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<title>HR - On the Job</title>
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<p align="center"> <img border="0" src="../graphics/hronthejob.jpg" width="504" height="54"></p>
      
<h2 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align: center; text-indent: .5in; margin-left: .5in"> 
  <b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">IS MANAGEMENT A PROFESSION</font></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">?</font></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">What 
  is a manager?&nbsp; A reasonable definition might be, �One who controls actions, 
  functions or people in some process usually intended to result in a predetermined 
  outcome.�</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">In 
  today�s workforce we often confer the title of manager to people as a reward, 
  a status symbol even to people who don�t actually manage anything or anyone.&nbsp; 
  However, on most federal forms (such as Affirmative Action Programs, EEO-1 reports, 
  etc.), the title �Manager� means the person manages and evaluates the performance 
  of <i>people</i>.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Using 
  that guideline we might more properly say, �Management is performing functions, 
  pursuing goals and getting things done <i> through other people</i>.�</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>What 
  skills do you look for (or train for) when selecting a manager</b>?</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Now 
  here�s where our troubles start!&nbsp; Probably 90% of us select managers based 
  on two things.&nbsp; The first is chemistry, selecting someone in our own image!&nbsp; 
  (�He or she is a lot like me and I know I�m good, besides I know we�ll get along 
  well, so��)&nbsp; The second is productivity.&nbsp; That is to select operatives 
  who do the best work.&nbsp; Makes sense!&nbsp; But as most of us have learned, 
  being a good worker does not always mean being the best manager of other workers.&nbsp; 
  It often means that we have not only lost our most productive worker but we 
  now have an incompetent manager in charge of our most important asset, our people! 
  </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>What�s 
  the problem here?&nbsp; Why wouldn�t this work?</b></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">The 
  answer is clear with even a basic analysis.&nbsp; The skills needed for management 
  are usually quite different from the skills needed for a technical or production 
  worker.&nbsp; You can readily identify the skills wanted in a technical or operative 
  worker.&nbsp; But when you attempt to identify the skill and talents needed 
  for a manager, what do you look for?&nbsp; Although there are many to consider 
  for each particular manager�s job, there are clearly some universal traits that 
  apply to all managers.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>The 
  5 basic skills of good managers</b>.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">You 
  would, of course, generally want them to know the functions of the work they 
  are going to manage.&nbsp; But if at all possible, a good manager lets the people 
  manage their work, the manager manages the people!&nbsp; These are the 5 primary 
  skills and talents to do that.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.5in; margin-left: .75in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
  1.&nbsp;<u>Time Management</u>&nbsp;&nbsp; Organizing, planning, getting things 
  done on time, being efficient, coordinating the efforts of many people, making 
  deadlines.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.5in; margin-left: .75in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
  2.&nbsp;<u>Knowing Clearly The Outcome Desired</u>&nbsp;&nbsp; Having a clear 
  picture of what you want to end up with, where you are going, what the goal 
  is, the milestones that need to be identified.&nbsp; Knowing how to achieve 
  may be important <i>unless</i> the people being managed already know that!&nbsp; 
  Your manager is at an advantage if he/she knows that too, but, the job is not 
  to instruct people how to do but much more so what to do!&nbsp; The people being 
  managed almost always do better without being told how to do the work.&nbsp; 
  Good management is seldom micro-management.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.5in; margin-left: .75in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
  3.&nbsp;<u>Delegation</u>&nbsp;&nbsp; A manager should be able to divide the 
  work into doable bites and assign each to the right individual for that assignment 
  based on their skills and ability to perform it.&nbsp; If someone can�t do the 
  job, then the manager needs to determine why.&nbsp; No knowledge?, no skill?, 
  no tools?, no materials?�What?&nbsp; Whatever it is, provide it!&nbsp; Delegate 
  someone to show them, or train them, supply the tools, arrange to get the materials, 
  reassign the work to another.&nbsp; Your manager doing their job for them is 
  not the answer.&nbsp; As a manager he or she wants to multiply themselves through 
  delegation!</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.5in; margin-left: .75in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
  4.&nbsp;<u>Interpersonal Skills</u>&nbsp; It�s a fine line that separates the 
  qualities of being respected, liked or feared.&nbsp; Good managers need to present 
  a balance of these.&nbsp; They do not act in fear of their employees.&nbsp; 
  They move, speak and act with confidence.&nbsp; They know how to communicate 
  (and to praise in public, criticize in private), they communicate freely, they 
  are good listeners, they respect their people and their opinions, but they keep 
  the goals in focus.&nbsp; They keep their �eyes on the prize.�&nbsp; Good managers 
  do not see their people as extensions of themselves, whose purpose is to make 
  the manager look good.&nbsp; That concept, at best, will produce a duplication 
  or repetition of the talents of one individual.&nbsp; The best managers pull 
  together the skills, talents, brains and abilities of each person on their team 
  to multiply the quality and quantity of the outcome. </font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: -.5in; margin-left: .75in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
  5.&nbsp;<u>Objectivity</u>&nbsp;&nbsp; Good managers are not motivated by prejudices, 
  self-interest or personal gain; they do not use harsh, arbitrary or unfair treatment 
  against others.&nbsp; They do not let personal friendships or personality determine 
  actions.&nbsp; They are objective.&nbsp; A manager makes decisions or assignments 
  based on objective considerations such as, who is the best performer, or who 
  earned this assignment or promotion, as opposed to favoring the next door neighbor 
  or bowling buddy.&nbsp; They are not ridged or close-minded.&nbsp; They consider 
  employee suggestions, requests and needs.&nbsp; They objectively arrive at decisions 
  that may not be popular, that they may have to defend and even for which they 
  may have to take a little heat, but they know are the right things to do.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
  They can make exceptions to a rule when it�s called for and they feel that they 
  can justify the reason.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Are 
  these management skills different from those of the technical or production 
  worker or craftsman?&nbsp; Yes, they certainly are!&nbsp; Does this mean that 
  you cannot reward good, productive people with promotions?&nbsp; No, it doesn�t 
  mean that either.&nbsp; The answer may be to view management as a separate profession.&nbsp; 
  You can then select the best worker <u>who is also trainable</u> in management 
  skills and then actually do the training!</font></p>
<hr>
<h2 style="margin-left:.75in" align="center">
<font face="Verdana" color="#008000">Have an employment question?</font></h2>
<h3 style="margin-left:.75in" align="center"><font face="Verdana">Send it to
<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=From HR On The Job">
[email protected]</a></font></h3>
<p style="margin-left:.75in" align="center"><b><font face="Verdana" size="2">
Please include Company Name and Association in your e-mail. Company 
identification will be kept confidential.</font></b></p>
<hr>
      <h2 align="left"><b><u><font
      face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hitchhiking on the Information 
        Highway</font></u></b></h2>
      
