Jonathan's blog

In addition to calling to raise the cap on H-1B visas, here's some more good news from Bush, from a story by John Markoff in the NY Times:

In his State of the Union message Tuesday evening, Mr. Bush called for a doubling within 10 years of the federal commitment to "the most critical basic research programs in the physical sciences." The president's science adviser, John H. Marburger III, said Mr. Bush would request $910 million for the first year of the research initiative, with a commitment to spending $50 billion over 10 years. Computer scientists have expressed alarm that federal support for basic research is being eroded by shifts toward applied research and shorter-term financing. But in his speech, Mr. Bush pointed to work in supercomputing, nanotechnology and alternative energy sources - subjects that were favorites in the Clinton administration but had not been priorities for the current White House. In a speech to the National Academy of Engineering in October, in which he described the findings of the Gathering Storm report, Mr. Barrett [of Intel] said: "If you look at the achievement of the average 12th-grade student in math and science, which is of interest to us here, that 12th-grader in the U.S. ranks in the bottom 10 percent among their international peers. I think it is incumbent upon all of us to look at that report and help raise our voices collectively to our local officials, state officials and national officials."

The Wanous and Sitter families came over tonight to watch the Super Bowl. Lots of blunders by both teams, but the good guys won. They capitalized on most of their opportunities, and the Seahawks didn't.

Working in R&D at Dow, a large fraction of my friends and colleagues were born outside the U.S. I enjoy working in such a place. The diversity of backgrounds and points of view is a good thing to experience. From an article in The Washington Post:

President George W. Bush Thursday called on Congress to raise the cap on the so-called H-1B visas that allow companies to fill high tech jobs with foreign workers. "The problem is, is that Congress has limited the number of H-1B visas," Bush said in a speech. "I think it's a mistake not to encourage more really bright folks who can fill the jobs that are having trouble being filled in America, to limit their number. So I call upon Congress to be realistic and reasonable to raise that cap," he said. High-tech businesses have pushed Congress to increase the number of such visas, currently capped at 65,000 per year. Workers are allowed to stay in the United States for six years. Some labor groups have opposed an expansion of the program, saying it takes away jobs from Americans.

Tonight we went to "Beat, Drum, Rattle, and Hum" by Lois Hartzler at the Creative Spirit Center. "Join in the music with floor clapping, singing, drumming, and playing games! This program is designed to encourage basic music competence with high interaction." The Sitters were there too.

I think Coke is out to get me. It looks like they've axed my two favorite flavors: C2 and Vanilla. I tried the black cherry vanilla, but it seemed barely distinguishable from cherry. Apparently they're out to get truckers too. The American Trucking Association is getting all sensitive about a Coke Super Bowl commercial. From an article in CNNMoney:

Truckers want Coca-Cola to slam the brakes on a planned Super Bowl ad for its Full Throttle energy drink. The American Trucking Associations has written a letter to Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO E. Neville Isdell urging that the ad be pulled or changed. Coke is the sponsor of the "Full Throttle Kick-Off Show" on ABC just before the Super Bowl, and the 60-second ad is the last one that will be shown on the broadcast. It includes the slogan "Let Your Man Out." But the trucking group says the ad reinforces what it says is an unfair negative image about truckers. A statement from ATA President and CEO Bill Graves says the ad shows a large truck full of Full Throttle forcing a small passenger car off the road. Trade publication Advertising Age says the ad also shows the Full Throttle truck tailgating and forcing a smaller vehicle -- adorned with the rival Red Bull logo -- off the main road. Graves' statement said the ad "will reinforce and help perpetuate a negative stereotype that the trucking industry and our professional drivers have fought long and hard to overcome."

And from an article in Fortune by Katrina Brooker called "How Pepsi outgunned Coke":

Pepsi beat Coke in December for the first time in their 108-year rivalry, surpassing its nemesis in market capitalization. The great irony of Pepsi's rise is this: It has never sold more soda than Coke, even today. "Pepsi's been on fire," notes Robert van Brugge, beverage analyst with Sanford Bernstein. Over the past five years its stock has risen more than a third, while Coke's has sunk 30 percent. "They were the first to recognize that the consumer was moving to noncarbonated products, and they innovated aggressively," observes Gary Hemphill of Beverage Marketing. PepsiCo embraced bottled water and sports drinks much earlier than its rival. Pepsi's Aquafina is the No. 1 water brand, with Coke's Dasani trailing; in sports drinks, Pepsi's Gatorade owns 80 percent of the market while Coke's Powerade has 15 percent. But Pepsi's strongest business lies outside drinks altogether. Over the past ten years, the Frito-Lay division -- which seems like it sells practically every chip in every store in the country -- has become a powerhouse, controlling 60 percent of the U.S. snack-food market. So strong is Pepsi in this arena, in fact, that many investors no longer judge it by how it stacks up against Coke.