Beth n Rod

Ok, Let the voting begin for your choice who will make the playoffs. The poll is by #1 seed - #6 seed for each division; NFC-AFC respectively. Multiple choice is enabled and the names of the voters will be public. Rod!~

Here's the latest stats to see how the poll is going... FOX Sports on MSN - NFL - Power Rankings :cheers: :wave: :beerchug: Rod!~

Nobody will miss Jeff, he'll be the one with the star spangled straw hat and white gloves with an enormous smile talking about politics with a donkey on one shoulder and an elephant on the other. JK It will be good to see all of you there...finally get to put the faces with the names so to speak. Tom and Barbara's R.T.'s are always a great event. See you all there! Rod!~

Jeff, Same here! Beth

This is da bomb! | EaCo Chem Inc. Cleaning and Restoration Compound Manufacturer | Rod!~

Heck yeah, bring 'em to the ACR event! Grilled salmon! Beth

Great pics Carlos! That sunset was wonderful! Nothing like being on the water. Sooooo calming. Beth :cup:

Hispanics Protest, but Impact Questioned - washingtonpost.comHispanics Protest, but Impact Questioned A work boycott called to protest Prince William County's proposed crackdown on illegal immigrants appeared to have limited impact yesterday as construction sites, restaurants and retail stores hummed with business as usual. The one-day stoppage, organized by the immigrant advocacy group Mexicans Without Borders, did cause a smattering of businesses to operate with smaller staffs or close. La Azteca Latina, a small grocery in Woodbridge, closed after two hours while its owner and employees attended a rally. Ten employees of a waterproofing company in Woodbridge walked off their jobs in the morning, even though their employer threatened that they wouldn't be able to work for the rest of the week. "We're doing it for our own good. And if the boss doesn't like it, well, we will look for other work," said Ruben Garcia, 28, of Woodbridge. The stoppage was intended to demonstrate the economic impact of immigrants on the local economy and how businesses would suffer without Hispanic workers. Protesters gathered in the afternoon at the county's government complex as the Prince William Board of County Supervisors held a regular meeting. A caravan of about 500 cars drove from the government complex throughout the county, said Ricardo Juarez, a coordinator at Mexicans Without Borders. The cars had slogans such as "Tell the Supervisors -- NO!" written in shoe polish across windshields, Juarez said. Business owners and county leaders said the effects of the boycotts were minimal. "I don't see anything different today than usual," said Corey Stewart, chairman of the supervisors. "And if someone is here illegally, they shouldn't be working here in the first place." The boycott protested a resolution, passed unanimously by the supervisors in July, that denies many public services to illegal immigrants and empowers police and other officials to question immigrants about their legal status and, in some cases, turn them over to federal immigration authorities. In contrast, Alexandria's City Council voted late yesterday on a measure that gives illegal immigrants access to public services and legal protection. Carlos Castro, a business owner who has helped lead a separate effort to oppose the Prince William resolution, said the stoppage wasn't promoted well and probably wouldn't leave a strong impression on county leaders. "I respect that form of free speech, but I personally would like to continue to do what we business leaders have been doing -- trying to keep up the dialogue and trying to make sure that we are getting people to understand that . . . we want to come to a more peaceful and more honorable solution to the problem," he said. At Abuelita Mexican Food Products in Manassas Park, nearly all of the tortilla chip manufacturer's 60 employees -- mostly Hispanic immigrants -- came to work. "We didn't even know there was going to be a protest from work today," said Eugene Suarez Jr., who helps run the family business with his father. Bill Fairchild, president of general contractor R.W. Murray in Manassas, said his staff and the employees of the hundreds of subcontractors he uses showed up at construction sites around the county as usual. Mariana Vasquez, a cashier at Latino Pollo A La Braza restaurant in Woodbridge, said she knew about the work stoppage. She agreed with the cause but opted to work anyway. "I need the money. I don't have a choice," said Vasquez, the mother of a 1-year-old. At the afternoon caravan rally, Stanley Castillo, a 29-year-old painter for a Hispanic-owned company in the county, said he lost out on about $150 by boycotting work. His boss agreed to let him and nine other employees take the day off to protest. "I lose a lot but think I gain more here supporting this," Castillo said.

