Print Story: Global equity meltdown costs investors $2 trillion on Yahoo! News

Print Story: Global equity meltdown costs investors $2 trillion on Yahoo! News: "Global equity meltdown costs investors $2 trillion

By Chris SandersTue Jun 13, 5:27 PM ET

The month-long slide in global stocks has wiped out at least $2 trillion in wealth, leaving investors few alternatives to preserve their holdings aside from bonds and money markets.

Investors have been dumping stocks, commodities and emerging market assets on growing concerns that economic growth will suffer from higher inflation and interest rates.

'It is essentially one consistent story worldwide, starting here in the U.S. There is a fear that the Fed's repeated commitment to limiting inflation demonstrates a willingness to risk economic activity,' said Christopher Low, chief economist at FTN Financial in New York.

Stock markets have been punished since the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates for 16th time in a row on May 10 and issued a hawkish statement saying it may need to do so again to fight inflation. Investors had expected some sign of an end to the tightening cycle.

Global markets have suffered since, and strategists show little agreement about how deep and how long the sell-off will go. Bonds have been the most direct beneficiary of the equities route, with benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasuries staging their longest rally of the year since mid-May.

MARKETS FALL INTO THE RED ON THE YEAR

The Dow Jones industrial average (^DJI - news) is off 8.2 percent since mid-May and as of Tuesday's close had erased its gain for the year. The Nasdaq Composite Index (^IXIC - news) is off 12.75 percent from its high for the year on April 19 and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (^SPX - news) has fallen by nearly 8 percent from its May peaks.

On Tuesday, Tokyo's Nikkei average booked its biggest one-day percentage fall in two years, tumbling 4.14 percent, wiping out more than 16.56 tril"

Sderot: Rocket siren used as ringtone - News from Israel, Ynetnews

Sderot: Rocket siren used as ringtone - News from Israel, Ynetnews: "Sderot: Rocket siren used as ringtone



(VIDEO) Reuters photographer turns tune of siren, used to alert Sderot residents of Qassam rocket, into mobile phone ringtone
Shmulik Hadad


VIDEO - The Red Dawn alert system's tune has in recent days become a hit among youths in the rocket-stricken town of Sderot.



The tune, perhaps being used in a humorous way to deal with the tense situation, has been turned into a mobile phone ringtone."

BREITBART.COM - MySpace May Be Linked With Search Engines

BREITBART.COM - MySpace May Be Linked With Search Engines: "MySpace May Be Linked With Search Engines
Jun 13 9:38 PM US/Eastern
Email this story

CHICAGO

News Corp. could let one of the larger Web search engines, like Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. or Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, take over the search function on popular social networking site MySpace.com, a News Corp. executive said Tuesday.

Speaking at the Deutsche Bank Media & Telecom Conference, Peter Chernin, News Corp.'s chief operating officer, said such a move would be one of the most lucrative ways to monetize MySpace, the popular online destination that News Corp. acquired last year.

Since News Corp. bought MySpace last year for $580 million, interest in the site has been high, with analysts and investors hoping it will drive growth at the company. The site has been wildly popular among younger users and has more than 75 million members. But thus far, News Corp. is still looking for ways to profit from its many users without looking 'uncool.' Chernin has said he is 'extremely bullish' on the company's new media initiatives.

Chernin said Tuesday that News Corp. is 'probably too late' to make a significant mark in the search arena, but plans to find 'some strategic combination' of the user traffic generated by its Internet sites and its vast array of entertainment content to get the most revenue out of its Web-based properties.

MySpace is one of the most visited sites on the Internet, but the site's search function isn't so dominant. In April, MySpace's search function made up 0.6 percent of all U.S. online searches, according to comScore Networks, which specializes in measurement and analysis of consumer behavior and attitudes.

Class A shares of News Corp. fell 34 cents, or 1.8 percent, to close Tuesday at $18.39 on the New York Stock Exchange. The media company is based in New York. "

Google's not-so-very-secret weapon - Technology - International Herald Tribune

Google's not-so-very-secret weapon - Technology - International Herald Tribune: "Google's not-so-very-secret weapon
By John Markoff and Saul Hansell The New York Times

Published: June 13, 2006
THE DALLES, Oregon On the banks of the windswept Columbia River, Google is working on a secret weapon in its quest to dominate the next generation of Internet computing. But it is hard to keep a secret when it is as big as two football fields, with twin cooling towers protruding four stories into the sky.

The towers, looming like an information-age nuclear plant, mark the site of what may soon be one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, helping to supply the ever-greater horsepower needed to process billions of search queries a day and a growing repertory of other Internet services.

And odd as it may seem, the barren desert land surrounding the Columbia along the Oregon-Washington border - at the intersection of low-cost electricity and readily accessible data networking - is the backdrop for a multibillion-dollar face-off among Google, Microsoft and Yahoo that will determine dominance in the online world in the years ahead.

Microsoft and Yahoo have announced they are building giant data centers upstream in Washington State, 130 miles to the north. But Google is doing something radically different here. The very need for two cooling towers, each connected to a football field-sized data center, is evidence of its extraordinary ambition.

As imposing as Google's new Oregon data center is, when it opens it will only a piece of a worldwide computing system known as the Googleplex, which is tied together by strands of fiber optic cables. A similar computing center has recently been completed in Atlanta.

'Google has constructed the biggest computer in the world, and it's a hidden asset,' said Danny Hillis, a supercomputing pioneer and the cofounder of Applied Minds, a technology consulting firm, referring to the Googleplex.

