July 2010 archive

Unemployment Rates for Ohio and Other States, and Tips for How You Can Help

In January, the Associated Press reported that Ohio’s unemployment rate stood at 10.9% as of December 2009.  That rate has fallen slightly in the six months or so since that news article, standing now at 10.7% according to the Dayton Daily News.

The number of unemployed workers in May dropped to 641,000 from 652,000 in April. During the past 12 months, the number of unemployed has gone up by 22,000 from 619,000. The May 2009 unemployment rate was 10.3 percent.

Anyone looking to call this an improvement needs to explain that thinking, because these are more than likely seasonal jobs that either have disappeared or will disappear.

For my home town of Cleveland, the unemployment rate is even worse: 17.1 percent according to Simply Cleveland.  (In the interests of fuller disclosure, I have been unemployed since at least December of 2007, existing on financial aid and what food I can get from food pantries.)

Cleveland has an unemployment rate of 17.1%, compared the national average of 6.9%.

According to our Cleveland Trends data, the number of Cleveland, Ohio jobs has decreased by 28% since November 2008.

Graph Showing Employment Decline

News at Noon

From Reuters

Surprise rise in jobless claims stokes recovery worries

By Reuters

July 1, 2010

(Reuters) – New claims for state unemployment aid unexpectedly rose last week, heightening fears the U.S. economic recovery is stalling.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected claims to slip to 452,000 from the previously reported 457,000, which was revised slightly up to 459,000 in Thursday’s report.

Is glen beck “Grifting” in Using a Veterans Organization

The beck is having a get together with many of the grifters, a very patriotic? affair, on the so called right and those in this country easily feeding into their meme’s, as they offer nothing of real policy or idea’s but seem to really hate the country they and their’s before them especially grew up in. I say their’s before them because it was them who built the once middle class and helped everyone as well as the upper class and all investors etc. to prosper, up until some thirty years back when it all started changing and we’re now living in the wake of the destruction.

In this get together he’s blatantly stating that proceeds of will be donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation which seems to be embracing this gathering of grifters, none I’ll bet are speaking for free, they just don’t, unlike real grassroots rallies, they charge handsomely for their few minutes of ‘talking points’ or ‘bumper sticker’ quotes. There’s a caveat as to this funding for the SOWF and is written out in the very small print well hidden at the bottom of the becks website page for the gathering of the patriotic? flag wavers.

Corruption saturation

If one considers spreading societal corruption as a series of ink blots that progressively stain a white fabric, there is an end state of saturation where everything becomes corrupt and nothing remains unstained. In America, we are nearing that state. Here is some evidence:

1. Our securities markets, once the greatest and most efficient engine of capital formation in the world, are now riddled with manipulation and are openly denounced as corrupt by independent observers.

2. Our government regulatory agencies have been fully captured by the industries they are charged with supervising, with catastrophic results exemplified by the Gulf oil spill.

3. Our political leadership shows no signs of altering its subservience to predatory corporations, and the Supreme Court has permanently established the control of wealthy interests over the election process by equating unlimited corporate political spending with “free speech.” There is no meaningful change possible in US society as long as the corporations are in control.

4. The news media remain in the hands of five private corporations, and they remain completely devoted to preserving the dominance of corrupt corporations and their political servants.

5. The academic sector, harried by cutbacks and funding shortages, is mute in the face of gross dysfunctions in business and political leadership. Instead it grinds out irrelevant and impotent research, while waiting for grants and awards from the corporatocracy.

6. The popular culture enshrines self-indulgence, violence, and the adrenalin rush as the highest values for individuals. The wealthy are admired for their ruthless pursuit of self-interest, and it is believed that calculated selfishness is the sure path to riches for all.

There are interesting consequences of arriving at a saturated state of corruption. One no longer needs to be concerned with its extent, since one can assume that every non-trivial organization is corrupt. Thus, effort can be channeled into shifting all activity away from large institutions and organizations and attempting to make all transactions and interpersonal dealings with trusted individuals and trusted small-scale entities. This contraction into a highly defensive behavioral pattern will be costly and difficult for most people, but it will be the only means of escaping substantial harm as a society saturated by corruption collapses into ruins.

Stunning Incompetence

Some are attuned to the possibility of looming catastrophe and know how to head it off. Others are unprepared for risk and even unable to get their priorities straight when risk turns to reality.

So begins an article in the Financial Post the other day written by Lawrence Solomon titled Avertible Catastrophe The construct of the article is so completely damning to our country, our government and our culture

Stunning incompetence

Lack of will.

shows an incomprehensible scarcity of intellectual imagination.  

Book Review: Tom Engelhardt, The American Way of War

Folks this book by Tom Engelhardt just came out — it’s got good antiwar writing in it, and a good perspective can bring out its especially good points.  But, hey, that’s what reviewers are for!

(crossposted at Orange)

“”America Speaks to BP”” This Afternoon

Live streaming Q&A this afternoon

July 1, 2010

Ask BP Exec Bob Dudley Your Questions for a Live Interview Thursday

Docudharma Times Thursday July 1




Thursday’s Headlines:

Hurricane Alex slams northeast Mexico

Biologists find ‘dead zones’ around BP oil spill in Gulf

USA

Banned Trailers Return for Latest Gulf Disaster

Pentagon recommends Medal of Honor for a living soldier

Europe

Plea to overturn ban on school crucifixes

Europe tightens the screw on cash bonuses for bankers

Middle East

Iraq looks to spectacular oil boom to revive its political fortunes

The anatomy of an attack on Iran

Asia

China takes softly-softly approach in effort to boost Tibet’s economy

Children, aged 5, used to plant Taliban bombs in Afghanistan

Africa

Congo war leaves legacy of sexual violence against women

Latin America

Ex-police commander held in Michoacan ambush

Muse in the Morning

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Muse in the Morning

May the evil man become good

and may the good man find peace.

May he who has peace become free

and may he who is free make others free.

–ancient, traditional prayer of India

Phenomena VI: praying


Sun

Reflections

New dawns

have come and gone

The years assembled

Decades folded

upon themselves

Time dwindles

Could once

just once

before I…

just once

while I…

one precious time

could such a dawn

bring forth

a better day,

one not ending

in horror

Could there be

some glorious light

before darkness

falls again

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–February 5, 2008

Eric Holder confronts corruption and money-laundering…in Afghanistan!

Break out the clown shoes and slapsticks:

Photobucket

“Fighting corruption and supporting the rule of law in Afghanistan are top priorities for this administration, and we will continue to assist the Afghan government in creating and sustaining the effective criminal justice system to which the Afghan people are entitled,” Mr Holder said in the statement from Kabul.

Late Night Karaoke

OPEN THREAD

On Music Appreciation, Or, I’m Taking The Day Off

It is a huge news day today, what with death and confirmation on everyone’s mind…and I’m not going to do anything about it-well, not today, anyway.

Instead, I’m taking the day off to bring you something more compelling: a music appreciation class, with recordings old and new, and just right for your summer soundtrack.

And if that’s not enough…by an amazing coincidence, we also get to talk about the (I never even know it existed) McRice burger, and, just for a summer bonus, we even have a smoking hot male model to grab your attention.

It’s all about fun today, so let’s get right to having some.

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