<p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font
      size="4" color="#FF0000">Dateline: January 2008</font></b></font></p>
      <p class="MsoNormal"><i><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
      size="-1">Note. Although we attempt to provide the HRU update on the first 
        of each month, we are normally delayed awaiting the release of several 
        monthly government statistical reports. We will hereafter update the information 
        as each report becomes available without waiting for all of them to be 
        released.</font></i></p>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>
<table border="0" width="100%" height="3030">
  <tr valign="top"> 
    <td width="100%" height="2976"> 
      <blockquote> 
        <div align="center"> 
          <h2 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">25 
            Highest Paying Jobs Requiring Only On-The-Job Training</font></b></h2>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">In 
            a Job Market time period there are more workers than there are jobs, 
            in a Worker�s Market time period there are more jobs than there are 
            workers.&nbsp;&nbsp; The current Worker�s Market is expected to continue 
            for many years as the American birth rate remains low while the number 
            of retirees continues to grow and the number of job openings continues 
            to increase. </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Most 
            of the developed countries are facing this same phenomenon for the 
            same reasons.&nbsp; Those countries across the globe are filling those 
            jobs primarily from two sources, immigrant workers and outsourcing. 
            </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">In 
            this American Worker�s Market job the requirements for those jobs 
            remain high but there are still many jobs that do not require advanced 
            education.&nbsp; The highest paying job in America that requires no 
            degree or associates degree and can be obtained through on-the-job 
            training (OJT) is Air Traffic Controller.&nbsp; With a median wage 
            of $117,000 annually ($56.37 hourly), this high-stress job with a 
            shortage of applicants is another example of the growing Worker�s 
            Market.&nbsp; Ten of the highest paid jobs on the list are managerial 
            or supervisory and require only previous experience or OJT. </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">The 
            list below reflects the median hourly and annual wage for the 25 top 
            paid jobs requiring only work experience or on-the-job training:</font></p>
			<div align="left">
				<table border="0" width="60%" id="table23">
					<tr>
						<td valign="top">
						
