Statistically Unemployed Tweeters

First, there's nothing "wrong with America".  It's all statistics.

People of all races, colors and languages have a normal curve.   15-20% of job applicants are at the bottom of their ability to contribute.

We have between 5-6% unemployment here in Vermont.

If the pay is $10/hour (manual recycling), the unemployment rate is 5%, and 15% of all Americans are "difficult to employ", it's tough.

Do Asians and Africans and Latin Americans work better or harder?  No.   But when they have 45% unemployment (like the area in Sonora where Retroworks de Mexico is located), it's easier to avoid that 15% that doesn't want to work or cannot work effectively.

Why do I write about this?

Because I have some job postings up.  And for some reason, I get these emails from "applicants" (who I presume are looking for work) saying "I assume at this salary it's part-time", or "I don't see how you can get anyone of MY caliber at this rate per hour."

Just don't apply... ok?   I don't need a message from you telling me why no one will ever apply... my email box is full enough with different responses.

It's Gone

My Blog has Disappeared from Google.


At least, I'm at page 25 of google search for "e-waste", and no sign of the blog.  It was page 1 six months ago.  Who killed it?  I noticed a massive fall-off of pageviews back in May or June.  I attributed it to a strong April, but it never resurfaced.


I've done nothing ornery.  If anything, I vastly reduced use of video and photos from online sources.


Has my writing suffered?   Or is there a third party interference?  (See the blog on "comments").   I  am sure Google is working on this and is finding who torpedoed the blog.  Here you go:  I'm typing in "John Shegarian" simply to increase google search hits, not because he has anything to do with it, he just searches his name a lot, I've been told.  If the rank doesn't go up, it's gotta be conspiracy, baby.


First:   A Blog Self-Audit.   I've been reviewing my posts from the last few months, by readership and content.  Do not blame conspiracies without first checking the most obvious source:  bad content.

The destruction of the Indonesian and Malaysian display device refurbishing market was possibly the most important E-Scrap story of the past decade, and I've tried to give voice to it.  The people who lost their jobs, the environmentalists engaging in "friendly fire", the environmental consequences...  Mainstream press (Motherboard, Scrap, Recycling International, 3Sat.de) picked it up, but it has been nowhere as successful as the story in CBS 60 Minutes, which conjoined the same refurbishing factories with unrelated wire burning operations in Guiyu, China.  But did I write about it too often, and cause pagerank to decline?

Rat on a train ditch.  Caught on a limb.  YOU know better - but I know HIM.