Rosh HaShanah

As part of my ongoing overviews of religious holidays, I would like to share a bit about the upcoming Jewish holiday of Rosh HaShanah.  The Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShanah, begins in 2013 at sundown on Wednesday, September 4. For Orthodox and Conservative Jews, the holiday lasts for two days concluding at sundown on September 6. Most (though not all) Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, however, observe the holiday for only one day (so for them, the holiday would conclude at sundown on September 5).

For Orthodox and Conservative Jews, no manner of work (including school, telephone use, email, Internet surfing, etc) is allowed on Rosh HaShanah. While this holds true for some Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, this is not an absolute.  Among Jews of all denominations, however, this is one of the two most important holidays (along with Yom Kippur) known as the High Holy Days. Observance should be accommodated accordingly. 

Because most Reform and Reconstructionist Jews observe only one day, it is easy to make the mistake that the second day is not as important to those Jews observing both days.  But for Conservative and Orthodox Jews, the two days are equally important and indeed can be understood as a single very long day.  

Rosh HaShanah is the Jewish New Year; the Hebrew means “Head of the Year.” This year is 5772 in the Jewish reckoning. Unlike the secular New Year, Rosh HaShanah is a very solemn day as it is the day Jews ask God for forgiveness for sins of the past year.  Perhaps the only similarity to the secular New Year is that many Jews make resolutions to lead a better life in the coming year.  Most of the day is spent in the synagogue or temple.

Together with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) which occurs 10 days later, Rosh HaShanah forms part of what are called the High Holy Days. The days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Yamim Noraim (or “Days of Awe”) which act as days of repentance.

Generally speaking, the High Holy Days are the most important days of observance in Judaism. Among observant Jews, traditionally, the weekly observance of the Sabbath on Saturdays is the most important Jewish holiday. In practice, though, for many Jews who do might not regularly attend weekly Sabbath services, the High Holy Days often take place of prominence.  (Please note that I am in no way attempting to take a stance on what is or is not proper observance for any religion in these updates, but rather simply trying to make the general community aware of the various religious practices as they affect activities for students faculty and staff).   

While Rosh HaShanah, like all Jewish holidays, appears to wander in the secular calendar, this is only because the secular calendar is not consistent with the Jewish calendar. In the Jewish calendar, though, the holiday actually occurs on the same day of the Jewish calendar.  Interestingly, Rosh HaShanah does not occur at the beginning of the Jewish calendar; rather, it occurs on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month (not the first).  This seeming inconsistency rests in the Jewish concept of four different yearly cycles described in the Jewish Talmud. Rosh HaShanah represents the new year for relationships among people (including legal contracts) as well as for animals. The day marks the anniversary of the sixth day in the Creation story in which God created Adam and Eve, the first people. There is considerable variance among Jews as to whether this anniversary of the creation of humankind is viewed as the literal date or simply a symbolic anniversary.

In the Jewish Torah (first five books of the Bible), the name “Rosh HaShanah” never appears for the holiday. Instead, the Torah refers to the holiday as either the Zicaron Terua or “remembrance of the blowing of the horn” (as in Leviticus 23:24) or as the Yom Terua or “day of the blowing of the horn” (Numbers 29.1).

The horn to which this refers is the shofar, Traditionally among most Jews, the shofar is made from a ram’s horn although some other animal horns such as those of antelopes are allowable, and among Yemeni Jews, the shofar is customarily made from the horn of the kudu antelope.  The blowing of the shofar is a central part of the religious observance of the holiday.

Even in the Jewish liturgy of prayers used for the day, Rosh HaShanah is generally referred to either as the Yom HaZikaron (the “Day of Remembrance”) or the Yom HaDin (“Day of Judgment”).

On the first afternoon of Rosh HaShanah, Jews traditionally participate in the Taschlikh ceremony. In this ceremony, Jews carry bread crumbs to a stream, river or other naturally flowing source of water. There they say prayers asking to “cast their sins into the waters” with the bread crumbs symbolically representing the sins.

Rosh HaShanah is usually marked by eating traditional foods. One of these is the use of round challah. The traditional Jewish bread used on holidays is called challah. Challah used each week on the Jewish Sabbath is normally baked in long, braided loaves. On Rosh HaShanah, though, the challah is made in totally round loaves. The circle of the loaves represents the continuation of life (which is part of the central prayers of the holiday). 

