Women Still Falling Behind After 'Mancession'

When the recession began it took away many jobs, especially in construction and manufacturing, which has a mainly male workforce. Thus, the recession was named the "mancession." However, research is now showing that in our slowly moving economy men are finding more jobs than women. Women lost one in three jobs cuts between December 2007 and December 2009, but have gained back only 1 in 10 that were added in 2010. One reason for this may be the cuts in governmental jobs because women make up more than half of that sector of the work force. In the next year more cuts are expected to be made in governmental jobs, causing the problem to only continue to get worse. Although, in general women have a lower unemployment rate than men, but the gap is becoming smaller. As mens' unemployment decreases, womens' are increasing. Middle-aged women are especially feeling the pain. Once losing their job, it become only more and more difficult to find another one because when it comes between a 50-something year old women and a 30 year old male, in most cases the 30 year old male is chosen for the job, whether that be right or wrong. For women 16 and over it is taking an average of 24.3 weeks to find a new job, while for men its only 20.7 weeks. Then for 55-64 year old women it is taking an average of 39.1 weeks to find a job, while this time men the same age it's 29.6 weeks. Even though women lost fewer jobs in the recession, they have also had to suffer with other workplace problems such as low wages with few benefits. To put a number on it, women make 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. For both men and women, the recession has hit hard, but now the difference is that men are beginning to find work again and women are not having as much success.

Living in a small town, I haven't seen huge effects of the recession in my community. There have been some, but nothing drastic. I was surprised to read that originally more men were losing their jobs, and now while they are gaining them back women still are not. It's very strange to me how one gender can be doing better in the job market than another because that seems a bit backwards to me. Aren't women suppose to have just as many rights and priviledges as men in our world today? The fact that women make only 80 cents to every mans' dollar also upsets me. Why can't women make a dollar for every dollar a man makes? I am a young woman who will be entering the work force in a few years and I think that is extremely unjust. Obviously, there is still some instituition discrimination going on in our country in regards to not only different races, but different genders as well. For centuries women were thought of as less and their only role in life was to marry, have children, raise those children, cook, and clean. I agree that most often women are the primary caretakers of their children and have a more caring and "emotional" side, but that does not mean we can't do anything men can or that men can't do anything women can. Black or white, old or young, gay or straight, man or woman, I think an employer should look at a person's qualifications, experience, and achievements before anything else. The trivial things should not matter--at all. And as for women having a hard time finding jobs right now, I do think that makes sense. If men were the first to lose their jobs, then it's logical that they would be first to get them back. If women lost them a little later, then they will probably recover theirs a little later. I hope these predictions are true so that our economy can truely get "back on its feet" and I also hope that women can in the very near future be treated with the exact same rights as men--including equal pay for equal jobs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41076700/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

L.A. School Shooting

At Gardena High School in L.A. on Tuesday a bullet discharged from a gun a 10th grade student was carrying inside his backpack injured two students. One of the victims was a fifteen year old girl who has had to go through emergency surgery and at the moment is in criticial condition. The other victim was a 15 year old boy who suffered a neck wound, but is now considered in stable condition. When the shot occured, the student said, "sorry," and made it seem like it had been an accident. He was taken to the police station as the school was put into lock down. A friend of the student said he brought the gun to school to protect himself from fights. Many law enforcement agencies responded right away to the scene and had originally said three people were shot and they did not know who the shooter was. The school has a security policy of checking bags and backpacks before entering the school, so it's a mystery as to how the student got inside with a gun. The best guess is that not every student is checked because the searches are at random. Kids and parents at the school say there is a lot of racial tension. One parent says, "there's usually fights everyday, you're going to see blacks against whites and whites against blacks every single day," and "spanish, whites, Samoans — they don't care what race. Every day there's a fight." Gardena is ranked as one of the district's lowest performing high schools. About 35% of its students drop out. The principal had made it his goal back in the fall to create a dicipline committee, as behavioral problems at the school are nothing new.

