This episode opens with a skit with the help of Bill from The Florida Soapbox podcast. Bill also has a new podcast titled The World News Review which will be coming out in January. Next, I discuss the Christmas resolution that passed in congress and my full support for Jim McDermott who voted against it, in which I am in complete disagreement with Lou Dobbs and Ken Schram who I feel completely missed the point as to why to vote no on this Republican resolution. Indians are now praying to the Visa God for, not entrance into heaven, but entrance into the United States in order to take an American Worker's job. Amazon.com is moving its headquarters from Seattle to ... Seattle.

An aritcle in Highland Community News analyzes the Department of Labor's Strategy Plan where the department states that it is OK to give preference to foreign workers over American workers. The Progressive Geek provides his own analysis of this section of the Strategy Plan. Your reading assignment: On the Need for Reform of the H-1B Non-Immigrant Work Visa in Computer-Related Occupations by Norman Matloff My wife asks the TSA a simple question. The TSA replies with a huge response that does NOT answer the question. Music by Roy Zimmerman

Great, freely distributable song from http://www.realamerican.us.

The Progressive Geek responds to listener questions regarding the Democratic Presidential Candidates' support for H-1B and L-1 VISA programs.
Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate who really understands the plight of the middle class and has proposals on how to correct the direction that this country is taking.
ABC News keeps taking down a poll that shows Kucinich is the clear winner of the Democratic Debate. http://www.dennis4president.com/home
Kucinich's take on the VISA programs:
H-1B and L-1 Visas Submitted by kucinich.us on Thu, 2006-11-16 12:26. H-1B and L-1 Visas | Issue Overview

The expanded use of H-1B and L-1 visas has had a negative effect on the workplace of Information Technology workers in America. It has caused a reduction in wages. It has forced workers to accept deteriorating working conditions and allowed U.S. companies to concentrate work in technical and geographic areas that American workers consider undesirable. It has also reduced the number of IT jobs held by Americans.
At its peak in 2000, there were 10.5 million people working in Information Technology in the United States. By 2001, there were fewer than 10 million -- despite continued global growth in Information Technology employment. Professor Norman Matloff of UC Davis estimates that in the spring of 2003 there were 500,000 unemployed and underemployed U.S. programmers, while there were 463,000 H-1B workers employed in the field.
The government must ensure adequate funds for the enforcement of visa regulations -- including much-ignored regulations prohibiting the use of foreign nationals in critical infrastructure. A special investigator should be appointed to examine the extent and nature of H-1B and L-1 visa fraud and the reasons for heavy use of H-1B and L-1 visas at Enron, WorldCom, and Anderson. We should take seriously the allegations of perjury by corporate leaders who have testified before Congress to request expansion of this program in 1998 and 2000, as well as allegations of the use of the H-1B and L-1 programs in corrupt organizations.
We need an industry fact-finding commission, including representatives of major U.S. investors, U.S. tech workers, and business leaders who have been competitive in the international marketplace without use of the H-1B / L-1 program. These representatives can make suggestions as to a new policy on the immigration of people with specialized knowledge or unique skills.
I have already set forth plans for major technical initiatives in the areas of renewable energy, pollution control, and promotions of Open Source software and media -- additional major initiatives will be considered -- creating a wider diversity of means by which technologists are funded outside of the service of major corporations. It may not be possible to undo the damage that corporate short-sightedness has done to the U.S. technical community -- but it is possible to give a real voice to the vision that the U.S. technical community has for a better America.

Sorry, have to repost due to frickin' Podomatic bug! Microsoft tries to improve Windows Vista sales by making Halo 2 for the PC run only on Vista and not on Windows XP. EFF (Electronic Fontier Foundation) needs your help in combing through released FBI documents. Federal Express wants to ship your company to India. Google can't find enough people on the planet to hire. Unfortunately for Google, they didn't find any intelligent life on Mars. www.jobdestruction.com/shameh1b/JobDestructionNews.htm 64.233.179.110/blog_resources/Laszlo_Bock_immigration_testimony.pdf www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15212647 www.smh.com.au/news/web/skill-shortage-forces-search-offshore/2007/05/02/1177788202848.html politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/20/1612209 My wife was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a few weeks ago. She had her thyroid removed. Now she is having trouble with hypocalceamia.