Another notable food tradition for Rosh HaShanah is the eating of apples dipped in honey. This represents a wish for a sweet and abundant year to come with the honey standing for sweetness and the apples for abundance. 

For many Jews (especially among Orthodox and Conservative Jews), on the second day of Rosh HaShanah people eat a fruit that is new to the season. This allows Jews to say a prayer of thanksgiving (called the shehechiyanu) for being allowed to reach a new season. A common choice for this fruit is a pomegranate since (in folk tradition) that fruit has 613 seeds, one for each of the commandments in the Torah.

Finally, in some Jewish traditions, it is customary to eat fish on Rosh HaShanah. In this custom, the fish plays two symbolic roles. First, since the fish’s eyes are always open, it symbolizes total awareness. Second, because fish are plentiful, the meal represents the wish for a fruitful and plenteous year to come.

The simplest traditional greeting for Rosh HaShanah is L’Shanah Tovah (May you have a good year). The response back is the same. Many other greetings are used among Jews during the holiday and the Days of Awe between it and Yom Kippur. One common such greeting is  L’Shanah tovah tikateiv veteichateim. This means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." This refers to the belief that one asks to be inscribed in the Book of Life on Rosh HaShanah and that this be sealed in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur. Using this greeting may be said in English, and its use would show a significant understanding of the holiday.

As always in these write-ups, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to send me corrections or things you would like me to include next time (and feel equally free to let me know if you find these worthwhile).

I wish you all a L’Shanah Tovah!

For further reading, please read:

http://www.joi.org/celebrate/rosh/index.shtml 

http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/JewishNewYear/template_cdo/aid/4830/jewish/How-is-Rosh-Hashanah-Observed.htm

http://www.oztorah.com/2010/08/a-guide-to-the-rosh-hashanah-services/

http://judaism.about.com/od/holidays/a/roshhashanah.htm

Climbing Greenback Mountain

The Economist Online today published an excellent article entitled "Climbing Greenback Mountain: The yuan is still a long way from being a reserve currency, but its rise is overdue."

http://www.economist.com/node/21528988?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/id2

The article covers much more than the yuan vs the dollar, describing the nature of and problems with reserve currencies in a manner that is Succinct, accurate and easy to understand. This is as good a review for understanding reserve currencies in a post-gold-standard world as I have come across.  on the nature of and problems with reserve currencies. This is as good a review for understanding reserve currencies in a post-gold-standard world as I have come across. Let me know what you think.

Autumnal Equinox

I customarily post to those at my university the major holidays practiced by the religions present in the university population. These include postings on Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Baha'i, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Buddhism and Wicca. 

Today is the first of such holidays to occur since I began this blog. As many have urged me to post these emails in a blog of some kind, I have decided to post them here.

Before I continue, I need to clarify that in these blogs, I intend only to inform others of the religious practices taking place and of the possible need for religious accommodation for those who observe these holidays.  I am in no way endorsing or not endorsing any particular faith or religious practice.  Moreover, I in no way consider myself a theological expert and am in no way attempting to provide a judgment on proper religious practice. If I have made a mistake, please let me know. If you like these comments, let me know that too! If you have a story to share from your own religious practices on any of these, please add them to the comments below. I have tried to be respectful in any of these posts. All that I ask is that you remain respectful to other's faiths and practices as well if you post.

So... this is the blog that I sent out today.

Today is the autumnal equinox, celebrated as a one of the four Major Sabbats in the eight points of the Wheel of the Year by people practicing Wicca, neo-Druidism and Paganism.  This holiday marks the time at which day and night are in total balance, and is accompanied by personal efforts of members of these faith to find a similar balance in their lives.   

While this is a significant holiday for these faiths, it is not a day that would require the absence from class or work of faculty, staff or students.