It's always scary to hear of a school shooting, or any shooting for that fact. The nation continues to mourn over the tragic shooting in Tuscon only a little over a week ago, and now here's another story of the misuse of a gun. It almost seems like a day cannot go by without hearing another similair news report. Obviously, something needs to be done with gun control because what we have now is not working. I understand there are very practical uses for a gun--hunting, the military, policemen for protection. However, overall I think they are an evil weapon. I personally would never want to own one, in fact, I never want to touch one. Too many people who are not fit to carry a gun seem to be able to get ahold of one way too easily. The mentally ill, for one, are especially scary. With a gun they may kill themselves, or countless other people as well. The way gun laws are now make our country very unsafe. My suggestion would be that in order to get a gun a person would need to have a throughall background check and also pass a gun safety course. I think this could greatly help cut down the number of shootings that occur today. As for a solution for the high school mentioned in the article, I think they should mandate that every student be checked before entering the school. This may take extra time and extra money to hire more security people, but in the end I think the safety of the school would be greatly inhanced. I also think that an escourt service should be set up for the kids who have a dangerous travel home with gangs roaming the streets. If they had a police office walking with them, I think it would cause any gang member to think twice before attacking. Gun control has been debated and talked about for years and years and years, and little seems to be done about it. I really hope that this time something will.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41138365/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Congresswoman Shot

The United States Congress respresentative Gabrielle Giffords was shoot today outside a grocery store in Tuscon, AZ while she was in a meeting with supporters. The shooter who opened fire is said to have killed at least five people and injured several others and is now in custody. His name is Jared Loughner and is 22 years old. He used a pistol to carry out the shootings. Among those killed was a 9 year old child and a federal judge. Although Giffords is in critical condition, her outlook is "optimistic." This attack has shocked the nation and caused an outpouring of sympathy from politicians and people around the country. President Obama said the shooting was, "an unspeakable tragedy" and that "a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society." All Gabrielle Giffords was doing was listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbors, and that is what we pride our nation to be--a democracy. Loughner, the gunman, used both MySpace and Youtube to describe his wish to invent a new currency and complain about the illiteracy rate in Gillford's district of Arizona. In Gifford's office on Capital Hill, many other congressmen and women walked into her office almost in shock. Some cried and flowers were placed outside her door. Giffords is 40 years old was was re-elected for her third term in November. She was also a member of Arizona's house and senate before become on the the country's represenatives. Right before the shooting she had tweeted, "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later." She is married to the astronaut Mark E. Kelly who is training to be the next commander of a space shuttle mission scheduled for April. Gifford's easily won her election in 2006, but with the new Tea Party movement she only narrowly won in 2010. This shooting then occured amid a "highly charged political environment" and numerous threats have been made, but nothing until now was ever carried through. Giffords was in support of the health care bill, which has been the reason behind all the recent threats. Her office was vandalized hours after the House approved the bill. Her house seat was named by Sarah Palin as a "target" in the recent midterm elections. Then in an interview with Fox News Channel only last week Gifford said, "You know, actually as a former Republican, you know, I consider myself someone who is pretty in the middle, I'm a blue dog Democrat, and one that is interested in making sure that our country maintains our prosperity and frankly, our superiority over other countries and that's where we look at these threat, obviously our defense budget, our level of education." Now after today, Capital Police are urging other members of the House to take precautions.

I first heard this story today as I was watching TV at lunch. It was listed as "breaking news" and so right away I though, "Oh no! What's happened?" I was quite shocked when I found out. I think to have one of our members of Congress shot shakes our country to the core. We pride ourselves and also rely on the fact that we are one of the most powerful countries in the world, if not the most powerful. That is largely in thanks to our strong commitment to democracy since the beginning of our nation. Then when someone kills someone because they may not agree with them, it's just awful! Democracy is a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, and it's vital that we are able to discuss issues and differences with respect and civility. It's the horrific countries that have had or currently have dictators that shooting like this are thought to occur because it's the only way to get a point across or silence opposition. But we as the United States of America are NOT that way! The man who shot him was crazy, in my opinion. Sure, he may not agree politically with Gillford, but to resort to attempted murder is no way to push your agenda! I think as punishment he should be put in prison for life with no parol. Not only did he almost kill her, and maybe still will as we don't know yet if she's ok or not, but he also damaged how democracy in this country works. I can only hope the Gillford will be ok and that she can continue doing her work. She seems to me to a be a very kind and open-minded person who has and hopefully will continue to do a lot of good for our country.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40978517/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Wild Winter Weather