                  <table border="0" width="100%" id="table25">
                    <tr> 
                      <td> 
                        <h4><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b></b></font></font></h4>
                      </td>
                      <td width="343"> 
                        <h4 align="center"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Median 
                          Wage<br>
                          January 2007</font></b></h4>
                      </td>
                    </tr>
                  </table>
						
                  <table border="0" width="100%" id="table24">
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" bordercolor="#000000" valign="top"> 
                        <h4><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Occupation</b></font></h4>
                      </td>
                      <td bordercolor="#000000" valign="top"> 
                        <h4><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Hourly</b></font></h4>
                      </td>
                      <td bordercolor="#000000" valign="top"> 
                        <h4><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b> 
                          Annually</b></font></h4>
                      </td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">1.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                        </span>Air Traffic Controllers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$56.37</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$117,000</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                        </span>Managers, All other&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$39.66</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$82,500</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">3.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                        </span>Industrial Production Managers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$37.34</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$82,500</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">4.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                        </span>Transportation, Storage and Distribution Managers</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$35.14&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$73,100</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">5.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                        </span>Nuclear Power Reactor Operators&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$33.35&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$69,400</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"> 
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          6.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                          </span>First Line Supervisors / Managers of Police Detectives</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$33.32&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$69,300</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"> 
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          7.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                          </span>First Line Supervisors / managers of Non-Retail 
                          Sales Workers&nbsp;</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$31.49&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$65,000</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"> 
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          8.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                          </span>Sales Representatives&nbsp; / Wholesale and Manufacturing, 
                          Technical and Scientific</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$30.98&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$64,000</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">9.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                        </span>Elevator Installers&nbsp;and Repairers&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$30.59&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$63,600</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"> 
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          10.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                          </span>First Line Supervisors / Managers of Fire Fighting 
                          and Prevention Workers</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$30.24</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$62,900</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">11.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Gaming Managers</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$30.20</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$62,800</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">12.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Power Distributors and Dispatchers</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$30.09</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$62,600</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">13.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Real Estate Brokers&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$29,23&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$60,800</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">14.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Detectives and Criminal Investigators&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$28.01</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$60,800</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">15.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Locomotive Engineers</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$27.88&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$58,000</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">16.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Postmasters and Mail Superintendents</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$26.82&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$55,800</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">17.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$26.70</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$55,500</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">18.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Power Plant operators&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$26.44&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$55,000</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top">
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">19.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                          </span>First Line Supervisors / Managers of Mechanics, 
                          Installers and Repairers</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$25.91</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$53,900</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"> 
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          20.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                          </span>First Line Supervisors / Managers of Construction 
                          Trades and Extraction Workers&nbsp;&nbsp;</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$25.89&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$53,900</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">21.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Flight Attendants</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">&nbsp;NA&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$53,800</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">22.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Gas Plant Operators</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$25.80</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$53,700</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">23.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Captains, Mates and Pilots of Water Vessels</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$25.69</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$53,400</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">24.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                        </span>Cost Estimators&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$25.45&nbsp;</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$52,900</font></td>
                    </tr>
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="357" valign="top"> 
                        <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          25.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp; 
                          </span>First Line Supervisors / Managers of Correctional 
                          Officers&nbsp;&nbsp;</font>
                      </td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$25.28</font></td>
                      <td valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$52,600</font></td>
                    </tr>
                  </table>
						</td>
					</tr>
				</table>
				<p>&nbsp;</div>
          <table border="4" width="50%" id="table17" cellpadding="2" height="102" bordercolor="#000000">
            <tr> 
              <td valign="top" height="78"> 
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�Ability 
                  will never catch up with the demand for it�</font></b></i></h3>
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><i>-Malcolm&nbsp; 
                  Forbes</i></b></font></h3>
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>
          <h1 align="center" style="text-align:center">&nbsp;</h1>
          <h2 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Americans 
            Living Longer and Working to Pay for It</font></b></h2>
			