The Autumnal Equinox has several other names. These include the Harvest Moon  or the Harvest Home. When Christianity first spread in the Celtic regions, the Roman Catholic Church placed great emphasis on Michaelmas which, falling on September 29, came near the same time. In this tradition the Archangel Michael came to represent the power of light over darkness, an important attribute as the length of daylight began to shorten.  Religious services honoring the Archangel Michael are still practiced in some Roman Catholic, Episcopalian and Lutheran congregations, especially in the United Kingdom.  A folk custom still in evidence in the parts of the British Isles warns that it is unlucky to harvest blackberries after Michaelmas, as they have been cursed at that time by Lucifer.  This custom that it is unlucky to harvest in the woods most likely has its origin in the woodland offerings of the autumnal harvest in pre-Christian Britain.

Such woodland harvest offerings are still practiced by neo-Druids and modern pagan (largely in British and Irish but with increasing practice in the US, Canada and New Zealand). For neo-Druids and some pagans, the holiday is called Mea'n Fo'mhair. In this tradition, neo-Druids gather in wooded areas and  give offerings of the fall harvest (not only of berries but also of pine cones, acorns, apples and cider) to honor the Green Man of the Forest.   In some neo-Pagan traditions, the holiday is known as  Alban Elfed  or the “Light of the Sun.”  In this tradition, the same sort of offerings are proferred but to “The Lady” who is also called the “Spirit of the Land.”

The holiday has since the late 20^th Century been called Mabon in the Wiccan tradition, although unlike many other Wiccan holidays, no corresponding name exists in ancient pagan traditions. Instead, the name was coined by the US Wiccan leader Aidan Kelley soon after the formation in 1967 of the  NROOGD  (New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn), one of the most important popularizers of the Wiccan faith.  Kelley’s adoption of the name Mabon was to honor the early Welsh pagan divine son deity Mabon fab Mellt.   

Both in ancient Druidic tradition and in modern neo-Druidic, pagan and Wiccan practice, offerings are often proffered in a horn of plenty called a cornucopia. As a result, Cornucopia is another name some practitioners use for the holiday.  It should be noted that while the name Mabon has been growing in popularity in the UK and Ireland, many neo-Druids strongly oppose the term as a neologism. As a result, while it would be appropriate to wish a Wiccan a “Happy Mabon,” this may not be as appreciated for some neo-Druids and modern pagans.

 As always in these write-ups, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to send me corrections or things you would like me to include next time (and feel equally free to let me know if you find these worthwhile). 

May you have a balance in your life on this Autumnal Equinox.

Want to read more?  Here are more sites on the Autumnal Equinox holiday:

http://www.crystalinks.com/autumn.html

http://www.wicca-chat.com/witch_sabats/mabon.htm

http://spellresearch.com/spellbook/1993/10/12/a-mabon-outline.html

 http://www.mysticfamiliar.com/library/witchcraft/alban_lfed.html

http://www.druidschool.com/site/1030100/page/874527

Jeff Chester's Digital Destiny: Is It Really All That Bad?

I just finished reading Jeff Chester's  Digital Destiny: New Media and the Future of Democracy. New York: The New Press, 2007. This is supposed to be one of the most important books on media policy. No less a personage than Bill Moyers wrote of it that "Jeff Chester is the Paul Revere of the media revolution. Read this book and you will understand the stakes." http://thenewpress.com/index.php%20option=com_title&task=view_title&metaproductid=1348 
I am aware that Jeff Chester I am aware that Jeff Chester is an important advocate of privacy rights and is well informed on the subject. He is the executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, an organization with the mission  “to foster democratic expression and consumer protection in the digital media era.”   You can see the information on the book, including Moyers' remark at http://www.democraticmedia.org/staff  

All of this is to say that I will admit that I probably approached reading the book with a bias in its favor. I was, however, somewhat underwhelmed. While Chester has laudably raised awareness of digital media encroachments (both real and potential) on individual privacy. That said, the question arises as to where customer identification, niche marketing and the of the needs of specific consumer groups crosses into the level of invasion of privacy. On the opening page of the book,  Digital Destiny, Chester starts what could perhaps be best described as a screed on the dangers of having programming that “will be personalized, selected by us with the help of increasingly sophisticated, but largely invisible, technologies that will ‘sense’ or ‘know’ our interests, dislikes, and habits.” (p. xv)

