Monday, November 14, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
U.S. Male Worker Jobless Rate Increases To 9.5 Percent Under Obama & GOP House of Representatives
The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for all U.S. male workers over 16 years-of-age increased from 9.4 to 9.5 percent between September and October 2011 under the Democratic Obama Administration and the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives; while the unemployment rate for all Latino or Hispanic workers in the United states increased from 11.3 to 11.4 percent during the same period.
The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 16.2 percent in October 2011; while the unemployment rate in October 2011 for all Black workers was still 15.1 percent. The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 37.8 percent in October 2011; while the unemployment rate for Black women over 20 years-of-age was still 12.6 percent in October 2011.
The number of officially unemployed Black workers was still 2,720,000 in October 2011, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data; while the number of officially unemployed Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 1,321,000 in October 2011. The number of jobless Black women workers over 20 years-of-age in October 2011 was still 1,164,000; and the number of unemployed Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of age was still 231,000 in October 2011.
Between September and October 2011, the number of unemployed Latino or Hispanic workers increased by 56,000 (from 2,604,000 to 2,660,000) according to the “seasonally adjusted” data; while the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino or Hispanic male workers over 20 years-of-age also increased from 9.3 to 9.8 percent during the same period. The number of unemployed Latino or Hispanic male workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 66,000 (from 1,225,000 to 1,291,000) between September and October 2011, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data; while the official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latina or Hispanic female workers in the United States was still 10.5 percent in October 2011.
According to the “not seasonally adjusted” data, the official unemployment rate for Latino or Hispanic youth between 16 and 19 years-of-age increased from 27.1 to 31 percent between September and October 2011; while the number of jobless Latino or Hispanic youths increased by 50,000 (from 257,000 to 307,000) during the same period. The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age also increased from 21.3 to 21.8 percent between September and October 2011; while the number of jobless white youths increased by 43,000 (from 1,006,000 to 1,047,000) during the same period.
The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white workers was still 8 percent in October 2011; while the number of officially unemployed white workers in the United States increased by 70,000 (from 9,951,000 to 10,021,000) between September and October 2011. The number of unemployed white male workers over 20 years-of-age also increased by 112,000 (from 5,034,000 to 5,146,000) between September and October 2011; while the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white male workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 7.7 to 7.9 percent during the same period. And in October 2011, the official total number of unemployed U.S. workers (male and female) over 16-years-of-age was still 13,897,000, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ November 4, 2011 press release:
The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 16.2 percent in October 2011; while the unemployment rate in October 2011 for all Black workers was still 15.1 percent. The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age was still 37.8 percent in October 2011; while the unemployment rate for Black women over 20 years-of-age was still 12.6 percent in October 2011.
The number of officially unemployed Black workers was still 2,720,000 in October 2011, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data; while the number of officially unemployed Black male workers over 20 years-of-age in the United States was still 1,321,000 in October 2011. The number of jobless Black women workers over 20 years-of-age in October 2011 was still 1,164,000; and the number of unemployed Black youths between 16 and 19 years-of age was still 231,000 in October 2011.
Between September and October 2011, the number of unemployed Latino or Hispanic workers increased by 56,000 (from 2,604,000 to 2,660,000) according to the “seasonally adjusted” data; while the “not seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for Latino or Hispanic male workers over 20 years-of-age also increased from 9.3 to 9.8 percent during the same period. The number of unemployed Latino or Hispanic male workers over 20 years-of-age increased by 66,000 (from 1,225,000 to 1,291,000) between September and October 2011, according to the “not seasonally adjusted” data; while the official “not seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for Latina or Hispanic female workers in the United States was still 10.5 percent in October 2011.
