[bratticus]

Plenty of new opportunities abound:
[flash width=425 height=344]http://www.youtube.com/v/aMiWe1u7zZI[/flash]

[Ludi]

We still just have the one job in the shop, and have not been getting calls from clients. So there's nothing lined up after this one job, and that makes me nervous.

[threadbear]

I think something people have to bear in mind is the extent to which the govt is going to go to keep people in their homes, whether they default or not. I'm sure there will be all kinds of negative consequences that ensue, but the Dems are going to insist on work outs with the banks, and let them absorb their fair share of the loss.

Most banks are going to go under, true, but you have to ask yourself, whose fault is that? The economically ignorant homeowner or the finance managers, boards of directors, of lending institutions, supposedly trained to maximize profits while AVOIDING excessive risk?

Get ready for the tsthtf, ensconced in your own home, while the banks and financials get a further beating. Govts have to worry about being toppled in coups, and civil unrest if they don't adopt these measures. It's not just survival for YOU, ultimately, it's a survival issue for THEM.

Watch how the financials have performed in the last week and this week. If their shares are plummeting in the U.S, it could be partly due to the suspicion that this might happen.

[Byron100]

We still just have the one job in the shop, and have not been getting calls from clients. So there's nothing lined up after this one job, and that makes me nervous.

Sorry to hear that, Ludi. Do you think your industry is being adversely impacted by the economy, or have you had "work droughts" in the past?

In my studies of the 1930's depression, entertainment and movie-going thrived in that era - for people had lots of leisure time and seeing a film in the cinema literally cost pennies - plenty affordable even in those times.

What concerns me is that things won't be the same this time around, due to the high cost structure of American film-making and the high cost to the end-user, i.e. the theater-goer. With ticket prices approaching $10 in many markets, this is one of the first things people are going to cut, in addition to eating out, taking vacations, etc. This applies to the book biz as well - as people just aren't going to be forking out $25 for the current best-seller when that money is needed to pay things such as the light bill and meds, not to mention rent/mortgage payments. :/

In any case, I certainly wish you guys the best of luck, as this is going to be a long, rough road ahead - for all of us.

And for those of us who need health insurance and the lack of work is endangering your ability to pay for it, we need to start fighting for our right to universal care NOW. Time to pull out all the stops on this, as our lives depend on it.

[outcast]

On the subject of h1b's

The Center for Immigration Studies just released a critique of the H-IB visa program. The core message of the study is that employers use the visa program to hire professional workers at wages well below the actually prevailing wages of comparable workers – despite a statutory prohibition. I have entered below the executive summary of “The Bottom of the Pay Scale: Wages for H-1B Computer Programmers” by John Miano and, following that, a useful primer of the program from his study.

H-1B visas by occupation are computer 28%, education 14%, administrative 13%, engineering 12%, health 9%, managers 8%, all others 18%. Visas by country of origin are mainland India 36%, China 9%, Canada 5%. all others 50%.

Executive Summary

The temporary visa program known as H-1B enables U.S. employers to hire professional-level foreign workers for a period of up to six years. Employers must pay H-1B workers either the same rate as other employees with similar skills and qualifications or the "prevailing wage" for that occupation and location, whichever is higher….The analysis demonstrates that…actual pay rates reported by employers of H-1B workers were significantly lower than those of American workers. ….[R]ather than helping employers meet labor shortages or bring in workers with needed skills, as is often claimed by program users, the H-1B program is instead more often used by employers to import cheaper labor.

Key Findings

On average, applications for H-1B workers in computer occupations were for wages $13,000 less than Americans in the same occupation and state.

Wages on approved Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) for 85% of H-1B workers were for less than the median U.S. wage in the same occupations and state.

Microsoft is planning to fire a bunch of workers in the US, but from what I have heard they are still keeping their staff in their China centers.

[threadbear]

We still just have the one job in the shop, and have not been getting calls from clients. So there's nothing lined up after this one job, and that makes me nervous.