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">The 
            average life expectancy for Americans in 1955 was 69.6 years, in 1995 
            it was 75.8 years and in 2005 it went to 78 years of age.&nbsp; Americans 
            are living longer than ever.</font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">The 
            other side of that coin is that about 25% of those between ages 65 
            and 74 are still working mostly to pay off their houses.&nbsp; That�s 
            an increase of approximately 20% since the year 2000, in the number 
            of people who have continued to work past age 65.</font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">That 
            is partly the reason that over 66% of all the occupied houses in America 
            are owned by the occupant </font></p>
			<p>&nbsp;
        </div>
        <span style="mso-ignore: vglayout"> 
        <div align="center"> 
          <table border="4" width="50%" id="table19" height="87" bordercolor="#000000">
            <tr> 
              <td height="109" valign="top"> 
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�Too 
                  busy with the crowded hour to fear life or death�</font></b></i></h3>
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><i>-Ralph 
                  Waldo Emerson</i></b></font></h3>
              </td>
            </tr>
          </table>
          <p>&nbsp;</p>
        </div>
        </span> 
        <div align="center">
			
          <h2 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Women 
            and Wages</font></b></h2>
			
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">There 
            are many reasons for the differences between women�s earning and men�s.&nbsp; 
            Some say its male discrimination, some say women don�t negotiate hard 
            enough, some say women are more focused on time for family matters 
            and others say that on average women just don�t choose the higher 
            paying, more dirty and dangerous jobs that exist in industry.</font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">It 
            not only depends on who you believe or on which politician you like 
            but whether you look at all the data.&nbsp; Here are two examples 
            from both the New York Times and The U.S. Department of Labor.</font></p>
          <p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
            A.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
            </span> <b>In big cities young women earn much more than young men</b>.&nbsp; 
            A recent study of young women who work full time in New York, Boston, 
            Chicago, Dallas and Minneapolis shows that these women earn more than 
            their male counterparts according to a New York Times report.&nbsp; 
            </font></p>
          <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
            Full time women workers between the ages of 21 and 30 in Dallas had 
            earnings that were more than 20% higher than the men according to 
            a study at Queen�s College.&nbsp; In New York, the women earn 17% 
            more than the men. </font></p>
          <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
            The differences are not due to discrimination, said the report, but 
            because more women are graduating from college than men. </font></p>
          <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in; margin-left: .25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
            B.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
            </span> <b>In more than 25% of working, married couple households, 
            the woman makes more than her working husband</b>. According to the 
            U.S. Department Of Labor, across the country more than 25% of working 
            women are making more than their working husbands.</font></p>
          <p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
            Throughout the 1990s the numbers remained flat until 1996 when the 
            increases began and are continuing today.</font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>
			<table border="4" width="50%" id="table20" bordercolor="#000000">
				<tr>
					<td valign="top">
					
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�Continuous 
                  effort, not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking 
                  our potential�</font></b></i></h3>
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><i>-Linda 
                  Cardes</i></b></font></h3>
              </td>
				</tr>
			</table>
			
          <h2 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b> <span style="font-size:16.0pt"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Why 
            Johnny Can�t Make Change</font></span></b></h2>
			