The design and e"

Image of U.S. falls again - Americas - International Herald Tribune

Image of U.S. falls again - Americas - International Herald Tribune: "Image of U.S. falls again
By Brian Knowlton International Herald Tribune

Published: June 13, 2006
WASHINGTON As the war in Iraq continues for a fourth year, the global image of America has slipped further, even among publics in countries closely allied with the United States, a new global opinion poll has found.

Favorable views of the United States dropped sharply over the past year in Spain, where only 23 percent now say they have a positive opinion, down from 41 percent in 2005, according to the survey, which was carried out in 15 nations this spring by the Pew Research Center. In Britain, Washington's closest ally in the Iraq war, positive views of America have remained in the mid-50s in the past two years, still down sharply from 75 percent in 2002.

Other countries where positive views dropped significantly include India (56 percent, down from 71 percent since 2005); Russia (43 percent, down from 52 percent); and Indonesia (30 percent, down from 38 percent).

In Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, only 12 percent said they held a favorable opinion, down from 23 percent last year.

Declines were less steep in France, Germany and Jordan, while people in China and Pakistan had a slightly more favorable image of the United States this year than last.

The ebbing of positive views of the United States coincides with a spike in feeling that the war in Iraq has made the world a more dangerous place. This perception was shared by majorities in 10 of the countries surveyed, including Britain, where 60 percent said the world had become more dangerous since Saddam Hussein's removal from power in 2003.

Over the past year, support for the U.S.-led fight against terrorism also declined again, Pew found.

The latest declines came after a year in which anti-American sentiment had slightly receded, aided by good feeling over U.S. aid for tsunami victims and political progres"

MySpace.com - View Image

MySpace.com - View Image

foxreno.com - News - Judge Overturns Controversial SF Hand Gun Ban

foxreno.com - News - Judge Overturns Controversial SF Hand Gun Ban: "Judge Overturns Controversial SF Hand Gun Ban

POSTED: 3:43 pm PDT June 12, 2006
UPDATED: 10:33 pm PDT June 12, 2006

SAN FRANCICSO -- A state trial judge sided Monday with the National Rifle Association in overturning a voter-approved city ordinance that banned handgun possession and firearm sales in San Francisco.

Measure H was placed on the November ballot by the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, who were frustrated by an alarmingly high number of gun-related homicides in the city of 750,000. The NRA sued a day after 58 percent of voters approved the law.

In siding with the gun owners, San Francisco County Superior Court Judge James Warren said a local government cannot ban weapons because the California Legislature allows their sale and possession.

'My clients are thrilled that the court recognized that law-abiding firearms owners who choose to own a gun to defend themselves or their families are part of the solution and not part of the problem,' NRA attorney Chuck Michel said. 'Hopefully, the city will recognize that gun owners can contribute to the effort to fight the criminal misuse of firearms, a goal that we all share.'

The ordinance targeted only city residents, meaning nonresidents in the city or even tourists were not banned from possessing or selling guns here.

Warren's decision was not unexpected. In 1982, a California appeals court nullified an almost identical San Francisco gun ban largely on grounds that the city cannot enact an ordinance that conflicts with state law.

But years later, in 1998, a state appeals court upheld West Hollywood's ban on the sale of so-called Saturday night specials, small and cheap handguns that city leaders said contributed to violent crime. And three years ago, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of Los Angeles and Alameda counties, saying local governments could ban the possession and sale of weapon"

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Mills McCartney to sue News of the World

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Mills McCartney to sue News of the World: "Mills McCartney to sue News of the World

The lawyers' statement

John Plunkett
Tuesday June 13, 2006

Heather Mills McCartney
Mills McCartney: lawyers said she will sue tabloid once divorce was complete. Photograph: PA

Heather Mills McCartney said she intends to sue the News of the World over allegations she was a prostitute who engaged in group and lesbian sex.

Lawyers acting for Sir Paul McCartney's estranged wife said claims in the paper that she was paid thousands of pounds to have sex with wealthy Arabs while she was in her 20s were 'untrue and highly defamatory'.

In a statement, Mills McCartney's representatives said she would sue the News International title, edited by Andy Coulson, but not until the couple's divorce was complete."

TheDenverChannel.com - News - Vandals Spray-Paint Dog, Dozens Of Cars

TheDenverChannel.com - News - Vandals Spray-Paint Dog, Dozens Of Cars: "CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- The Araphoe County Sheriff's Office said it wants to catch the vandal or vandals who spray-painted at least 18 cars, four homes and one dog over the weekend.

The vandalism spree occurred Sunday between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. in the 6400 block of South Potomac Court in Centennial. The person involved faces 22 counts of criminal mischief and one count of animal cruelty, according to Sheriff Grayson Robinson."

New York Daily News - Breaking News

New York Daily News - Breaking News: "School apologizes after seniors pick Hitler quotes for yearbook

NORTHPORT, N.Y. (AP) -- Two high school seniors picked quotations from Adolf Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf' to appear under their high school yearbook pictures, prompting an apology from school officials.

'It's our responsibility and we failed miserably,' said Northport High School principal Irene McLaughlin. 'The fact that the book went out in the form it did was a grave mistake on our part.'

The quotes picked by Christopher Koulermos and Philip Compton, both 18, were attributed to Hitler in the yearbook. Koulermos' read 'Strength lies not in defense, but in attack.' Compton chose 'The great masses of people ... will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.'

