TIGblogs - Tracie's TIGBlog

TIGblogs - Tracie's TIGBlog http://Tracie.tigblog.org/ What's on the minds of young leaders from around the globe? en-us Interesting Links http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/174565 these articles, but I really wanted to share them with you.

Let me know what you think!]]> Sat, 31 Mar 2007 16:45:00 EDT http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/174565 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Is there any hope for unions in the U.S.? http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/77377
I'm not sure that the best way to combat poverty is through the union card, but the article is interesting. A union card might be one weapon in a comprehensive arsenal for combating poverty--who knows? I think the effectiveness of unionization in this struggle will depend on what goals and priorities unions set for themselves. For example, focusing exclusively or predominantly on wages may not be the best approach. Personally, when I think of unions, I think more in terms of quality of life issues such as HOURS, working conditions, benefits, and overall firm culture. I know that studies show that unions typically inflate wages, but I think that rate of pay is only one battle in the war on poverty.

Well, that's enough rambling. You can read the article for yourself here.

]]> Sat, 09 Dec 2006 15:06:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/77377 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Child Labor: Ghana http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/72923 this excellent audio slideshow in the New York Times. It's a brief and simple documentary of child labor in Ghana. No one--not children or adults--should be forced to work under the conditions described in this piece. Stories like this one are much-needed reminders of why I have chosen labor law as my specialization.

]]> Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:25:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/72923 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Something to watch... http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/70209 @import url(http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub/css/blog.css);

La CGT va signer l'accord interprofessionnel sur la lutte contre les discriminations au travail
LEMONDE.FR | 23.11.06

I'm not sure how this will work out for France as I'm not an expert in French law. What a coincidence, though! Last Thursday I had a somewhat heated discussion with an Italian friend about employment discrimination and the American approach.

One point of contention for us was the practice of requiring inclusion of a photo on one's CV. For me, this approach inspires a very visceral reaction because I see it as not only allowing or encouraging invidious discrimination, but ensuring it. Whereas a photo-less resume or CV might be evaluated **gasp** on the merits (let's leave aside discrimination based on names for the sake of this little entry), meaning that a prime target of discrimination might actually be called for an interview, a resume that reveals the candidate's race, age, sex, or even religion, disability status, or national origin, will not even reach consideration on the merits before being thrown away. In my mind, "backwards" isn't even a good enough word to describe this scenario. "Unreal" is a bit better. I mean, I truly am amazed that this is allowed. It's "unbelievable."

My Italian friend's approach is more "pragmatic." He would rather be weeded out through discrimination BEFORE he wastes his time showing up for an interview. After all, if someone really is a bigot, he or she will discriminate regardless of the stage in the recruitment process where the candidate's race, age, etc. becomes known. In most cases, this is axiomatic, but I'm not sure "pragmatism" of the kind my friend suggests has a place here.

I don't see this issue as one of saving people the time it would take to travel to and sit for an interview. I see it as a government's decision whether to endorse discrimination from the very beginning of the recruitment process or to allow for a first line of defense for qualified job-seekers who otherwise would not stand a chance. It's an issue of government sponsorship of discrimination in an area where it could act immediately, decisively, and painlessly. Discrimination in the rest of the recruitment process is harder to regulate (which doesn't mean that it cannot or should not be regulated), but providing a means for qualified candidates to get a proverbial foot in the door could not be simpler. And let's not forget that the candidate is not the only one whose time is "wasted." The employer's time is "wasted," and other candidates who are interviewed but rejected for reasons other than invidious discrimination probably feel as if their time has been "wasted," too.

That's just my two cents.

Oh, by the way, I'm not aware of the use of "anonymous" resumes in the States, which means that a name that reveals one's national origin is, unfortunately, still fodder for discrimination. One can still try to bring a claim for employment discrimination, though.]]> Thu, 23 Nov 2006 23:12:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/70209 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 15 à 30 % de postiers en grève contre la libéralisation prévue en 2009 http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/66141 @import url(http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub/css/blog.css);

15 à 30 % de postiers en grève contre la libéralisation prévue en 2009
LEMONDE.FR | 14.11.06

copy;

]]> Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:58:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/66141 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 The Death Penalty http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/50799

La peine de mort divise le monde
LE MONDE | 10.10.06

]]> Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:39:00 EDT http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/50799 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Labor/Employment http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/42582
Real Wages Fail to Match a Rise in Productivity
By STEVEN GREENHOUSE and DAVID LEONHARDT
Published: August 28, 2006]]> Mon, 28 Aug 2006 13:05:00 EDT http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/42582 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Another interesting article... http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/37137 Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:01:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/37137 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Protests in LA http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/37005
I think it's great to see people organizing peacefully to address this issue. It will be interesting to see what happens April 10 and whether the bill survives the Senate vote.

