[PEN-L:9702] Re: Globaloney
At 06:58 PM 4/28/97 -0700, Anthony P D'Costa wrote: Technological change by and large is incremental. It is the cumulative effect that is visible as radical or fundamental. It is more "development" than "research" as in RD. Over long periods of time a few innovations stand out but in reality hundreds, if not thousands of innovations, contribute to the overall fundamental shift. Anthony P. D'Costa I would suggest that the invention of the semiconductor, integrated circuit, and microprocessor, while perhaps incremental development taken singly into account have been responsible for far more than an incremental change in the way capital operates, whether we speak of investment, production, or distribution. The impact of the myriad technologies made possible by the development of digital electronics can be compared to the impact of the steam engine on the forces of production and labor process, or the internal combustion engine, or the airplane. Each was the product of cumulative incremental developments but not just that and ultimately much more than that. It would be an error to overstate this argument or mythologize the "information revolution." But it would be as grave an error to ignore the qualitative, not just quantitative impact these technologies have had on the capacity for capital mobility, reorganization of the labor process, control, and the options these open for capital which were not available 30 or 40 years ago. In solidarity, Michael
[PEN-L:9701] Re: Globaloney
Technological change by and large is incremental. It is the cumulative effect that is visible as radical or fundamental. It is more "development" than "research" as in RD. Over long periods of time a few innovations stand out but in reality hundreds, if not thousands of innovations, contribute to the overall fundamental shift. Anthony P. D'Costa Associate Professor Senior Fellow Comparative International Development Department of Economics University of WashingtonNational University of Singapore 1103 A Street 10 Kent Ridge Crescent Tacoma, WA 98402 USASingapore 119260 On Mon, 28 Apr 1997, D Shniad wrote: I'm curious about the consensus which holds that "... recent technical innovations in communication and transportation are of an incremental character and are therefore relatively insignificant." This does not accord with my experience of the telecommunications industry. Sid Shniad
[PEN-L:9700] Two Campaigns re Business Responsibilityi
Below are descriptions of two campaigns, the GRADUATION PLEDGE ALLIANCE, and SOCIAL CHOICE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW TIAA-CREF. We hope you might take a personal interest in promoting either or both campaigns, or publicize them to others. (Please follow the guidelines of your institution or organization for distributing this type of information.) Thank you. GRADUATION PLEDGE ALLIANCE In 1987, Humboldt State University (California) initiated the Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility. It states "I pledge to investigate and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job opportunity I consider." Since that time, dozens of colleges and universities have enacted the voluntary pledge, which allows students to define what "responsible" means to them. In 1996, Manchester College began coordination of the campaign effort, which has taken different forms at different institutions. At Manchester, it is a community-wide event coordinated by a diverse committee. Students sign and keep a wallet-size card stating the pledge (50-60% typically do), while students and supportive faculty wear green ribbons at commencement, with the pledge being printed in the formal commencement program. The pledge helps educate and motivate students to contribute to a better world, and can be a focal point for other types of consciousness raising both on and off campus. Contact Neil Wollman at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for an explanatory brochure or for questions/comments; or write GPA, MC Box 152, Manchester College, North Manchester, IN 46962. The Campaign also has a web site, at http:/www.manchester.edu (click on "index," then "Graduation Pledge Alliance"). Please keep us informed of your pledge efforts. - SOCIAL CHOICE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW TIAA-CREF TELL TIAA-CREF YOU SUPPORT "POSITIVE INVESTING"! SEND EMAIL TO [EMAIL PROTECTED], PHONE (800) 842-2733, OR WRITE TO 730 THIRD AVE., NY, NY 10017-3206. College faculty have launched a nationwide campaign to persuade TIAA-CREF, the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-College Retirement Equities Fund, to begin "positive investing" of their pension funds. They are calling for the investment of $75-100 million from the Social Choice Account, a socially responsible fund, in companies that are models of social and environmental responsibility. TIAA-CREF is the nation's largest private pension system. In 1989, faculty successfully lobbied the group for the creation of the Social Choice Account, which screens for tobacco, alcohol, nuclear, military, environmental, and Northern Ireland concerns. The Campaign is now asking that 5-10% of assets in the Social Choice Account be invested in companies that are models of corporate responsibility with regard to employees, the environment, consumers, and local communities. For a brochure and other campaign materials, contact Social Choice for Social Change: Campaign for a New TIAA-CREF, Box 152, Manchester College, North Manchester, IN 46062, (219)982- 5346/5009, or e-mail Neil Wollman at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Abigail Fuller at [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Campaign also has a web site, at http:/www.manchester.edu (click on "index," then "Social Choice for Social Change"). If you do contact TIAA-CREF or take other actions, please let us know so we can monitor campaign activities. Thank you.