Compton's father, Steven, said Monday that his son meant no harm in picking the quote."

CNN.com - Bush in Baghdad: 'Seize the moment' - Jun 13, 2006

CNN.com - Bush in Baghdad: 'Seize the moment' - Jun 13, 2006: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- President Bush capped a surprise trip to Baghdad on Tuesday by visiting U.S. troops and urging Iraqis to 'seize the moment' and rally behind their new government.

'I come away from here believing that the will is strong and the desire to meet the needs of the people is real and tangible,' Bush said after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the new leader's Cabinet.

The U.S. president addressed Iraqi officials during a teleconference with members of his own Cabinet, who were at Camp David, Maryland."

Al-Qaida IDs 20th 9/11 hijacker - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com

Al-Qaida IDs 20th 9/11 hijacker - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com: "Al-Qaida names 20th Sept. 11 hijacker
Fawaz al-Nashmi couldn't get to others in time for attack, terror group says
Updated: 1:33 a.m. CT June 13, 2006

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A Saudi militant killed in 2004 was due to have been the 20th suicide plane hijacker in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, al-Qaida’s media arm said in a statement on the Internet on Tuesday.

“Turki bin Fheid al-Muteiri -- Fawaz al-Nashmi -- may God accept him as a martyr (was) the one chosen by Sheikh Osama bin Laden to be the martyrdom-seeker number 20 in the raid on September 11, 2001,” the statement said.

“The (Sept. 11) operation was brought forward for some circumstances that brother Mohamed Atta explained to the general leadership,” it said, indicating that Muteiri could not join the other hijackers, led by Atta, in time."

[this blog will be titled when inspiration strikes me]: If College-Themed Porn Were Real

[this blog will be titled when inspiration strikes me]: If College-Themed Porn Were Real: "If College-Themed Porn Were Real
Situation One: The Naughty Student
Cindi, an attractive student with a large rack, walks up to the desk of her professor.

Porn:
Cindi: Is there anything I can do to raise this grade?
Professor: Some students do extra credit work.
Cindi: (has sex with him)

Reality:
Cindi: Is there anything I can do to raise this grade?
Professor: Some students do extra credit work.
Cindi: Like what?
Professor: A seven- to ten-page report about the economic principles behind trade rules in a Micronesian country of your choosing.
Cindi: Oh. That makes sense and is an appropriate extra credit assignment for the course.


Situation Two: The Hot Teacher
Paul, a student in his late twenties, walks up to the desk of his teacher, Professor Mandy, who has enormous breasts.

Porn:
Paul: You wanted to see me after class, professor?
Professor Mandy: Yes. I need to test your performance.
Paul: How?
Professor Mandy: (fellates Paul)

Reality:
Paul: You wanted to see me after class, professor?
Professor Mandy: Yes. I need to test your performance.
Paul: How?
Professor Mandy: A series of tests based on the material covered in this course.
Paul: Could I just have sex with you instead?
Professor Mandy: (sues Paul)


Situation Three: The Sorority
Between two and a half-dozen attractive coeds sit on a large bed, in nighties which barely contain their ample bosoms.

Porn:
Head Sorority Girl: Let's have a naked pillowfight!
Assistant Head Sorority Girl: And practice kissing!
Sorority Girls: (do those things)

Reality:
I kind of assume this is what actually happens in sororities.


Situation Four: The Curious Freshman
A very attractive freshman girl named Candi sits on a bed with her boyfriend, Brett. Did I mention that Candi has boobs the size of overripe grapefruit? She does.

Porn:
Brett: Let's try anal "

Lettuce Spill Blocks Bridge - Yahoo! News

Lettuce Spill Blocks Bridge - Yahoo! News: "ARTIMIS reported that a 4-foot pile of greens scattered across the northbound lanes of Interstate 75/71.

All lanes had reopened as of 3 p.m., but so far, there's no word on what caused the spill."

Prank baffles high school officials -- Newsday.com

Prank baffles high school officials -- Newsday.com: "A janitor arrived at the Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School early yesterday morning and found a pink car sitting on top of the school's one-story roof, police said.

School officials and Nassau County police were trying to figure out how pranksters were able to get it up there.

The shell of a car was painted hot pink and covered with bright green question marks. Police and a towing company removed the vehicle, which had no engine and no tires.

Because there were no tires, the wheel rotors did some minor damage to the roof, police said. Second Squad detectives are investigating to try to find out who is responsible.
"

mischief, mayhem & pornography: 30 Things you didn't know about Chuck Norris.

mischief, mayhem & pornography: 30 Things you didn't know about Chuck Norris.: "30 Things you didn't know about Chuck Norris.
I couldn't resist this one. C'mon guys, Walker Texas Ranger... Quite possibly the best show ever. He lives in Texas, is a cop, drives a insanely large truck, rocks cowboy boots and whips ass. If that doesn't make you want to stand up and solute ol' glory than you're a terrorist bastard.

So, here are 30 things you didn't know about Chuck Norris.

