| Barbara Ehrenreich: For many, a recession's hardly news
We have to face a disconcerting fact: For years now, the economy has been going its own way, increasingly disconnected from the toils and troubles of ordinary Americans. For example, conventional wisdom holds that as the economy expands, so should people's general well-being. As long as the gross domestic product grows, so will jobs and income. But, hellooo, we've had brisk growth for the past few years, as the president has tirelessly reminded us, only without those promised increases in personal income – at least not for the poor and the middle class. According to a study just released by the Economic Policy Institute, real wages actually fell last year. Growth is not the only economic indicator that has let us down. In the past five years, America's briskly rising productivity has been the envy of much of the world.
Monday wild card
The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work. Question: OK. High school is one thing, but those among us who write for a living commit their share of literary sins. Seen any doozies lately? Thanks to Cis for the tip .
Center For Tobacco Control Studies To Be Based In Nottingham, UK
The University of Nottingham will spearhead UK research into tobacco control at a new 5 million pound Centre of Excellence, it was revealed today (Jan 23).
The UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies will bring together seven leading research groups in a unique partnership, establishing one of the world's largest research groups dedicated to the prevention of harm from smoking.
Led by Professor John Britton and Professor Ann McNeill at The University of Nottingham, the Centre will be a major international driver of new research, policy and practice to reduce the prevalence of smoking and the harm it causes through prevention of uptake of smoking, promotion of smoking cessation, and development of more effective harm reduction strategies for those currently unable to stop smoking.
Preschool to Grade 4
The books give children the opportunity to identify known foods and learn new ones, count them, discuss their uses, and identify colors, making both titles fun and attractive additions.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK ANHOLT, Laurence. Matisse: The King of Color. illus. by author. unpaged. Barron's. 2007. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-7641-6047-9. LC 2007923770.
Gr 2–5—Anholt tells the story behind Matisse's final masterpiece—Chapelle du Rosaire. During a serious illness, the artist becomes friends with his nurse, Monique, and he draws and paints several pictures of her. When his health improves, she leaves the man who has been like a grandfather to her and joins a strict religious order. Years later, the two friends are reunited when Matisse moves into a villa close to the nunnery.
Middleby hiring after buyout
As it turned out, Middleby Corp., which experienced a 12-week worker lockout in July, has done some recent hiring. The Elgin-based commercial oven maker locked its 135 workers out of its Elgin facility in the summer and only let them return after Teamsters Local 714 voted for a five-year contract that raised employees' health insurance costs and suspended seniority protections. Such lockouts are rare in Illinois so it garnered attention. After the lockout, Middleby offered buyouts to workers, and more workers than anticipated accepted. So now Middleby finds itself hiring workers. "The company says it needs 100 people at the plant and they only have about 85 now," said Gino Rodriguez, a union representative. Middleby declined to comment on the lockout's aftermath.
Dupree's Monroe contract requests amended after Caddo job folded
Monroe City Schools Superintendent James Dupree's contract demands presented to the board this week show the original requests were amended after learning he had not been offered a job in another parish.
In a standing-room-only board room late Tuesday, all seven board members got their first look at Dupree's contract requests, but not without a lot of discussion, debate and tension.
Prior to the meeting, only board members Stephanie Smith, the Rev. Rodney McFarland and Mickey Traweek, all members of the Superintendent's Evaluation committee had been included in talks regarding the contract.
At the board meeting even committee, members disagreed on what should be made public.
"You're just trying to keep us in the dark," McFarland said to Smith.
McCain's CPAC Suck-up
I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas." Has Rove accidentally ripped the mask off the vicious social inegalitarianism of Bush's immigration plan, as Mark Krikorian argues, or does a more benign interpretation of his comments save him? It's not like he hasn't said this sort of thing before, apparently. Indeed, his June, 2006 version makes the probable context of last week's remark quite clear--and Rove's not simply "saying that every parent wants their child to have a high-skilled, high-wage job," as the White House's damage control suggests. Here's the 2006 pitch: "Now frankly," Rove said during a riff on the temporary worker part of President Bush's immigration reform plan, "I don't want my kid digging ditches. I don't want my kid slinging tar.
Saint's Euro prayer
SALE'S Philippe Saint-Andre can't wait for the day he can have a full squad to pick from. The Sharks' director of rugby has been waiting over a year now to be able to name his strongest team, but injuries and international call-ups have recently stood in his way. All that looked set to change as the Edgeley Park side's World Cup stars headed home from France with a clean bill of health - until the injury curse that plagued Sharks last season reared its ugly head once more. On the plus side, Saint-Andre was delighted to be able to name Sebastien Chabal, Andrew Sheridan and Lobbe brothers Ignacio and Juan Martin in Friday night's EDF-Energy clash against Bath. But he was unable to call upon the services of Magnus Lund, Chris Jones and Jason White, all with knee injuries, as well as Mark Cueto (calf), Rory Lamont and Dean Schofield, who both have ankle injuries.
Behind the scenes of Internet2
For real-time research updates. Researchers seek to keep monster Internet telescopes from getting destroyed Satisfy your appetite for robot news by attending a business conference on topic Supercomputer goes back to the future UMass Amherst launches tech podcasts Internet2 kisses veteran testbed goodbye Microsoft, Intel officials rip pols for lack of federal R&D funding support .
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