dooms du jour, December/2001
[Commentary] ©2001 Phil Hyde, The Timesizing Wire, Box 117, Harvard Sq, Cambridge MA 02238 USA (617) 623-8080 - HOMEPAGE

12/30-31/2001
- the second full-year anniversary of our timesizing news tracking -
6-mon roll-up, jan-jun/2001, based on New York Times (NYT) & Boston Globe (BG):
159 timesizing/sharework stories (?? new or sav'd jobs) + 67 upsz (26,104+ new jobs) + 30 untk ($77B+),
+ 7 job-creation/makework incidents (100000+ new 'jobs'), totalling 126,104 = 16% of jobcuts
vs.  672 dnsz/cutwork (766,964+ jobcuts) + 798 takv ($509B) + 126 bkrp
+ 6-mon roll-up, jul-dec/2001, based on NYT & BG:
245 timsizngs/sharework (?? new or sav'd jobs) + 95 upsizngs (89,803+ new jobs) + 29 untk ($61B+)
+ 3 job-creation/makework episode (79,000 new 'jobs'), totaling 168,803 = 33% of cuts,
vs. 746 dnsz/cutwork (1,154,076+ cuts) + 665 takv ($491B) + 70 bnkrp
= year-end roundup, jan-dec 2001, per NYT & BG:
404 timesizing/sharework stories (?? new or saved jobs) + 162 upsizings (115,907+ new jobs) + 59 untakeovers ($138B+)
+ 10 job-creation/makework episodes (179,000+ new 'jobs'), totalling 294,907 = 15% of jobcuts
vs. 1,418 downsizings/cutwork (1,921,040+ cuts) + 1,463 takeovers ($1T+) + 196 bankruptcies
weekend roundup per the NY Times & Boston Globe:
hope de la semaine: • 6 TIMEsizing stories  • 1 UPsizing  • 1 UNtakeover
vs. doom de la semaine: • 16 takeovers totaling over $4.09B reported this week
• 18 downsizings totaling over 30,158 lost jobs  • 2 bankruptcies  • 7 homelessness stories
{YTD: 404 timsiz+164 upsz(194907+=10%)+59 untk($138B+) vs 8 mkwk (100000+ nu 'jbs') + 1418 dnsz(1921040 jbcts)+1462 takv($1T)+196 bkrp}
- hope du weekend -
weekend glimmer of timesizing:
• striking CBC technicians settle - no details on overtime provisions
+ weekend glimmer of intelligence aka headline from heaven:
• NYT reader won't buy online until spam illegal
vs.  doom du weekend -
no weekend downsizing reports, but
1 downsizing-inducing takeover reported, worth $24m, in NYT &/or BG
+ headlines from hell: • Tenn. prefers to close parks & tax sales than tax wealth
• Argentina prefers revolving presidents to sharing the vanishing work & income
+ 1 weekend homelessness story: • for most of his 8 yrs, Giuliani lucked out in 'vanishing' the homeless

12/29/2001 sat (re fri biz)
- Japan gears up to take the lead from France in modernizing its economy -
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• Canada's work-sharing program is supplemented by unemployment insurance benefits
• finance minister Fabius points out that France is resisting recession better than others
• labor minister Sakaguchi says Japanese gov't will push for work sharing
• Japan's ruling political party supports work sharing
vs.  doom du jourtm
3 homelessness letters: • let suburbs help more
• restore monthly stipend to individuals  • treat homeless like relatives or friends
+ no takeovers, but
8 takeover-inducing downsizings, costing 4363 lost jobs + ??, cited in NYT & Boston Globe (BG):
• 6% workforce cut (600 US & Euro jobs lost) as Deutsche, Europe's biggest bank, cuts costs &
markets, instead of just trimming its workweek 6% (29 minutes/day for whole firm including
top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & banking 94% as much as usual
• 800 jobcuts by Oracle  • 705 by Tower Automotive  • 340 by Lennox
International  • 118 by Inrange Technologies  • unspecified cuts
by Casual Male • Saks, & • Trinity Industries

