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Front Page: US Unemployment Reaches Grim High at 6.5%

LibertySugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0800

The US unemployment reached a 14-year high of 6.5 percent today. About 240,000 nonfarm jobs were lost in October alone. So far this year 1.2 million US jobs have been lost.— Bloomberg
The still being recounted Minnesota Senate race between Al Franken and Senator Norm Coleman came within a margin of 236 votes at the end of Thursday. — Minneapolis Star Tribune

Georgia's claims that it acted in defense against Russian aggression last summer are being called into question. — New York Times
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi started "suntan-gate" yesterday when he called Barack Obama "young, handsome, and tanned." When asked if the comment might have been misunderstood as undiplomatic or even racist, the Prime Minister told his opponents to get a sense of humor.— BBC News

Young Indians Ready to Hang Up on Call Center Jobs

LibertySugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Politicians constantly talk about how US jobs have been shipped over seas. But something else travels with the jobs — stress. While 70 percent of outsourced American jobs go to India's call centers, stressed-out Indian youth want to ditch their unhealthy posts for more fulfilling careers.

You may get frustrated when you have to call another country for customer service, but the combination of odd hours and overwork caused one 23-year-old Indian recent college graduate to have a heart attack! As you can imagine, the call center workers are getting ready to trade the higher-paying jobs for less stress and better hours. BBC interviewed workers who explained, "they quit because it was frustrating to continue to answer calls day after day, year after year. No creativity, no use of mind required. Some say their minds have become cabbage."

A recent satirical video from the Onion tracked how "Obama Promises to Stop American's Sh*tty Jobs From Going Overseas." Do you think the quality of lost jobs should be included in a discussion about outsourcing?

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McCain: More Women in Top Jobs, Pays More Than Obama

CitizenSugar — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:30:51 -0700

Remember when Obama said, "now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons?" It was in the big speech, just for the record.

Um, awkward then to read this afternoon that apparently in Obama's own office, he pays his female staffers, on average, 78 percent of the amount he pays men working for him. Of the top 10 highest paid positions, in Obama's office women hold five of the positions, and Obama pays all his female staffers an average of $12,472 less than the average male salary.

Meanwhile over in the McCain camp seven women occupy the top 10 wage-earning slots and make, on average, 101 percent of the male salary. The women working for McCain earn 24 percent more than those working for Obama, interesting given the controversial position McCain took earlier this year to oppose legislation expanding the ability to sue for equal pay. For what it's worth, women outnumber men on both staffs, and all numbers came from the Report of the Secretary to the Senate.

To see what NOW has to say about the situation,

Sugar Inc. Is Building Its Sales Team!

PopSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:45:00 -0700

Sugar Inc. Is Building Its Sales Team! We are looking for some outstanding sales professionals to join our newly launched online advertising team! This is a unique opportunity to be in on the ground floor as we build an advertising sales department. We are seeking smart, dynamic, creative and passionate candidates who know the Sugar brand and network. We are looking to fill the following positions: Account Executive, Account Coordinator, Sales Marketing Manager and Advertising Operations Manager.

Front Page: Angolans Get First Vote in 16 Years, Abramoff Gets Four Years, US Jobless Rate Hits High

CitizenSugar — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:05:38 -0700

Angolans Get First Vote in 16 Years:
More than half of the population of Angola has registered to vote in the first elections the war-torn and oil-rich country has had in 16 years today. The last election, held in 1992, left 10 years of civil war. Today's vote follows six years of peace and is expected to go smoothly. A representative for electoral issues in Angola says, “Democracy is a process, not a destination, and this is part of that process."

Abramoff Gets Four Years:
Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist once known for giving gifts to Congress at the expense of Indian tribes, was sentenced yesterday to four years in prison. Abramoff came to symbolize out of control courting of government officials, but yesterday he apologized for overstepping the bounds saying, “I have fallen into an abyss. My name is the butt of a joke.”

US Jobless Rate Hits High:
The US unemployment rate is at its highest level in nearly five years. The jobless rate stands at 6.1 percent, the highest since 2003 while the Federal Reserve said economic activity remains "weak." All sectors of the economy are affected, with manufacturing being the worst hit, losing 61,000 jobs.

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The Ultimate Crappy Job? Bangladeshis Pan Gold in Sewers

CitizenSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:30:22 -0700

While we all might get "a case of the Mondays," the story of the job these Bangladeshis do is so intense, it makes most job complaints pale in comparison. A new market has opened in the sewers of Dhaka, Bangladesh and for those who have the entrepreneurial spirit, they’re literally finding gold. The catch? You have to pan it from human waste in an open sewer. That’s right, people are now digging through sewage in an effort to make money.