Microsoft tries to improve Windows Vista sales by making Halo 2 for the PC run only on Vista and not on Windows XP. EFF (Electronic Fontier Foundation) needs your help in combing through released FBI documents. Federal Express wants to ship your company to India. Google can't find enough people on the planet to hire. Unfortunately for Google, they didn't find any intelligent life on Mars. www.jobdestruction.com/shameh1b/JobDestructionNews.htm 64.233.179.110/blog_resources/Laszlo_Bock_immigration_testimony.pdf www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15212647 www.smh.com.au/news/web/skill-shortage-forces-search-offshore/2007/05/02/1177788202848.html politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/20/1612209 My wife was diagnosed with thyroid cancer a few weeks ago. She had her thyroid removed. Now she is having trouble with hypocalceamia.

Lawrence Lebowitz, director of marketing for the Pittsburgh law firm Cohen & Grigsby is shown in a YouTube video in a seminar to their corporate clients describng how to beat the H-1B system to hire cheap foreign labor instead of American Citizens. This video has created quite a backlash from American technology workers and from some congressmen. The Programmers Guild created their own video which includes clips from the seminar. Articles on the subject: How To Hire Cheap Foreign Workers - A Lawyer's Guide - On YouTube Now More articles Also in this episode: Why you must not support the comprehensive immigration bill. Music Pulse Pulse on MySpace Please leave a review for me at iTunes.

What is TAA? TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance) is a band-aid that is meant to compensate for the awful free trade policies that the United States has been pursuing. This episode contains clips from the hearing held by the House Ways and Means Committee (also known as the Ways to be Mean Committee). Listen to this episode for clips fom the hearing and exclusive commentary by the Progressive Geek. Music by Terra Naomi Correction: I said Carl Levin in this episode when it is actually Sandy Levin.

Men in 30s earn less than dads did Sinister Reasons for Boosting H1b Visa Limits? H-1B FEDERAL IMMIGRATION BILL: Reforms to the work visa program are a small part of the overall debate -- except in Silicon Valley; Everyone agrees it's flawed, but how to fix it? Music by Alana Sweetwater My Odeo Channel (odeo/2df59c8b7afa6646)

The Not-So-Free Speech Radio News and My body is possessed by a spirit from the Netherworld. ***** Post production note I just listened to the FSRN story. It finally came out today (Friday). I ran it by the Programmers Guild and they pointed out several technical errors in the story. The general reaction is that it has an "open border" slant to it. What I thought was still good about the story is that it did at least have one engineer similar to me. He has 20 years experience and has only been able to find contract work. Which validated what I was experiencing. However, I think they tried to "balance it" by adding free trade points of view. ***** Democrats continue to stab Americans in the back. David Sirota's blog entry "We Gave Them Our Hearts, They Gave Him A Blank Check" http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/we_gave_them_our_hearts_they_g.html WashTech buys an ad in "Roll Call" fighting H-1B increases. WashTech: http://washtech.org Thom Hartmann talks about "Free Trade" Free Speech Radio News: http://fsrn.org

http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/secret_trade_deal_day_10_bush.html The White House now says the secret trade deal between a handful of Democratic congressional leaders and Bush administration officials will most likely not mean adding labor and environmental standards into the core text of trade agreements, but instead will mean merely unenforceable NAFTA-esque "side agreements" or even weaker "letters" of understanding. A group of House Democrats is responding to the secret deal by demanding a hearing on a resolution that would prevent Democratic leaders from bringing fast track to the floor of the House if a majority of Democrats oppose it. And the pundit attack machine pushing the deal is out in full force. "Journalists" Cokie and Steve Roberts say "Democrats can't afford to listen to the labor movement" and Clinton administration free trade architect Gene Sperling praises Democratic dealmakers for triangulating against their own party. - David Sirota Numbers USA http://numbersusa.com

Democratic leadership and the Bush administration have been secretly working on a "free-for-the-corporations" trade deal that is sure to hurt the American middle class. Article: http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/05/secret_trade_deal_moyers_speci.html Editorial: http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/16754.asp Badong (music): http://www.myspace.com/badong1