12/28/2001 fri
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• Sakaguchi will visit Germany to study work sharing
vs.  doom du jourtm
1 homelessness story: • now it's Milwaukee that's overflowing its capacity (900 beds)
+ 3 takeovers, totaling $445m + $??, reported in New York Times (NYT) & BG
+ 2 downsizings, costing 600 lost jobs + ??, cited in NYT & Boston Globe (BG):
• 4% workforce cut (600 jobs lost) as Cablevision cuts its costs and its markets,
instead of just trimming its workweek 4% (20 minutes/day for whole firm including
top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & subscribing to 96% as much cable TV as usual
• unspecified French jobs lost as Renault cuts dealer outlets 

12/27/2001 thu
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• Japanese employers, Nikkeiren, urge companies to work-share
• South Korea moves toward 5-day week
today's headlines from heaven:
• with 11 top-job candidates, Zambia is moving from dictator to democracy
vs.  doom du jourtm
2 bankruptcies mentioned: • Enron Broadband Services  • Enron Freight Markets
+ 2 homelessness stories: • 1½m New Yorkers rely on food pantries, 60% for 1st time
• NYC is paying $36000/yr to house families in shelters instead of $8400 in low-income housing
+ 7 takeovers, totaling $1.04B + $??, reported in New York Times (NYT) & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 1 downsizing, costing 5400 lost jobs, cited in NYT & BG: • 5400 jobcuts by Mitsubishi Heavy 

12/26/2001 wed
- merrie Boxing Day - slow news day due to Xmas lull -
today's headlines from heaven:
• big year for small banks, & • RV firms are flourishing
vs.  doom du jourtm
no takeovers or downsizings reported in the NY Times or Boston Globe
but... headlines from hell: • small cable TV firms nervously watch giants merge 
• Mexico steals US jobs then squawks re US slump  • China lurches between under- & over-policing 
• Thailand cuts rates as exports wane, consumers chill & economy marks time

12/25/2001 tue
- merrie Christmasse -
today's headlines from heaven (alias glimmers of vaguer hope):
• 1 UPsizing, ?? new jobs - Burlington Resources to engage Costain to
build $87m processing plant to develop oil & gas resources in Irish Sea
• 1 UNtakeover - chairman Ira Levy leads management buyout at NCH Corp.
• Canada's Oct. GDP rises for 1st time since May, but not as much as Sept.'s fall
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • deep discounts fail to spark Xmas shoppers 
• US & IMF credibility sinks with Argentine  • Taiwan's jobless rate highest on record
+ 3 takeovers, totaling $2.3B, reported in New York Times (NYT) & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 2 downsizings, totalling 3670 lost jobs, cited in NYT & BG:
• 3400 jobcuts by Fiat   • 270 by Briggs & Stratton 

12/23-24/2001
weekend roundup per the NY Times & Boston Globe:
• 15 TIMEsizing stories  • 5 UPsizings (?? new jobs)  • 1 UNtakeover ($??)
vs. doom de la semaine:
• 3 bankruptcies   • 4 homelessness stories   • 2 prison stories   • 1 work-related suicides
• 30 downsizings totaling over 24,565 lost jobs  • 44 takeovers totaling over $86.7B, reported this week
{YTD: 398 timsiz+163 upsz(194907+=10%)+58 untk($138B+) vs 1400 dnsz(1890882 jbcts)+1446 takv($996B)+194 bkrp}
- hope du weekend -
weekend glimmer of timesizing: • more time off this Xmas
+ weekend glimmer of vaguer hope: • Southwest Airlines soars
vs.  doom du weekend -
1 weekend homelessness story: • Times columnist aims words vs. NYC's growing problem
+ 3 weekend takeover reports, totaling $300m +$??, in NYT &/or BG
+ 2 weekend downsizing reports, totaling 16,125 jobcuts:
• 15,725 more jobcuts to count by Solectron Corp. contract electronics manufacturer 
• 9% of workforce cut (400 lost NJ jobs) at Nassau County public hospital, instead of just trimming
workweek by 9% (to four 9hr6min days for whole hospital including top execs), implementing overtime-
targeted training & keeping everyone employed, earning & buying 91% as much healthcare as usual

12/22/2001 sat (re fri biz)
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• Air Canada airport services & call ctr employees go to 4-day wk on Jan. 6 for ½ yr
• CBC employees strike against overtime & reach tentative agreement
• Russia moves to 40-hour week & 4-week vacation
vs.  doom du jourtm
1 bankruptcy mentioned: • ACT Manufacturing
+ 6 takeovers, totaling $3.07B + $??, reported in NYT & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 3 downsizings, totalling 926 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times (NYT) & BG:
• 900 jobcuts by Caterpillar   • 26 by PurchaseSoft   • unspecified cuts by Nissho Iwai Cp. in Japan