[PEN-L:9699] Re: Globaloney
"... recent technical innovations in communication and transportation are of an incremental character and are therefore relatively insignificant." I'm not exactly sure how "recent" is defined above, but wasn't the development of the "chip", i.e. the microprocessor, something more than an "incremental" change in character? Jerry
[PEN-L:9698] Re: Globaloney
I'm curious about the consensus which holds that "... recent technical innovations in communication and transportation are of an incremental character and are therefore relatively insignificant." This does not accord with my experience of the telecommunications industry. Sid Shniad
[PEN-L:9696] More on MAI
JOURNAL OF COMMERCE Wednesday, April 23, 1997 GLOBAL GIANTS: FEARS OF THE SUPRANATIONAL Critics say a proposed treaty could give too much power to multinationals, whose revenues can exceed those of some nations. By Paula L. Green, Journal of Commerce staff Corporate economic tentacles will creep a bit further around the globe with an investment treaty now before the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Critics already upset with the growing influence of multinationals are afraid that the Multilateral Agreement on Investments -- a full-blown international treaty facing approval by each signatory's parliament -- will simply hand corporations more power if it is signed. Officials from the 29 OECD countries are meeting this week in Paris to talk about the pact -- aimed at providing a level playing field for international investors by mandating national treatment. That means foreign investors will have the same breaks as domestic companies, even in such traditionally sensitive sectors as mining, fisheries and agriculture. "I think it's overwhelmingly negative and gives corporations more power," said Mark Weisbort, research director at the Preamble Center for Public Policy, a Washington think tank. "It takes economic decision- making from elected officials and parliaments and gives it to unaccountable, unelected, supranational institutions." After nearly two years of negotiations, the pact is set for completion within the next year. Several developing nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Singapore and Taiwan are reportedly interested in signing. Critics say the agreement goes beyond the investment treaty approved as part of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, known as Trims, or Trade-Related Investment Measures. It could even hurt developing countries' ability to control the activity of foreign investors and their impact on land, water and air use, they add. "We're concerned about its deregulation aspects on the environment . . . and there's no balance in it. Corporate rights are not balanced with corporate responsibility," said Charles Arden-Clarke, a senior policy analyst at the Worldwide Fund for Nature in Gland, Switzerland. But Robert Z. Lawrence, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, believes the globalization of corporations has provided substantial social benefits and given countries more options. "The idea that bigger and bigger companies is a bad idea is false. Countries have grown tremendously by attracting foreign investment," Mr. Lawrence said. "And as global markets become more competitive, it tilts the balance in favor of the country." Corporate critics have long charged that multinationals take advantage of globalization to get around national tax, environmental and operating rules. The proliferation of trade pacts and a worldwide economic shift toward more open markets from Moscow to Mozambique has also given multinationals more leverage against the nation state. At the Institute for Policy Studies, which last year released a study called "The Top 200: The Rise of Global Corporate Power," analysts view the OECD pact as a mechanism to give corporations more power. "It's a scary development . . . it lifts control on corporations without giving any more power to the people," said Sarah Anderson, a fellow at the Washington-based institute who worked on the study. "Trade barriers have been lifted with trade pacts and this lifts investment barriers. It takes away regulations that have been developed over the decades to protect governments and citizens." The institute study, completed last fall, shows that 51 of the 100 largest economies in the world are corporations. The study uses 1995 statistics to compare a company's annual sales with a nation's gross domestic product. The output of General Motors Corp. is bigger than Denmark's economy, for example. And the annual sales of Wal-Mart Inc. exceed the gross domestic products of 158 nations, including Israel, Poland or Greece. Media blitz misleading Ms. Anderson says multinationals are already creating worldwide webs of production, consumption and finance while bringing economic benefits to only a third of the planet's 5.6 billion people. And the corporate media blitz about the benefits of globalization are misleading, she claims. Corporations, for example, always tout the number of jobs they are able to provide as trade barriers fall and investment regulations ease. This liberalization has allowed them to tap into new markets from Mexico to Thailand. Yet the largest 200 corporations only provide 18.8 million jobs -- less than three-quarters of 1% of the world's work force of 2.6 billion, Ms. Anderson said. "These big companies can afford to invest in technology and robots that replace workers," Ms. Anderson said. "With Nafta, a lot of the small Mexican companies have been wiped
