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Show CAMPUS BEAT WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2003 July, found that 54 percent of JOBS continued from PAGE 9 home offices. Another is that more workers - the older, seasoned baby boom population and young professionals who received entrepreneurial grounding during the tech boom - may feel confident enough to go into business for themselves. told people as employers that we're not going to be as paternalistic," Morgan said. "We're going to put benefits management in your "We've workers are confident in their ability to leave their current jobs, set up shop on their own and earn a living. -- 9 rrcc; tripuiv6 "We're seeing an overwhelming increase in people's confidence in being able to do that," he said. said Spherion Morgan explored a trend it noticed in its first survey in 1997: the appearance of emergent and traditional workers. "Emergent workers are looking at how they take charge lit! mi of their careers," he said. "They want a good work-lif- own hands. We're going to break the traditional contract of work for life. And guess what? Workers adapted, and they liked it." balance." said that researchers in Spherion's latest study on the emerging work force, completed in were emergent. That number is up to 31 percent this year and is predicted to rise to 52 percent by 2007. Morgan DIXIE SUN e dud In 1997, Spherion found that only 20 percent of workers r i size MATTERS. California firefighters battle to keep wildfires from merging fire than For the Sun Knight Ridder Newspapers SIMI Calif. VALLEY, Thousands of weary firefighters Monday dug in from the Mexican border to the northern edge of Los Angeles, waiting for reinforcements to help them try to beat back a dozen infernos and keep several from merging in what is California's already worst firestorm in 12 years. Blistering Santa Ana winds eased Monday, but weather, low humidterrain ity and tinder-drleft fire officials worried that the inferno could burn throughout the week and into the weekend. President Bush declared a major disaster in four Southern California counties, opening the way for federal aid, while Gov. Gray Davis readied the National Guard and sought help from neighboring states. -- y Monday night the fire had killed 13 people, destroyed more than 1,100 homes, threatened 30,000 other dwelling and devastated 400,000 acres. Davis predicted the fires would be the state's most expensive ever, eclipsing the $1.7 billion price tag of the 1991 Oakland Hills wildfire. By Anger began to surface as one major fire burning closer to Los Angeles is believed to have been started by arsonists. start these fires are no better than domestic terrorists and should be dealt with as such," said Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley. "Those who Attention turned away from Bernardo San County, where two fires combined Sunday to create a wall of flames 35 to 40 miles long, to San Diego, where three fires that had incinerated 585 homes and 200,000 acres were perilously close to becoming one major blaze. Hundreds of reinforced fire crews from other western states were rushing from fire to fire, many expecting to be fighting with their backs to the Pacific Ocean. Simi Valley fire threatened to race unchecked to the sea, imperiling the famous beach haven of Malibu. "Worst case scenario, and that's the Simi fire, this fire could spread to the west across Los Angeles County to Rocky Peak and into Malibu," said California Department of Forestry Battalion Chief Thomas Foley said. But Monday, for the first time since the fires erupted last weekend, there was winds relief as eased to gusts of 45 mph. "We feel very good," said San Diego City Fire Chief Jeff Bowman, "because the weather has worked with us and not against us." h "The firefighters are the true heroes." Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor elect of California Arnold Schwarzenegger had a briefing in Ventura County and thanked the president for swiftly declaring an Gov.-ele- emergency. Schwarzenegger will go to Washington on Tuesday to meet with federal emergency and congressional leaders "to make sure that the federal money will come through." "I want to thank them for their hard work," he said. "The firefighters are the true heroes. They're risking their lives in order to save people's lives." Local airports had shorter delays and fewer canceled Sunday, when flights a key Federal Aviation facility in San Diego was evacuated after it was inundated with smoke. The center was expected to reopen this morning. CHP officers said roads between Northern and Southern California were clogged because of freeway closures and because more people chose to drive after their flights were canceled. Monda Lane stood at the edge of Interstate 15, helplessly watching the flames move closer and closer to her home in the San Bernardino mountains. The sheriffs deputies had roused Lane and others in the canyon community of Devore at 2 am. Sunday, ordering them to evacuate. The Lanes had enough time to find shelter for their mule and three dogs, gather their belongings and check in to a nearby Motel 6. Firefighters assured her that the family's ranch was untouched by the fire, which has consumed 56,474 acres of San National Bernardino two-acr- e Forrest and destroyed 60 homes. But those assurances offered little comstood Lane as fort, watching trucks race up the Cajon Pass toward her home and helicopters circle overhelplessly head. "What else do you do? It's your home. It's hard to walk away and just leave it," said Lane, her eyes welling with tears. "I don't know if I want to watch my house go up in flames, but I can't walk away." the hot Santa Ana winds veered this way and As that, firefighters battled on the ground and in the air to keep the fire from spilling east into the suburban sprawl of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley or southwest toward the bedof room community Thousand Oaks. "The factors that are making this so tough to fight are the terrain especially in the Rocky Peak area it's really rocky, steep and inaccessible, even for bulldozers; the winds; and humidity in the single digits, said John Foy, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. By Monday night, the fire was only 5 percent contained, and firefighters that they anticipated would not have it under control until Wednesday night. |