12/21/2001 fri
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• Hitachi, Toshiba, Sanyo jumping into work sharing to prevent layoffs
• Parisians want their kids to cut their workweek too by dropping Sat. school
• furloughs to cut jobcuts at US Air, • America West, & • 3 Hawaiian airlines
+ today's  headlines from heaven  alias glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 3 UPsizings, ?? new jobs - new Wrentham Village Premium Mall in Mass.,
- Polaris Mall in Ohio,  - Toyota-Peugeot/Citroen plant in Czech Republic
• believe it or not, violent crime reported declining in U.S. workplace
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • Tyson Foods symptomizes addiction to cheap foreign labor 
• free trader sees doom in fair trade protections  • Argentina prepped crisis with prior cures
+ 1 bankruptcy cited: • S.C. town of Iva, $150G's in the red
+ 3 homelessness stories: • readers debate shantytown in NYC
• 82% of street families in Boston turned away from crowded shelters
• 4 homeless people, like Mark Henderson, killed by trains so far this year
+ 6 takeovers, totaling $1.25B + $$undisclosed, reported in NYT & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 4 downsizings, totalling 400 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times (NYT) & BG:
• 200 Nev. jobcuts by Honeywell  • 150 by FirstStar  • 50 by Key Industries  • ?? NYC cuts by Sulka

12/20/2001 thu
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• France still doesn't realize what it's onto with shorter wk, or Chirac what he's up against
+ today's  headlines from heaven  alias glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 1 UPsizing, ?? new jobs - Sky Dayton unveils Boingo Wireless(!)
• 1 UNtakeover - Sandy Weill spins Travelers out of Citigroup hodgepodge
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • Congress gives up on deal this year to help economy  • Tyson Foods has been
soliciting illegal workers  • Argentina declares state of seige after food riots
+ 1 prison story: • FBI finally admits withholding evidence & frees man jailed 33 yrs
+ 13 takeovers, totaling $48.88B + $$undisclosed, reported in NYT & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 4 downsizings, totalling 700 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times (NYT) & BG:
• 1.3% workforce cut (700 jobs lost) as FleetBoston's performance continues to belie the promised
benefits of its merger, instead of just trimming its workweek 1.3% (6¼ minutes/day for whole firm
including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & doing 98.7% as much banking as usual
• unspecified cuts by RadioShack, • Adcritic.com, & • Fast Flux Test Facility

12/19/2001 wed
basic Timesizing in the news alias glimmers of strategic hope:
• nurses at medical university in NW strike vs. mandatory overtime
+ today's  headlines from heaven  alias glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 1 UPsizing, ?? new jobs - Pressplay starts music download service
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • even 'sensitive' offices still cut jobs, ignore trimming hours 
• Congress stalls on jobless' health bennies  • steel troubles roll on  • ditto global warming
+ 6 takeovers, totaling $1.08B + $$undisclosed, reported in NYT & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 5 downsizings, totaling 18,534 lost jobs, reported in the New York Times (NYT) & BG:
• 8% workforce cut (9400 jobs lost) as Motorola chips & cellfones reinforces death spiral, instead of just
trimming its workweek 8% (to four 9hour-12minute days for whole firm including top executives),
re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping everyone together working,
earning & buying 92% as many cellphones & computers as usual
• 6000 jobcuts by DaimlerChrysler  • 3000 by GE Capital  • 125 by AXA  • 9 by Random House 

12/18/2001 tue
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• Cathay Pacific offering unpd leaves for 2-52 wks to avoid layoffs
• Airbus Industrie avoids jobcuts by reducing annual working hours
• Aussie 'New England' hospital agrees to more doctors & less overwork
• So Cal Gas workers file class action to protest uncompensated overtime
• Boston Globe reviews Hedrick Smith's video "Juggling Work & Family"
vs.  doom du jourtm
1 bankruptcy cited: • NationsRent heavy eqpmt rental, but without layoffs
+ 1 homelessness item: • record homelessness across America, more working poor, more children
+ 13 takeovers, totaling $32.38B + $$undisclosed, reported in the NY Times & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 5 downsizings, totaling 4,005 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times (NYT) & BG:
• 27% workforce cut (3405 jobs lost) as Kemet cellfone & computer parts reacts to 1/3 mkt collapse with
self-amputation, instead of just trimming its workweek 27% (to four 7hour-20minute days for whole firm
including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & buying 73% as many cellphones & computers as usual
• 500 jobcuts by Airbus  • 100 by Campbell-Ewald  • unspecified cuts by DrKoop.com & • Excite UK