A talk with Tom Abate. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/author?blogid=19&auth=65 David Sirota: Questioning the Planet's Richest Man To His Face http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/04/questioning_the_planets_riches.html 10 Reinvigorating Facts About Microsoft's Profits http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070430/33932_id.html?.v=1 IBM to layoff 150,000? http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/4/163139/0653 http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_20070504_002027.html One Day You’re Gonna Wake Up http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/04/962/

Back from Atlanta where the FIRST World Festival took place. Our team, the Gothic Lawn Gnomes, did not take a trophy home from fhe FLL Robotics competition, but they did have a lot of fun and did very well for a rookie team. http://gothiclawngnomes.org David Sirota writes about John Edwards Stance FOR the middle class. http://www.workingassetsblog.com/2007/04/edwards_big_announcement_drive.html Kim Berry writes about the next threat to American technology workers: the STRIVE Act. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/4/22/103038/854 The Bonobos: http://myspace.com/thebonobos

David Sirota visits Microsoft and interviews several contract workers, including myself. He writes an article titled "Windows Into Populism's Rise". A Microsoft manager reads the article and writes an email to David Sirota. Now things start getting interesting... Links: http://davidsirota.com http://washtech.org http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/03/30/EDGRJN7CFB1.DTL http://progressivepodcastnetwork.org

Progressive Geek's spot on Lou Dobbs. Clips from Workers' Independent News and Ecoshock News. Shoutouts to Wakeup AM, Lifted Lorax Show, and Sooner Thought podcasts.

Bill Gates goes to Washington D.C. to persuade senators to let in more H-1B workers. How many more? An infinite number, of course. Included in this episode is more commentary from The Last Angry Man, plus a good helping of humor as well.

News from the job front: H-1B and outsourcing impacted my job finding efforts. However, I did land a contract job. A discussion with the Last Angry Man about Hillary. A discussion about having "Friends" on Podomatic. Can you have too many friends? Music from the podsafe music network.

In this special episode, I interview my son who is a member of the FIRST Lego League Team - The Gothic Lawn Gnomes. The team took the 1st Championship in the Washington State FLL robotics competition. The Gothic Lawn Gnomes website can be found at http://gothiclawngnomes.org If you can, please support the gnomes with a donation as they travel to Atlanta Georgia to compete in the FLL World Festival competition. There is also cool robot music at the end of this episode. What is FIRST? Here is a quote from http://www.usfirst.org Dean Kamen is an inventor, entrepreneur, and tireless advocate for science and technology. His passion and determination to help young people discover the excitement and rewards of science and technology are the cornerstones of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). FIRST was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills. What is FLL? FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is an exciting and fun international robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in kids ages 9 to 14 (16 outside of the U.S. and Canada). Each year FLL teams embark on an adventurous Challenge based on current, real-world issues. Guided by a team coach and assisted by mentors, the kids: * Research and solve a real-world problem based on the Challenge theme * Present their research and solutions * Build an autonomous robot using engineering concepts Using the yearly Challenges, FLL: * Entices kids to think like scientists and engineers * Provides a fun, creative, hands-on learning experience * Teaches kids to experiment and overcome obstacles * Builds self-esteem and confidence * Inspires kids to participate in science and technology Whether it is by creativity, technology, or research, FLL dares kids to test, explore, expand, or completely change thoughts and approaches for different sciences each year. Other links: http://www.firstlegoleague.org http://firstwa.org/ http://www.usfirst.org/ http://gothiclawngnomes.org Robot music is from the Podsafe Music Network.

More on my Job search and much more from The Last Angry Man. Very funny stuff in this episode including a "surge on my house". Articles regarding an immigration law change in the UK: http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newsid=38701&newstype=local http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/15318.asp http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Disenfranchised_Indians_take_to_streets_in_London/articleshow/msid-1142198,curpg-2.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/World/Rest_of_World/MPs_join_Indians_HSMP_battle/articleshow/1067325.cms

In this episode, I feature music by Kevin Cory, AKA Kevin Benedict. You can visit his website at: http://www.greatsong.com His music is terrific, and some of his tunes are quite humorous. I also have another message from The Last Angry Man. Very funny! Also in this episode, I discuss my hunt for a new job and give you all the dirt on my job interviews this past week.