[PEN-L:9695] Re: Info on natural rate data
I recall that a year or more ago, there was an article in the NYTimes which used state data on the natural rate compared to the state's actual unemployment rate. Does anyone have the specific citation of that article. In addition, does anyone have a reference for where I can obtain the estimates of the NAIRU/natural rate by states? Robert Cherry Brooklyn College
[PEN-L:9697] Nike
Associated PressApril 27, 1997 NIKE FACTORY IN INDONESIA IS ORDERED SHUT JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Officials ordered a factory that makes Nike shoes shut down yesterday after workers burned cars and ransacked its offices, saying the company was not paying them a $2.50-a-day minimum wage. Almost half the factory's 10,000 employees took part in Friday's demonstration at Tangerang, an industrial town outside Jakarta. It was the second protest in a week against the factory that makes shoes under contract for Nike Inc. Two women were hospitalized after police broke up the melee, in which protesters burned two cars and smashed windows, doors and furniture at the factory, according to the Republika newspaper. Several police officers and soldiers suffered minor injuries. No arrests were reported. Nike and its competitor Reebok deny accusations that they pay Indonesian workers too little and tolerate poor working conditions at factories run by contractors. --- JUST DO IT! BOYCOTT NIKE http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/5232
[PEN-L:9694] Job Announcement-Please Distribute Widely!
Greeting to everyone on the Progressive Ecnomists Network mailin list! My name is Nathan Henderson-James and I work for the community organization ACORN. We are in the midst of a large-scale recruitment effort for new community organizers and I am hoping that people on this list have contacts with students and others looking for meaningful work relating to social justice and economic democracy. Please distribute this job announcement widely! Thank you. Dear Friend, ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is hiring organizers to work in low and moderate income neighborhoods in cities across the country. We are building democratic, grassroots, participatory organizations; developing deep leadership from within communities, researching issues and developing strategies with the residents of those communities, and working on some of the most exciting issue campaigns of our time. ACORN is the nation's largest grassroots community organization. We are working to organize "workfare" workers (welfare recipients forced to work for 20 or more hours per week just to continue getting their tiny welfare check and food stamps, which ends up being work at well below the minimum wage) and want to expand this organizing as new states pass bills to implement it (which is happening rapidly). We are moving living wage campaigns for local city and state legislation which raises the minimum wage for all workers or for city contracted workers, an effort that has movement qualities. Far more cities have asked for our help in inititating these campaigns than we can currently organize. We are moving families without housing into abandoned houses without families, a process known as squatting. The fight to make this legal and to get financial assistance to the squatters is on the cutting edge of the kind of struggles we will be involved with over the next few years. In the face of the most serious right wing assault in decades, we are moving to expand rapidly and working to get back on the offensive. We are therefore hiring organizers all over the country. ACORN provides the training to new organizers. We are looking for a strong commitment to social justice rather than any particular education or experience; experience with campus or community organizing certainly is helpful. We are looking to hire full time permanent organizers at starting salaries ranging from $12,000 to $16,000, with benefits and rapid increases. We are also interested in summer interns. Contact: Madeline Talbott National Field Director ACORN 117 W. Harrison #200 Chicago IL 60605 (312) 939-7488 or (800) 327-4429 fax: (312) 939-8256 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _ Nathan Henderson-James, Research Coordinator ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 202-547-2500 voice 202-546-2483 fax http://www.acorn.org/community ** Our job is to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. -- Mother Jones ** This Week in History: 4/27/94: South Africa's first all-race elections. 5/1/1830: Birth of Mary Harris (Mother Jones).