A storm combining snow, ice, and rain is causing chaos throughout the midwest and is expected to continue through New Year's Day. In particular, it has recently caused a 100-car pileup in Fargo, ND on Interstate 94. As a result of the pileup and worsening weather conditions of snow and wind, the interstate closed. The pileup originally started when two semi-trucks jackknifed on Thursday night. Highway Patrol were even having to rescue drivers by snowmobile and foot because the visibility and road conditions were so terrible. Three people were taken to the hospital. Out towards Denver they received the heaviest snow of the season on Friday morning and even parts of Wyomig and New Mexico are preparing for freezing temperatures and stormy weather. Phoenix, AZ also woke up to temperatures below freezing Friday morning because the storm had left a snowy mix of precepitation on the edges of the city the day before. People were shocked upon seeing snow because it is so rare there. Strong winds have also creates snow dunes on rooftops, streets, and yards across mountanious areas of Arizona. Because of this, two major thoroughfares in northern Arizona were closed, which stranded people just south of the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff. New Mexico, Colorado, Wyomig, Montana, and Nevada also all have major roadways shut down due to the storm. Up to a foot of snow is predicted to fall in the Denver and Colorado Springs area while the eastern plains are expected to get about 7 inches. Ski resorts are happy for the snow, but it has trapped some skiers on the mountain and prevented others from coming. This is because roads have been closed to those resorts because of dangerous conditions and the threat of avalanches. United Airlines has had to cancel 32 flights from Denver on Thursday alone. This storm has had a significant portion of the country in its clutches and is causing trouble for many.

This story first caught my attention because of its headline, "100-Car Pileup in Fargo, ND." I travel that area of Interstate 94 quite often because I take saxophone lessons from a college professor that lives up there. In fact I was there only two days ago, and it's amazing to me how drastically things can change in such a short amount of time! When something like this huge pileup occurs, I wonder if there was any way in could have been prevented. The only thing I can think of is if they could've closed Interstate 94 before conditions become so bad that the pileup occured. Today with our technology we have gotten pretty precise and accurate in predicing weather, so maybe it should become policy to shut down major highways and interstates before conditions become terrible. Of course, I also understand people have places to go and that would cause people to get upset, especially if conditions aren't bad yet, but at least it would ensure people's safety. I also found it shocking how places as far south as New Mexico and Phoenix, AZ are seeing snow! That, I'm sure, doesn't happen very often! One of my friends in in Phoenix right now for vacation, and I'm sure the family she was visiting has given them a hard time about bringing Minnesota's weather to Phoenix. It is kind of ironic how that works! I think what these storms remind us is that we aren't all-powerful. Some things are out of our control, like mother nature. In a way, these storm humble us and force us to slow down and re-examine our life in the midst of our busy schedules.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40861490/ns/weather/

Holiday Shopping Shows Income Gap

Some analysts and investors are reporting this year that "the American consumer is back," but in actuality, it's "some consumers." This shopping season has shown America the big picture of the growing income gap between upper and lower income households. This is largely due to the unemployment outlook. Those on the higher end are feeling more secure in their jobs and their incomes increasing, so they are willing to buy much more this year. Statistics say that the unemployment rate for those with a college degree is at 5%. However, those on the lower end are facing an unemployment rate of about 16% and a decrease in wages. This causes them to not feel very secure in their jobs and forces them to focus on necessities. Retailers that cater to low-income families, such as Wal-Mart are seeing decreases in revenue, while retailers geared towards high income families are experiencing their best sales this season of the past three years. Some days they have even had to close their stores because they ran out of merchandice! These high-income households are so confident in spending because in the third quarter this year they've seen their household net worth jump up by $1.2 trillion because the stock market saw a $1.9 trillion rise in financial assets. People who are weathy are now very willing to pay top dollar for luxury brands. Online retailers are also showing strong sales this year as they are up 12% overall. Still though, low-income households are having a hard time, largely due to the falling value of real estate and the fact that they don't own any stocks or bonds. The "rich" are the ones spending this year and who are increasing overall spending data, while the "average" and low-income people are not. Overall, the American consumer is still depressed, but a growing number are not.