With gold reaching a high of $1,000 an ounce, many who endeavor to such extremes find it rewarding. One such “miner” was quite matter of fact about his work: “I used to think that this work was really nasty, but I’m used to it now, it’s just my job and it brings me money.” And it does. The sewer which runs alongside nearly 350 gold shops into which gold specks and occasionally the odd piece of jewelry fall. These shops belong to a centuries-old bazaar run that employs nearly 20,000 people. When the shops are swept clean gold and other bits of precious metals are swept into the drain along with urine, feces, and any other garbage you can imagine.

To see how much these workers make,

Front Page: Pakistan Moves to Impeach, Jobless Claims Hit 6-Year High, Death Toll in Afghanistan Passes Milestone

CitizenSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:00:19 -0700

Pakistan Moves to Impeach:
The ruling coalition in Pakistan agreed today to begin impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf. It's a development expected to heighten political instability in the country. A senior official, and member of the party of the late Benazir Bhutto said, "yes, we have agreed in principle to impeach him," and that the parliament's lower house, is expected to be called next week to begin proceedings Musharraf.

Jobless Claims Hit 6-Year High:
The government has announced that the number of people signing up for unemployment benefits has reached its highest point in more than six years. The Labor Department reported that claims rose by a seasonally adjusted 7,000 to nearly half a million. The government points to a program locating those eligible for benefits as the cause for the rise.

Death Toll in Afghanistan Passes Milestone:
The death toll for Operation Enduring Freedom centered in Afghanistan has surpassed 500. As troop levels reached their highest level of deployment in the last month and casualties exceeded those of Iraq, Afghanistan has been brought to the forefront. The New York Times has an interactive feature showing the pictures and names of those in the 500, a graph of the growing toll, as well as number of deaths by service.

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Front Page: A Perfect Rescue Operation, Mandela Not a Terrorist, Jobs and Airlines in Trouble

CitizenSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:00:22 -0700

A Perfect Rescue Operation:
French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages freed from FARC rebels in a daring rescue mission has called her release after more than 6 years, a "miracle." She says, "there is no historical precedent for such a perfect operation." The mission was accomplished without a shot fired after the Colombian military penetrated the highest level of FARC and tricked them into handing over the hostages. Among those rescued were three American military contractors and 11 members of the Colombian security forces, all said to be in relatively good health. FARC has been trying to overthrow the Colombian government for 40 years, and still holds over 40 high-profile hostages, among up to 700 other captives.

Mandela Not a Terrorist:
US President George W Bush signed a bill removing Nelson Mandela and South African leaders from the US terror watch list. Mandela and ANC party members will now be able to travel to the US without a waiver from the secretary of state. The African National Congress (ANC) was labeled as a terrorist organization by South Africa's former apartheid regime.
Jobs and Airlines in Trouble:
The number of former workers signing up for unemployment insurance rose sharply last week. According to a Labor Department report, new applications jumped by 16,000 to 404,000, the highest level since late March. Meanwhile, the airline industry is predicting a $6.5 billion loss for the year, having been hit harder by fuel costs than expected.

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Beauty and the Geek: Lawmaker Wants Models Off Tech Visas

LibertySugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 03:00:04 -0700

International geeks may be able to thank their beautiful counterparts for freeing up about 1,000 H1-B visas. Congressman Anthony Weiner, from New York, wants to end the practice of making foreign models and foreign hi-tech workers compete with each other for a limited number of work visas.

Rep. Weiner wants Congress to create a separate immigration class for models. Oh, and in case you were wondering — foreign supermodels such as Gisele Bundchen already qualify for super O-1 visas, those reserved for immigrants with extraordinary ability, like Nobel Prize winners.

Of course creating a Beautiful People Visa would not solve the HB-1 visa crunch. The 65,000 H-1B visas granted this year were snatched up in one day. Bill Gates told Congress last March that the tight controls force companies to outsource jobs overseas.

When companies, technology or fashion, set up global businesses they're likely to go where they can hire the best, brightest, and beautifulist. Should America do more to fight the brain and beauty drain?

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Bill Gates: Tight Immigration Leads to Outsourcing

LibertySugar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:00:33 -0700

Allowing more foreigners to work in the US would not steal jobs away from Americans. Instead, it would create more jobs for Americans. That's what Bill Gates told Congress today, when he urged lawmakers to increase the number of visas available for high-skilled immigrants. The 65,000 H-1B visas granted this year were snatched up in one day, and Gates believes that the tight controls force companies to outsource jobs overseas.

Gates told the panel:

Microsoft has found that for every H-1B hire we make, we add on average four additional employees to support them in various capacities.

Are you surprised by the counterintuitive link between importing high-skilled professionals and creating more jobs for Americans? Why do you think America needs more foreign workers to keep its high-tech industry competitive?

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