[PEN-L:9693] Re: globalization question
Posted on 28 Apr 1997 at 00:33:03 by TELEC List Distributor (011802) [PEN-L:9681] Re: globalization question Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 21:33:55 -0700 (PDT) Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Michael Perelman [EMAIL PROTECTED] Michael Hoover responded to my question about the integration of the U.S. South into the national economy, saying that the government expended considerable resources to encourage investment there. Why did they have to expend funds? Why was the investment so slow in coming. I have seen references to the delay noting the lack of air conditioning until the 1960s and the lack of infrastructure until the interstate highways began in the 1950s. But surely conditions are more difficult in Haiti or Vietnam. Any other comments? -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] Michael, Perhaps some of the explanation lies in different forms of ownership and capital mobility. Expansion into the 1950's U.S. south was led by branch plants and firms relocating there (the latter is particularly true of New England textile firms). Globalization in the 1990s has the capital flows, but not the ownership flows. Much offshore production is done by foreign-owned subsidiaries (witness the recent strike against a Nike supplier in I think it was Thailand, or some other Southeast Asian country). U.S. managers may only consider air conditioning to be important when their own skins are involved. Marsh Feldman Phone: 401/874-5953 Community Planning, 204 Rodman Hall FAX: 401/874-5511 The University of Rhode Island Internet: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Kingston, RI 02881-0815
[PEN-L:9692] globalization
Terry McD writes that First, I agree that recent technical innovations in communication and transportation are of an incremental character and are therefor relatively insignificant. I don't see why incremental changes should be dismissed. Don't quantitative changes sometimes lead to qualitative ones? in pen-l solidarity, Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Econ. Dept., Loyola Marymount Univ. 7900 Loyola Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045-8410 USA 310/338-2948 (daytime, during workweek); FAX: 310/338-1950 "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti." (Go your own way and let people talk.) -- K. Marx, paraphrasing Dante A.
[PEN-L:9691] job announcement: please circulate
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT (4/25/97) Project Coordinator: International Capital Mobility/MAI Preamble, a non-profit research and public education organization in Washington, D.C., is seeking a Project Coordinator for a one-year research and education project on the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI). The MAI is a new international economic agreement being negotiated among the world's industrial countries. It is similar to NAFTA, but broader in scope and jurisdiction. Views about the MAI differ sharply: it is supported by many business groups and the Clinton Administration, but is viewed critically by many environmentalists, labor unions and elected officials at the state and local level. Among the areas of concern are the MAI's effects on jobs and wages, consumer safety and the environment. Despite its possibly profound implications, there has been almost no public debate about the MAI. The project aims to raise public awareness of the proposed treaty and promote a thorough, reasoned public discussion of its terms and the broader issues it raises. The Project Coordinator will conduct: outreach to potentially affected constituencies; research on the MAI's potential effects on jobs and wages, economic development, and the environment; the publication and distribution of educational materials; media work; and efforts to organize spirited, constructive debate. The project coordinator will work in close cooperation with an existing team of researchers and organizers. The project will also involve research on the broader issue of capital mobility - the capacity of investors to move money and production facilities around the world at will. The Project Coordinator position calls for someone with a multiplicity of skills. Candidates must be able to: conduct public interest research and write for a popular audience, work with a wide variety of organizations - bridging gaps in workstyles and priorities to implement a common agenda, and advocate persuasively with journalists and community leaders. Candidates must have at least three years' experience in one of the following areas: labor or community organizing; public