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">The 
            state of Texas recently voted to drop the current math textbooks that 
            are mandated in most states.&nbsp; The textbooks are the product of 
            the University of Chicago whose �Everyday Math� curriculum is laid 
            out in those school books. </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">When 
            parents with math degrees, medical degrees and Ph.D.s in econometric 
            analysis began to tell their children�s teachers that they couldn�t 
            understand the �Everyday Math� in the books, some state officials 
            decided look into the problem.&nbsp; </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">They 
            found school teachers telling them that their third graders can�t 
            do simple multiplication yet, second graders coming home with kindergarten 
            work for the second year in a row.&nbsp; A fourth grade teacher proclaimed 
            �The curriculum failure was undeniable.&nbsp; <i>Not one</i> of my 
            students knew his or her multiplication tables, and few had mastered 
            the most basic knowledge of multiplication and their division was 
            abysmal.&nbsp; What would you do if you discovered that<i> none</i> 
            of your fourth grade students could correctly tell you the answer 
            to four times eight?�&nbsp; </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Referred 
            to by critics as �Fuzzy Math�, the math concept has been used in schools 
            for decades and was originally called �New Math�.&nbsp; In Puget Sound, 
            the Washington Society of Professional Engineers stepped forward in 
            their community and said, �For 35 years we have been the subject of 
            a failed experiment, �New Math�.&nbsp; Mathematics depends on the 
            problem solving ability of the individual to arrive at the correct 
            answer.&nbsp; Math does not lend itself to fuzzy answers�.&nbsp; </font></p>
          <blockquote> 
            <blockquote> 
              <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">In 
                reviewing the textbooks, �Everyday Math� included the following 
                test questions:</font></p>
              <p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -.25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                A.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                </span>If math were a color, it would be----,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                because---.</font></p>
              <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                B.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                </span>If math were a food, it would be----,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                because---.</font></p>
              <p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -.25in" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                C.<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                </span>If math were weather, it would be---,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                because---.</font></p>
            </blockquote>
          </blockquote>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">After 
            decades of U.S. scholastic failure and the worst math scores among 
            all developed nations in the world, maybe Texas will be the first 
            to start making changes.</font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>
			<table border="4" width="50%" id="table21" bordercolor="#000000">
				<tr>
					<td valign="top">
					
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�The 
                  definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over 
                  and expecting a different result�</font></b></i></h3>
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><i>-Albert 
                  Einstein</i></b></font></h3>
              </td>
				</tr>
			</table>
			
        	
          <h2 class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">IRS 
            Releases New Mileage Deduction Rates for 2008.</font></b></h2>
			
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">The 
            standard mileage rate deduction for business use of a passenger vehicle 
            will increase from 48.5 cents per mile to 50.5 cents per mile beginning 
            January 1, 2008 according to the Internal Revenue Service. </font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Beginning 
            January 1, 2008 the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, 
            pickup or panel truck for business, charitable, medical or moving 
            purposes will be:</font></p>
          <blockquote> 
            <blockquote>
<p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -.25in" align="left"> 
                <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                </span></span>For Business Purposes :&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                50.5 cents per mile</font></p>
              <p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in" align="left"> 
                <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                </span></span>For Medical or Moving Purposes:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                19 cents per mile</font></p>
              <p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -.25in" align="left"> 
                <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="font-family: Symbol">�<span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                </span></span>For Charitable purposes:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                14 cents per mile</font></p>
            </blockquote>
          </blockquote>
          <p class="MsoNormal" align="left">&nbsp;</p>
			<table border="4" width="50%" id="table22" bordercolor="#000000">
				<tr>
					<td valign="top">
					
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">�Intaxification� 
                  Euphoria at getting a tax refund until you realize that it was 
                  your money to start with�</font></b></i></h3>
                <h3 align="center" style="text-align:center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><i>-Washington 
                  Post</i></b></font></h3>
              </td>
				</tr>
			</table>
			