1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
2. When Chuck Norris has sex with a man, it is not because he is gay, but because he has run out of women.
3. Macgyver can build an airplane out of gum and paper clips, but Chuck Norris can kill him and take it.
4. Chuck Norris once roundhouse kicked someone so hard that his foot broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.
5. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.
6. If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, 'Two seconds till.' After you ask, 'Two seconds to what?' he roundhouse kicks you in the face.
7. Chuck Norris only masterbates to pictures of Chuck Norris.
8. Rather than being birthed like a normal child, Chuck Norris instead decided to punch his way out of his mother's womb. Shortly thereafter he grew a beard.
9. Filming on location for Walker: Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris brought a stillborn baby lamb back to life by giving it a prolonged beard rub. Shortly after the farm animal sprang back to life and a crowd had gathered, Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked the animal, breaking its neck, to remind the crew once more that Chuck giveth, and the good Chuck, he taketh away.
10. Chuck Norris lost his virginity before his dad did.
11. Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ab"

Hottest family cars of 2006 - Forbes.com - MSNBC.com

Hottest family cars of 2006 - Forbes.com - MSNBC.com: " HOTTEST FAMILY CARS
Click the links below for more information.
• Audi S4 Wagon
• Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged SUV
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged SUV
• Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Wagon
• Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG SUV
• Porsche Cayenne Turbo S SUV
• Volvo V70 R Wagon"

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005®

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005®: "FLASH: COULTER, CARLIN ON LENO
Mon Jun 12 2006 19:53:54 ET

Controversialist Ann Coulter and controversialist George Carlin NBC's will appear on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno this Wednesday.

Carlin will discuss his role in 'Cars,' from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. The movie is currently the #1 at the box office. Coulter will talk about her latest controversial book 'Godless: The Church of Liberalism,' currently the #1 book at AMAZON.

Developing...
"

KIROTV.com - News - Students Arrested After Videotape Of Fight Surfaces On MySpace.com

KIROTV.com - News - Students Arrested After Videotape Of Fight Surfaces On MySpace.com: "HOME | News
Email This Story Print This Story
Related To Story

* Video: Video: High School Students Video Tape Fight


Students Arrested After Videotape Of Fight Surfaces On MySpace.com

POSTED: 6:08 pm PDT June 12, 2006
UPDATED: 7:14 am PDT June 13, 2006

TACOMA, Wash. -- Two students were arrested after an alleged assault of an Emerald Ridge High School student was videotaped and posted on MySpace.com.

The video showed two high school students attacking a classmate while another student video taped the fight with a night vision lens.

Investigators say the assault was in retaliation for an earlier fight that was also video taped and posted on MySpace.com.

After the second fight a 17-year-old, now under arrest, brags to the camera then shows a shotgun. “Hey, any of you all want to play with me? We'll play,” he says while racking the shotgun.

Investigators said that the 17-year-old later took the gun to school, where he was arrested and the video was discovered in his car.

Both teens involved are scheduled for arraignment on assault charges Tuesday afternoon."

Rove Won't Face Indictment in C.I.A. Leak Case - New York Times

Rove Won't Face Indictment in C.I.A. Leak Case - New York Times: "Rove Won't Face Indictment in C.I.A. Leak Case
By DAVID JOHNSTON and JIM RUTENBERG

WASHINGTON, June 13 — The decision by a special prosecutor not to bring charges against Karl Rove in the C.I.A. leak case followed months of intense, behind-the-scenes maneuvering between the prosecutor, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, and Mr. Rove's lawyer, according to lawyers in the case.

The move, made public by Mr. Rove's lawyer, Robert D. Luskin, early today, brought a surprise ending to the investigation of Mr. Rove, President Bush's senior adviser, who at one point last fall seemed to be close to facing possible perjury charges for lapses in his early testimony about a conversation with a Time magazine reporter.

Mr. Fitzgerald's decision left I. Lewis Libby Jr., the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, alone among current and former White House officials still facing legal jeopardy in the three-year-old C.I.A. leak case.

Mr. Fitzgerald announced in a letter to Mr. Luskin on Monday that he would not indict Mr. Rove, who had testified on five occasions to a federal grand jury about his involvement in the disclosure of an intelligence officer's identity."

BREITBART.COM - Music Video About Marine Sparks Anger

BREITBART.COM - Music Video About Marine Sparks Anger: "Music Video About Marine Sparks Anger
Jun 13 1:58 PM US/Eastern
Email this story

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

A music video posted to the Internet, telling a tale about a U.S. Marine killing members of an Iraqi family, is being condemned by an Islamic group and investigated by the Marine Corps.

The four-minute video, called 'Hadji Girl,' appears to be sung by a Marine in front of a cheering audience. The lyrics talk about the Marine gunning down members of an Iraqi woman's family after they confront him with automatic weapons.

Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, a spokesman for the Marines, said Tuesday that the Marines were aware of a video posted on the Internet that 'purports to show a Marine singing an insensitive song about Iraqis.' Fazekas said officials don't know the identity of the singer or whether he is in the military.

The song was 'inappropriate and contrary to the high standards expected of all Marines,' Fazekas said. He said Marine officers are looking into the matter.

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that in light of recent allegations of atrocities committed by Marines in Haditha and other towns in Iraq, the video should be investigated by the Pentagon and Congress."