interest research and advocacy; electoral or legislative campaigns. Some knowledge of international economic is sues is desirable, as are strong computer skills. Salary and benefits are competitive with similar public interest positions. This is a one-year post beginning immediately, but may be extended. Women and people of color are strongly encouraged to apply. Preamble is an equal opportunity employer. Send resume, cover letter, brief writing sample and salary requirements as soon as possible to Preamble, attention "Project Coordinator Search": 1737 21st NW - Washington, DC 20009 - Fax: 202-265-3647 - Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] - Name: Mark Weisbrot E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Preamble Center for Public Policy 1737 21st Street NW Washington DC 20009 (202) 265-3263 (offc) (202) 333-6141 (home) fax: (202)265-3647
[PEN-L:9689] Re: more Peru
Jerry,
I think that the behavior of some of the more
prominent supporters of the PCP on other lists is enough to
give pause regarding what they might do if they were to
come to power. OTOH, I do think that the comparison with
the Khmer Rouge is overdrawn and inaccurate. You may
remember that when this came up on some of those other
lists, both Luis Quispe and Adolfo Olaechea loudly argued
that the PCP does not support the policies of the Khmer
Rouge. This was at a time when Luis and Adoflo were
fervently denouncing each other as police spies, Fujimori
agents, etc.
Barkley Rosser
On Sat, 26 Apr 1997 23:21:15 -0700 (PDT) Gerald Levy
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Michael Perelman wrote:
By the way, I was saddened to see the MRTA written off as pathetic losers
on pen-l.
Nonetheless, it was most revealing _about some Shining Path supporters_
that they actually _celebrated_ the death of the MRTA rebels ("another
obstacle out of the way" or words to that effect). It makes one cringe
in horror for the fate of other leftists if the Khymer Rouge came to power
in Peru. It seems that anyone who is not a supporter of the Rouge is an
enemy, a counter-revolutionary, an agent of the imperialist bourgeoisie, a
social fascist, a traitor.
Jerry
--
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:9690] Cuba
The following was part of a forwarded post: I have recently returned from a trip to Cuba with Global Exchange. Thisbr was my fourth trip since 1971 and my first since Cuba began its currentbr process of active decentralization in certain sections of the economy,br political reform, and accelerated relationships with foreign capital. Ibr came away thinking that if Cuba is successful in developing its economybr within this framework and simultaneously maintaining its social framework ofbr medical care and education, we will be witnessing a line of development thatbr many of us had not considered. br I find this argument very disturbing. This is arguing the success of the Cuban revolution by moving the goalposts FORWARD. A retreat from socialism is being presented as a victory for public education. Even more disturbing, this line seems to be promulgated by the Cuban government itself. Terry McDonough
[PEN-L:9688] Globaloney
In response to Doug H.'s comments on globalization: First, I agree that recent technical innovations in communication and transportation are of an incremental character and are therefor relatively insignificant. Larry Summers is right about the steamship. Second, I agree that global economic activity, in and of itself, doesn't cause anything in particular. The issue which this raises, however, is whether there have been recent (post '74) changes in the international economy which have been more than incremental. I would like to nominate 2 for discussion. 1) The end of U.S. hegemony and the internationalization of the capitalist class. This change is associated with the rise of Europe, Japan, and the Asian Tigers, and consequent intensified international competition. It has been accompanied by the sundering of capitals from home nation states and the establishment of multilateral relations between international capitals and local states, thus truly internationalizing capital for the first time. This development has seen the internationalization of a free trade regime pursued through international institutions like the WTO, NAFTA, and the EU. 2)The integration of Eastern Europe, China, and formerly revolutionary TW states and movements into the capitalist world market. These changes can be seen as more than incremental. The test of their significance is whether or not they have substantially altered the conditions of class struggle and/or the balance of class forces. The answer to this question is indisputably yes. It is not globalization which has made things worse, but successful capitalist class struggle carried out under conditions of globalization which has made things worse. Is this observation pessimistic? Perhaps in the short run. But in the long run, this development will increase the salience of the international working class, Marxism, and ultimately social revolution. Terry McDonough