Chester sees this as menacing the use of such data as “the basis of computerized profiles that generate in a flash commercial pitches honed to precisely fit our psychology and behavior.” (Ibid.). While Chester’s observations are accurate, the conclusion that tailored communication is somehow nefarious seems ungrounded. The honing of any communication – whether for a marketing end or otherwise – should take into account the make-up of the audience. Indeed, the most that such communication is “honed to precisely fit our psychology and behavior,” the more effective it is likely to be. The counterargument seems to be that simply because general, untargeted messages are less effective for business communication, they are somehow better for the consumer. Why consumers would prefer messages that were not targeted to their needs is never explained.  Chester’s bias seems to reflect a zero sum game in which someone must win and someone must lose, when the matching of targeted communication from companies to consumers is perhaps better described as a win-win scenario. The company’s commercial pitches give the customer what he or she is most likely to want to receive. The company does not send messages to those unlikely to be interested and the consumers do not have their time wasted with messages of little interest. 

This targeting of markets through digital technologies can be extended to the cross-cultural arena. The sender of communication can best accommodate cross-cultural differences when the recipients themselves identify the points of variation across culture. Without modifying one’s message to adapt to the culture of the message’s recipient is to ignore variation of cultural differences within a broader national setting. This reduces international business communication to – at best-- appeal only to the majority culture or – in a worst case scenario – to assume that one’s own cultural norms would work as effectively in other nations as they would in one’s own. By contrast honing one’s message to cultural and national differences diminishes the risks of stereotyping and embraces individual variations within a broader national cultural setting. In other words, the international communicator (for business or any other field) should attempt to craft messages that actually do (to turn Chester’s derogatory words cited above) “fit our psychology and behavior.” Indeed, that is the goal of this book. 

On the plus side, Jeff Chester argues convincgly that the concentration of media (electronic or otherwise) in the control of an increasingly small number of corporate owners endangers the objectivity, neutrality and freedom of the press. That said, he seems to argue that the outreach to minority audiences for commercial gain is innately condemnable. For example, he writes that

"the cable industry viewed minority programming as a means to an end. Initiatives to serve diverse audiences have been driven by strategies designed to secure the support of politically powerful allies and neutralize potential opposition. That’s one reason why cable industry giant TCI backed the creation of BET, acquired in 2000 by Viacom/CBS. It was also a key factor in why Comcast supported the new African American channel in 2003 called TV One. Many of the channels specifically serving Hispanics and African Americans are primarily controlled by the biggest media companies, including Time Warner, Fox, and NBC. In the controlled world of cable TV, substantive minority programming is off-limits. A proposal by BET that it launch an African American public affairs channel, according to press reports in 2000, was swiftly nixed by the industry.” (p. 166)

What Chester, in his concern about the monetization of the media does not address, though, is that before the advent of large cable networks, virtually all programming excluded minorities in the United States (and one could equally argue in many other nations as well).  The very presence of any broadcasts targeted specifically to Hispanic or African American audiences, therefore, represents a step toward accommodating cultural differences in audience tastes and needs than had existed previously. As for Chester’s lament that “substantive minority programming is off-limits,” one might just as readily argue that this really has to do with one’s own opinion of what is or is not “substantive.” Depending on one’s definition,  it would be possible to claim that all programming – whether intended for a majority or a minority audience -- was less than “substantive.” Likewise, depending on one personal definition, much of the programming present in either broadcast market could be seen as being “substantive.” Regardless of one’s personal definition of what is or is not acceptable substantive content, though, it seems reasonable to argue that culturally tailored content is by its nature more likely to have a substantive nature than programming that ignores those needs altogether.

So... those are my thoughts. I welcome yours.

Rise of the Pirates in Berlin

The Berlin election this past Sunday brought some surprises. Chief among these was the official emergence of Germany's newest political group: the Pirate Party which was formed in 2006.

With 8.9% of the vote in the city-state of Berlin, the Pirate Party burst past the 5% threshold for parliamentary representation in Sunday's election.

