Carpentry among industries which are not bounce after the recession (Washington Post)

To LAS VEGAS - every day in this city in the desert, the rise of carpenters in their pickup trucks and vans, resume stacked on the passenger seats, driving at Union Hall, and then circles construction one bound to the string to another, seeking work.

For one year or more, it was the same.

Nothing.

If they keep continuing work as carpenters, in fact, many of them can never find a job.

Beyond the recession, there has been an article of faith, as the economy revives, will return to work. But after the deep recession that began in December 2007, jobs in some industries are not returned.

This creates what economists call "structural unemployment," the result of a mismatch between the skills of the workforce and those required by employers. There is a concern because it causes longer periods of unemployment as workers are trying to transition from one business to another.

In some occupations is lighter than among the carpenters brand. In May 2006, approximately one million people have been used as carpenters, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the last year, this number decreased to less than 750 000. Predict economists, it is unlikely to climb these 1990s levels.

To obtain narrower on the phenomena, The insight Washington Post hunted 31 carpenters who had worked on one of the largest projects in Las Vegas, a city which has swept in the frenzy of speculative construction and now has one of the rates of unemployment highest in the country.

Today, at least 22 of 31 are unemployed, many of them for a year.

Five have lost their homes due to foreclosure or because they were unable to pay the rent. Three other live with their parents or their in-laws. Many people the rest still slipping financially, fear that they have their head in the same direction.

Workers keep seeking woodworking jobs because it's what they know. They have been learning, training and experience in the field. They were built with skyscrapers, bridges and power plants. And the Union wage is $ 37 now, so when additional flows, they can make good income.

Construction workers are used to ups and downs, but this time is different, and carpenters, often bluff and secular, speak in flagging voices were asked about their prospects.

U.s. foreclosure prevention program fell short, Congressional Oversight Committee said (Washington Post)

Locking of the Department of the Treasury primary prevention program has no height expectations and has suffered from a lack of "targets meaningful," according to a report from a panel of watchdog congressman due out Tuesday.

Home Affordable Program of change in the Government, or Shives, is on pace to prevent seizures from 700 to 800 000: an important figure, but much less than the owners struggling from 3 to 4 million employees of the Treasury Board hope initially help, according to the bipartisan Congressional Oversight Committee.

"It has proven much more complicated and much more difficult" that envisaged, the Committee Chairman, Senator Ted Kaufman (D-.), said to journalists. He said that he did not consider Shives "failed" because it has contributed to many owners, but he added: "I believe that the program is simply to be smaller and had much less impact" than expected.

The report of the Group cites various reasons hemp has fallen terribly expectations, namely conflicting incentives within the mortgage industry.

For example, although the owners of houses and their lenders often would amend existing loans, the undertakings serving these loans may reap larger financial gains with seizures. Works to the Treasury Board to encourage more repairmen to modify loans by providing payments is fallen short, the Panel said: "in part because that repairers were not required to participate."

Another factor is that many borrowers have a second mortgage lenders stand to gain from blocking of changes made to the first mortgage. "For all these reasons and others, the report States,"simple plan hemp to encourage changes proved ineffective in practice.".

Panel criticises also the Treasury Board for failing to collect more data on hemp, not targets more meaningful to measure the progress of the programme and failing to repairers responsible of mortgage paperwork repeatedly lose or resist change.

Tim Massad, Treasury, financial stability Council acting Assistant Secretary critical "somewhat unfair" report on a conference call with reporters Monday evening.

"This program has had many critics and there obviously many criticisms of it, but I think it is important to recognize what he has done," he said, noting that Shives so far helped half a million troubled homeowners. "It's people." We should not discount that. »

In addition, Massad stated that standards established by the Treasury Board has established a model for the private sector, where the number of changes carries away those completed by hemp. Massad also noted that other efforts by the Government, such as those conducted by the Federal Housing Administration giant mortgage Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac led to additional changes.

Massad said Treasury officials tried to walk a fine line, structuring of Shives in a manner that helped owners as much as possible while avoiding unnecessary wasting taxpayers and changes that would result from redefaults dollars. "I certainly recognize there are many challenges and very difficult to do", he said.

Again, the Panel monitoring report indicates hemp changes mean more offer relief to the borrower"and have"a lower probability of redefault"changes owners.

Massad said the Agency will continue to focus on setting problems plaguing the submerged by the housing crisis mortgage loan, service industry and he added that "we may very well hold or greenhouse payments back to the future" so repairers fail not up to the requirements of the program.

Shives has helped approximately 500,000 homeowners, but the members of the Group regretted monitoring this fall the Government rescue package expiration means that Treasury missed an opportunity to reorganize the program to reach many of them.

"The ability to make major changes to the program has been lost," says Kaufman. The Commission considers that the Treasury would spend about 4 billion dollars to almost 30 billion originally set aside for hemp.

However, the report calls for the Treasury Board to take other measures to reduce foreclosures. Among its recommendations: tracking hemp delinquency early to avoid the redefaults, as well as allowing borrowers to apply for loans online changes.

Despite this, the Panel report, "" an incalculable number of borrowers may go without help – all the because the Board failed to recognize the shortcomings of hemp in time. ""

USAID suspends based district DEA non-profit contracts in the middle of the survey (Washington Post)

Agency for international development, United States said Wednesday that it suspended from a non-profit receive new contracts due to an ongoing investigation of questionable practices government organization.

Office of the Inspector General of the USAID studied at the Academy of development education (EDA), which is based in the district. The 49-year contracts with the United States Government agencies and others to run programmes of economic and social development, education, non-profit group of health in approximately 150 countries.

AED is also one of USAID Afghanistan contractors, oversee programme of higher education of the Government agency in the war-torn country. For the past three years, she received the 109 million USAID Afghanistan work contracts.

First results by Office of the Inspector General "reveal evidence of serious misconduct, poor management and lack of internal controls and raise serious concerns business integrity," according to a statement from USAID.

AED has 65 USAID contract award approximately 640 million dollars, according to an official of the USAID.

The Agency said it provides complete "an immediate review internal"of "each program associated DEA." ""

Lars Anderson, a spokesman for the USAID said the suspension of the DEA "prevents from bidding on or to receive an additional of the Government of the United States price until the suspension is lifted or proceedings are instituted against the organization."

USAID said he decided to suspend the DEA after investigation of the Inspector General has begun in spring 2009 and "evidence of misconduct by DEA.

Investigation of the Inspector General involved work in two programs development and education in Pakistan, according to a statement, and Afghanistan DEA society published Wednesday.

"EDA cooperates with investigation [IG] and is committed to working with USAID on their general and specific concerns" DEA statement said.

The organization said that he made of the significant steps towards the strengthening of its project-monitoring, personnel and resources."

USAID has recently completed a $ 150 million in five years, with the EDA cooperation agreement after its Inspector General found evidence of fraud related to a program in Pakistan that has been designed to provide disaster relief, development of infrastructure, education and agricultural services, according to a recent report to Congress who do identify themselves by name society. A close source investigation confirmed that the company in the report of the EDA.

In this program of Pakistan, investigation of the Inspector General found report "proof of collusion between vendors and staff... too - from" for certain goods, according to the organization.

USAID has completed its work with the AED program and the group returned more than $92,000.

AED recently lost some of its top management page. Robert Murphy has replaced Deanna Trotter, who retires after 22 years with the group as Chief Financial Officer. And last month, Stephen f. Moseley, who had served as a DEA, President and Chief Executive for 23 years and is well-known worldwide non-profit, stated that he was going to retire next year.

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