[PEN-L:9686] FW: BLS Daily Report
BLS DAILY REPORT, FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1997 New claims for unemployment insurance benefits decreased by 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted total of 324,000, according to the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor (Daily Labor Report, page D-1)_The Washington Post (page D2) points out that the drop occurred despite auto plant strikes that have idled thousands of workers_The Wall Street Journal (page A6) says it was the first drop after three weeks of increases, indicating that speculation of labor market softening may have been premature. Expressing their concern that a change could be agreed to in secret budget talks, 45 House members sent a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Ranking Minority Member John Spratt (D-SC) asking for a separate vote on any provision that would adjust the use of the CPI in cost-of-living formulas used to escalate federal benefits, pensions, and personal tax brackets Members writing the letter said they support House Res. 93, introduced March 12, which says that the BLS alone is responsible for any changes in the CPI. That resolution was sponsored by Reps. Jon Fox (R-Pa), Carolyn Maloney (D-NJ), Joseph Kennedy (D-Mass), and Phil English (R-Pa) (Daily Labor Report, page A-9). Help-wanted ads declined in March. The Conference Board Index dipped 2 percentage points to 87 percent of its 1987 base, the New York-based research organization says. Help-wanted ads in 1995, 1996, and the first quarter of 1997 have usually remained in the 85 percent to 90 percent range, demonstrating a steady period of job growth, analysts at the Conference Board say (Daily Labor Report, page A-8). A report released by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Studies bolsters evidence of a positive link between higher education and training with increased productivity, higher rates of employment, and higher paying jobs for Americans. According to Education and the Economy: An Indicators Report, college graduates earn 50 percent more than high school graduates, and workers who receive training in their current job earn more than workers who do not (Daily Labor Report, page A-14). A front-page story in the Wall Street Journal, "When Fed Governor Talks, People Listen; But Do They Hear?," says that the propose of a recent speech by Laurence H. Meyer was to explain why the Fed raised interest rates last month, to make sure his comments weren't interpreted as a prediction about the Fed's next move, and to avoid moving the market. But then came the wire-service headlines "They're not reporting what I said, but overinterpreting it," he said, as he read the reports Fed old-timers say the environment is radically different today. "The intense, second-to-second competition of the wire services wasn't there 10 years ago," says the Fed's veteran spokesman, Joseph R. Coyne. "There is an attempt to be creative in interpreting speeches so you don't say what everybody else says" . A processing error made on data collected in December 1996 led to a significant over-estimation of increases in Canada's national employment level, Statistics Canada said. The error in interpreting results from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours resulted from the on-going transition in the collection of data on employment, earnings, and hours worked to using employers' administrative records from the current practice of requiring responses to a monthly survey. The last of three phases in the transition is scheduled for May 1997, but one of the changes scheduled for the last phase was inadvertently implemented in December. The result was to artificially distort the movement from November to December, and that was carried over to the results for January The employment increases in December and January were the subject of some controversy as they were significantly higher than the estimates of new jobs developed through the Labour Force Survey Discovery of the miscalculation forced Statistics Canada to delay the scheduled April 23 release of the February employment, earnings, and hours data to May 6 (Daily Labor Report, page A-12).