Thank you Ron! Thank you, thank you, thank you, well put!!!! Beth

Nearly Three-in-Ten Hispanic Workers Have Experienced Discrimination or Unfair Treatment at Work, CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services Survey Shows Nearly Three-in-Ten Hispanic Workers Have Experienced Discrimination or Unfair Treatment at Work, CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services Survey Shows Chicago, IL and Troy, MI - June 19, 2007 –Twenty-nine percent of Hispanic workers have experienced discrimination or unfair treatment in the workplace, according to a nationwide survey by CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services, conducted by Harris Interactive. Of those who reported the discrimination or unfair treatment to their employers, 77 percent said the offender was not held accountable. The study, “Diversity in the Workplace,” was designed to gauge the frequency, severity and occasion for perceptions of discrimination or unfair treatment and how diversity impacts hiring, compensation and career advancement. It focused on seven diverse segments including Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, workers with disabilities, women, mature workers age 50 or older and Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender workers. “Hispanic workers are among the fastest growing segments of the U.S. labor force,” said Jesse Caballero, Senior Career Advisor for empleosCB.com, a subsidiary of CareerBuilder.com focused on online job search for the Hispanic community. “They are also among the two groups reporting the highest levels of severe discrimination in the workplace. Fifteen percent said they have been addressed with a racial slur at work. Roughly one-in-four feel they are paid less and have fewer career advancement opportunities compared to their Caucasian counterparts.” Severity and Frequency of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment in the Workplace Of the segments surveyed, Hispanic workers were among the most likely to categorize the discrimination or unfair treatment as severe at 26 percent. Twenty-nine percent of Hispanic workers said they experience discrimination or unfair treatment at least once a week. Eighteen percent said once a month and 31 percent say it happens occasionally (defined as one to three times per year). Discriminating or Unfair Behaviors The most common incidents of discrimination or unfair treatment involved: • Not receiving credit for one’s work (53 percent) • Co-workers were talking behind their backs (41 percent) • Did not receive a raise or bonus (38 percent) • Not having concerns addressed or taken seriously (37 percent) • Feeling ideas or input are generally ignored (34 percent) • Being overlooked for a promotion (32 percent) Pay and Career Advancement Twenty-two percent of Hispanic workers feel they are paid less than Caucasian co-workers who have the same skills and experience; 6 percent feel they are paid more; and 58 percent feel they are paid the same. When asked about career advancement, 27 percent of Hispanic workers feel they have less opportunities compared to Caucasian co-workers who have the same skills and experiences; 3 percent feel they have more and 57 percent feel it’s the same. Reporting of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment Unfortunately, much of the discrimination or unfair treatment goes unaddressed. Fifty-five percent of Hispanic workers who experienced discrimination or unfair treatment said they did not report the incident. Sixty percent of Hispanic workers said they didn’t think reporting the incident would make a difference while 33 percent feared being labeled as a trouble-maker and 17 percent feared losing their jobs. The majority of Hispanic workers who reported discrimination or unfair treatment did so by bringing it to the attention of their direct supervisor (24 percent). Another 22 percent reported it to someone in senior management while 13 percent reported it to Human Resources. The majority of workers who reported the incident (65 percent) said they didn’t think their claim was taken seriously and, in 77 percent of the cases, the offender was not held accountable. Twelve percent of Hispanic workers took legal action against their employer, the highest of all diverse groups surveyed. “Creating and enforcing a healthy, balanced, diverse work culture starts at the top. This study reinforces the relative scarcity of diverse workers in management in most organizations,” said Nina Ramsey, senior vice president of Human Resources at Kelly Services. “We can hope that the environment for Hispanics and other diverse workers will steadily improve as hiring, leadership development and succession practices evolve and include workers of all backgrounds.” Diversity and Hiring Hispanic workers are among the most likely of diverse workers to say their diverse background works in their favor when applying for a job at 18 percent. Thirty-one percent said their diverse background works against them while 51 percent said it has no influence. In terms of involuntary termination, 12 percent of Hispanic workers said they believed they had been fired at some point in their career based on their diverse background. Twenty-one percent of all workers – both diverse and non-diverse – said they have witnessed discrimination or unfair treatment of a co-worker based on their diverse background. Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services among 953 Workers (age 18+ within the United States, employed full-time or part-time) with 150 being Hispanic workers (age 18+ within the United States, employed full-time or part-time) between March 15 and March 21, 2007. Figures for age, ***, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. With a pure probability sample of 953 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3.2 percentage points. With a pure probability sample of 150 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 8 percentage. Sampling error for data from subsamples is higher and varies. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated. About Kelly Services Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Troy, Mich., offering human resource solutions that include temporary staffing services, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time placement. Kelly operates in 33 countries and territories. Kelly provides employment to more than 750,000 employees annually, with skills including office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law, science, marketing, creative services, light industrial, education, and health care. Revenue in 2006 was $5.5 billion. Visit Kelly Services : Kelly Global Home - Temp Jobs - Staffing Agency. About CareerBuilder.com CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 21 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,100 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 150 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 300,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com’s easy job postings, 20 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. CareerBuilder.com and its subsidiaries operate in Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit CareerBuilder.com Jobs - The Largest Job Search, Employment & Careers Site. Kelly Services Media Contact Renee Walker (P) (248) 244-4305 (E) renee_walker@kellyservices.com CareerBuilder Media Contact For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact: Jennifer Sullivan (P) 773-527-1164 (E) jennifer.sullivan@careerbuilder.com

