| County Hit by Big Job Losses
The countys unemployment rate shot up to 5.7 percent in January from 5.4 percent in December. Its now a full percentage point above the January 2007 level, according to figures from the state Employment Development Department. The main culprit: a drop of 46,000 in civilian employment rolls, with many of those being striking writers. The county lost 75,800 non-farm payroll jobs from December to January, one of the biggest monthly job losses in years. The information sector, which includes the motion picture industry, lost 19,700 jobs, many of those so-called below the line production workers at studios and on soundstages. Retail trade and food services also suffered significant seasonal job losses. The year-over-year job picture also turned negative for the first time since 2004, as total non-farm employment dropped by 4,100 jobs, or 0.1 percent, to 4,069,100 jobs.
Over on Kausfiles
Meet the Press Moments! 1) Doris Kearns Goodwin, absolving Barack Obama on the question of his lifted uplift. ... Writes itself! ... 2) Goodwin, on politicans' sex scandals: But I think the serious thing that happened is just this change in relationship between the candidates and the reporters has been such a sea change. In 1920, the reporters knew in detail that Warren Harding was having an affair for 15 years. They thought it wasn't their business to talk about the private life, compared to a front-page article that suspects an affair on the part of some aides. In fact, the Republican committee was so worried about this affair that they actually gave the woman $20,000 and sent her to the Orient during the entire campaign to get her out of the way. So we've changed the whole notion of what part of a private life matters.
Microsoft refreshes beta of its Google Docs competitor
Microsoft has quietly released an update to its Office Live Workspace service, which the company first rolled out in beta form in December 2007. The just-released Office Live Workspace update, according to a posting on LiveSide.Net,includes a new activity pane for keeping track of what's happening in your wokspace; e-mail notifications so you know when those with whom you are sharing documents make an update; support for adding multiploe documents to workspaces; and a new interface to make it easier to invite new people to participate in a shared workspace. A quick refresher on what Office Live Workspace is (and isn't). Office Live Workspace is Microsoft's alternative to Google Docs. It is not a Web-based version of Microsoft Office. It is meant, first and foremost, to be a complement to Microsoft Office.
Reports warn of mercury levels in tuna
Mercury concentrations in tuna steaks and sushi tuna are nearly twice as high as U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates - and roughly at levels that the agency warns about in other fish, two new reports suggest. Oceana, an international organization trying to force grocery stores to post mercury warning signs, sampled tuna steaks from 23 stores and sushi from 24 restaurants around the United States in November. Tuna mercury levels averaged 0.68 parts per million in the stores and 0.86 parts per million in sushi restaurants, Oceana said Wednesday. The FDA estimates mercury levels of 0.73 in king mackerel, one of the fish the government thinks children and women of child-bearing age should not eat. Some of the highest mercury levels in tuna showed up in a St.
Mom to Sue School District Claiming Son Was Bullied to Death
A few days before Brandon's death, the two friends argued over a girl. They quickly patched up the dispute, but guilt from that encounter and its proximity to Brandon's suicide hangs over Trystyn, his mother said. "He said he wanted to be next to Brandon," said Amy Wagner, who has since moved Trystyn and his younger sister to a private school as a result of what she says was bullying toward her son. "It's just been a nightmare," she said. During a Lee's Summit police investigation of Brandon's death, Trystyn told officers that Brandon drew a picture of himself hanging from a rope. The drawing was found by another student and turned in to a teacher, according to a police report. Another classmate later shared a note from Brandon that further hinted at his risks of suicide.
A gas stove in your high-rise condo? AGL says yes
A gas stove in your high-rise condo? AGL says yes Buckhead tower Mezzo will get gas meters in every unit By KEVIN DUFFY / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 03/01/08 Atlanta Gas Light is looking skyward for new customers. The gas pipeline company is striking deals with developers of condominium towers to install gas meters for each unit — a new concept in metro Atlanta. .
Horror accident subdues TV boss
HE didn't get Channel 7 to the top of the ratings without ruling with an iron fist, but network CEO David Leckie is now facing the gruelling possibility of losing half of his left index finger. In a potentially debilitating situation for the Seven boss, Leckie will undergo a second operation on Tuesday to repair the damage done to his finger after it was virtually severed by his garage roller-door at his Eastern Suburbs home two weeks ago. Leckie, accompanied by his wife Skye, hastily made his way to hospital, where he was rushed into emergency surgery in a bid to minimise the serious injury. Doctors performed micro-surgery on the head honcho's finger, the top of which had almost been cut off. But despite their best efforts, the badly damaged tissue is preventing the skin from grafting properly, forcing Leckie back into surgery next week.
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