        </div>
		<blockquote><hr width="75%">
			<p></p>
		</blockquote>
      </blockquote>
      <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      <table border="0" width="33%">
        <tr> 
          <td width="64%" valign="top"> 
            <div style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1; padding-left: 4; padding-right: 4; padding-top: 1; padding-bottom: 1"> 
              <p align="left"><font size="-1"
            face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Federal Minimum Wage:</b></font></p>
            </div>
          </td>
          <center>
            <td width="100%" valign="top">
              <h3><font
            face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">$5.85/hr. </font></h3>
            </td>
          </center>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <table border="0" width="99%">
        <tr> 
          <td width="13%" valign="middle" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1"><font
            face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>Average 
            Income:</b></font></td>
          <td width="67%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1"> 
            <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber4" height="76">
              <tr> 
                <td width="100%" height="76"> 
                  <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber5">
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="50%" align="center"><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Hourly</font></b></td>
                      <td width="50%" align="center"><b><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Weekly</font></b></td>
                    </tr>
                  </table>
                  <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber6" height="50">
                    <tr> 
                      <td width="25%" height="50"> 
                        <p align="center"> <u><font size="-1"><b>December</b></font></u><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u> 
                          2006</u></font></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><br>
                          $17.07</font></td>
                      <td width="25%" height="50"> 
                        <p align="center"> 
      <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      <u><font size="-1"><b>December</b></font></u></font></span><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><span style="text-decoration: none"><u> 
                          2007</u></span></font></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u><br>
                          </u>$17.71</font>
                      </td>
                      <td width="25%" height="50"> 
                        <p align="center"> 
      <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      <u><font size="-1"><b>December</b></font></u><b><u> 
                          2006</u></b><br>
      </font></span> 
						<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
                          $578.67</font> 
                      </td>
                      <td width="25%" height="50"> 
                        <p align="center"> 
      <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      <u><font size="-1"><b>December</b></font></u><b><u> 
                          2007</u></b></font></span><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u><br>
                          </u>$598.60</font> 
                      </td>
                    </tr>
                  </table>
                </td>
              </tr>
            </table>
          </td>
          <td width="20%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"> 
            <table border="0" width="99%" height="96">
              <tr> 
                <td width="100%" height="40" colspan="2"> 
                  <h3 align="center"><span style="text-decoration: none"><font
            face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>Federal<br>
                    Poverty Level:</b></font></span></h3>
                </td>
              </tr>
              <tr> 
                <td width="50%" height="48"> 
                  <p align="center"><b><u><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">One 
                    (1) Person<br>
                    </font></u></b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">$10,210</font> 
                </td>
                <td width="50%" height="48"> 
                  <p align="center"><u><b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">Family 
                    of Four</font></b></u><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><br>
                    $20,650</font> 
                </td>
              </tr>
            </table>
          </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <hr noshade color="#000000">
      <hr noshade color="#000000">
      </font><table border="0" width="100%"> 
      <b></b><tr>
        <b><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
          <td width="37%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1"> 
            <p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1"><b>IRS Mileage Allowance :</b></font></p>
          </td>
          </font></b><center><b></b><td width="63%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1">
            <div align="left"><b>
				<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">48.5</font><font face="Verdana" size="-1"> 
				cents</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      				per mile</font></b></div>
			<div align="left"><b>
				<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">20 
				cents per mile for medical travel or moving purposes</font></b></div>
			<div align="left"><b>
				<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">14 
				cents per mile for travel for charitable organizations<br>
                <br>
				<u>As of January 1, 2008, IRS mileage allowance will change to:</u></font></b></div>
			<div align="left">&nbsp;</div>
			<div align="left"><b>
				<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">
				Business Purposes: 50.5 cents per mile<br>
				Medical or Moving Purposes: 19 cents per mile<br>
				Charitable Purposes: 14 cents per mile</font></b></div>
            </td>
          </center>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <table border="0" width="100%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1"> 
            <p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1"><b>Postage:</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <center>
            <td width="68%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1">&nbsp;</td>
          </center>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">1 oz.</font></td>
          <td width="68%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">.41</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">Each additional ounce</font></td>
          <td width="68%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">.17</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1"><i>Postcards</i></font></td>
          <td width="68%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">.26</font></td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      
       