Bacon's Rebellion: Lawsuit Filed Against Prince William Seeking Recission of Immigration Resolution Lawsuit Filed Against Prince William Seeking Recission of Immigration Resolution Today saw the filing of the first of what will likely be many lawsuits challenging poorly conceived and largely unconstitutional local and state immigration policies being urged on cowed politicians by an increasingly vehement minority whose demands will impose significant legal and other costs on their fellow citizens without meaningful corresponding benefit. Here's the press release describing today's actions: Latinos in Prince William County and the Woodbridge Workers' Committee filed a lawsuit against Prince William County, its Board of Supervisors, the County Executive and the Police Chief seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to halt its implementation and enforcement of its recently passed anti- immigrant resolution, Resolution 07-609. The lawsuit was filed by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund (PRLDEF), Howrey LLP, and the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. On July 10, 2007, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors passed Resolution 07-609 which grants local police broad authority to inquire into the immigration status of individuals, authorizes county-level employees to gather, maintain and share information regarding the immigration status of individuals seeking public benefits, and may limit county services that immigrants receive. The lawsuit, filed today in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, claims violations of the U.S. Constitution, federal statutes, and the laws of Virginia and requests declaratory and injunctive relief to halt its implementation and enforcement. The complaint was brought on behalf of 16 individuals and their minor children as well as the Woodbridge Workers' Committee. The complaint alleges that the Resolution is an unconstitutional attempt to circumvent the federal government's authority to regulate immigration and that it enacts a discriminatory scheme in violation of the Equal Protection Clause to the United States Constitution. "This ordinance, which expresses the worst instincts of a few in the county, is destroying the basic fabric of community life," said Cesar Perales, PRLDEF President and General Counsel. "Latino children should be taught to trust police. Not to fear they might take their parents away." Howrey LLP is one of Washington, DC's top firms noted for its strong litigation practice. Partners John Nields, former President of the DC Bar and Christina Guerola Sarchio, incoming Vice President for External Affairs of the Hispanic National Bar Association and immediate Past President of the DC Hispanic Bar, will lead the effort. Commenting on the case, Sarchio said, "the governing body of Prince William County has taken it upon itself to devise a way to handle immigrants in their community in a way that goes against the U.S. Constitution and federal law. It infringes upon Congress' power to regulate immigration, a power unquestionably reserved to the Federal government. Putting aside the fact that all of our ancestors were immigrants at one point, the action the PWC Board of Supervisors has taken here is discriminatory and illegal." "This Resolution demonstrates a disturbing animus toward immigrants that contradicts what America is, a nation of immigrants,," said Laura E. Varela, Director of the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project at the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. "The Resolution promotes racial profiling and is causing a great deal of fear and unrest among both U.S. citizens and immigrant residents who live in Prince William County." The Washington Lawyers' Committee, which joins Howrey in the suit, has for more than 35 years provided legal services to address issues of discrimination in the areas of equal employment, fair housing, public accommodations, public education, asylum and refugee rights, and disability rights. The Committee often teams with Howrey on community matters. PRLDEF has previously brought legal challenges to such legislative acts and ordinances based on violations of the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause, the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment, and, long-standing federal preemption principles. Almost every lawsuit brought to date challenging such local ordinances and resolutions has ended in a decision against the locality (or a settlement) that cost tax payers substantial sums in legal fees. All of these localities,including Prince William, would have done better to put money spent on lawyers into lobbying Congress for meaningful immigration reform and hiring additional staff to increase code enforcement for housing violations, increase culturally competent community policing and other actions designed actually to address the problems identified by some of their local citizens as adversely affecting their quality of life. Instead, they've embarked on a course which is nothing more than a lawyers' full employment policy and a prescription for community division that has done little more than earn them a reputation for ethnic hostility that will haunt them for decades to come in our increasingly diverse 21st century America.

