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June 19, 2013

Dance

Skip all the rah rah nonsense and go right to the 1:30 mark.
This Japanese gent is amazing.


June 18, 2013

American Jobs: Who Wants To Work?

Seems that the American Dream of years of hard work on the road to success is taking a beating from many sources.

The American Spectator:
The Internal Revenue Service says everyone who is employed in the United States — even those who are working here illegally — must report income and pay taxes. Of course, undocumented workers are not supposed to have a social security number. So for them to pay taxes, the IRS created what’s called an ITIN, an individual taxpayer identification number. A 9-digit ITIN number issued by the IRS provides both resident and nonresident aliens with a unique identification number that allows them to file tax returns.

While that may have seemed like a good idea, it’s now backfiring in a big way.

Each spring, at tax preparation offices all across the nation, many illegal immigrants are now eagerly filing tax returns to take advantage of a tax loophole, using their ITIN numbers to get huge refunds from the IRS.

The loophole is called the Additional Child Tax Credit. It’s a fully-refundable credit of up to $1000 per child, and it’s meant to help working families who have children living at home.
Then of course while the politicians are helping illegal aliens to rape us, we manage to cut our own throats:
American Entry Level Workers Are Almost Useless
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- At perhaps a bad time in U.S. employment, it seems there's a "perception gap" between what workers think they're worth on the job and how employers see them.

Analysis by Bryant & Stratton College with help from Wakefield Research from a survey among U.S. adults age 18 to 34 found that 80% of workers believe they are "job ready and possess all the skills, experience and education needed to advance in their desired career path or obtain their next job."

Yet 40% of U.S. employers say most entry-level job candidates lack even the basic skills needed to fill job openings.
American Workers "Disengaged"
Seven out of 10 workers have "checked out" at work or are "actively disengaged," according to a recent Gallup survey.

In its ongoing survey of the American workplace, Gallup found that only 30 percent of workers are "were engaged, or involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their workplace." Although that equals the high in engagement since Gallup began studying the issue in 2000, it is overshadowed by the number of workers who aren't committed to a performing at a high level -- which Gallup says costs companies money.

The poll, released last week, examined worker engagement beginning in 2010 and ending in 2012. The previous poll period covered 2008 through 2010.

The survey classifies three types of employees among the 100 million people in America who hold full-time jobs. The first is actively engaged, which represents about 30 million workers. The second type of worker is "not engaged," which accounts for 50 million. These employees are going through the motions at work.

The third type, labeled "actively disengaged," hates going to work. These workers -- about 20 million -- undermine their companies with their attitude, according to the report.

"The general consciousness about the importance of employee engagement seems to have increased in the past decade," said Jim Harter, Gallup's chief scientist for workplace management and well-being. "But there is a gap between knowing about engagement and doing something
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about it in most American workplaces."

Gallup estimates that workers who are actively disengaged cost the U.S. as much as $550 billion in economic activity yearly. The level of employee engagement over the past decade has been largely stagnant, according to researchers.

June 16, 2013

America's Cities

Americans just love to name their cities with descriptions, activities or products that they are famous for.
 Atlanta, Ga. - the Big Peach
Baton Rouge, La. - the Big Raggedy
Beaver, Ok. - Cow Chip Capital of the World
Boston, Ma. - Bean Town
Chattanooga, Tn. - the City of Lights
Dallas, Tx. - Big D
Denver, Co.  - the Mile High City
Detroit, Mi. - Motor City
Flagstaff, Ariz. - The City in the Pines
Greenbay Wis. - the Toilet Paper Capital of the World
Houston, Tx. - Space City
Las Vegas, Nev. - Sin City
Los Angeles, Ca. - the City of the Angels
Miami, Fl. - the Magic City
Milwaukee, Wis. - the Brew City
Mobile, Ala. - the Port City
Nashville, Tn. - the Music City
New Orleans, La. - the Mardi Gras City
New York City, NY - the Big Apple
Oklahoma City, Ok. - the Big Friendly
Pasadena, Ca. - the City of Roses
Peoria, Il. - the Whiskeytown
Philadelphia - the City of Brotherly Love
Seattle, Wa. - the Emerald City
Sioux City, Io. - Little Chicago (they may wanna change that)
South Bend, Ind. - the Lotion City (don't ask)
Syracuse, NY - the Salt City
Tampa, Fl. - the Cigar City
Toledo, Oh. - Frog Town
Wheeling, W. Va. - the Nail City

Chicago, Il. - "the City Where They Shoot Your Ass For No Reason"
Seven people were killed and at least 30 others were shot in violence that plagued Chicago over Father's Day weekend.

Five of the fatalities and 11 other shootings occurred overnight Saturday leading into Father's Day, including the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy.

On the Southwest Side, five people were shot, one fatally, in two shootings in the Little Village neighborhood.
More here.