Post #124,278
11/5/03 12:23:27 PM
|
Large firms' layoffs take big upturn
The story of a smooth cruise from business growth to job creation took a turn toward the shoals Tuesday as announced job cuts unexpectedly hit their highest level in a year.
During October, companies announced plans to slash 171,874 positions, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.
Although it might be a one-month fluke, the monthly figure was a "stunning 125 percent" jump above September, ending a five-month streak in which cuts had been below 100,000, said John Challenger, chief executive officer of the company, which tracks labor market data.
[...]
Tuesday's report put announced layoffs this year just above 1 million for the third year in a row. At this point in 2001, companies had announced 1.6 milion job cuts. In the first 10 months of last year, about 1.2 million job cuts had been announced.
"The layoff number should change your perceptions," said Robert Brusca, chief economist for Native American Securities. "This report tells you that things are not on the mend as many thought."
[...]
"Any job market rebound we see in the near future will be relatively small," Challenger said
[link|http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/1103/05econ.html|source] lincoln
"Windows XP has so many holes in its security that any reasonable user will conclude it was designed by the same German officer who created the prison compound in "Hogan's Heroes." - Andy Ihnatko, Chicago Sun-Times
[link|http://users3.ev1.net/~bconnors/resume.htm|VB/SQL resume]
[link|http://users3.ev1.net/~bconnors/tandem_resume.htm|Tandem resume]
[link|mailto:bconnors@ev1.net|contact me]
|
Post #124,300
11/5/03 1:32:01 PM
|
The US government did a regular survey like that once...
which I remember hearing got cancelled by George Bush.
Both of them. (It was reinstated by Clinton.) Their solution to bad news was to kill the messenger.
Given this administration's track record, I have no faith that current good economic figures will turn out to be entirely accurate. Perhaps someone remembers how much they had to restate the San Francisco jobless numbers by a year or so ago? That event left me with a bad impression of the integrity of any figures coming from this government.
OTOH they could be accurate, an accelerating gap between how well the economy officially did versus how well the average person does is one of the predictions of Wealth And Democracy. (Have I convinced anyone other than Inthane to read it?)
Cheers,
Ben
"good ideas and bad code build communities, the other three combinations do not"
- [link|http://archives.real-time.com/pipermail/cocoon-devel/2000-October/003023.html|Stefano Mazzocchi]
|
Post #124,304
11/5/03 1:40:08 PM
|
EVERYBODY READ THAT !#%^%#%@# BOOK!
If you don't, I'll have to hunt you all down and beat you around the head with a clue-by-4...
[link|http://www.wealthanddemocracy.com|http://www.wealthanddemocracy.com]
In that final hour, when each breath is a struggle to take, and you are looking back over your life's accomplishments, which memories would you treasure? The empires you built, or the joy you spread to others?
Therin lies the true measure of a man.
|
Post #124,306
11/5/03 1:56:07 PM
|
Hell no....
I am depressed enough as it is....
I am already doing the gun thing WITHOUT reading the book...
--
[link|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net|greg],
[link|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ iwethey
I came, I saw, I now have firewood!
|
Post #124,308
11/5/03 2:03:32 PM
|
Uh huh
I've got enough problems as it is. The whole economy thing depresses me enough without being in my face.
Besides, I've got too many other books to read.
-YendorMike
[link|http://www.hope-ride.org/|http://www.hope-ride.org/]
|
Post #124,312
11/5/03 2:33:39 PM
|
Nice to see we're all playing the same game
It's just too big a problem. I'll solve it by ... ignoring it. And yup, I'm making the same excuses as you and Greg.
===
Implicitly condoning stupidity since 2001.
|
Post #124,324
11/5/03 3:07:38 PM
|
Alternative Future?
I'm sorry, but I'm with the other guys, reality is scary enough, without hearing about all the historical precedents to our decline, and forecasts of gloom and doom.
There was a magazine my dad subscribed to in the 1970's called Ruff Times, published by Howard Ruff. It forecasted that our economy would collapse under the weight of our debt, that we would eventually end up like Brazil or Agentina with 1000% inflation, etc. He recommended buying gold, silver, and commodities.
Ruff Times was popular from about 1973 to about 1978.
My dad bought gold with our extra money and we watched gold go to $900 an ounce in the late 1970's. But, then Graham-Ruddman and other economic factors kicked in and by the late 1980's, gold was back below $300 an ounce. Things settled down, and people realized that they were going to be OK.