I find this article hesitantly optimistic. I think it's heartening because it's saying that there are some people who are willing to spend money--and alot of it--again. Although these are just the weathy Americans, at least it's some. It's been 3 years since the weathy have spent as much as they are now.This may be one of the first signs that the economy is turning around. I mean, low-income families can never really spend alot money, because they just don't have it. They may not be buying as much as before the recession, but I don't think they were ever really able to make purchases like the high-income households, and therefore they probably wouldn't have as much of an effect on the overall consumer statistics and economy. I do find it unfortunate, though, that there has to be such a gap between the "rich" and the "poor." There is something not right in our government if the rich can continue to get richer while the poor continue to get poorer, which is what seems to be happening. If we truely are coming out of the recession, then I would think both ends would be seeing improvements, not just the weathy. That's why I'm hesitant to believe this article is a "good sign."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40593905/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/

A Town's Battle for Tolerance

In Sidney, New York, a town of about 6,000 and located 150 miles north of New York City, there has been a debate over religious tolerance that has sparked the attention of the nation. In November of 2009, a Sufi Muslim man, Amir Celoski, was killed in a car accident and was the first to be buried in a Sufi cemetary located on Wheat Hill Road in the town. Nine months later, it ignited a huge controversy after a second Sufi man was buried there. At a meeting with the Board of Supervisors in the town, the leaders voted to investigate the Sufi graves. The Sufis had gotten burial permits and followed the proper procedures, but the town Supervisor, Robert McCarthy, still called the graves illegal and said the bodies should be dug up and removed from their town. He said, "You can't just bury Grandma under the picnic table." McCarthy then became a symbol for Muslim-bashing everywhere. Sidney soon attracted the label of an Islamophonic, backwards, and ignorant town. In response, many people in the town bonded together and spoke out against the Board of Supervisors. Over 150 people who had never been to a town meeting or even ever met a Muslim showed up after hearing the accusations against the Sufis and shouted, "Shame on you," and "Apologize," to the Board members. They believe what the Board of Supervisors had done was wrong and wanted to make it right. The Board soon dropped the cemetary issue, but the movement that it had caused within the town was far from over. These people who were fighting for tolerance went to the Sufi center 8 miles from town and also talked with the shiek. They were determined that Sidney would become a prime example of tolerance and understanding. Both sides of the issue still run high in the town, however, with McCarthy supporters holding meetings promoting that all Muslims are terrorists, the Sufis have pictures of Osama Bin Laden at their center, and that the town would still be better off if they dug up their graves and left. The people counteracting that, lead by Han Hass, have been talking with national media, writing letters to town leaders and state officials, and attending meetings of the new group, "Concerned Citizens for Responsible Sidney Government." They are determined to end predjudices and hurtful assumptions that all Muslims are storing weapons, are a cult, or planning something evil. The Sufis in the town are extremely grateful and the town shiek has said, "this can show the world that we can live peacefully as Muslims and non-Muslims, that we can share the same land, that a small town can show the whole country is not mirred in Islamophobia." Others say it fills their heart that people whom they never knew would reach out and help them, and want to get to know them. The people leading this movement insist that we must get to know these Muslims as individuals-the mother giggling at her 14 month year old son, the old man and his walker he needs to walk into his mosque, the beekeeper-so on and so forth. McCarthy still insists, though, that his sole purpose was to decrease tax dollars. He thought that could be accomplished by getting rid of the cemetary. He denies that his proposal had anything to do with them being Muslim. Of course, many people in the town beg to differ. They are working to bring the Muslims justice and to encourage that all fear of them will go away if you only take the time to get to know them.