12/16-17/2001
weekend roundup per the NY Times & Boston Globe:
• 7 TIMEsizing stories  • 3 UPsizings (?? new jobs)  • 1 UNtakeover ($??)
vs. doom de la semaine:
• 1 general bankruptcy story   • 1 homelessness story   • 2 prison stories (one positive!) 
• 30 downsizings totaling over 48,647 lost jobs  • 19 takeovers totaling over $6.68B, reported this week
{YTD: 383 timsiz+158 upsz(194907+=10%)+57 untk($138B+) vs 1379 dnsz(1866317 jbcts)+1402 takv($909B)+191 bkrp}
- hope du weekend -
weekend glimmer of timesizing:
• to cut layoffs, Delta pays pilots 73% salary for month-long leave
• the nation needs a vacation!
+ weekend glimmer of vaguer hope:
• one city considers income, not race, for desegregation
vs.  doom du weekend -
headline from hell: • as welfare comes to an end, so do the jobs
+ 1 weekend prison story: • Paraguayan inmates riot, fire mattresses; fire kills 25 inmates

12/15/2001 sat (re fri biz)
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• Delta invites pilots to volunteer for partially paid month-long leaves to avoid layoffs
• Australian bank employees maintain protest vs. mongo overtime, much of it unpaid
vs.  doom du jourtm
1 general bankruptcy story: • Nov. biz busts in Japan reach 3rd-highest since WW2
+ 2 takeovers, totaling $4.17B, reported in the New York Times & Boston Globe (BG)
+ 8 downsizings, totaling 10,025 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times & BG:
• 9% workforce cut (3400 jobs lost) as ITT Industries electronics reacts to declining demand with
heightened self-destructiveness, instead of just trimming its workweek by 9% (to four 9hour-6minute
days for whole company including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted
training, & keeping everyone together working, earning & buying 91% as much electronics as usual
• 2800 jobcuts by Electrolux  • 1800 by Embraer  • 1200 by BellSouth  • 400 by At Home 
• 200 by Maytag  • 200 by Hitachi Zosen  • 25 by PurchaseSoft 

12/14/2001 fri
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• staff of 3 big Australian banks strike for less overtime, more hiring
vs.  doom du jourtm
1 homelessness item: • Boston's homeless population rose 54% in 10 yrs, children tripled
+ 1 prison story: • US executions creep down from 98 (in '99) to 85 (in '00) to 66 (in '01)
+ 3 takeovers, totaling $40m + $undisclosed, reported in the N.Y. Times & Boston Globe
+ 6 downsizings, totaling 8529 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times & BG:
• 16% workforce cut (5500 jobs lost) as Aetna health insurance tries to regain profitability
over the shrunken body of the consumer base, instead of just trimming its workweek
16% (to five 6¾-hour days for whole company including top executives), re-
investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping every-
one together working, earning & buying 84% as much insurance as usual
• 1100 jobcuts by Danaher  • 1000 by Showa Denko  • 400 by Stanley
Furniture  • 29 by 2cube Securities  • unspecified cuts by Boeing

12/13/2001 thu
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• General Motors targets overtime as waste to be eliminated
• Japan eases definition of death by overwork alias "karoshi"
+ today's headlines from heaven alias glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 2 UPsizings, ?? new jobs - Albertson's in Ca. & - Trump Tower Chicago
• Amtrak restarts Boston-Portland this Sat, & Portland has steam!
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • Bush tears up ABM Treaty, Russia be damned 
• Ore. & Wash. flip from hitech to hi jobless  • agism flares in job market 
• gee, maybe Enron did something criminal!  • Japan biz confidence further down 
+ 4 takeovers, totaling $1.92B + $undisclosed, reported in the N.Y.T. & Boston Globe
+ 5 downsizings, totaling 10,648 lost jobs, reported in the New York Times & Boston Globe:
• 7% workforce cut (5500 jobs lost) as American Express overreacts to travel slump by reinforcing it,
instead of just trimming its workweek 7% (to five 7½-hour days for whole company including
top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & traveling 93% as much as usual
• 2500 jobcuts by Cap Gemini  • 1700 by Applied Materials 
• 925 by McGraw-Hill  • 23 by MightyWords