[PEN-L:9685] FW: BLS Daily Report
BLS DAILY REPORT, THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1997 Sixty-nine percent of all industry categories measured by BLS report productivity gains in 1995, the agency announces The report covers about 40 percent -- in employment terms -- of the nonfarm business sector of the economy. In 1995, productivity advanced in 74 percent of the 111 separate manufacturing industries measured by BLS in this series. The same number of industries had productivity gains in 1994 (Daily Labor Report, page D-1). Wage costs in the first quarter of 1997 rose for nearly half of businesses surveyed, the National Association of Business Economists reports. The survey, conducted in March and April of 123 NABE members about business conditions in their firms, found that 45 percent reported higher labor costs in the first quarter, compared with the fourth quarter of 1996. This is the highest percentage saying labor costs rose since 1990. Nearly half of respondents (47.3 percent) reported shortages in skilled labor, while 10.7 percent said they had a hard time finding unskilled workers. This was close to levels reporting shortages in the last quarter of 1996. In the goods-producting sector, an even larger proportion of companies (52 percent) reported skilled labor shortages, and 19 percent complained about a lack of unskilled help The report found that, despite high industry demand, only about a quarter (24.4 percent) of respondents reported higher prices For those companies that did raise prices, only 30 percent were able to realize the full price increase The responses continue to reflect a very competitive business environment where price increases are difficult to realize (Daily Labor Report, page A-6). Wage data compiled by BNA in the first 16 weeks of 1997 show that the median first-year wage increases for all industries equaled 3 percent an hour (Daily Labor Report, page D-7). __As the federal government nears the completion of its race and ethnic review, the possible addition of a multi-racial option in the decennial census and other surveys has emerged as the most contentious issues, judging by views offered at an April 23 hearing before a House subcommittee. Supporters of adding a multi-racial category argue that the increasingly diverse U.S. population demands more options than those currently offered in everything from education and health data collection to civil rights enforcement. Opponents contend that adding a new category would impair enforcement and regulatory programs by leaving a gap in historical data used to monitor progress in a variety of areas (Daily Labor Report, page A-8). __For the first time in 20 years, the federal government may change the way it measures race and ethnicity, standards critical in enforcing voting rights laws, studying disease patterns, and collecting school registration statistics. A surge in immigration and a sharp increase in the number of interracial marriages in the past two decades have cast doubt on the existing standards' ability to reflect the nation's changing racial makeup. But in testimony today before a House subcommittee, federal experts clashed over the wisdom of changing the existing measurements to include, for instance, a new category: multiracial (New York Times, page A27). The International Monetary Fund painted a sunny picture of global economic growth this year, but at the same time urged the U.S. to continue boosting interest rates to help prevent its economy from overheating. World output will expand by 4.4 percent both this year and next, a solid jump from the 4 percent expansion registered last year and the highest since 1988, the IMF said in its semiannual World Economic Outlook (Wall Street Journal, page A2)_Worldwide economic growth will accelerate again this year to its highest rate in nearly a decade, 4.4 percent, but most regions face risks that could cloud their prospects (New York Times, page D4)_The IMF gave the world's economy an upbeat assessment, predicting that growth will continue and inflation will remain at its lowest level in 30 years Globalization -- the integration of trade, finance, and information that is creating a single global market and culture -- is the main theme of the report (USA Today, page 1B).