According to the “not seasonally adjusted” data, the official unemployment rate for Latino or Hispanic youth between 16 and 19 years-of-age increased from 27.1 to 31 percent between September and October 2011; while the number of jobless Latino or Hispanic youths increased by 50,000 (from 257,000 to 307,000) during the same period. The official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white youths between 16 and 19 years-of-age also increased from 21.3 to 21.8 percent between September and October 2011; while the number of jobless white youths increased by 43,000 (from 1,006,000 to 1,047,000) during the same period.
The official “seasonally adjusted” unemployment rate for white workers was still 8 percent in October 2011; while the number of officially unemployed white workers in the United States increased by 70,000 (from 9,951,000 to 10,021,000) between September and October 2011. The number of unemployed white male workers over 20 years-of-age also increased by 112,000 (from 5,034,000 to 5,146,000) between September and October 2011; while the official “seasonally adjusted” jobless rate for white male workers over 20 years-of-age increased from 7.7 to 7.9 percent during the same period. And in October 2011, the official total number of unemployed U.S. workers (male and female) over 16-years-of-age was still 13,897,000, according to the “seasonally adjusted” data.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ November 4, 2011 press release:
“…Government employment continued to trend down….In October, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force…These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey…
“Among the marginally attached, there were 967,000 discouraged workers in October…Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them…
“Construction employment declined by 20,000 in October…Government employment continued to trend down over the month (-24,000), with most of the October decline in the non-educational component of state government…”
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Remembering Gaddafi's Support For Irish National Liberation Struggle
Unlike most Wall Street-sponsored Democratic and Republican politicians in the USA,former Libyan government head of state Gaddafi apparently expressed support for the Irish Republican Movement during the years when it was characterized as a movement of "terrorists" by Wall Street's mass media:
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Was Gaddafi Executed Without Trial After Being Captured Following NATO Air-Strike?
An initial October 20, 2011 Reuters article about the mysterious circumstances surrounding former Libyan government leader Gaddafi's recent death, stated the following:
"`He (Gaddafi) was also hit in his head,' NTC official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters. `There was a lot of firing against his group and he died.'
"Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi, who was in his late 60s, was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked. He said he had been taken away by an ambulance.".
Sunday, October 16, 2011
`Occupy Columbia': Columbia Students Expose Columbia's Wall Street Connections
(The following column by Yoni Golijov and Sumayya Kassamali was first posted on the Columbia Daily Spectator student newspaper website at Columbia University on October 13, 2011)
OCCUPY COLUMBIA
by Yoni Golijov and Sumayya Kassamali
Let’s not kid ourselves about how the beautiful space that is our university is paid for. Despite the tuition you are paying, the accumulated largesse of oligarchs of Manhattan continues to fund a large share of Columbia’s operations. The slew of named buildings and endowed chairs reflects how much Columbia University’s endowment is the combination of illicit wealth it has accumulated from Caribbean slavery in the past all the way to the financial crisis in 2008.
This larger fact is the background for many smaller connections between Columbia and Wall Street. Columbia’s endowment depends on good relations with the financial Masters of the Universe. For example, all of the five vice chairs of the board of trustees are financiers, from Goldman Sachs to real estate. Then there is the infamous Columbia Business School, where professors of finance reap enormous salaries from outside consulting gigs and positions on corporate boards of directors.
“Inside Job” did well at revealing some of the dodgy conflicts of interest surrounding the business school faculty. But it missed something that’s perhaps deeper. Many of the business school faculty would probably peddle the interests of the ultra-wealthy for free—they really believe it. Glenn Hubbard, the dean, was chair of the Republican Council of Economic Advisors, championed the first Bush tax cuts, and has repeatedly come out in favor of more and bigger tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans as the surest route to growth.
Moving along, there are the various cross-affiliations with the law school. Most immediately, Michael Sovern, former university president and a professor at Columbia Law School, is chairman of the board of Sotheby’s, the luxury art and real estate dealer. Sotheby’s is currently locking out its workers, members of Teamsters’ Local 814, and is demanding that all new hires work temp jobs with no benefits. The lockout has been going on for 10 weeks.