12/12/2001 wed
Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope today:
• French prison officers follow yesterday's teachers & last
week's gendarmes onto the streets to protest overwork
vs.  doom du jourtm
4 takeovers, totaling $426m +??, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe
+ 5 downsizings, totaling 2637 lost jobs + unspecified, reported in the New York Times & BG:
• 1500 jobcuts by Kroger supermarkets 
•1% workforce cut (1000 jobs lost) as Kraft Foods closes 3 plants in Asia,
instead of just trimming its workweek 1% (5 mins/day for whole company
including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training,
& keeping everyone together working, earning & buying to 99% as much to eat as usual
• 92 jobcuts by Providence Journal  • 45 by Fitch Graphics  • ?? cuts by Admiral Communications

12/11/2001 tue
- sniffle on, thrice anthraxed nation! (apologies to Macbeth & Dick Whittington) -
Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope today:
• French teachers follow last week's gendarmes onto the streets to protest overwork
+ today's headlines from heaven also-known-as glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 1 UNtakeover - Ugly Duckling used-car chain bought out by chairman for $15.5m
• NYT columnist Paul Krugman develops juicy analogy between Enron & Argentina
+ 1 prison story: • Supreme Court to take on case that might sweep away minimum
mandatory sentencing, record prison population & prison-industrial complex
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • the job market is down 
• they're cutting SS benefits  • what happens when you try cutting welfare for the rich 
• machine orders are down in Japan  • & to cap all, the Antarctic glaciers are melting 
+ 1 homelessness item: • former policewoman gets maximium sentence for siccing dog on sleeping man
+ 6 takeovers, totaling $122m +??, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe
+ 6 downsizings, totaling 16,808 lost jobs, reported in the New York Times & BG:
• 33% workforce cut (8800 jobs lost this year) as NTL cable TV cuts costs (& markets)
instead of just trimming its workweek 33% (to four 6¾-hour days for whole company including top
executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping everyone
together working, earning & subscribing to 67% as many cable channels as usual
• 6000 jobcuts by Fiat  • 1400 by Delphi autoparts  • 520 by Allegheny steel 
• 85 by Cliffs & Assocs. iron  • 3 as Ford closes women's mktg office

12/09-10/2001
- miss yesterday's? see under Features below -
weekend roundup per the NY Times & Boston Globe:
• 9 TIMEsizing stories  • 6 UPsizings (2315+ new jobs)  • 1 UNtakeover ($??)
vs. doom de la semaine:
• 5 bankruptcies   • 2 prison stories  • 4 work-related suicides
• 26 downsizings totaling over 23,089 lost jobs  • 30 takeovers totaling over $10.6B, reported this week
{YTD: 376 timsiz+155 upsz(194907+=11%)+56 untk($138B+) vs 1349 dnsz(1817670 jbcts)+1383 takv($902B)+190 bkrp}
- hope du weekend -
• 1 weekend UPsizing - Int'l Data Group starts new biz unit in Framingham MA
vs.  doom du weekend -
no weekend downsizing reports, but
3 downsizing-inducing takeovers reported, totaling $4.6B +??, reported in NYT &/or BG

12/08/2001 sat (re fri biz)
- miss yesterday's? see under Features below -
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• CBC union doesn't get budget cuts & superiority of hourscuts over jobcuts
• more on gendarmes' strike for less overtime & more staff
vs.  doom du jourtm
3 work-related suicides: 1/yr among retirees from shut China papermill
+ 6 takeovers, totaling $540m +??, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe
+ 6 downsizings, totaling 2210 lost jobs, reported in the New York Times & BG:
• 894 jobcuts by Sun Country Airlines  • 650 by Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications
• 636 by Baoding No. 1 Paper Mill near Beijing  • 30 by Cable News Network (CNN)
• unspecified cuts by Avon & • Charles Schwab Tokio Marine Securities