Local construction industry values its Hispanic workers - Birmingham Business Journal: Local construction industry values its Hispanic workers Driving through Birmingham, one cannot help but notice the number of Hispanic workers participating in many of the construction projects around town. We should not be surprised. The Hispanic community in Alabama is thought to number more than 700,000. Some still consider this to be a low estimate, because we are having newcomers almost everyday. Whatever census sources you refer to, all agree that the Hispanic community is one of the fastest-growing minorities in the country. Birmingham, too, is participating in the assimilation of this new wave of temporary and permanent immigrants, and the process is having an indisputable impact on both the city's business and its local infrastructure. Many businesses are finding that Hispanics fill an important need as a willing and able workforce. With a tight labor market, the influx of this labor pool has come at the right time. The no-nonsense construction industry has found that Hispanic workers are dependable, hard-working employees. Despite the obvious communication problems, industry sources comment that the Hispanic workers are quick and eager to learn new skills. Steve Freese, human resource manager at Saiia Construction in Birmingham, finds his company's Hispanic workers to be "hard-working and dependable." "They take the initiative to make themselves better and to do the job," he says. Freese also notes that Hispanic workers prefer to keep busy. From operating heavy equipment to providing manual labor, Hispanic workers are becoming a significant part of the Birmingham construction scene. To its credit, the construction industry is doing more than just hiring Hispanic workers; it is taking steps to effectively assimilate these employees into mainstream Birmingham culture. At classes all over the city, construction managers, supervisors and technicians can be found learning conversational Spanish, enabling them to better communicate with Hispanic employees. Some firms have hired bilingual personnel to facilitate the assimilation process. Still others are offering ESL (English as a second language) classes for their employees. Programs in cultural diversity are being provided by some organizations. These offerings are directed at providing a basis for understanding differences based on an individual's cultural background. Birmingham stands out as a reference point for understanding human diversity. Few cities in the world have internalized the process of understanding and appreciating the significance of diversity as has Birmingham. It is to the city's credit that the lessons learned from the past have indeed reaped great rewards. Our past experiences in human diversity have allowed our city to successfully lay the groundwork for welcoming this new group of employees, and prospective citizens. Alba Hernandez is president and CEO of Hernandez and Associates, a bilingual consulting firm in Birmingham that offers specialized conversational Spanish classes, translations, interpretations, and workshops in harassment and workplace safety. She can be reached at (205) 854-1300. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I thought this was a good article. Beth

I spoke to Barbara this afternoon - they are at about 70 people right now...that they know of...100% confirmed... Get off the fence people, get to PA on the 17th. Call them and get on the list. The cap is 100 people. You do not want to miss this. ACR puts on a GREAT event! Beth

