Wall Street Journal, Apr 2, 2013

choi

(1) Miriam Jordan, Visa Demand Jumps; Employers set to quickly reach cap on skilled foreign workers. (front page)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 96680112980530.html

Quote:

"For the first time since the financial crisis, U.S. employers are expected within days to reach a limit on the yearly allotment of applications for coveted skilled-worker visas, a sign of the strengthening economy

"Government and company officials predict employers by Friday will exhaust the quota for this year's application season, which opened Monday for jobs starting in October or later. If that happens, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that runs the program, will randomly select applications [in a lottery] that will then be considered for visas if any applications received before the cap are rejected.

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(2) Neil Mellen, A Pacific Island Prefers Chinese Investment to US Welfare; For decades, American aid did little but promote dependency. Now here comes a Chinese entrepreneur. (opinion)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 62861485261422.html
("In short, they [Yap residents] are trading in US government handouts—which are scheduled to end in 2023—for the wide-open promise of Chinese-style capitalism. * * * [Yap] locals still use stone money and dugout canoes")

Note:
(a) Federated States of Micronesia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federated_States_of_Micronesia
(section 1 History)
(b) "DENG Hong and his Exhibition and Travel Group, or ETG"
(i) 董事长  邓 鸿  
(ii) 会展旅游集团
www.etgcn.com/

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(3) Owen Fletcher, Farmers Lose Their Taste for Rice.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 96592983643754.html

Quote:

American farmers opt out of rice "because corn and soybean prices are high and the cost of growing rice is climbing. * * * First begun in the 1600s, the cultivation of rice in the US has fallen on tough times. * * * That [acres planted] represents a decrease of 28% from 2010 plantings, and would be the lowest level since 1987, according to the USDA.

"While the US ranks only No 12 in the world in rice output, it is the largest exporter in the Western Hemisphere.

"Rice is more labor-intensive and requires more farm equipment per acre than corn and soybeans, agricultural experts say.

Note:
(a) rice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice
(section 6.6 United States)
(b) How Rice Grows. Californi Rice Commission (CRC), Department of Food and Agriculture, California, undated
http://www.calrice.org/Environment/How+Rice+Grows.htm
("Nowhere in the world is rice production more advanced than in California")

choi

(4) Vipal Monga, China Eases Its Grip on Cash; Some Global firms get greater freedom to move funds in and out of country.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 96600685304698.html

Quote:

"Part of the new pilot program allows banks to set up so-called sweep accounts in China, which let companies pool extra cash from accounts both there and elsewhere into a single account. This pool of money can then be redistributed to other company accounts in the form of short-term intercompany loans, and invested more broadly. Just a handful of companies with longstanding roots in China are in the program

"'I don't think this single event by itself is so extremely important, but it fits an overall pattern in an ongoing evolution,' said Terry Stack, treasurer at Harman International Industries Inc.