BostonHerald.com - Local / Regional News: Office had bird’s-eye view to kill: Workers say window washer slayed gull with vengeance

BostonHerald.com - Local / Regional News: Office had bird’s-eye view to kill: Workers say window washer slayed gull with vengeance: "Office had bird’s-eye view to kill: Workers say window washer slayed gull with vengeance
By Jessica Heslam and O’Ryan Johnson
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - Updated: 10:14 AM EST

Bird-bashing window washer Christopher Guay - arrested after killing a sea gull - had his goose cooked by his boss yesterday as eagle-eyed witnesses from a nearby office building pecked away at his self-defense claim. "

Patrolling the Border

Patrolling the Border: "Patrolling the Border
Should National Guard troops be used to patrol the border with Mexico? [220 votes total]

Yes, emphatically. (138) 63%
Yes, but with some reservations. (41) 19%
I don't know. (11) 5%
Probably not. (11) 5%
Absolutely not. (19) 9%"

asshat.jpg (JPEG Image, 234x238 pixels)

asshat.jpg (JPEG Image, 234x238 pixels)

Mr. Middle America » People That Do Not Look Directly At The Camera?

Mr. Middle America » People That Do Not Look Directly At The Camera?

BREITBART.COM - Hawking Says Space Colonies Needed

BREITBART.COM - Hawking Says Space Colonies Needed: "Hawking Says Space Colonies Needed
Jun 13 8:49 PM US/Eastern
Email this story

By SYLVIA HUI
Associated Press Writer

HONG KONG

The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy Earth, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking said Tuesday.

Humans could have a permanent base on the moon in 20 years and a colony on Mars in the next 40 years, the British scientist told a news conference.

'We won't find anywhere as nice as Earth unless we go to another star system,' added Hawking, who came to Hong Kong to a rock star's welcome Monday. Tickets for his lecture Wednesday were sold out.

Hawking said that if humans can avoid killing themselves in the next 100 years, they should have space settlements that can continue without support from Earth.

'It is important for the human race to spread out into space for the survival of the species,' Hawking said. 'Life on Earth is at the ever- increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.'

The 64-year-old scientist _ author of the global best-seller 'A Brief History of Time' _ uses a wheelchair and communicates with the help of a computer because he suffers from a neurological disorder called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

One of the best-known theoretical physicists of his generation, Hawking has done groundbreaking research on black holes and the origins of the universe, proposing that space and time have no beginning and no end.

However, Alan Guth, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Hawking's latest observations were something of a departure from his usual research and more applicable to survival over the long-term.

'It is a new area for him to look at,' Guth said. '"

BREITBART.COM - Hastert Deals Blow to Immigration Bill

BREITBART.COM - Hastert Deals Blow to Immigration Bill: "Hastert Deals Blow to Immigration Bill
Jun 13 7:57 PM US/Eastern
Email this story

By SUZANNE GAMBOA
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

Hopes for a quick compromise on immigration were dealt a blow Tuesday after House Speaker Dennis Hastert said he wanted to take a 'long look' at a Senate bill offering possible citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants.

Hastert said hearings on the Senate bill should be held before appointing anyone to a House-Senate committee to negotiate a compromise immigration bill. Later, he said he was unsure what the House's next move would be.

'We're going to take a long look at it,' Hastert said late Tuesday.

House Majority Leader John Boehner agreed. 'I think we should know clearly what's in the Senate bill,' Boehner said. But he added there are lots of ways to understand its contents.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also scheduled a hearing for Monday to review provisions in the bill requiring employers to verify that their workers are legal.

Cornyn said he opposes a provision allowing workers to use up to 20 documents to verify they are legal workers. Also, the Department of Homeland Security has raised concerns about how quickly it must have in place an electronic system that employers will use to verify their workers legal status, Cornyn's spokesman Don Stewart said.

'This will give us a chance to look at it in more detail,' Cornyn said.

Sending a bill that has already passed the Senate to hearings would be a highly unusual move and make completing a final bill before Congress goes on its summer recess in August far less likely. Disagreement on procedural issue has kept negotiations from starting, but there were hopes that could be resolved this week.

'It's an obvious retreat from where we are,' said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The Senate passed a sweeping immigration bill nearly three weeks ago. T"

Five Words to Never Use in an Ad

Five Words to Never Use in an Ad: "Five Words to Never Use in an Ad
Forget the meaningless cliches and empty promises. What really matters is what customers take away about a business

Google the term 'magic advertising words' and you'll instantly get over 8 million results. But caveat emptor -- don't buy into everything you read, because your prospective buyer certainly won't.

From the time marketing began, there has never been a shortage of self-appointed experts who claim to have identified the words that will unlock your customers' wallets. In the Internet age their advice is even easier to come by. They promise that words such as 'you,' 'guarantee,' 'easy,' 'limited-time,' and the old standby, 'free,' will generate surefire results. If only it were that simple.

As a smart business person, you probably know that there are no such things as magic words, particularly in a culture that has been saturated with advertising. But there's something else you should know: Not only do magic advertising words not exist, several of them actually work against you. And chances are, you're using at least one of them in your advertising now.

Brace yourself. Here are five of the advertising words you should never use:

Quality
This may be the most overused word in advertising, which is the primary reason why you should stay away from it. What exactly does 'quality' mean? In a Lexus, it may mean hand-crafted finishes, supple seats, or a smooth ride. In a Hyundai, it's more about the extended warranty than anything.

The point is this: every product worth buying is a quality product. It may be high-priced quality or it may be low-priced quality, but it's quality either way. That means every company believes it can use the word 'quality' in its advertising. Too many have, and as a result, now it has become just seven empty letters.

Value
Like quality, value has been ruined by overuse. Go back to the Lexus and the Hyundai examples -- "

Five Words to Never Use in an Ad

Five Words to Never Use in an Ad: "Quality
This may be the most overused word in advertising, which is the primary reason why you should stay away from it. What exactly does 'quality' mean? In a Lexus, it may mean hand-crafted finishes, supple seats, or a smooth ride. In a Hyundai, it's more about the extended warranty than anything.