I found this story very moving. Often we would like to think that today, in 2010, our country has progressed enough to not be prejudiced or condeming to other cultures, religions, and races. Unfortunatly this is not the case. Personally, I think some of the people we are most judgemental upon are Muslims. The reason for this fear of Muslims is rooted in 9/11, which does make sense. However, we need to realize that the Muslims who carried out the attacks were part of an extremist group who view jiihad as a battle against other people and religions and have a hatred of Americans in particular. The vast majority of Muslims are NOT this way. They are peaceful people who view jiihad as an internal struggle to become a better person. I think that our accusations against Muslims in our country is just terrible. This story is a perfect example of it. Here were these peaceful Sufi Muslims living in small town America, and all they wanted was to bury one of their loved ones who had died. They got a permit and went through all the right procedures, and a few months later were told they may have to dig their loved ones up and take them somewhere else. How awful! These Sufis hadn't done anything against the law or anything wrong at all! I'm so glad people in the town stood up against the Board of Supervisors and told them that what they did was wrong. It makes me proud that they have been taking the time to get to know these Muslims as people, not just inaccurate stereotypes. And what have they found out? That they are normal human beings just like us. Yes, they have some different customs, viewpoints, and religious views than the majority of Americans who are Christians like myself, but we need to be accepting and tolerant of each other so that we can live as one country in peace. Since the foundings of our country, we have prided ourselves upon the fact that we are a place of religious freedom and the "melting pot" of many different people. Then because of that we have become one of the most successful countries in the world. Why would we ever want to go backwards and virtually "outlaw" other peoples? I think it's because we're scared of differences, but we have always prided ourselves on that and we need to continue to!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40629213/ns/us_news-life/

The 12 Days of Christmas Would Now Cost Almost $100,000

If a person was to buy all 364 items listed in the twelve days of Christmas, it would now cost almost $100,00. This is an increase of 10.8% compared to last year, according to the Christmas Price Index. Even if you bought one of everything in the song, it would still cost $23,439, which is 9.2% more than last year. This is according to the 27th annual holiday index, and in the past it has always mirrored the national Consumer Price Index, however, this year it does not. The Christmas Price Index grew about 9.2% this year and there was just a 1.1% increase in Consumer Price Index. This large difference is probably because the Christmas Price Index looks at a relatively small and "whimsical" group of services, compared to the much larger Consumer Price Index. Even in the index, there are goods that have seen small increase and goods that have seen large increases. Gold prices are also high with an increase of 30%, which makes the golden rings about $650 each. The price of food and the availability of birds has also drastically increased-turtle doves by 78.6% and french hens by 233%. Four items didn't see an increase though, those including a pear tree, four calling birds, six geese, and eight maids-a-milkings. Nine ladies dancing was the most expensive at about $6,300 with a 15% increase, and the cheapest was a partridge for $12 with a 20% increase. The good news is that these higher prices are not necessarily a bad thing. They mean the economy is improving.

Personally, I found this whole study a bit frivolous. I mean, who would really buy all those things in the 12 days of Christmas anyway? And almost every object is so absurd, that no one would would buy any of the items, aside from maybe a golden ring. It's funny that they do a study each year to find out how much it would cost to buy everything, that in my opinion are not very good examples of goods in our market, and compare it to other years. I suppose it's a constant 12 random items that they can keep track of and compare easily, so I guess it could be viewed as a controlled scientific study. If the results are truly reliable and predict real trends in society and our economy, then I would view the study as worth it. It will be interesting to see if the dramatic increase in prices from last year to this year will actually show in the statistics that prove the health of our economy. I have my doubts on this, because although I do think the economy is better, I don't think it has drastically improved in 2010, nor will it in 2011. It's suprising to me how the Christmas Price Index has grown over 9%, while the Consumer Price Index has grown only about 1%. I would guess this would mean that although Christmas prices and buying are up, the overall consumer buying and economy has not greatly grown. That would be the only way I could make sense of those numbers. It will be interesting to see if these predictions hold true with all the other statistics that come out at the end of the year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40418705/ns/business-us_business/