The breakdown of the vote as follows (the percentage in parentheses the vote from the 2006 Berlin election*):
SPD (Social Democrats) 28.3% (down from 30.8%)
CDU (Christian Democrats) 23.4% (down from 21.3%)
Greens (die Grünen) 17.6% (up from 13.1%)
Left (die Linke) 11.7% (down from PDS's 13.4%**)
Pirate Party (Piratenpartei) 8.9% (did not exist at the time)
FDP (Free Democratic Party) 1.8% (down from 7.6%, and now below the 5% threshold)

* Note: 2011 results from Deutsche Welle ( see http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,15397392,00.html  ) The 2006 returns were from the Bundeswahlleiter official count, (not from DW) at http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/de/landtagswahlen/ergebnisse/downloads/lwberlin2006.pdf

Photo Source: Bopuc http://www.flickr.com/photos/bopuc/5998487550/

Throughout the Berlin election, signs read "Privatize Religion" and "Inform Yourself" along with the more light-hearted "Arrrr" (German for the English piratese "Aargh" I suppose).

Photo source: Piratenpartei Berlin - CC-BY-SA-NC by PaGn at Flickr

Spiegel Online covers the rise of Germany's newest substantial political party: The Pirate Party at http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,787044,00.html . The title of the article "The New Rebels" says a lot about the Pirates' new role. Sebastien Nerz, head of the German Pirate Party is quoted in the article as saying "It's the first time since the 1980s that a new political power has come onto the stage," a comment he prefaced with the response "Cool!"

The Greens apparently mocked the Pirate Party as insubstantial. That said, I remember when the other parties were mocking the Greens as insubstantial. Time will tell, but I suspect the Green's attacks reflect a bit of anxiety that the Pirate Party is more substantial than they let on.

So what do the Pirates stand for? As with all of Europe's new Pirate Parties, the German version wants Internet freedom and restrictions on the collection of data from electronic communication of any sort. The German Pirate Party, though, has more of a platform than the one topic. They advocate what Spiegel Online describes as an "unconditional basic income" as well as increased transparency in government and the legalization of soft drugs. These are not lighthearted or lightweight positions.


If the Pirate Party was the great winner in the Berlin election Sunday, the biggest loser was the center-right, pro-business FDP (Free Democratic Party) which dropped precipitously from 7.6% of the vote to a mere 1.8%, far below the 5% threshold needed for representation). This was even below the 2.1% won by the neo-Nazi National Democrats and just slightly more the such one issue splinter parties such as the animal-rights party (Mensch Umwelt Tierschutz) at 1.5% and the extreme right-wing Bürgerbewegung pro Deutschland with 1.2% of the vote. In short, the FDP has ceased to be a presence in Berlin at least, which may not bode well for its standing nationwide.

Another notable loser (if not on the scale of the FDP) was with The Lefts (die Linke). This needs some explanation as the Lefts only formed in 2007 when the post-Communist PDS (or Party of Democratic Socialism) merged with the WASG (in German the Arbeit und soziale Gerechtigkeit – Die Wahlalternative or Labor and Social Justice -- Vote Alternative party). The PDS grew out of the SED that rule Communist East Germany and had 13.4% of the 2006 Berlin vote. The WASG, in turn, carried 2.9% of the 2006 Berlin vote, which was not enough to cross the 5% threshold for representation. Since the Left Party was the combination of the two earlier parties, this represents an even greater loss for Lefts over the PDS, since we should see this decline despite the the addition of the WAPG vote to the total (which would have been a total of 19.3% in 2006, so that the Left's drop to 11.7% would account for a real loss of 7.9% rather than the apparent loss of only 1.7% that seems the case at first glance.

Soooo... what does this mean, if anything, to the rest of Germany or to the world outside of Germany? As I see it, four things:

1) The Pirate Party movement ought not be discounted out of hand. The issue of Internet and electronic communication freedom is a hot topic right now due to the scandals with the News Corporation, but at least in Germany the Pirate Party has taken positions on issues that go well beyond that which might well give them a greater appeal as they mature.

2) The Berlin vote gives the Pirate Party considerable credibility for future state-level elections. It is too soon to tell if this is a one-off anomaly or the beginning of a trend. Germany to date has 155 Pirate Party members elected to municipal positions. The election to the state government level should encourage people to cast their vote with the Pirate Party in the future who might have thought that a waste of their vote before. This was the pattern the Greens followed as they rose from obscurity in the 1980's to a major player in German national politics by the 1990's.

3) The Berlin Pirate Party victory has implication beyond Germany. In 2009, Swedes elected two Swedish Pirate Party members to the European Parliament (with 7.13% of the overall vote) and a handful of Pirate Party politicians have been elected to municipal level positions already in the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Spanish Catalonia. The substantial win of the German Pirate Party in Berlin could well have a motivating effect in these countries and beyond.

