• Charles, a labor lawyer, writes, "since 1990, the United States, in sum, experienced fewer than fifty strikes each year. And after George W. Bush took office, that statistic fell even lower--to just over twenty strikes per year, with only 545,000 workers involved collectively in the period from January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2005. By contrast, if one looks at the data for years prior to 1981 (when a certain B movie actor became president), the norm was to have in excess of 200 strikes per year; in many years, double that amount. It was par for the course to have over a million workers strike in a typical year during the period 1947 to 1981, and in several years, there were twice that many Americans on strike." It's so weird how inequality has skyrocketed over exactly the same period in which union power, and the generalized ability of workers to organize against capital, has fallen. It's almost as if there's a connection between executives feeling they have nothing to fear from workers organizing and executives apportioning ever-smaller percentages of productivity gains to wage increases. • Stephen notes that "Kevin Bacon is now campaigning for John Edwards in Iowa. Bacon's extensive connections to every single person in Iowa just might give Edwards the edge he's looking for next month." • And we get a link to Google Recipes, which will change your life. So, incidentally, will the Cook's Illustrated recipe for turkey burgers, which adds ricotta to the meat and creates the most succulent, tasty patty you've ever bit into. A roommate tried it last night and basically blew my mind. For those who don't know, Cogitamus is the new home of the talented coterie of writers who used to populate my site on the weekends. They've added on some other smart authors (including the wonderful Sara of F-Words), gotten themselves a Typepad site, and are ready to ascend to fame, fortune, and riches. Do check them out.