My concern with W&D is that just because two prior industrial powers had civil wars over the distribution of wealth doesn't mean that we will. I can tell you that I think many gov't officials HAVE woken up to the fact that people are sensitive about jobs right now, and that there WILL be change in Washington, if the unemployment rate continues to climb. New political parties will be formed and the bastards WILL be voted out.
Despite the opinions of some conspiracy theorists.
If one side of the fence is "cooking the books", another will expose it.
Glen Austin
|
Post #124,330
11/5/03 4:07:44 PM
|
That's why you need to read this.
Yeah, the trends are negative. I hope they don't get worse. If anything, reading this book showed me that stuff like what's happening right now has happened several times before, and after some painful times, we pulled through it. (Great Depression, Railroad Trusts, Civil War, some other stuff I don't remember)
The main problem is that a whole smeggin' lot of people don't get it - and they NEED to get it to turn it around before it's too late.
This is part of that.
In that final hour, when each breath is a struggle to take, and you are looking back over your life's accomplishments, which memories would you treasure? The empires you built, or the joy you spread to others?
Therin lies the true measure of a man.
|
Post #124,342
11/5/03 5:08:20 PM
|
The big factor
will be "Are those people out of work or lost their jobs to get a lower paying one going to bother to take the time and vote those responsible out of office?"
Motiving people to vote is hard when they've turned apathetic and depressed. Granted being out of work should give them the free-time to make it to a polling place, but they need proper motivation to do so.
I worked as an Electrion Judge at many polling places and have seen poor turnouts for areas of St. Louis County. Unless there was a Presidential Election, less than half or even 30% would show up and vote. Not unless there was a major issue on the ballots concerning where tax money went. "More taxes for better public schools? H*ll no!" "More taxes to fix the failing highways? H*ll no!"
"Lady I only speak two languages, English and Bad English!" - Corbin Dallas "The Fifth Element"
|
Post #124,316
11/5/03 2:48:15 PM
|
No wealth to buy it
-drl
|
Post #124,321
11/5/03 2:57:53 PM
|
That's what the library is for.
I'll leave it to CRC to call you an idiot for forgetting that. :D
|
Post #124,325
11/5/03 3:09:12 PM
|
Won't be in the library for 5 more years...
Have you been to the library lately?
Our library doesn't ever seem to have anything that is newer than at least 2 years.
|
Post #124,329
11/5/03 4:04:19 PM
|
Must have a sucky library.
The King County Library System is Really Great up here. Must be part of that whole left coast thing.
In that final hour, when each breath is a struggle to take, and you are looking back over your life's accomplishments, which memories would you treasure? The empires you built, or the joy you spread to others?
Therin lies the true measure of a man.
|
Post #124,331
11/5/03 4:12:05 PM
|
Re: That's what the library is for.
I don't go to libraries since they began invading privacy and otherwise hassling people. One more thing that's off the list of things that used to be fun.
-drl
|
Post #124,360
11/5/03 8:23:32 PM
|
All honest librarians (most) are fighting Ashcroft,
in practical ways -- simply refusing to keep data on paper, as the most obvious. Librarians are traditionally underappreciated - as befits the antiintellectual nature of Puritan mobs.
In many small towns, and during McCarthy era especially [watch it, as it returns] - the local librarian was almost the sole representative of 'free enquiry'; most tactfully - a few overtly. I have some experience of just such.
Maligning these folks is - stupid. Y'know?
|
Post #124,364
11/5/03 8:39:21 PM
|
Re: All honest librarians (most) are fighting Ashcroft,
I've tried. ID is demanded and that sort of thing. It makes me feel creepy, like someone is watching me. I love the library and now I can't go.
-drl
|
Post #125,297
11/12/03 9:02:56 AM
8/21/07 6:40:43 AM
|
Read it there
Seriously, I much prefer reading in the library (or often lately the Tattered Cover) to lugging the things home.
"I believe that many of the systems we build today in Java would be better built in Smalltalk and Gemstone."
-- Martin Fowler, JAOO 2003
|
Post #125,318
11/12/03 10:05:39 AM
|
Re: Read it there
The T/C was my default library while there, and it was walking distance (from Old South Gaylord).
-drl
|