I love the quote from David Gonzalez!

You can read more about the protests here: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOnestoryID=2006-03-26T014629Z_01_N25236373_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-IMMIGRATION.xml]]> Sun, 26 Mar 2006 03:37:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/37005 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Random Updates http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/36877
First, this year I will try to be more active on TIG, which means updating my blog more frequently than once a year!

Anyway, I have some pretty momentous changes to report. The biggest change in my life has been applying to and entering law school. The whole process was very time-consuming, and now that I am officially a law student, I don't have much free time. Part of the process was moving to a new city. In August, I moved from Cambridge (near Boston, MA) to Washington, DC.

Getting into law school also meant quitting my job. Although that experience is all a blur now, it was a big deal at the time. I worked for three years at a job I wasn't exactly crazy about. After I quit, I took a vacation in England and France.

Now I am almost done with my first year of law school. It has been a tough journey in many respects. There are times when I wonder if I made the right choice in coming to law school, but it seems that there weren't many alternatives. I could have stayed at my dead-end job, found another dear-end job, enrolled in a master's program, or just quit my job and live on unemployment. So here I am. I am grateful for this opportunity to make a decent career for myself, but I wonder if the stress of law school is worth it, and if it really will result in a decent career.

Anyway, I look forward to this summer, when I'll be working at my first very first substantive (non-admin) job. I should have more free time to explore DC and take up some of my beloved hobbies again.

Until next time,

Tracie]]> Wed, 22 Mar 2006 10:35:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/36877 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Finally... the Honduras report http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/21085
So on October 4 I flew to Honduras for the first time. What a beautiful country! Overall, I enjoyed the trip, but I also learned a few lessons the hard way.

Instead of giving a sappy account of how traveling to a developing country changed my "privileged" American life, I'll make a few observations and share some of my experiences and photos in the next few updates.

Just for context, I chose Honduras for my vacation because my cousin was stationed at Soto Cano Airbase, also known as Palmerola, near the town of Comayagua. I thought Palmerola could be my launchpad for exploring other parts of the country. However, I was sorely disappointed to find myself confined to the base for several days for reasons I might explain later.

The photo in this update is of the housing quarters, known as "hooches," on the airbase. People who know me might have a hard time picturing me in one of these cabins because self-proclaimed absolute monarchs generally avoid "roughing it" at all costs, but honestly, it's a U.S. airbase! It was like I never left the States - unfortunately.

More to come...]]> Sat, 11 Dec 2004 00:52:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/21085 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667 Le droit de travailler plus : une solution à la question de la qualité de la vie ? http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/21065 article intéressant sur le contrat « France 2005 » dans lequel M Raffarin revient sur la durée légale du travail

Le paradigme américain de la longue durée du travail infiltre l’Europe. C’est peut être un effet secondaire de la globalisation – il faut travailler plus pour produire plus et pour garder le pas sur le marché actuel – et de l’autre coté, on ne peut pas ignorer la demande interne (c'est-à-dire en France) pour le privilège de gagner plus d’argent en travaillant plus. Cependant, l’augmentation de la durée du travail ne résoudra pas les problèmes économiques de France, des Etats-Unis, ni d’aucun autre pays, et si on mesure la richesse dans le contexte de la qualité de la vie, il devient évident que même les pays développés éprouvent une grave dépression dans tout sens du mot. Une durée du travail augmentée pourrait avoir de forts effets sur plusieurs aspects de la vie.

La vie en famille – une manque de temps pour passer avec la famille
La santé psychologique – le stresse, un manque de temps personnel pour poursuivre intérêts autres que le travail
La santé physique – la nutrition et l’activité compromises, et maladies associées avec le stresse
L’éducation – emphatiser le travail peut compromettre
Société civile – une manque de temps pour s’informer, particulièrement sur les affaires politiques

En lieu du montant d’argent qu’on pourrait gagner dans n’importe quelle économie, il faut alors adopter une approche holistique au sujet de la richesse. Cette approche valorisera la qualité de la vie autant que la richesse fiscale, sans oublier que le pouvoir d’achat est toujours ce qu’on peut obtenir en échange d’un montant spécifique d’argent, et on n’augment pas le pouvoir d’achat en augmentant le taux de fonds disponibles.
]]> Thu, 09 Dec 2004 17:24:00 EST http://Tracie.tigblog.org/post/21065 38.8950000 -77.036666738.8950000-77.0366667