The major goal of the Five Day Weekend is simple: We want to reverse the U.S. workweek so that Americans clock in for two good days of work, followed by five well-earned days off.

Why? Because overwork has become a major problem for Americans, and it's getting worse by the year. The two-day weekend was created in 1930, and despite decades of unparalleled technology growth, our people are actually working more and more each year.

Check out the stats:

* Americans wasted more than 570 million vacation days in 2006(1)
* Unlike 96 other countries, the U.S. has no law governing vacations
* U.S. workers receive an average of 14 vacation days but only use 10 a year(1)
* By comparison, French workers receive 39 vacation days, and Germans get 27(1)
* Americans have increasingly worked more days a year since World War II(2)
* A nine-year university study recently found that not taking vacation can increase the chance of heart attack or coronary disease.(3)
* In 2006, members of the U.S. Congress clocked 104 days in session – which means they worked exactly two days a week.(4)

We want to stop this trend and begin to reverse it. So we're aiming high and going for a Five Day Weekend.

Yes please!

Oh wait....grad students are expected to work on the weekend anyway...this wouldn't change anything for me:) Doh!

Friends of the Five Day Weekend

It was the beginning of India's biotechnology industry.

Awesome

How India's Mother of Invention Built an Industry

] President Bush said last week that Europe's opposition to
] genetically altered crops was a threat to efforts to end
] world hunger.

What?!? When did Bush suddenly get on the biotech bandwagon?

Battle Over Biotechnology Intensifies Trade War

Jeremy wrote:
] On Monday morning, about six in ten college graduates will
] be without a long-term plan.
]
] ... the Peace Corps has become more selective.
]
] "I think it's definitely temporary. ... two or three years,
] and everything will be back to normal."
]
] "I finally have an interview, kind of. It's an exploratory
] interview. I don't know what that means."
]
] "Right now, it almost doesn't matter what you're doing. If
] you have a job, people look at you like, 'You're so
] lucky.'"
]
] Sucks to be graduating now ...

Ha...thanks Jeremy;) -Nano (graduated May 10th 2003)
Just kidding...I agree with you. I am glad I have a spot in a good graduate program and don't have to deal with the job market right now.

RE: Graduates Face Difficult Job Market

,----
| VANCOUVER - A top White House drug policy official is threatening
| retaliation from the U.S. if Canada relaxes its laws against marijuana
| possession.
|
| David Murray, right-hand man to U.S. "drug czar" John Walters, says he
| doesn't want to tread on another country's sovereignty, but warned
| there would be consequences if Canada proceeds with a plan to
| decriminalize the possession of marijuana.
`----

I mentioned this earlier. Changing attitudes in liberal Canada toward pot are going to generate political responses from the US, which will slow the pace of trade. As Canada is our largest trading partner, the drag on the economy could be significant. This may be an important forward looking economic risk. Of course, its going to be a big game of chicken. Are Canada's liberal attitudes more willful then America's interest in controlling pot? Are either of these wills stronger then their respective domestic business interests? If this continues to develop there, at the least, will be a lot to learn about the character of these societies. At the most we could prolong our economic slowdown.

(BTW, the American's arguements are a little silly. Pot creates crime because its illegal. If you are engaged in an illegal economic activity you must also engage in (essentially) violent crime because you have to provide for the security of your own property. It all goes with the territory. Once you have people who are willing to deal drugs and willing to provide the security needed to do so, you are going to generate people who are willing to commit other crimes as well. Gangs are a response to a security vaccum. Government is supposed to have a monopoly the use of force. If we were serious about that in poor communities, where one finds drugs and associated crime, we'd have it. Its not like we can't afford it. We just don't really care.)

CBC News: U.S. warns Canada against easing pot laws

As they are attempting to screw with our freedom of speech, lets take a molment to single out the people and organizations behind Blackboard.

Senior Management:

* Matthew Serbin Pittinsky, Chairman
* Michael L. Chasen, CEO & Director
* Stephen Hoffman, President & COO
* Peter Repetti, CFO
* Andrew H. Rosen, Esq, EVP, Corporate Development & General Counsel, General Manager, International
* Ken Krushel, EVP, Business Development
* Todd Gibby, General Manager, Course & Portal Solutions
* Jim Hermens, General Manager, Commerce & Access Solutions
* Susan Katz, Senior Vice President, Sales

Board of Directors:

* Doug Alexander, Internet Capital Group
* Robert E. Grady, The Carlyle Group
* Dr. Arthur Levine, Teachers College, Columbia University
* Roger Novak, Novak Biddle
* William L. Jacobs, The New Power Company
* Mark L. Walsh, VerticalNet Inc.

Alliance Partners:

* AOL Time Warner Inc.
* Datatel
* Dell Computer
* Harcourt College Publishers
* Houghton Mifflin
* McGraw-Hill
* Microsoft
* NextEd
* Oracle
* Pearson Education
* PeopleSoft
* Sun Microsystems
* Thomson Learning

Anyone have any background info on any of their senior management or board that may be of interest? What other companies share board members with Blackboard, etc..

Blackboard Facts