Ditto to what Byron said. However it may be more difficult for studios to acquire financing for new projects, at this time, so that's something to toss around. I would think that, as the recession deepens, and receipts from the entertainment industry remain strong, the banks will continue to loan. They're probably just taking a step back, catching their breath and assessing the impact.

[lawnchair]

In my studies of the 1930's depression, entertainment and movie-going thrived in that era - for people had lots of leisure time and seeing a film in the cinema literally cost pennies - plenty affordable even in those times.

Off topic, but this is one place I suspect we are in a different era. Today's movie is not competing with boredom in a sweltering house. It's competing with a massive base of existing media. Between a few friends and neighbors, we could swap and watch enough sunk-cost DVDs for the next decade without spending a cent. If quality goes down, people will rewatch the big-budget films of the past.

In the 30s, there weren't even *that* many gramaphone records (or record players) kicking around. Heck, there weren't nearly as many books in whatever genre interested you, as are already in used paperback for $.50 today.

[Ache]

http://www.bizmonthly.com/1_2009/20.shtml

...
For 19 years, Marcia Thibodo was a software engineer at Verizon. When an early retirement buyout was announced, Thibodo seized the opportunity to build her dream business baking specialty cakes.

"Am I concerned about the economy? Of course I am, but birthdays and weddings are fairly recession-proof," Thibodo said. "People still need their cakes. And given the chance to buy fresh, preservative-free cakes from a local baker rather than what they would get at the supermarket, I think they'll choose the local baker."

She has been baking since she was in elementary school and started Oh, What A Cake! in December after completing formal training in the pastry arts.

The pastry chef chose her location on Dobbin Road in Columbia as a way to return to her native Columbia, where she attended Wilde Lake High School prior to graduating from UMBC. She also counted Howard County's desirable demographics as a reason to locate locally.

"We've got plenty of moms hosting birthday parties, people getting married, families with disposable income - this is a great place to start a business - and I know how to get around all these crazy streets," Thibodo said.

Though Oh, What A Cake! has been open for just a few weeks, word is already starting to spread about Thibodo's creations.
She recounted a story about a man stopping her in the parking lot as she was leaving the store. The man's wife had given him an old-fashioned pound cake and he "drove to the store to tell me that he hadn't had something like that since his grandmother passed 10 years ago," said Thibodo.

"That's why I'm in this business instead of writing computer software," she noted.

If Techlab sounds familiar, it is. The business has been around since 1988. The former Columbia location was adjacent to Rocky Run Tap & Grill on Dobbin Road. It was closed by the previous owner, who chose to focus on Techlab's Baltimore location for personal reasons.

When new owner Dan Gaffney bought the business in 2006, his top goal was returning to Howard County to reopen a store in his childhood home. As he scoured the county looking for a location, Gaffney was happy to find Maple Lawn, the upscale development five minutes south of Columbia, where he opened a second Techlab location in October.

"The other merchants have been great to work with. It's a real family-like feel where we do cross-promotions and help grow each other's businesses," said Gaffney. "I really think this is a hallmark of Howard County, where everyone knows each other." It's no coincidence that Gaffney sought that type of tight-knit community for his second location, because much of Techlab's services are available through online providers or big box stores. By locating in Howard County, he has a great opportunity to spread the word about the superior quality available through his small business.

"Our prices are about the same as the big guys, but we can offer the level of service that comes from a small, locally-owned business," said Gaffney.

Gaffney's company provides all services related to photo processing and digital imaging, and many of them can be purchased through Techlab's web site. The setup is similar to that of national businesses, such as SnapFish.

Coincidentally, like Thibodo, Gaffney was also a software engineer prior to becoming an entrepreneur, though he worked for Northrop Grumman. A graduate of Glenelg High School and James Madison University, he has enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and contacts as he builds the business in Maple Lawn.

"Although I'm mostly here because I wanted to feel back at home," he said, "there's no doubt that Howard County is better equipped than many other areas to weather an economic storm."