Cool, welcome to the club. I've worked in IT and Software Engineering for 22 years. The ideas that all non-white, non-male employees are A) "diversity hires" or B) too sensitive when they inevitably walk into the break room on the tail-end of a "nigger joke", some story about "fucking call center indians" or catching a peek at one of their female colleagues. I appreciate that a lot of it stems from the fact that for a long time technology houses were not just "boys clubs", but "white-only boys clubs"; and as such provided a "Safe-space" for these kinds of attitudes. But, really, it's time to grow up and embrace these very talented people, and not passive-aggressively try to destroy them. You'll have to show me some serious data on discrimination against white and Asian males. The best available empirical data doesn't support that, so I can only assume that you've been hiding it for just the right moment... like your final form.

I mean, if you are bold enough to spout racially regressive ideology, maybe attach your mostly anonymizing screen name to it. Many of the Anonymous Coward comments in this thread are part of the reason why the accomplishments of minorities and women continue to be seen as remarkable. Racism and sexism are endemic within tech industries, they are part of what drive the high turnover rate for minorities. I for one, choose not to work in private industry as I don't find the casual racism that exists there conducive to my quality of life. You ACs want to tell us one more thing about the negro?

It might be important to consider that a company filling for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is not terribly uncommon. The company has no plans to shut down, nor liquidate assets. Ch. 11 is all about restructuring debt so that they can pay off the creditors and return to normal operating procedures. Most people in this thread are treating this like a Ch. 7 which it is not. In fact the difference between the two are so stark that many smart investors will buy into companies that have good prospects and a plan in Ch. 11. It can make a company much much stronger on the back end.

Sorry Jane, I misdirected that. it should have been in reply to the thread that said that the second amendment was intended to protect the citizenry against tyranny...

No. Just no. The Second and Third amendments deal with the nation's founders being paranoid of the potential for their new government to abuse its power. Much of a government's coercive power comes from its army, so, the constitution forbade the creation of a standing national army. On the other hand the founders recognised that the nation would need a way to defend itself against threats both internal and external. Militias would be the answer to that. This is why the second amendment not only give a directive, but also a reasoning.

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state , the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

This is not that hard to understand. Unless, of course, you are intentionally failing to understand it so that it fits into your world view.

"Brains that think as fast as a fly can smell"-- Either that is the strangest mixed metaphor I've ever seen or my coffee hasn't kicked in yet.

I'm sorry if you thought that it was childish. I think that the Team America World Police view of international laws and policies that you expressed bordered on insipid.

Sure, the USA/Israeli semi-religious, hemi-apocalyptic, demi-political, mutually sycophantic, sociopathy enabling relationship; and tacit acceptance of antagonism towards the Palestine and it's people does complicate the issue. But, it only does so insomuch as Israel might send in the Mossad, crack some skulls, and the US will say "You did a bad thing, Izzy. Here is another few billion dollars not to do it again."

But there you go expecting the Palestinians to extradite someone who is apparently bright and more over, reasonably minded to a country that gives 9x the annual aid to their unfriendly, oppressive neighbor. Seems that you are not understanding the realities of international justice and the treaties governing enforcement of international laws.

So, American laws now apply to foreign nationals who are not in America? That's awesome! U-S-A! U-S-A! Unless of course he's a foreign national outside the legal borders of America and therefore not subject to American laws. ...one of the two...

The Affordable Care Act, if it does end up being an unaffordable quagmire, is only in that state because it was done while trying to not hurt the for-profit medical insurance industry. We would have been better off with the single payer system kind of like the ones successfully used in every other functional first world country. The way we run our country is ludicrous. Everyone knows the rules, everyone agrees to fair play, then everyone cheats a little so no one actually gets ahead. That is until someone cheats a lot, and gets ahead... then everyone cheats a lot... and back to square one. We like to pretend that getting nickled and dimed is somehow more honorable than just paying the full value for the things which we need. This is only made possible when we fail to see the non-financial and practical value of our free time.

No no no no no, the ultra rich know that the less you give the working poor the more desperate they become. Desperate people work to survive, the brain in survival mode is not concerned with ethics, morals, or rebellion. The brain in survival mode is concerned with food, shelter and some semblance of homeostasis. The trick is to create just enough desperation within the working poor that a certain percentage are driven to criminal activity and the rest live in fear. And those remaining fearful workers will labor themselves to death in a futile attempt to escape the crime ridden ghettos in which they live.

I jumped on with Apple Retail in early 2008. As it stands, Apple Retail has one of the better compensation packages for both fulltime and parttime employees. Medical/Dental/Vision, Stock Options, Paid Vacation, Etc. Before Steve Jobs left the company for the last time, he mandated that EVERY Apple Employee be eligible for Health Insurance. More recently, Tim Cook re-adjusted all of the pay compensations nationwide to be more in line with the higher paying/higher cost of living regions (NYC/LA/SF). That said, employees were discouraged from bringing bags into work. However, when bag checks were nessesary the managers at my store would do them WHILE you were clocking out. But that may vary store by store, as a result of this suit though, I imagine that Retail Chain Management will mandate that bag checks be done before or at clock-out, not after. So, benefits, awesome. Pay, not bad. Stock options, yes. BTW, the managers check each other's bags.

It's over 9000!!