The point is this: every product worth buying is a quality product. It may be high-priced quality or it may be low-priced quality, but it's quality either way. That means every company believes it can use the word 'quality' in its advertising. Too many have, and as a result, now it has become just seven empty letters.

Value
Like quality, value has been ruined by overuse. Go back to the Lexus and the Hyundai examples -- which car is the better value? It depends -- on the buyer, on the purchase occasion, and on what features and benefits value is being judged. Both vehicles are good values depending on the purchase context.

Or take another industry, retail: Wal-Mart provides good value, but so does Tiffany. Value, like quality, is in the eye of the beholder, and every product or service has its own value equation. Saying 'we provide the best value' is, therefore, virtually meaningless.

Service
Have you ever heard an ad promising lousy service? Of course not, which is the reason why claiming good service just falls on deaf ears. It's funny, but the companies that make the claim of good service the most tend to be those that deliver it the least.

Of course, most organizations do have sincere intentions to provide outstanding service and commonly cite Nordstrom as the example to which they aspire. But Nordstrom is Nordstrom for a reason -- the company's entire culture and identity is built around the service concept. Nordstrom is the exception, most companies can't get there from here, and simply promising great service won't make it happen.

Caring
D"

Hewlett Packard Does a Dilbert: Forces IT Workers Back into Offices | workforce.com

Hewlett Packard Does a Dilbert: Forces IT Workers Back into Offices | workforce.com: "Hewlett Packard Does a Dilbert: Forces IT Workers Back into Offices
HP, the pioneer of flexible work arrangements, does an about face in a move that may send some of its highly skilled IT workforce packing.
June 11, 2006
Hewlett Packard Does a Dilbert: Forces IT Workers Back into Offices
To the shock and dismay of employees, Hewlett-Packard Co. of San Jose, California, is eliminating flexible work arrangements for its IT workers citing increased efficiency of having them work in offices, especially among work teams.

HP said its reported 1,000 IT workers around the globe will have until August to begin working 'in one of 25 designated offices' for most of the workweek, a decision that could force many longtime HP technical workers to either relocate or seek news jobs, according to The San Jose-Mercury News.

HR experts consider the move surprising since HP is often credited with pioneering the concept of flexible work about 40 years ago."

TIME.com: The Grass-Fed Revolution -- Jun. 12, 2006 -- Page 1

TIME.com: The Grass-Fed Revolution -- Jun. 12, 2006 -- Page 1: "The Grass-Fed Revolution
Beef raised wholly on pasture, rather than grain-fed in feedlots, may be better for your health--and for the planet
By MARGOT ROOSEVELT/ GRANDVIEW
SUBSCRIBE TO TIMEPRINTE-MAILMORE BY AUTHOR

Posted Sunday, Jun 11, 2006
Until he saw the light, Jon Taggart--6 ft. 5 in., jeans, white cowboy hat, Texas twang--was a rancher like any other in the southern Great Plains. He crowded his cattle onto pasture sprayed with weed killers and fertilizers. When they were half grown, he shipped them in diesel-fueled trucks to huge feedlots. There they were stuffed with corn and soy--pesticide treated, of course--and implanted with synthetic hormones to make them grow faster. To prevent disease, they were given antibiotics. They were trucked again to slaughterhouses, butchered and shrink-wrapped for far-flung supermarkets. 'It was the chemical solution to everything,' Taggart recalls.

Today his 500 steers stay home on the range. And they're in the forefront of a back-to-the-future movement: 100% grass-fed beef. In the seven years since Taggart began to 'pay attention to Mother Nature,' as he puts it, he has restored his 1,350 acres in Grandview, Texas, to native tallgrass prairie, thus eliminating the need for irrigation and chemicals. He rotates his cattle every few days among different fields to allow the grass to reach its nutritional peak. And when the steers have gained enough weight, he has them slaughtered just down the road. Finally, he and his wife Wendy dry-age and butcher the meat in their store, Burgundy Boucherie. Twice weekly, they deliver it to customers in Fort Worth and Dallas happy to pay a premium for what the Taggarts call 'beef with integrity--straight from pasture to dinner plate.'"

The CareerXroads Annex: Disaster Planning | ERE Blog Network

The CareerXroads Annex: Disaster Planning | ERE Blog Network: "
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Disaster Planning
posted by
Gerry Crispin (121)




This week marked 6 months since one of our country's major disasters.

In a related story, a small notice buried in today's Wall Street Journal lamented that the growth of travel bookings for Europe may have been slowed slightly by the arrival of avian flu. We should be so lucky that this is the only article we'll see on the subject in the next year. But I no longer believe we should bank on luck.
Katrina and Avian flu are related. One was real and continues. The other is one of many potential disasters we can imagine. there are likely others we can't.

Disasters are no longer a plan we need to prepare for and then forget. It is getting more likely we will execute the plan.

Consider these opening scenes of a sci-fi movie I once saw as a child:

Scene 1. Scientists dressed in full contamination gear busily bag the carcasses of a flock of dead swans. A muted conversation ensues about reports of similar events around the country that began with the 2006 Spring bird migration - and the concern about the possibility that a complete subgroup of birds might dieoff. Loud speculation then commences from a young hippie type with a newly minted PhD claiming that swans are more sensitive than other birds to emerging diseases. His canary in the mine rantings are interrupted by a large guffaw and subsequently put down as the preposterous ravings of chicken little by a pompous offical with white hair at the temples, a bad tie and an even bigger PhD.

