The Rocky Mountain News includes an interesting story about employers who say they need workers but can't get enough visas to fill those jobs legally. I wonder if you would find the same story in your town.
Colorado employers had 14,000 seasonal jobs last year they tried to fill legally with foreign workers, saying Americans don't want to work as landscape laborers or hotel housekeepers.
The state ranked second in the nation in its requests for H-2B visas, which allow foreign workers to enter the country legally for temporary jobs.
This year, however, the limited number of H-2B visas set by Congress ran out in January, just three months into the federal fiscal year that began Oct. 1.
Now, Colorado employers are scrambling to find laborers and trying to persuade Congress to expand the H-2B program. If the program isn't allowed to grow, they say, restaurants won't have dishwashers and new subdivisions won't have trees.
"There are just not Americans available to do the work," said Todd Williams, president of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado.
The story also included this:
Critics of the visa program say that if employers could not import foreign workers legally, they would have to increase wages sufficiently to persuade Americans to do the jobs. Jim Hannifin of Ready Temporary Services in Denver says he regularly finds people willing to work a day here and there for $6 per hour and up.
Of the employers bringing in foreigners, he said, "I think they're copping out. I think if somebody made an effort, they could get 6,000 people to work in landscaping.
"It's not like the 1990s," he said. "There's a hell of a lot of people out of work."
How Schools Choose ComputersI think this is an interesting and unexplored story. How do school systems choose which computer platforms (Apple or PC Windows) that it will purchase? Apple used to own the school market, but Dell, for one, is making inroads. Thousands upon thousands of dollars in sales and support ride on each district's decision, and the big computer companies are willing to spend a lot to sell a lot.
See this story from C|Net.
CIA World FactbookThe new version is online with country information current as of a couple weeks ago. I use this resource pretty often to get background on countries, politics and raw demographic information.
Gas or Charcoal?My oldest daughter and I had a spirited debate last week about whether her
charcoal grill or my gas grill is the best choice for serious backyard cooks. Trust me, this is a topic that will generate an argument more heated than a conversation about politics or religion. Being that it is the front edge of grilling season, it sounds like it is time for a cook-off/taste test kind of thing.
About.com offers some thoughts on the matter, as does
Dummies.com and
The Washington Post.
Permanent School RecordsAl's Morning Meeting reader Becky Bruce and I were surprised by a story in
The Roanoke Times. The story reminded us of when we, as children, were warned that our behavior and grades in school would be part of our "permanent record." I never really believed there was such a thing -- but it turns out, there is. The
Times story, which is about record-keeping problems in the local school system, included this passage:
Guidelines set by the Library of Virginia require that school districts keep student records for five years after the students leave the system. Part of each student's records can be purged after five years but some information -- such as the student's name, Social Security number, birth date, grades, class rank or attendance record -- has to be kept for 75 years.
New Bikes
As more people head out on bikes this spring, wait until you see what is new on the streets. I am intrigued by this new kind of trike. Recumbent bikes are also very popular because, retailers say, the recumbents are easier on the rider's back. A Tampa Tribune story said:
Bicycle enthusiasts who are getting into their 40s and 50s are considering recumbents because the seats recline and support riders' backs. Recumbents also relieve pressure on necks and wrists -- two pain hot spots for cyclists riding conventional bikes. In addition, recumbents are more aerodynamic thanks to their shorter profile and move at speeds comparable to those of traditional road bikes.
With the high price of gasoline, are commuters riding bikes more often? I sure am seeing a lot of those little motorized scooters these days.
The Black Box in Your Car
The National Law Journal has a follow-up on a story that I mentioned a week ago. Who owns the data in the black boxes that are installed on an increasingly large number of cars? How can that data be used against you if you are involved in a crash or are accused of a crime?
The story points out:
Currently, eight states -- Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia -- have legislation pending to regulate so-called black boxes, the hidden computer chips on automobiles that store information on speed and seat belt use.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 15 percent of all vehicles -- 30 million cars and trucks -- have black boxes. And roughly 65 percent of new cars sold in 2004 had them. The highway administration has recommended that all vehicles have black boxes by 2008.
The proposed laws require that drivers be informed if their car is equipped with a black box. Some laws also aim to clarify who owns the rights to the black-box data, a provision that interests attorneys because some car manufacturers have refused to turn over such data in litigation.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts, and other materials from a variety of websites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed, and a link will be provided, whenever possible.
When I was growing up in South Texas, serious backyard...