12/07/2001 fri
- miss yesterday's? see under Features below -
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• French gendarmerie goes on strike for shorter hours and more pay
• Frankfurt stock exchange may switch closing back from 8 to 5:30
+ today's headlines from heaven aka glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 2 UPsizings, 15 new jobs - Thunder Factory & - Fast Horse
• salmon population starts to come back in Wash. State
• new political sendup starts on Japanese TV
• Japan consumers enjoy deflated prices
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • Nov. retail sales dismal in U.S.  • Argentina poised for econo-meltdown
• 2nd biggest economy 'recession' official, ditto 1st biggest, soon 3rd biggest 
+ 3 bankruptcies cited: • Aoki Construction in Japan with $3.1B debt
• Arch Wireless in Mass. with $1.3B   • Planet Entertainment in NY
+ 1 work-related suicide: • disgruntled Ind. plastics employee
comes back shooting, wounding six and killing two, including self
+ 5 takeovers, totaling $2.66B +??, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe
+ 2 downsizings, totaling 1800 lost jobs, reported in the New York Times & BG:
• 15% workforce cut (1600 US jobs lost) as ING Groep slashes its US insurance unit (& markets) to
'bolster profit,' instead of just trimming its workweek 15% (to five 6¾-hour days for whole company
including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & buying 85% as much insurance as usual
• 200 jobcuts by Dabhol Power in India 

12/06/2001 thu
- miss yesterday's? see under Features below -
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• France's shorter workweek continues to slow its descent into recession
• Singapore corporations cut their workweeks to hold off job cuts
+ today's headlines from heaven aka glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 1 UPsizing, ?? new jobs - Mirant plans China powerplant
• alternative fuel vehicles show their stuff out west
• service sector slump zigged in November
• House GOP offers $25B for jobless
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • Senate approves bill to privatize RR pension funds 
• Japan manufacturing turns down  • German unemployment continues up
+ 5 takeovers, totaling $1.49B, reported in the NY Times & Boston Globe
+ 6 downsizings, totaling 6776 lost jobs, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe:
• 3000 jobs lost as Ames Dept. Stores closes 54 more stores around the country 
• 10% workforce cut (1850 jobs lost) as CNA Financial reduces costs (& markets),
instead of just trimming its corporate workweek 10% (48 mins/day for whole company
including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, &
keeping everyone together working, earning & investing 90% as much as usual
• 950 jobcuts by Agere Systems  • 506 cuts by Pacific Cathay CyberWorks 
• 300 by Springs Industries  • 130 at Emery Worldwide Airlines 
(& 40 at Osley & Whitney not specified on 11/30)

12/05/2001 wed
- miss yesterday's? see under Features below -
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• Teamsters at AirTran point the way for AFL-CIO convention
to cut the membership rhetoric & enlist market forces on their side
• Brazil legislation switches from one 2-edged labor climate to another
+ today's headlines from heaven also-known-as glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 3 UPsizings, 2300 +?? new jobs - Honda plans to hire 2300 at Ala. factory
- Spain's Zeltia opens new cancer laboratory in Boston, Mass.
- Maine's Fairchild Semi plans mfg plant in China
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • Enron collapse signals much wider & deeper corruption in corporate auditing, seen
previously in pre-Depression 1920s  • Euro confidence down  • Moody's rates Japan down  • fears rise for
US nukes   • trace anthrax may be on 10,000's mailed items  • new email virus finds plenty of stooges
+ 1 bankruptcy roundup: • 1st 9 mos put US on track for record personal bankruptcies this year
+ 1 prison story: • L.A. County spends $180,000/mon on 220 inmates with
AIDS (but has finally started giving out condoms)
+ 6 takeovers, totaling $649m +??, reported in the NYT & BG
+ 4 downsizings, totaling 8182 lost jobs, reported in NY Times & Boston Globe:
• 10% workforce cut (7000 jobs lost) as BT Group (nee Brit Telecoms) cuts its retail division in suicidal
desperation, instead of merely trimming the workweek 10% (to four 9-hour days for whole company
including top executives), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted training, & keeping
everyone together working, earning & buying 90% of their usual phone & Web services
• 600 NJ jobcuts by Ford  • 557 cuts by Buffalo school district  • 29 by AOL digital books 