[PEN-L:9684] On The 26th Anniversary Of The Bay Of Pigs
THE U.S. war against Cuba dates back a long way. It began last century, and is now being intensified almost daily. The goal has always been the same: to appropriate the island of Cuba and convert it into a new kind of colony, like they did with Puerto Rico. This is what led the United States to intervene in the Cuban struggle for independence back in 1898, when the colonial power, Spain, was all but defeated and the patriots' victory was close at hand. They occupied Cuba by force for four years, and imposed the infamous Platt Amendment, which granted them the territory for establishing the naval base at Guantanamo and the right to send troops to any part of the country whenever they saw fit. In short, they converted Cuba into a neo-colony, which lasted until the Revolution led by Fidel Castro triumphed in 1959. The mercenary invasion at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961, which was organized, financed and armed by the U.S. government, was one more link in the chain of aggression, terrorism, crime, subversion, psychological warfare, and the introduction of plagues and diseases affecting people, crops and livestock. The pretext used to justify the invasion was the series of far-reaching social measures adopted from the very beginning of the revolutionary process. These measures included a radical agrarian reform program, through which large tracts of fertile land were confiscated from U.S. companies and large local landholders, to be distributed among those who worked it. Contrary to all of the forecasts made by the CIA, the Pentagon and the White House, the 1961 invasion was defeated in just 72 hours, despite the enemy's superior aerial capability and the sophistication of their weapons. The mercenaries who had neither died in battle nor managed to flee were captured. In spite of the fact that they had served a foreign power against their own homeland, a classic case of treason, they were freed close to one year later. On April 16, 24 hours before the fighting commenced, Fidel had proclaimed the adoption of socialism in Cuba; at the Bay of Pigs, we fought for socialism, and triumphed. The invasion was followed by the establishment of the blockade, a measure aimed at strangling the country. Over the last 35 years, the blockade has brought about material losses estimated at more than 60 billion dollars. This blockade has been almost unanimously condemned on numerous occasions by the UN General Assembly, and under the circumstances of the current economic difficulties, it has had a marked effect on the Cuban population's quality of life and standard of living. With the collapse of socialism in Europe, they assumed that the Cuban Revolution would be the next to fall, like a house of cards. The fact that Cuba has remained independent and sovereign in spite of everything is a source of great irritation, and they have resorted to legislation aimed at total strangulation, like the Helms-Burton Act. They have adopted other tactics as well: fomenting division, subsidizing counter-revolutionary groups, attempting to force the rest of the world to join in the blockade, and approving plans for a transition from socialism to capitalism. With incredible arrogance, they are demanding that Cuba implant another political regime in order to certify that it is truly democratic. They are calling for changes that would signify privatizing the economy and public services, seizing the people's lands, homes and workplaces, and undoing their social achievements: free health care and education, the right to sports and culture, freedom from discrimination on the basis of sex and race. They plan to do away with the forces of the Ministry of the Interior, which over the years has foiled hundreds of attempts to destroy the Revolution and assassinate its leaders, particularly President Fidel Castro. They hope to convert our people's army into a mercenary force to take part in their "peacekeeping" and intervention operations in other Third World nations. They claim that elections in Cuba are not free and that human rights are violated. These are the accusations they make against a country where in 1993, during the most recent general elections, 99.5 percent of the eligible voters cast their ballots, and 95.6 percent of them did it in favor of the candidates put forward by the people. These are the accusations they make against a country where at the beginning of the Revolution there were one million illiterate people, 3000 doctors, three universities, one medical school and an infant mortality rate of 60 per 1000 live births, while today there are 60,000 doctors, a school enrollment rate of over 97 percent for children up to 12 years of age and 92 percent up to 16 years of age, 40 universities, 21 medical schools and an infant mortality rate of 7.9, comparable to any developed nation. Moreover, Cuba occupies 20th place in terms of medals won during the first century of the modern Olympic Games (1896-1996), with 46
[PEN-L:9683] Americans Broadcast Their 'Values' Into The DPRK
In March, the United States began broadcasting "Radio Free Asia" in Korean, following its broadcasting in Chinese, Vietnamese and other national languages of Asia despite repeated protests and criticisms from the DPRK and other Asian countries. The Korean language broadcasting is aimed at infiltrating the DPRK with American "values," ideas and culture, paralysing its people's sense of national independence and undermining its socialist position from within. A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK, in a recent interview with the Korean Central News Agency, criticized the United States for beginning to broadcast "Radio Free Asia" in the Korean language. He said the broadcasts show that the U.S. policy of antagonizing and stifling the DPRK remains unchanged and is getting pronounced with the passage of time. The more false propaganda the U.S. makes against the DPRK, the stronger the Korean people's anti-American sentiments will grow and the firmer their absolute confidence in their ideology, culture and cause of juche will become, he said. Further, he said the broadcasting of "Radio Free Asia" awakens the countries in the entire region. Concluding his remarks, the foreign ministry spokesman said: "We, together with all other Asian countries, will maintain our independent policy of defending Asia's unique time-honored traditions and culture." Shawgi Tell University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education [EMAIL PROTECTED]