      <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      <hr noshade color="#000000">
      <b> 
      <p> 
      <table border="0" width="38%" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
        </table>
      <table border="0" width="98%">
        <tr> 
          <td width="34%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1"> 
            <p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1"><b><u>Population:</u></b></font></p>
          </td>
          <center>
            <td width="82%" style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1">&nbsp;</td>
          </center>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="34%" style="border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1"><b>World</b></font></td>
          <td width="82%"> 
            <p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">6.5 Billion</font> 
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="34%" valign="top"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1"><b>U.S.</b></font></td>
          <td width="82%" valign="top"> 
            <p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">300 
              Million</font>
            <p align="left"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><i>One 
              birth every 8 seconds<br>
              One death every 13 seconds<br>
              One new immigrant every 30 seconds<br>
              Net gain = 1 person every second</i></font>
          </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      </b> 
      <hr noshade color="#000000">
      <table border="1" width="99%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
        <tr> <b> 
          <td width="48%" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1"> 
            <p align="left"><b> <font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">U.S. 
              Workforce</font></b></p>
          </td>
          </b> 
          <center>
            <td width="12%" align="center"> 
			<span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      		<u><font size="-1"><b>December</b></font></u></font></span><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><u><font size="-1"> 
              2006</font></u></b></font></td>
            <b> 
            <td width="12%" align="center"> 
      <span style="text-decoration: none"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
      <u><font size="-1"><b>December</b></font></u></font></span><u><span style="font-weight:700"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"> 
              </font></span> </u><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><u> 
              <b> 2007</b></u></font></td>
            </b> 
          </center>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="48%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">U.S. Civilian Workforce</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">152,709,000</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">153,866,000</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="48%"><font size="-1">Number Employed</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">145,949,000</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 
            146,211,000</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="48%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">Number Unemployed</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> <font size="-1">6,760,000</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> 
			<font size="-1">7</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">,655,000</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="48%"><span style="text-decoration: none">
			<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">Persons Who Currently Want A Job</font></span></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> 
            <span style="text-decoration: none">
			<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4,407,000</font></span></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> 
            <span style="text-decoration: none">
			<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4,697,000</font></span></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="48%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
            size="-1">Unemployment Rate</font></td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> 
            <p><font size="-1">4.5</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">%</font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="12%" align="center"> 
            <p><font size="-1">5.0</font><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <hr noshade color="#000000">
      <hr noshade color="#000000">
      <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber3" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
        <tr> 
          <td width="100%"> 
            <h4><b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">PRODUCTIVITY 
              OF THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE</font></b><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
              (The amount of goods produced, divided by the number of work hours 
              it took to produce it)</font></h4>
          </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <p> 
      <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber2" bgcolor="#C0C0C0">
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1992</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">3.7%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1993</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">0.5%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1994</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">1.3%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1995</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">0.9%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1996</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.5%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1997</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.0%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1998</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.6%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>1999</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.4%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2000</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">2.9%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2001</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">1.1%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2002</b></font></p>
          </td>
          <td width="68%"> 
            <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">4.7%</font></p>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b>2003</b></font></td>
          <td width="68%"><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4.5%</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%"><font size="-1"><b>2004</b></font></td>
          <td width="68%"><font size="-1">4.0%</font></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
		<font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2005</b></font></span></td>
          <td width="68%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
          <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2.6%</font></span></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
          <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2006</b></font></span></td>
          <td width="68%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
      <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3.0%</font></span></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
          <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2007 1<sup>st</sup> 
		Quarter</b></font></span></td>
          <td width="68%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
      <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">up 1.6%</font></span></td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td width="32%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
          <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2007 2<sup>nd</sup> 
		Quarter</b></font></span></td>
          <td width="68%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
      <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">up 2.6%</font></span></td>
        </tr>
        <tr> 
          <td width="32%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
          <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>2007 3
		<sup>rd</sup> 
		Quarter</b></font></span></td>
          <td width="68%">
      <span style="text-decoration: none">
      <font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">up 6.3%</font></span></td>
        </tr>
        </table>
      </font></span></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td width="100%" height="21">&nbsp;</td>
  </tr>
</table>

<p><font face="Verdana" size="2">� William J. Cook</font></p>

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Anon7 - 2021