Jobless rate bolts to 8.5 percent, 663K jobs lost by Jeannine Aversa WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's unemployment rate jumped to 8.5 percent in March, the highest since late 1983, as a wide range of employers eliminated a net total of 663,000 jobs.The Labor Department's report is fresh evidence of the toll the recession has inflicted on America's workers and companies. Most economists expect the job cuts will continue for much of this year.
House Members to Obama: Rethink Afghanistan Surge by John Nichols Congressional Democrats and Republicans are signing on to a letter urging President Obama to reconsider his plan to surge tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops into Afghanistan."Mr. President, in reviewing the past history of Afghanistan and the nations that have failed to conquer it -- Russia spent nine years in Afghanistan and lost many billions of dollars and more than 15,000 Russian soldiers-- we urge you to reconsider the decision to send an additional 17,000 troops and to resist pressure to escalate even further," reads a "Get on the Right Side of History" letter that has attracted the support of House Democrats Representative Neil Abercrombie, of Hawaii; John Conyers of Michigan; Bob Filner and Mike Honda of California; Steve Kagen of Wisconsin; Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.
G20: Why support the IMF? by Dean Baker The IMF failed to warn of the dangers posed by the US housing bubble. The G20 is wrong to give it more money and powerThe G20 countries have come to agreement on a number of important steps to foster a recovery from the recession. However, since we always knew that they would come to "agreement", the substance of the deal is not entirely clear at this point.
Why We Should Listen to the Protesters by Johann Hari The way out of the credit and the climate crunch is the same - a Green New DealWhen this hinge-point in human history is remembered, there will be far more sympathy for the people who took to the streets and rioted than for the people who stayed silently in their homes. Two global crises have collided, and we have a chance here, now, to solve them both with one mighty heave - but our leaders are letting this opportunity for greatness leach away. The protesters here in London were trying to sound an alarm now, at five minutes to ecological midnight.
Study: Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster Than Expected by Randolph E. Schmid WASHINGTON - Arctic sea ice is melting so fast most of it could be gone in 30 years. A new analysis of changing conditions in the region, using complex computer models of weather and climate, says conditions that had been forecast by the end of the century could occur much sooner.
Honoring the New Age: Ithaca College’s Park Center for Independent Media Presents First Izzy Award by Becca Burns Standing behind the podium, Amy Goodman's voice resonated to the back of the State Theatre. She spoke forcefully, striking the air with her fists as she discussed the importance of the independent media."We play a special role in society," she said. "This is the time for independent media, and we're very excited. It's growing all over the world."
A political agnostic and damned proud of it by Doug Thompson Anytime Capitol Hill Blue runs an opinion column by anyone right of center, I get bombarded with email from outraged liberals who want to know why in the hell I'm allowing such heresy on this web site.They want me to ban columns from conservatives like Jay Ambrose, Cliff May and others because, they say, such opinions do not belong on "a liberal web site."
As crisis loomed, Geithner ignored warning signs by Doug Thompson Timothy Geithner, President Barack Obama's embattled Treasury Secretary, ignored warning signs of the impending banking and economic crisis because he, as head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, was too close to the industry he was supposed to regulate.
China’s Dollar Trap by Paul Krugman Back in the early stages of the financial crisis, wags joked that our trade with China had turned out to be fair and balanced after all: They sold us poison toys and tainted seafood; we sold them fraudulent securities.But these days, both sides of that deal are breaking down. On one side, the world’s appetite for Chinese goods has fallen off sharply. China’s exports have plunged in recent months and are now down 26 percent from a year ago. On the other side, the Chinese are evidently getting anxious about those securities.
Pakistan Taliban Chief threatens Washington: it's only words they tell us by Aimee Kligman Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who has a five-million-dollar US bounty on his head, claimed responsibility for a deadly assault on a police academy in Lahore on Tuesday and threatened to attack Washington. But according to at least one report in the L.A. Times, an unnamed a senior U.S. counter-terrorism official said: 'He is a tribal leader that has probably some regional influence, beyond that, I think it's a lot of boasting on his part'.
Is Hope for Healthcare Reform Realistic? by Don Monkerud A Medicare-like optional insurance plan for everyone regardless of age and past medical history is shaping up to be the most contentious battle in the coming healthcare debate in Congress."What role should the government play?" asked Michael Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services under Bush. "Should healthcare be more like food, where the government sets the rules, organizes the system and subsidizes those who need assistance? Or should it be more like national defense, where government pays for it with taxes?"
Cheever Country: New biography echoes all the way to Wall Street by Alan Bisbort If Dave Eggers hadn't already used it, the story of John Cheever's life could have been titled A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. This occurred to me while reading Blake Bailey's magnificent Cheever: A Life (Knopf), one of the most (yes) heartbreaking and well-written literary biographies to appear in years.
Strippers Turn To Anchoring at Fox News to Fight Economic Hardships by Steve Young With the economic downturn, people have been willing to do almost anything to put food on the table, including working at Fox News..“I was happy stripping at Skanks,” said exotic dancer, Trixie McRove, “but when the tips, and customers, started shrinking, I had to look for something else to pay the rent. That’s when I heard about Fox News holding a job fair down at Munchies.”
Old, New, Borrowed and Dumb by William Rivers Pitt "When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people."-- SenecaEveryone knows the old adage about new brides needing something old, new, borrowed and blue for their weddings. Well, a number of Republicans have taken the line and recreated it for use in their attacks on the Obama administration. For them, now it's all about old, new, borrowed, and really, really dumb.