Ok, Kens being the diplomat here so we all have to toe the line...not! ;) JK though. Getting the majority of a year with a sealer still intact on Ipe is quite an accomplishment and I am not talking about cheating and having tree coverage either, this is full sun exposure. The products installed vary from WTW to C.A.T.O. b4 the voc changes. Still haven't had the time to go and check on these for about 3 months which is past the first year mark on a few of them. A recent one has sikkens dek on it (customer previously installed, part covered porch 2nd level and the other we had to sand back to bare and reapply as it was cloudy from dew after the HO's application last year) and I am cringing due to the fact that there are some detrimental factors surrounding this particular job including a section with < 2' air flow below and then the steps have a backing on them which helps it to retain water even further. I expect this one to last barely a year due to the nature of the product installed. Rod!~

............and sometimes, that month or two of extra finish life is the difference in keeping a client happy and returning for years....it's their deck, and should be their choice once you educate them. We will seal them sooner, but most opt for a couple more months of life in the finish. Isn't it better to get them in a routine they are comfortable with and keep the deck maintained than it is for them to get frustrated and stop caring for it altogether? We have seen that happen too. Everyone wants to get the best bang for the buck. But no one want to feel like they are spending money to watch a finish fail before it needs to. Beth

Kevin, Rod avoids using acetone as much as possible - some products require it others do not. Beth

He posted some new pics the other day. The puppy peed on his homework. :) Beth

It's like with a new car - you never want to see that first ding, and you hate it when the new car smell is gone. Ipe is a luxurious wood - looks rich, and people like the idea of an exterior wood looking like it would inside the home. Then again, there is no such thing as maintenance free either. Beth

You got that right. ;) Have a good day, hope you feel better. It's no fun being laid up on pain pills. Makes a person cranky... ;) Beth

Saturday the 17th. Beth

Kevin, when you decide to open your mind and stop being argumentative for the sake of having the last word, you may learn something. My basis for this statement is this; I have given you a reply in order to present you with a basis for understanding and yet you ignored it and still ask the same question. Perhaps someone else has another word set that will get the point across better and help you understand why the stand on allowing Ipe to weather is proving to be beneficial in applying a sealer and getting a longer lasting result. BTW, there unfortunately are a significant number of builders (deck etc) that tell their customers to wait 6 months to a year before doing anything to it while on the contrary, The USDA Forestry Labs and The A.W.P.A. also recommend sealing within the first 2 weeks of construction completion. This is in regard to P.T. lumber, not Ipe. It's quite a different animal. With the same fire rating as steel, sinks in water and has no known natural insect enemies with the exception of the marine borer mite, 2nd hardest wood in the world next to Brazilian rosewood, it is in a league all it's own on how to be cared for. We have had to do some research and rethinking on how to deal with this exotic wood species since conventional methods were not giving our customers what they were looking for in a lasting result. Believe it or not, Ipe doesn't really need to be treated at all with the exception of aesthetics. It can go grey and hold up just fine and quite outlast the best pressure treated lumber. But! People want it to look like it does when it is newly constructed or when it is wet. Those are very eye popping and rich looks to the wood. Getting it to stay that way is another business. That's where experience comes in. Do your research. Rod!~

Ok Kevin, how long would you expect a finish to last on Ipe that was newly installed, vs slightly aged - first installation of product? In your opinion, are we talking weeks or months in the difference in the life of the finish. I know what we have seen (both our own installations and also installations of builders and other contractors in our area after a brand new install of wood). Let's hear what you have seen specifically. Besides, do you not inspect a deck before taking on a job? Can't you tell what shape the wood is in, the quality of the lumber, the quality of the installation etc? Was is fastened well, did they use anchor seal on the ends etc? We check these things and discuss the deck with the owner before doing anything. As you say, education... Beth :cup:

We are. :)

I am talking about the finish just like he is. Beth

My responses in blue: Not compared to that diatribe you just laid out there... You have much to learn about wood grasshopper. :yoda: Rod!~