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We suggest US-based visitors to contact your Representative or Senator, and its International customers to donate to organizations like EFF, to ensure that broad opposition to this proposed legislation rings loud and clear. Many prominent Internet companies participating in the protest are listed here: SOPAstrike.comMore information about SOPA/PIPA

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• A video explaining PIPA
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Blog and other media:

• Copyblogger
• Consumerist explains that these bills are far from dead.
• Mashable: SOPA Will Take Us Back to the Dark Ages and Why SOPA is Dangerous

Health care employment rose by 31,000 in July, as both
hospitals and ambulatory care services added jobs. Retail trade
employment increased by 26,000. In the manufacturing sector,
employment expanded by 24,000, with gains in motor vehicles and
semiconductors. Mining employment grew by 9,000 over the month
and was up by 140,000 since the most recent low in October 2009.
Employment in professional and technical services continued to
trend up in July; this industry has added 246,000 jobs since a
recent low in March 2010. Employment in temporary help services
was flat over the month and on net has changed little in 2011.
Other private-sector industries showed little or no change in July.

Employment in state government decreased by 23,000 over the
month. The decline was almost entirely due to the partial
government shutdown in Minnesota. Local government employment
continued to trend down over the month. Since an employment peak
in September 2008, local government has shed 475,000 jobs.

Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm
payrolls were up by 10 cents in July to $23.13. Over the past 12
months, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.3 percent. From
June 2010 to June 2011, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban
Consumers (CPI-U) increased by 3.4 percent.

Turning to measures from the survey of households, the
unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in July. The jobless rate has
held in a narrow range between 9.0 and 9.2 percent since April.

Of the 13.9 million persons unemployed in July, 44.4 percent
had been out of work for 27 weeks or longer. This proportion was
unchanged over the month and essentially unchanged over the year.

Labor force participation edged down from 64.1 to 63.9
percent in July. The proportion of the population that was
employed was essentially unchanged over the month at 58.1
percent.

In summary, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 117,000 in
July, with the private sector adding 154,000 jobs. The
unemployment rate was little changed at 9.1 percent.

My colleagues and I now would be glad to answer your
questions.

Keith Hall
Commissioner
Bureau of Labor Statistics

In an interview with ET Now, Jim Rogers, Chairman, Rogers Holding, talks about the correction in global markets besides giving his views on commodities and India. Excerpts:

Q1: Global markets are correcting and everyone is saying it is because of Korea. Would you endorse that thought?

First of all, global markets should be correcting about this time because they have been pretty strong recently and there is always some reason to correct. This time, it looks like it might be Korea. Whenever you have threat of war, usually everything goes down at first, then you have to figure out what to invest in after the initial collapse. In my view, the thing to invest in is commodities because if there is going to be war, it is always good for commodities and if there is no war, then commodities will rally like everything else.

Q2: So what did you make of today’s sell off and the news coming out of Korea? Do you think it was just a trigger point for people to unwind positions in the market and do you think stepping into December from a near term perspective, there would still be some selling pressure that will continue?

Yes, we have had very strong markets in the past 2 or 3 months in the West anyway and whenever you have strong markets, something always comes along to call for correction. There is always some surprise and again, I have no idea what is going on in Korea, but just that nothing else is the reason for the correction, it could have been rain in Spain that could have caused the correction and the markets always find a reason to correct after they have been strong for a while and this is certainly a good reason to correct. If suddenly World War III is about to breakout, a good reason for the market to correct. I do not expect World War III to breakout by the way.

Q3: Buy on rumors and sell on news and we have seen that happening once again. Immediately after the QE2, blueprint was out, commodity has corrected and dollar actually has reversed. Do you think this is a short term phenomenon? Everyone took Mr. Bernanke for granted that he will continue to print money, there was too much of forward buying which happened before the QE2 final announcement and now the excesses are getting flushed out?

Yes. No matter what happens, America is going to continue to print money. Unfortunately that is all America knows to do, it is not the right thing to do, it is not good for the world, but that is all America knows to do.

If there is war, they are going to print money. If there is not war, they are going to print money and so whenever there has been money printing, the result has been that you should have your money in real assets. It has been a pretty clear thing throughout history. The real assets are the only way to protect yourself. Real assets are basically the only way to protect yourself in time of war.

Read the rest of the interview here.

For those are who have been following it, the Indian Cement Industry is rocking. It has been one of the best performers in fundamentals and also in the stock markets.

Vallabh Bhansali of Enam Securities comments on the proposed demerger of Grasim’s cement business and formation of a wholly owned subsidiary called Samruddhi Cements, which will ultimately get merged with Ultratech Cement, which is also part of AV Birla Group like Grasim.

Ultratech has shareholding in it by rival Larsen & Toubro, so that could be a reason why a direct transfer into Ultratech is not being done.