12/04/2001 tue
- miss yesterday's? see under Features below -
today, no Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope,
but there are some headlines from heaven aka glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 1 UNtakeover - Airline Ventures mgmt buys out co. from 'Elec'
• evil GOP bid to oildrill in Alaska refuge foiled, for now
• Ma. Gov. Swift wants end patronage @ Massport
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • US mtg delinquency hits 10-yr high  • Japan auto sales decline
• Enron triggers plunge of 5 Japan money mkt funds
+ 7 takeovers, totaling $5.21B, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe
+ 5 downsizings, totaling 4285 lost jobs + ??, reported in NY Times & BG:
• 20% workforce cut (4000 jobs lost) as Enron execs push the firm into bankruptcy
& run for cover, instead of just trimming the workweek 20% (to four 8-hour days for
whole company including themselves), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted
training, & keeping everyone together working, earning & buying 80% of their usual power
• 120 jobcuts by Creo Products  • 100 by MCSI  • 65 more by Polaroid  • unspecified by Nexiq 

12/02-03/2001
- miss yesterday's update? click here -
weekend roundup per the NY Times & Boston Globe:
• 13 TIMEsizing stories  • 6 UPsizings (1125+ new jobs)  • 3 UNtakeovers ($35m+)
vs. doom de la semaine:
• 3 bankruptcies   • 1 homelessness story   • 3 prison stories 
• 32 downsizings totaling over 14,071 lost jobs  • 28 takeovers totaling over $4.54B, reported this week
{YTD: 367 timsiz+149 upsz(192592+=11%)+55 untk($138B+) vs 1323 dnsz(1794581 jbcts)+1353 takv($891B)+185 bkrp}
- hope du weekend -
weekend glimmers of timesizing:
• Xmas vacation extended, at CGM in lieu of cash bonus & at Terra Lycos to cut costs
vs.  doom du weekend -
headline from hell: • 11% Nov. drop in Chicago Purchasing Managers' Index portends ill
+ 1 weekend bankruptcy report: • Enron Corp, biggest in US history by assets ($49.8B)
+ 1 weekend prison story: • reader calls for full employment, not full prisons
+ 1 weekend takeover, worth $60m, reported in NYT &/or BG
+ 3 weekend downsizing reports, totaling 121 jobcuts +??:
• 85 at Asiaweek  • 20 by DDB Worldwide 
• unspecified jobs to vanish as Notre Dame College in Manchester NH closes after 51 yrs 

12/01/2001 sat (re fri biz)
- caught up at last! - miss yesterday's? click here -
basic Timesizing in the news aka glimmers of strategic hope:
• French analysts still don't get link between shorter week & consumer confidence
• Lufthansa proposes trimming hours for 12,000 flight attendants to avoid job losses
• Siemens & other Euro firms offer 6-12 mon. white-collar sabbaticals to shun jobcuts
+ headlines from heaven also-known-as glimmers of vaguer hope:
• 3 UPsizings, unspecified new jobs - Midway Air hires back 175
- Seagrave Fire Apparatus hires help to replace NYC's firetrucks
- France's Carrefour plans 400 Euro store openings/year
• Swiss direct democracy holds referendum on army
vs.  doom du jourtm
headlines from hell: • US corporate profits show steepest yr's plunge (22.2%) on record (54 yrs)
• Japan jobless swell to another record (5.4%)   • Argentinians have a run on their banks
+ 1 homelessness item: • 'new' group expands, the working poor - 25% of
165 packed-in homeless at Boston Rescue Mission have full-time jobs
+ 3 takeovers, totaling $1.86B + $??, reported in the NYT & Boston Globe
+ 11 downsizings, totaling 3984 lost jobs + ??, reported in NY Times & BG:
• 2% workforce cut (1400 jobs lost) as Kimberly-Clark paper products spooks
over competitors' price cuts, instead of just trimming its workweek 2% (10 mins/day
for whole company including top execs), re-investing overtime savings in overtime-targeted
training, & keeping everyone together working, earning & buying 98% of their usual Kleenex
• 1100 jobcuts by Enron  • 540 by Kraft  • 500 by Midway Airlines  • 150 by Morgan Stanley 
• 150 by Gerber Scientific  • 90 by Providence Journal  • 40 by Avici Systems  • 14 by Whitney Museum 
• unspecified cuts by Emerson Electric, & • Whalom Park