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Top Stories: Feb. 3, 2010East Side's Nuñez Cleared; Bright Lights in San Jose; Gangs on Twitter; Swastikas R Usby Danny Wool on Feb 03, 2010Wages Down in Silicon Valley There’s more bad news for people working in Silicon Valley high-tech firms. Not only is unemployment soaring at 11.2 percent; not only has Silicon Valley lost 134,000 jobs since the dot.com bust of 2000; but wages have declined dramatically too, from an average of $120,064 in 2000 to $105,500 in the first half of 2009. According to a new report, part of the problem is the high wages that have become expected in Silicon Valley. In 2008, these were 61 percent higher than wages for similar work in the rest of the country, which is likely why many industries, including semiconductor and electronic industry manufacturing decided to pick up and relocate at least some of their jobs. Even the growth of major Internet companies hasn't balanced this out. There is, however, some good news too. Other businesses are increasing their workforces, particularly pharmaceutical companies and bioengineering. Amar Mann, a regional economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, attributes this to an aging population that increasingly needs medical services. Pharmaceutical companies have increased the number of jobs they offer by as much as 40 percent, while Mann believes that bioengineering could grow by as much as 75 percent by 2018. Perhaps Silicon Valley should consider changing its name then. Viagra Valley? Read More at Business Week. Read More at GenomeWeb. Read More at the New York Times. New Sign Rules to Light up San Jose There aren't a lot of signs in downtown San Jose, because of the city's strict rules on what is and is not allowed. But that may soon change. "We're finally making progress," says City Councilmember Pete Constant, after City Council gave its preliminary approval to a reconsideration of the sign rules that some businesses consider draconian. Right now, the laws for downtown limit programmable electronic signs to 35 square feet, provided that the business has at least 150 feet of ground floor frontage. Of course, that limits smaller businesses, including many restaurants, from adding electronic signs. The new rule reduces the required frontage to just 100 feet, and increases the programmable sign space to 50 feet. City Council also plans to consider whether it will allow supergraphic signs on the facades of large buildings (think Times Square). Another major change will be the amount of programmable sign space allowed to car dealerships along Stevens Creek. According to the new policy, programmable electronic signs can now take up as much as 60 percent of their sign space. Other exemptions to the sign rule will include theaters and stadiums, but also churches and other religious establishments with an occupancy over 500. Not everyone is happy about the religious exemption though. Pastor Ben Daniels of the Presbyterian Foothill Church would like to see the occupancy requirement reduced even further for churches, otherwise it would favor larger houses of worship over smaller ones. It could favor the city's three megachurches, while the more modest community churches take a back seat. And in today's world, what better way is there to spread the Gospel than a flashing programmable electronic sign. Read More at The Mercury News. Gangs Turning to Social Networking Just about everyone is Twittering these days, whether it's CNN's anchors begging for tweets, Iranian students protesting the regime, or aid groups channeling funds for Haiti. Or gangs. Dean Johnston of the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement says that gangs are turning increasingly to Twitter and Facebook to share information and learn more about their groups. "They will even go out and brag about doing shootings," says Johnston. In a recent incident, gangs let their members know that they suspected someone of being an informer after he was suddenly released from jail. "We have a snitch in our midst," read the Tweet. The use of Twitter and Facebook reflects the growing trend in the general public to adopt these sites as means of communication, as opposed to older social networking sites like MySpace. Nevertheless, MySpace still remains the network of choice for most gang members today, even if some gangs, like MS-13, are showing a preference for Facebook these days. One can only wonder how well they do in social networking games like Mafia Wars. Read More at the Washington Post. Kids Express Individuality with Swastika Tattoos? Ask any educator. There's nothing more important than encouraging kids to express their individuality. Toys R Us knows this, which is why they began selling the Imaginarium Airbrush Tattoo Kit. After all, what six-year-old wouldn't want to say "I'm me" with a realistic tattoo airbrushed on their forceps or back? There are heart tattoos and even a skull, but there are also the geometric designs that people find so popular. And there's even a swastika for the more politically minded tots. A swastika? Some might question whether this particular tattoo "can assist in the fundamental positive growth of their children," as the Toys R Us site advertises. For some people it's the proverbial "choking hazard" that the same site warns against (no swastika tattoos for children under three). When a potential purchaser, Anthony Santoya, raised the issue, Toys R Us was quick to respond that it was not a swastika. "People see what they want to see," said a company spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh. "They [the stencil and the swastika] are absolutely not the same. Perhaps they intended it as a sacred Jain symbol. Or perhaps they simply weren't careful about how the design might be interpreted. Regardless, the folks at Toys R Us should probably take a closer look at what they're selling before encouraging kids to take up body art. After all, skulls are much more kid-friendly. Read More at NBC Bay Area. by Danny Wool on Feb 03, 2010 |
 Although some high-tech firms have weathered the storms of recession, unemployment is still high and wages are still way down in Silicon Valley. |
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