Senate Kills Unemployment Compensation Extension

The U.S. Senate on Thursday killed a bill that would have extended payment of unemployment compensation benefits through Dec. 31, 2010. As a result, says the Wall Street Journal, some 1.3 million unemployed Americans will almost immediately lose their assistance.

The American Workers, State, and Business Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 4213), stalled when Senate Democrats failed to get the 60 votes needed to end a Republican filibuster against the bill. The motion to end the filibuster, known as a “motion to invoke cloture,” failed by a vote of 57-41.

The bill also contained provisions that would have funneled more federal assistance to the states, funded summer youth jobs programs and extended several business tax breaks.

Opponents of the bill objected to its $85.5 billion cost, an amount they said would have increased the $1.26 trillion federal deficit by $35 billion.

The states typically pay unemployment compensation benefits to eligible unemployed workers for up to 26 weeks. In periods of very high and rising unemployment nationwide or in individual states, “extended benefits” may be paid for as long as 13 to 46 additional weeks, depending on state law. The cost of the extended benefits is paid equally from state and federal funds.

Grouped By Vote Position:

YEAs —57
Akaka (D-HI)

Baucus (D-MT)

Bayh (D-IN)

Begich (D-AK)

Bennet (D-CO)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Burris (D-IL)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Casey (D-PA)

Conrad (D-ND)

Dodd (D-CT)

Dorgan (D-ND)

Durbin (D-IL)

Feingold (D-WI)

Feinstein (D-CA)

 Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Hagan (D-NC)

Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)

Johnson (D-SD)

Kaufman (D-DE)

Kerry (D-MA)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Kohl (D-WI)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

Lieberman (ID-CT)

Lincoln (D-AR)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

 Mikulski (D-MD)

Murray (D-WA)

Nelson (D-FL)

Pryor (D-AR)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Specter (D-PA)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Tester (D-MT)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Warner (D-VA)

Webb (D-VA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs —41
Alexander (R-TN)

Barrasso (R-WY)

Bennett (R-UT)

Bond (R-MO)

Brown (R-MA)

Brownback (R-KS)

Bunning (R-KY)

Burr (R-NC)

Chambliss (R-GA)

Coburn (R-OK)

Cochran (R-MS)

Collins (R-ME)

Corker (R-TN)

Cornyn (R-TX)

 Crapo (R-ID)

DeMint (R-SC)

Ensign (R-NV)

Enzi (R-WY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Gregg (R-NH)

Hatch (R-UT)

Hutchison (R-TX)

Inhofe (R-OK)

Isakson (R-GA)

Johanns (R-NE)

Kyl (R-AZ)

LeMieux (R-FL)

 Lugar (R-IN)

McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY)

Nelson (D-NE)

Risch (R-ID)

Roberts (R-KS)

Sessions (R-AL)

Shelby (R-AL)

Snowe (R-ME)

Thune (R-SD)

Vitter (R-LA)

Voinovich (R-OH)

Wicker (R-MS)
Not Voting – 2
Byrd (D-WV) Murkowski (R-AK)

sources: about.com and senate.gov

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Top Ten Tips for Working With Other Cultures

a As companies continue to grow internationally, more employees are finding themselves working with people from other countries and cultures that they are not familiar with. Don’t make the mistake in assuming there is no difference in the work environment. Our values and personalities develop largely from the values and belief systems of the cultures we grow up in. However, not all cultures value the same things or in the same priority. Improve your knowledge of your co-workers cultures and you will improve your work experience as well.

1. Remember they are human beings with the same basic wants and needs that you have. You are working for the same goals and outcomes. It isn’t about you vs. them or one culture vs. another

2. Make an effort to learn a bit about their culture if you work with a variety of nationalities. Have a sincere curiosity in their language, rituals, holidays etc.

3. Remind yourself that your cultural approach and views are only one way of looking at it not necessarily the right way or only way. Be willing to try another cultures approach. You may surprise yourself with what you find. In turn, if you have ideas that might work better approach your colleagues with baby steps and see which ones they may be willing to try as well.

4. Remember that the language spoken may be someone else’s 2nd, 3rd or 4th language. Be clear with your ideas and avoid slang. Check-in with the person or group and see if anyone has questions and understands your message. Don’t assume they understand just because they haven’t asked a question. Learn to rephrase ideas throughout your communication to help them process what it is you are saying

5. Become confident in who you are and the culture and/or country you represent. Avoid bad mouthing your country to others as you become a representative of that country to all you meet. Focus on what is positive in your country and the positives you are aware of in someone else’s country. Leave the negative international politics at the door and you will remain professional and attract respect from your international co-workers.

6. Address confusion in working styles immediately. Remember that culture comes through in a corporate setting as well. Meeting structures, decision-making processes, and the chain of command will most likely look different from culture to culture. Accept the approach that is used within this group and focus on your strengths within that approach.

7. Develop an outside support system. Working in an international setting can have additional stresses; it may take longer to accomplish simple tasks or work through the language barriers. Find ways to manage the stress and use an outside support system so it doesn’t reflect back on your job.

8. Enjoy the experience. The world is an exciting and diverse place. International co-workers allow us to explore areas of ourselves and the world we may not have previously explored. Use these contacts to enrich your life and in turn enrich theirs.

9. Accept that humans make mistakes. Focus on the solution so the mistake doesn’t occur again. This way you can avoid the trap of assigning a mistake to a culture. In other words, if you have a co-worker who continually does the same thing wrong, help them resolve it instead of internalizing it into – Grrr; (insert nationality) people don’t know how to do their jobs.

10. Listen. Learn to listen – at all levels. Allow the other culture the time and approach that they need to share their thoughts and express them. You want to be heard…so do they.

source: waytodeal.com

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Career of the week: News Reporter

News Reporter Career Information

To enter into a career as a news reporter, typically one must hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism or communication. Examples of types of news reporters include radio, television and newspaper. Often employers look at publication or broadcast experience, whether at a broadcasting station, university or through internships. There is heavy competition to acquire a reporter position at the large metropolitan and national level.

Due to the high level of competition obtaining news reporter positions at bigger publications and broadcasting stations, most aspiring reporters begin their careers at smaller companies tackling general assignments. The more experience they gain and time they spend in the field, the more likely they are to be assigned to a specialized area at higher difficulty levels. Larger stations and publications generally require their reporters to have a great deal of experience upon being hired.

News Reporter Job Duties

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a high level of pressure in a news reporter job due to irregular hours and tight deadlines. News reporters, also known as journalists, investigate, observe and interview. Their general job duties include collecting information, preparing a factual story and creating broadcasts that impart the information to the public. These stories often involve local, state, national and international topics on current events, actions of high-profile figures and interest group activity.

Often news reporters will also carry cameras and take photos or video footage of objects or places of potential significance. It can take weeks to complete gathering information for a story, depending on the depth at which the reporter must go to obtain the facts. Work hours differ depending on the medium in which the reporter works; for instance, magazine reporters typically work during the day and morning paper reporters tend to work in the evenings.

News Reporter Salary Info

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, news reporters’ yearly income varies greatly. In May 2008, the median annual wage of news reporters was $34,850. In newspaper publishing, the median annual wage was $33,430 and for television and radio it was $37,710.

source: Education-Portal

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