possible.

If you want to learn more about the processes relating to the second question, you should study contemporary research in social psychology and cultural anthropology.

One thing we know for sure: the conditions for truth are far more rigorous than the conditions for belief. The human brain has enormous capacity for learning to perceive, and other people reinforce these perceptions to the extent that interpretations of reality can become extreme and disconnected to empirical facts. Among other things, what we now know about how the human brain functions in social contexts helps us understand the most destructive and dehumanizing violence of which people are capable, including slavery and genocide, both of which continue in the world to the present day.

Organized military conflicts, or "wars," seem to be largely a consequence of the past several millennia of recorded history, but genocide seems to have been common during the tens of thousands of years of prehistory during which modern humans had brains largely identical to what we have now. As a consequence, genocide hasn't been confined to the prehistorical period, but, instead, has been common within the memory of many people still living.

While the Holocaust hasn't been unique during recent decades, much attention has been given to it, particularly in the West. It's hard to believe that places such as the Nazi's Auschwitz operated as late as the 1940s. Shouldn't such barbarity have stopped centuries, even thousands of years ago? After all, we now know that people are people; we're all made out of the same stuff. People tend to underestimate differences among individuals, and greatly exaggerate differences between groups.

Again, people LEARN to perceive, and it is possible for people to convince one another that another group is so different from themselves as to not matter. In fact, it's possible for people to convince one another that the world would be improved if members of an out-group could be exterminated altogether.

SS-Obersturmfuhrer Karl Hocker probably didn't think that he was contributing to the historical record of one of the most infamous periods of modern European history when he photographed events at Auschwitz in 1944, but that's how it turned out. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum presents his photographs: Auschwitz Through the Lens of the SS.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Sacred Contexts (Wednesday, 2/6/08)
While some individuals seem to be able to get along without the elements of culture traditionally referred to as "religion," large numbers of people apparently cannot. As a consequence, it appears that there have been thousands of religions during the tens of thousands of years that modern humans have been on the planet.

Modern religions with their millions of adherents have their origins in what, because of the brevity of the human life span, is perceived as the distant past. However, in relation to the history of the species, these origins really are relatively recent.

Still, they are sufficiently ancient as to be indistinct, and, like Rorschach Ink Blots, very much subject to interpretation. This seems to make religion "work" better for many people. It may also help explain the reassurance of so-called "fundamentalism" in many regions of the world, including the Middle East and North America during a time of breathtaking change in most areas of life.

The British Library has a long history of taking on the really tough intellectual tasks, so it should be no surprise that their scholars are committed to helping the public understand the traditions that many of the world's major religions have in common. Here's is the British Library's site, Sacred Contexts.

Why won't people ask for help when they need it? (Sunday, 2/3/08)
It's true, though. Noelle Knox writes for USA Today tells about homeowners who are behind on their mortgage but continue to suffer in silence until there is no alternative to foreclosure.

Maybe they don't realize that their lender REALLY doesn't want their house. Their lender wants to be in the financial business, not the real estate business, and certainly not the property management business. In fact, lenders who foreclose almost surely will lose money on the deal. They'd far rather have you continue to be responsible for the house and to collect money from you than take over themselves.

However, if their mortgage already has been sold to somebody else, there's little that can be done but to foreclose. People who talk to their lenders earlier, though, often find that deals can be worked out.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Citizen of Two Worlds (Sunday, 2/3/08)
If you're looking for something REALLY stupid, you need look no further than the stereotypical denigration of the French by some persons in the United States during recent years. Remember so-called "freedom fries?"

Yes, it is true that the United States largely saved France during the 1940s and that Hitler's forces were able to cut through the presumably impressive French military like a hot knife through butter, as the cliche goes. On the other hand, it can seem like a very long time since Napoleon's army was the scourge of Europe only if you have no sense of historical perspective at all.

And, what has France possibly done for the United States? Lots. For instance, France helped insure America's initial existence. It's often emphasized how improbable it was for a scruffy band of soldiers led by a general who inspired them but lost most of his battles to defeat England's mighty military. Well, without France's help, it probably couldn't have happened. The American Revolutionary War largely ended at Yorktown, and General Cornwallis decided to quit after he looked out and saw the French fleet standing by in Chesapeake Bay.

That mostly unsuccessful general who lost most of his battles was George Washington. He DID lose most of his battles, but he ended up winning the war, with a little help from his friends, of course. One of his best friends was the Frenchman, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, best known as the Marquis de LaFayette.

Recession? Maybe, maybe not (Friday, 2/1/08)
Barbara Hagenbaugh and Barbara Hansen report that a survey of economists conducted by USA Today finds that they expect that there is a fifty-fifty chance of a recession this year, and, if it happens, it's likely to be short and shallow.

However, recessions are funny things. For instance, they can only be identified after the U. S. economy has gotten smaller for two consecutive quarters, or six months. So, if the American economy has been undergoing "negative growth" this quarter, it still doesn't mean that a recession has started unless it continues for at least a second quarter.

The Commerce Department reports that economic growth nearly slowed to a stop during the final quarter of 2007, when it grew at an annualized rate of only 0.6 percent. Consumer spending was down at the end of last year too. Here's more from Martin Crutsinger.

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