Scene 2. Small child plays in yard outside a rural West Virginia c"

America's Job Bank Gets Laid Off | workforce.com

America's Job Bank Gets Laid Off | workforce.com: "America’s Job Bank Gets Laid Off
The U.S. Labor Department plans to close America’s Job Bank—the national online job board—in a little more than a year, a move that is proving controversial.
May 10, 2006
America’s Job Bank Gets Laid Off
The Labor Department sent a notice to state officials earlier this year saying the benefits of America’s Job Bank 'no longer outweigh the costs of operating and maintaining this system. Therefore, AJB will be phased out during the next 18 months and cease to be operational on June 30, 2007.'

The notice argued that maintaining and improving the site no longer makes sense 'given that AJB duplicates what is already available in the private sector.'

That logic rings true to Peter Weddle, recruiting analyst and executive director of the International Association of Employment Web Sites industry group. Weddle says the Labor Department is wise to shutter America's Job Bank because it replicates services offered by a range of private-sector sites. These include sites targeted at lower-wage and blue-collar workers, says Weddle, whose association includes the major job boards CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com and Yahoo HotJobs."

Workforce Management: information on employment law, human resource development and human resource management. | workforce.com

Workforce Management: information on employment law, human resource development and human resource management. | workforce.com: "Hewlett Packard Does a Dilbert: Forces IT Workers Back into Offices "

Workforce Management E-mail Newsletters ? Stay on top of the HR worlds with free e-mail newsletters from Workforce Management | workforce.com

Workforce Management E-mail Newsletters ? Stay on top of the HR worlds with free e-mail newsletters from Workforce Management | workforce.com: "Workforce Week
A concise, useful newsletter with quick links to new articles, hot posts from the Community Center; time-saving tools, and HR news.

Past Issues
Workforce Week past issue archive

Subscribe
Stay informed of HR trends with this free, weekly e-mail. Subscription requires FREE registration with Workforce.

Sample Issue
Preview the time-saving newsletters received by over 140,000 HR professionals.

Unsubscribe
Cancel your subscription to Workforce Week."

House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification | workforce.com

House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification | workforce.com: "House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification

Washington report: Increase in guest workers questionable as immigration negotiations begin, long conference committee fight likely.
By Mark Schoeff Jr. hen the controversy surrounding the proposed immigration reform legislation finally cools, provisions mandating employer verification of employee status and imposing harsh fines for hiring illegal workers are likely to be included in any bill that emerges from House-Senate negotiations.

The House legislation, backed in large part by conservatives, focuses only on border security and workplace enforcement. The Senate bill is comprehensive, containing enforcement measures and a guest worker program and providing a path toward permanent residency for millions of illegal immigrants.

In order to placate restive conservatives who fear voter backlash against what they call 'amnesty' for undocumented workers, the Senate can begin negotiations by highlighting the area where both sides largely agree—workplace enforcement.

Under the House bill, all employers must use a pilot electronic verification system for new hires within two years of the enactment of immigration legislation. The system would check applicants against Social Security records. Within six years, they would have to check all of their employees.

The Senate bill would make every employer submit new-hire data to the verification system within 18 months of the Department of Labor receiving funds, an estimated $400 million, to implement the system."

Managing the Search Firm | workforce.com

Managing the Search Firm | workforce.com: "Managing the Search Firm

Hiring is back, and so is the uneasy relationship between workforce management executives and the search firms they use to fill open positions. High-performance partnerships are possible if the search firm is flexible and expectations are clear.
By Fay Hansen earch firms crippled by the 2001 recession are nearing full recovery as client companies resume hiring and labor markets tighten for specific occupational groups. With more employers ready to spend part of their staffing budget on outside recruiters, vendor management issues are back on the table.

'There is no rule book for clients or recruiters,' says Jeff Kaye, CEO of Kaye Bassman International Corp., a Dallas-based search firm with 80 recruiters.

To complicate matters, the search industry itself is in the middle of a substantial transformation, with the lines between retained, contingent, container and contract recruiting increasingly blurred."

Workforce Screening Solutions

Workforce Screening Solutions: "Drug Screens

June 5th, 2006 | Screening | No comments.

Drug testing has become an integral part of the employment screening process. U.S. Labor Statistics estimate that drug use in the workplace cost employers $75 billion to $100 billion annually in lost time, accidents, health care and worker’ compensation costs. Sixty-five percent of all accidents on the job are directly related to drugs or alcohol. WSS provides comprehensive substance abuse testing programs including specimen collection coordination, laboratory coordination and medical review and reporting of substance abuse testing results."

The Cost and Benefit of "Poaching" | workforce.com

The Cost and Benefit of "Poaching" | workforce.com

House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification | workforce.com

House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification | workforce.com: "House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification
Washington report: Increase in guest workers questionable as immigration negotiations begin, long conference committee fight likely.
By Mark Schoeff Jr. hen the controversy surrounding the proposed immigration reform legislation finally cools, provisions mandating employer verification of employee status and imposing harsh fines for hiring illegal workers are likely to be included in any bill that emerges from House-Senate negotiations.

The House legislation, backed in large part by conservatives, focuses only on border security and workplace enforcement. The Senate bill is comprehensive, containing enforcement measures and a guest worker program and providing a path toward permanent residency for millions of illegal immigrants.