4) The FDP's poor performance in Berlin may indicate a cause for it to worry. The FDP, the junior partner of Angela Merkel's CDP/CDU coalition, is appearing vulnerable. If the Berlin state elections are any indicator, this may mean the weakening of the pro-business parties that have been governing Germany since 2005. A government coaltion that would include some representation from the Pirate Party, the Greens and die Linke is not out of the question. This could possibly have an effect on Germany's economy and with that, the whole of Europe. That is at least worth keeping in mind.

So that is my take on the matter. What are your thoughts?

Yobi.tv makes lead story on People.com

My wife's company Yobi.tv made the top story just now on People.com. I am so proud of her! The photos used in the article are both by Yobi Pics contest winner Abrey Adams Watterson. The webseries --filmed at Michigan State University -- starred Yobi.tv contest winners and in his notably good acting debut Mike Sorrention (Jersey Shores' The Situation).  The article by People's Sarah Michaud is entitled "Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino Lands His First Acting Job." Please check it out at
 http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20529256,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+people%2Fheadlines+%28PEOPLE.com%3A+Top+Headlines%29

Why do our politicians stretch the truth?

Rare opinion piece on FactCheck.org on why so many of our politicians stretch the truth, exaggerate or outright lie. Stated here AS opinion and NOT fact (a rarity on this fact-driven site).  The opinion piece is by Brooks Jackson. Here is the link:  http://factcheck.org/2011/09/why-do-they-do-it/
What are your views on this?

Counting money: Differences across cultures

I came across a fun little You Tube video showing different ways that people count money. I travel a good deal and try to watch for cross-cultural differences in nonverbal behavior, and yet I never noticed this before. Watch the clip yourself (it's short.... less than 2 minutes) and perhaps share in the comments if you have noticed these differences before yourself.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfOsjV7TXoc&feature=player_embedded

DREAM Act

In my opinion, no policy the US could adopt would help more than passing the once bipartisan DREAM Act. And no policy is so blatantly representative of the obstructionist gridlock in Congress.

This was originally a Republican bill proposed by no less a Republican stalwart than Orrin Hatch of Utah when it first showed up in 2001 and was blocked. Now essentially the same bill is being put forth as a Democratic bill and is being blocked. It seems to me that the policy or the law matters less than the party behind it.

The current brouhaha over the bill is highlighted in an article yesterday in the Washington Times: "Obama targets Republicans for blocking Dream Act"  http://wtim.es/p9Sxh1
The gist of the Act is to grant conditional permanent residency to aliens who

·         are students of "good moral character" who graduate from US high schools who had arrived in the US as minors and have lived in the country continuously for at least 5 years

·        served in the US military for two years with honorable discharge with promise of 8 year military commitment

·         are students at four year university who are in a bachelor's degree or higher degree program would obtain temporary residency for a six year period and chance to permanent residency

A December 2010 report, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that the November 30th, 2010 version of the DREAM Act would "reduce deficits by about $1.4 billion over the 2011-2020 period and increase government revenues by $2.3 billion over the next 10 years” and "would increase projected deficits by more than $5 billion in at least one of the four consecutive 10-year periods starting in 2021". You can see the study yourself at http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/119xx/doc11991/s3992.pdf

By the way, if you would like to compare the two bills, the original 2001 bill is viewable at http://rs9.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:SN01291:@@@L&summ2=m& and the essentially same bill resubmitted in 2009 and blocked in 2011 is viewable at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/gpoxmlc111/s729_is.xml 

I would welcome your thoughts on this, and in particular what this means for US competitiveness in education and business development.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome to David Victor's "VECTOR BLOG."

It is my hope to attract to this blog six groups of people:  a) my international business students and business ethics students at EMU, b)  my Saint Marys TransGlobal Executive MBA students, c)  my alumni from both groups, d) my existing business clients, and e)  future business clients if this works as a marketing tool (as I hope it will) and f) a larger following of people interested in the subject matter who do not know me directly yet (with an end goal hopefully of attracting a large enough group of people to shape public opinion in limited circles.
I look forward to an exchange of idea. Please help me build this into a blog that is fun and informative for all of us!

Thank you.

David Victor