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US economy adds only 20,000 jobs in February; unemployment falls to 3.8…
Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementThe federal government’s February jobs report shows that payroll employment rose 20,000 last month, a sharp departure from the 311,000 new jobs added in January, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. February’s unemployment rate of 3.8 percent compared favorably with 4.0 percent in January. "One month does not make a trend," says Elise Gould, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. On that note, job growth averaged 186,000 over the past three months. "One reason for the February weakness was harsh weather, depressing job growth in construction, hotels, and restaurants," according to Gould.
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Diminishing Arctic ice opens trade routes, commercial possibilities
Michelle R. Matisons Distribution & WarehousingWhen it comes to predicting the Arctic’s future, we are all "skating on thin ice." Recent data taken from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's annual Arctic Report Card shows that, by 2018, the Arctic Ocean lost 95 percent of its "oldest ice." This melting produces warmer temperatures because thick ice coverage keeps ocean water from absorbing the sun’s heat. While ice melts, dollar (and ruble) signs accrue, and new ice-free navigable waters open up trade routes, extend commercial fishing possibilities, and make global energy markets more competitive — to the dismay of clean energy advocates everywhere.
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Housing America part 4: The ambiguous role of design
Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building MaterialsOne architect I heard speak at an event last year described those working in her profession as "agents of expensiveness." It can certainly seem that way. One sector that doesn't come to mind when we think of architectural flair is that of public housing. There certainly has not been much cash to flash about recently. But it has not always been that way, and some are making steps to raise our expectations of the design of affordable and public housing. Can design really save the day?
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Betsy DeVos’ controversial scholarship proposal
Patrick Gleeson EducationOn Feb. 28, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a new school choice proposal. According to a senior Department of Education official, the $5 billion proposal — which first has to skate past a determinedly opposed Democratic majority in the House of Representatives — would allow each state "to take advantage of scholarship money that would be made available for them for programs they design." This sounds — and may even be — relatively harmless at worst and, at best, could be one of Secretary DeVos’ better ideas. Before getting into the proposal itself, it may be useful to step back and consider what’s going on with school choice from a broader perspective.
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Large new logistics center to boost San Bernardino’s cargo capabilities
Matt Falcus Distribution & WarehousingOne of California’s most successful cargo airports is set to benefit from major development and investment to further cement its position as one of Southern California’s primary freight centers. The Eastgate Air Cargo Logistics Center will be built on 101 acres of vacant land at San Bernardino International Airport, with plans for a 658,000-square-foot distribution center and parking for up to 16 aircraft outside. Last year, Mark Gibbs, director of aviation at the airport, said, "There’s tremendous opportunity here for air cargo and logistics companies to realize significant efficiencies and lower expansion costs." It seems this has now come true.
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Schools need to do more to combat K-12 cybercrime in 2019
Bambi Majumdar EducationSurveys conducted in 2018 showed that, out of 17 vulnerable industries, education institutions had the weakest cybersecurity protections. Many K-12 schools now face serious scrutiny because of their failure to offer a robust security plan. This may prevent their students' data from being safe. The McAfee Labs 2019 Threat Predictions Report shows that the cyber underworld is evolving and consolidating, and we can expect growing cybercrime networks in 2019. The report helps highlight three top security concerns for schools in 2019.
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Is there a guaranteed annual income in your future? — Part 2
Patrick Gleeson Civil & GovernmentUntil recently, most guaranteed annual income proposals centered on moral arguments for providing everyone with at least a subsistence income — for example, that it was an obligatory act of Christian charity. Since the 1960s, those favoring a GAI have abandoned these earlier arguments on moral grounds in favor of what is potentially a more compelling reason: we need to have a GAI simply because, in the very near future, there won’t be enough jobs as workers are replaced by machines with artificial intelligence capabilities.
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Brexit’s unclear impact on US manufacturing
Michelle R. Matisons ManufacturingAs politicians fight over how and when the U.K. will leave the EU, Brexit's impact is felt around the world. A no-deal Brexit, which has the U.K. exiting the EU on March 29 without a clear trade agreement, is said to have potentially catastrophic consequences for U.K. manufacturing. How does all this impact U.S. manufacturing? First, we need to understand Brexit's impact on U.K. manufacturing — especially automobiles. The automobile sector provides an excellent example of increased challenges under the prospects of a new U.K. economy free of EU guidelines and infrastructure.
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Analysis: Standard work arrangements surprisingly dominate labor force…
Seth Sandronsky Association ManagementBeware of talk that we are living through the rise of nonstandard employment. We turn to a new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data from the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Economic Policy Institute based in Washington, D.C. “In 2017, the total share of the labor force working in nonstandard arrangements was 10.1 percent, down from 10.9 percent in 2005,” according to Eileen Appelbaum, Arne Kalleberg and Hye Jin Rho. Accordingly, the fraction of workers in standard work arrangements was 89.9 percent in 2017, roughly the same as 1995.
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Changing positions at your work helps you grow and mature
Frank R. Myers Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementWhile I was a firefighter in the Emergency Response Division for my former department, I sincerely looked forward to every tour of duty. However, I never saw the "other" side of my department and understood what happens behind the scenes. It was not until I was awarded the position of driver engineer instructor for me to realize what occurs. It brought my professionalism up to the next level. When I first reported for my first day in my new position, it was great. Sitting in my new office and working with another instructor reviewing some hydraulic equations, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I said to myself, "This is great." Soon after, I learned the many other aspects involved with this position.
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