In order to placate restive conservatives who fear voter backlash against what they call 'amnesty' for undocumented workers, the Senate can begin negotiations by highlighting the area where both sides largely agree—workplace enforcement.

Under the House bill, all employers must use a pilot electronic verification system for new hires within two years of the enactment of immigration legislation. The system would check applicants against Social Security records. Within six years, they would have to check all of their employees.

The Senate bill would make every employer submit new-hire data to the verification system within 18 months of the Department of Labor receiving funds, an estimated $400 million, to implement the system.

Both bills also would substantially increase fines for hiring illegal workers. Under the House bill, employers would have to pay as much as $40,000 per unauthorized worker, while the Senate sets the top fine at $20,000 per violation.

Even before the verification system is in place, companies may have to start changing thei"

House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification | workforce.com

House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification | workforce.com: "House, Senate May Agree on Employer Sanctions, Verification
Washington report: Increase in guest workers questionable as immigration negotiations begin, long conference committee fight likely.
By Mark Schoeff Jr. hen the controversy surrounding the proposed immigration reform legislation finally cools, provisions mandating employer verification of employee status and imposing harsh fines for hiring illegal workers are likely to be included in any bill that emerges from House-Senate negotiations.

The House legislation, backed in large part by conservatives, focuses only on border security and workplace enforcement. The Senate bill is comprehensive, containing enforcement measures and a guest worker program and providing a path toward permanent residency for millions of illegal immigrants.

In order to placate restive conservatives who fear voter backlash against what they call 'amnesty' for undocumented workers, the Senate can begin negotiations by highlighting the area where both sides largely agree—workplace enforcement.

Under the House bill, all employers must use a pilot electronic verification system for new hires within two years of the enactment of immigration legislation. The system would check applicants against Social Security records. Within six years, they would have to check all of their employees.

The Senate bill would make every employer submit new-hire data to the verification system within 18 months of the Department of Labor receiving funds, an estimated $400 million, to implement the system.

Both bills also would substantially increase fines for hiring illegal workers. Under the House bill, employers would have to pay as much as $40,000 per unauthorized worker, while the Senate sets the top fine at $20,000 per violation.

Even before the verification system is in place, companies may have to start changing thei"

Managing the Search Firm | workforce.com

Managing the Search Firm | workforce.com: "Managing the Search Firm

Hiring is back, and so is the uneasy relationship between workforce management executives and the search firms they use to fill open positions. High-performance partnerships are possible if the search firm is flexible and expectations are clear.
By Fay Hansen earch firms crippled by the 2001 recession are nearing full recovery as client companies resume hiring and labor markets tighten for specific occupational groups. With more employers ready to spend part of their staffing budget on outside recruiters, vendor management issues are back on the table.

'There is no rule book for clients or recruiters,' says Jeff Kaye, CEO of Kaye Bassman International Corp., a Dallas-based search firm with 80 recruiters.

To complicate matters, the search industry itself is in the middle of a substantial transformation, with the lines between retained, contingent, container and contract recruiting increasingly blurred.

Two-thirds of the top 25 U.S. recruiting firms are reporting double-digit revenue growth this year on top of a 21 percent increase in 2005, according to Hunt-Scanlon, a market research firm. Fee revenue for Korn/Ferry International, the industry heavyweight, jumped 38 percent last year to $452 million, with 474 recruiters conducting more than 8,000 searches worldwide.

The search industry is expecting a 27 percent increase in the number of assignments received from corporate clients in Q2 and Q3 2006, according to the survey of 145 executive recruiters by Execunet, a recruiting network. To prepare for sustained growth in the employment market, 55 percent of search firms plan to hire additional professional staff in Q2, a significant increase from the 32 percent that added staff in Q1.

The emerging trend in the search firm industry is to create more vertical capability, with executive search firms moving into middle management and technical recruiting. Korn/"

The Cost and Benefit of "Poaching" | workforce.com

The Cost and Benefit of "Poaching" | workforce.com: "The Cost and Benefit of “Poaching”

Workforce planning and noncash incentives can minimize the cost of pulling talent away from competitors.
By Fay Hansen irect recruiting from competitors, customers and vendors can produce a high-performance workforce. It can also break the bank. In recent discussions, however, a series of questions about the ethics of 'poaching'--the misnomer often used in the recruiting industry--have overshadowed the more fundamental issues of costs and benefits.

The ethics questions can be disposed of in the same terms that apply to most business practices, according to Charlie Jones, vice president of process and operations at Yoh, a technical and professional staffing firm that recruits heavily from competitors and companies in related industries. 'If recruiting involves misrepresentation or deceit, it’s unethical,' he says. 'It’s just that simple.'

Yoh constantly recruits to maintain its own internal staff of 350 employees plus 5,500 contract employees on assignments with clients. The interesting fact about Yoh is not that it engages in direct recruiting without ruse phone calls or covert practices, but that it recruits passive midcareer candidates from competitor firms without moving beyond market wages.

Direct recruiting is expensive. Yoh has minimized the pain by developing a package of noncash or intangible premiums focused on career development that pull in new employees without setting off bidding wars.

Those bidding wars are by far the largest expense involved in direct recruiting, and when they force internal equity adjustments, the costs can be huge. In addition, direct recruiting almost always involves an investment of time that goes well beyond the more simple techniques of advertising jobs and sifting through résumés.

But these higher costs may be offset by the benefits of bringing in talent with industry-specific skills and experience. A"