Yes, I am back with episode 10 after recovering from the flu. Speaking of the flue, I discuss in this episode why I never get the flu shot. Also in this episode, a message from The Last Angry Man. His podcast is at http://thelastangrymanspodcast.podomatic.com I play a clip from the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue, from his speach regarding immigration and the bill for illegal alien amnesty. I also discuss an article regarding a H-1B fraud ring bust. http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2007/jan/13/judge-sentences-man-helping-illegal-aliens-get-fal The Pacific North West Cool Spot is the espresso shack. They are all over western Washington and each has there "edge" to sell more coffee than the next shack. Listen to the episode to find out what coffee and the coffee shack has to do with ... sex. :) Plus music and more.

Point your browser to http://www.ohiomajorityradio.com/ and sign the petition to help save WTPG 1230AM in Columbus Ohio. Stay tuned for the next regular episode of The Progressive Geek Podcast.

More Christmas music, 1 article by 2 Democratic Senators, and a clip from George Carlin. Washington Post article: How Free Trade Hurts http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/22/AR2006122201020.html

A must hear episode! In this episode, I discuss an article from a conservative publication regarding the H-1B Visa program. http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=18532 I discuss and play excerpts from "The Visa Scene" podcast - a pro-immigration podcast from Canada. http://jryan.libsyn.com/ PNW Cool Place is the Bodies Exhibit in Seattle. http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/ Included are some humor and some heavy metal Christmas music.

A short and sweet episode regarding the technology workers success in blocking an H-1B cap increase last week. I also discuss what American Workers lost in last week's lame-duck session.

In this episode I discuss 2 articles and an India economic report. Links: http://www.networkworld.com/columnists/2006/062606musthaler.html?page=1 http://www.techsunite.org/news/display.cfm?ID_Content=5116 http://www.laborradio.org/node/4621 The Pacific Northwest Cool Place is the Pacific Science Center, where the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit is currently showing through early January. http://www.pacsci.org Dead Sea Scrolls Speaker Forum Podcast: http://kuow.org/podcasts/speakers/speakers_forum.asp

In this episode I tell a humorous story from my Thanksgiving weekend. I also discuss an article: http://www.techsunite.org/news/display.cfm?ID_Content=5115 regarding Microsoft wanting to keep Republicans in control of congress. I include a new segment: Cool Places in the Pacific Northwest. In this episode, the cool place is the Maltby Cafe: http://maltbycafe.com I also play some music by the group H1Bees http://www.h1bees.com You can purchase their CD at: http://cdbaby.com/cd/srikanth Their music is also available at iTunes.

Here it is! My first promo. And I don't even want to think about the time I spent creating it. :-)

This is my "angry" episode where I discuss injustices, such as police on horses trampling janitors in Houston who were protesting for a living wage. I also explain why this is important to all of us, not just janitors in Houston. I also discuss the web site: http://www.myvisajobs.com which has an extensive database of jobs for foreigners in the United States.

In this episode, I discuss an email that I received regarding a job in China. I also discuss the Skill Bill that is waiting to be slid into an omnibus spending bill that will destroy what we have left in American technology jobs. Stop the Skill Act web site: http://stopskillact.ourprofile.org/ Article that I read in this podcast: http://www.brenhambanner.com/articles/2006/10/30/news/news01.txt

In this episode, I discuss the H-1B visa and how it is being abused. I also describe and give an example of "shortage shouting". I also discuss an article that reflects what is really happening. Shortage shouting article: http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2006/nov/16spec.htm Maine Today article: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/immigration/060925imm2.html Zazona FAQ: http://zazona.com/ShameH1B/H1BFAQs.htm

This is the first episode of the Progressive Geek Podcast in which I introduce myself and describe the goals of the podcast. I also discuss the podcast wisdom that I have gained since buying my video IPod. Podshow PDN {podshow-dfc0b3339831be3d1876615a7ba4ba82}