Hello,
I've been down with a cold for the past week. Nasty. This issue is some of the stuff I've been reading as I sniffle and honk the day away.
fred <><><<><><><><><><><><><> OCCUPATIONAL OUTLOOK; WHERE THE JOBS WILL BE A very useful guide from the US Department of Labor. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ You can look up occupations by pay, education, on the job training, number of new jobs projected, and projected growth rate of the occupation. "For example, 104 occupations are expected to grow much faster than average. These range from anesthesiologists and bicycle repairers to registered nurses and wind-turbine repair specialists." I looked up bartender and this is what came up: Quick Facts:
Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers
$19,630 per year $9.44 per hour
No formal educational credential
None
Short-term on-the-job training
5,122,600
14% (Faster than average)
694,300
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KENTUCKY PENSION FUND GETS SUED FOR RISKY INVESTMENTS
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kentucky-pensions-hedge-funds-lawsuit_us_5a454dd8e4b06d1621b7b721?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
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CONTRACT WORKERS....OUTSOURCING THE COSTS OF EMPLOYEES
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CHINA'S DRIVE FOR ECONOMIC EXPANSION & HEGEMONY
If you are interested in international capitalism and jostling for economic and political power, 'the new world order', these articles will be of interest. China is clearly the rising economic power in the world with ambitious plans for economic expansion through the 'Belt and Road' initiative. Their economy will likely be the world's largest within the next five years. India's economic growth rate will propel that country into the top five and likely surpass the Japan in the next five years. Trump's US protectionism has created openings that China and India are rapidly taking advantage of. The US empire seems to be in decline, much like, but much faster, than the decline of the British empire many years ago.
It seems likely that the exploitation of natural resources, particularly water, to fuel this expansion along with the cultural tensions associated with raw material extraction and development will lead to an increase in regional wars
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WATER OR FOOD? CALIFORNIA BILLIONAIRE HAS BOTH
A precautionary tale...This very long article is an eye opener. The billion dollar development of agriculture and the control exerted by two people. https://story.californiasunday.com/resnick-a-kingdom-from-dust?ex_cid=SigDig
"400,000 acre-feet
That’s the annual amount of water Stewart Resnick, the biggest farmer in California, uses to water 15 million trees he has in the San Joaquin valley. For comparison, the city of Los Angeles consumes 587,000 acre-feet annually."
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FOR POLITICAL JUNKIES
The 2018 elections might not involve 'red' states at in determining the political composition of the House of Reps. This article talks about the importance of big dem states and the unimportance of small Trumpie states.
......................................... TRUMP WATCH
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TRUMPSPEAKAn interesting analysis
"“Think about the language he used to describe his sexual assault: ‘When you’re a star they let you do it.’” Beinart wrote. “For Trump, the ultimate test of a person’s worth isn’t right. It’s might.”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/31/words-fail-trump-but-for-supporters-his-message-is-loud-and-clear?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GU+Today+USA+-+Collections+2017&utm_term=258800&subid=20881720&CMP=GT_US_collectionMR
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MR. TRUMP AND MS. DANIELS
The Candidate and the star of Good Will Humping...A lil humor for you...
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/daily-shouts/eight-totally-legitimate-reasons-trump-paid-stormy-daniels-130000?mbid=nl_Humor%20012518&CNDID=28400132&spMailingID=12814964&spUserID=MTQxNzkzNjAzMzUwS0&spJobID=1322279332&spReportId=MTMyMjI3OTMzMgS2
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THE CONTINUING SLIDE TO AUTHORITATIANISM IN THE SOTU SPEECH
Much has been written about Trumpie's SOTU speech, but it took Mother Jones to point out the most chilling aspect;
"So tonight I call on Congress to empower every cabinet secretary with the authority to reward good workers and to remove federal employees who undermine the public trust, or fail the American people."
And as Yascha Mounk writes in Slate, “Under Trump’s proposal, any Cabinet secretary could decide that, say, a law enforcement official investigating the president had ‘undermined the public trust’ or ‘failed the American people’—and fire him on the spot. In other words, Trump is calling for an end to any semblance of independence for the IRS, the FBI, the Department of Justice, or any other federal agency.
.............. TECH
CONTINUING CYBERATTACKS
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/russia-never-stopped-its-cyberattacks-on-the-united-states/2017/12/25/83076f2e-e676-11e7-a65d-1ac0fd7f097e_story.html?utm_term=.6e9586b0cd20
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THE CONTENT CLEANERS OF THE INTERNET
Who says what you see on social media? The Cleaners do...
https://www.cnet.com/news/the-cleaners-sundance-documentary-review-dirt-on-social-media/?ftag=CAD49a2b7e&bhid=24867379272108267615610596432948
<><><><><><><><><><><><>SEARCHING PHONES AT THE BORDERhttps://www.cnet.com/news/us-customs-border-patrol-searched-30000-phones-and-computers-2017/?ftag=CAD2e9d5b9&bhid=24867379272108267615610596432948
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MORE ON PLASTIC BAGS
"12 minutes"
Estimated time of use for a single-use plastic bag, compared with the 500 to 1,000 years it takes for that bag to break down. A New York City attempt to discourage single-use plastic bags through a 5¢ fee was struck down at the state level. Meanwhile, nearly 100 municipalities had straight-up banned such bags as of last March; 30 others had added fees."
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WORDPLAY
A steak pun is a rare medium well done
Anton, do you think I’m a bad mother?
My name is Paul.
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