Finally, there is the conflict of interest of President Bollinger’s chairmanship of the board of the New York Federal Reserve. Bollinger was appointed to fill the shoes of Denis Hughes, state president of the AFL-CIO, to “represent the public” in the Fed. But how can Bollinger, whose job involves befriending the ultra-wealthy and convincing them to write checks to the University, carry out responsibilities that could endanger that very wealth (like pushing for higher inflation or large-scale student debt relief)? This is just the tip of the iceberg, and many more connections could be discussed. One ironic consequence of Columbia’s allegiance to the wealthy is that the endowment could actually swell with an increase in high-income and capital gains taxes. The endowment is a tax-exempt foundation, and evidence suggests that donations to such things increase when taxes go up. But the more fundamental problem is the dependence of Columbia’s prestige on the goodwill of the ultra-wealthy. While public universities like CUNY/SUNY are starved of funds, Columbia’s opulence remains, courtesy of a cozy relationship with Wall Street.
Yoni Golijov is a Columbia College senior majoring in economics-philosophy. Sumayya Kassamali is a Ph.D. student in the department of anthropology at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
OCCUPY COLUMBIA
by Yoni Golijov and Sumayya Kassamali
Let’s not kid ourselves about how the beautiful space that is our university is paid for. Despite the tuition you are paying, the accumulated largesse of oligarchs of Manhattan continues to fund a large share of Columbia’s operations. The slew of named buildings and endowed chairs reflects how much Columbia University’s endowment is the combination of illicit wealth it has accumulated from Caribbean slavery in the past all the way to the financial crisis in 2008.
This larger fact is the background for many smaller connections between Columbia and Wall Street. Columbia’s endowment depends on good relations with the financial Masters of the Universe. For example, all of the five vice chairs of the board of trustees are financiers, from Goldman Sachs to real estate. Then there is the infamous Columbia Business School, where professors of finance reap enormous salaries from outside consulting gigs and positions on corporate boards of directors.
“Inside Job” did well at revealing some of the dodgy conflicts of interest surrounding the business school faculty. But it missed something that’s perhaps deeper. Many of the business school faculty would probably peddle the interests of the ultra-wealthy for free—they really believe it. Glenn Hubbard, the dean, was chair of the Republican Council of Economic Advisors, championed the first Bush tax cuts, and has repeatedly come out in favor of more and bigger tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans as the surest route to growth.
Moving along, there are the various cross-affiliations with the law school. Most immediately, Michael Sovern, former university president and a professor at Columbia Law School, is chairman of the board of Sotheby’s, the luxury art and real estate dealer. Sotheby’s is currently locking out its workers, members of Teamsters’ Local 814, and is demanding that all new hires work temp jobs with no benefits. The lockout has been going on for 10 weeks.
Finally, there is the conflict of interest of President Bollinger’s chairmanship of the board of the New York Federal Reserve. Bollinger was appointed to fill the shoes of Denis Hughes, state president of the AFL-CIO, to “represent the public” in the Fed. But how can Bollinger, whose job involves befriending the ultra-wealthy and convincing them to write checks to the University, carry out responsibilities that could endanger that very wealth (like pushing for higher inflation or large-scale student debt relief)? This is just the tip of the iceberg, and many more connections could be discussed. One ironic consequence of Columbia’s allegiance to the wealthy is that the endowment could actually swell with an increase in high-income and capital gains taxes. The endowment is a tax-exempt foundation, and evidence suggests that donations to such things increase when taxes go up. But the more fundamental problem is the dependence of Columbia’s prestige on the goodwill of the ultra-wealthy. While public universities like CUNY/SUNY are starved of funds, Columbia’s opulence remains, courtesy of a cozy relationship with Wall Street.
Yoni Golijov is a Columbia College senior majoring in economics-philosophy. Sumayya Kassamali is a Ph.D. student in the department of anthropology at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
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