U.S. job loss worst since 1974

NEW YORK — Employers slashed another 598,000 jobs off of U.S. payrolls in January, taking the unemployment rate up to 7.6%, according to the latest government reading on the nation’s battered labor market.

The latest job loss is the worst since December 1974, and brings job losses to 1.8 million in just the last three months, or half of the 3.6 million jobs that have been lost since the beginning of 2008.

January’s job loss was also worse than the forecast of a loss of 540,000 jobs from economists surveyed by Briefing.com

The rise in the unemployment rate also was worse than the 7.5% rate economists expected. The unemployment rate is now at its highest level since September, 1992.

As bad as the unemployment rate was, it only tells part of the story for people struggling to find jobs. Friday’s report also showed that 2.6 million people have now been out of work for more than six months, the most long-term unemployed since 1983.

And that number only counts those still looking for work. The so-called underemployment rate, which includes those who have stopped looking for work and people working only part-time that want full-time positions, climbed to 13.9% from 13.5% in December. That is the highest rate for this measure since the Labor Department first started tracking it in 1994.January was a brutal month for layoffs, as major companies ranging from Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500), Boeing (BA, Fortune 500) and Caterpillar (CAT, Fortune 500) to Home Depot (HD, Fortune 500) and Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500) all announced substantial job cuts.

The job losses in January were widespread, with the manufacturing sector shedding 207,000 jobs, the construction industry cutting 111,000 jobs and business and professional services companies losing 121,000 jobs.

Retailers also cut 45,000 workers, while the leisure and hospitality sector lost 28,000. Among the only sectors posting narrow gains in jobs were education, health services, and the government.

The jobs report comes as the Senate debates the Obama administration's proposal for a nearly $900 billion economic stimulus bill. During a debate late into the night Thursday Republicans and some Democrats questioned the bill's mix of measures and its size. To top of page

US Hi-5 (American kids’ band)

Hi-5 was such a hugely popular show in Australia, an American group was assembled and Hi-5 made its U.S. debut in February 2003 (featuring American performers in the same roles as the original Australian version). The American version is shot in the same studios that the Australian version is shot in Sydney. The American show has episodes airing every weekday on The Learning Channel and Discovery Kids, and was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In addition, the Fall 2004 Parent’s Choice Award was given to their first CD, Jump and Jive with Hi-5.

As the show became increasingly popular, the cast appeared and performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, on CBS’s Early Show, and NBC’s Today Show, among others. During one Today Show appearance, Matt Lauer, the show’s host, compared the group’s popularity to The Beatles.

Hi-5 toured theatres and arenas in the U.S. in 2005, on the “Move Your Body” Tour, playing live to sold-out crowds in Hartford, Boston, Columbus, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Tallahassee, and Raleigh. Beginning August 19, 2006, over two weeks of concerts were held at Vancouver’s PNE, with additional concerts at Sesame Place and at Target book festivals in Minneapolis and New York City. Their second tour, “Hi-5 Live”, was also a sell-out.

The members of Hi-5 visit families and kids alike during their ‘off’ time, helping in relief efforts for victims of both Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina, visiting children at Target House (a facility servicing St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis), and helping with other benefits. Individual members often work with their own project or charity, such as Karla’s work with middle school-aged kids at an after-school program.

Original cast members Curtis, Jenn, Kimee, Karla and Shaun last performed together on September 23, 2007 at the Sesame Place theme park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.[1]

In late 2008, the American Hi-5 was rumoured to be disbanned due to Discovery Kids being reluctant to continue producing new episodes. In response to that, Canadidan media wanted more new episodes. Since Discovery Kids stop producing more episodes, TVOkids and The Learning Channel started airing the original Australian cast in late October 2008.

[edit] Hi-5 characters

[edit] Cast members

* Curtis Cregan, from Okemos, Michigan, starred on Broadway in Rent.

* Jennifer Korbee, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, toured with The American Folklore Theatre for three summers. Her solo album, Give a Girl a Reason, was released June 12, 2007. Her first single is “Good Night Tonight”.

* Kimee Balmilero, a Filipina born and raised in Hawaii, performed in Miss Saigon on tour and made her Broadway debut in Mamma Mia!.

* Shaun Taylor-Corbett, Native American, appeared on All My Children and studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. He left the series in the summer of 2006 to perform in the off-Broadway show Altar Boyz.

* Karla Cheatham-Mosley, was raised in Westchester, New York. She left the series in the summer of 2006 to concentrate on working in New York musical theatre.

[edit] Puppets

* Jup-Jup
* Chatterbox

Chatterbox is often referred to as Chats.

[edit] New Hi-5 cast members

In July 2006, Karla Cheatham-Mosley, and Shaun Taylor-Corbett left Hi-5 to pursue other opportunities. The episodes featuring Shaun and Karla are still broadcast on television. Replacing Karla and Shaun are

* Sydney James, an African-American performer who auditioned for American Idol and made it to Hollywood. He played Simba in the Lion King on Broadway.

* Yasmeen Sulieman, an African-American singer born in Oakland, California and raised in Hawaii. She toured with Little Shop of Horrors.

[edit] Segments of the program

* Kimee specializes in “Puzzles and Patterns” to help with math and logical thinking.

* Karla focuses on “Body Move” to emphasize physical activity and coordination.

* Curtis creates “Music” to show melody, rhythm and beat.

* Jennifer works with “Word Play” to expand children’s vocabulary, often using rhyming and song.

* Shaun helps identify “Shapes in Space” - visual and spacial awareness, shapes, colors and sizes.

Venice’s Party Colors

When Napoleon invaded Venice in 1797 he was so shocked at the excesses of the annual Carnival he banned it. No wonder. In the dying days of the Venetian Republic, the festival’s decadence knew few bounds, with masked merrymakers streaming into casinos to gamble, partygoers indulging in illicit liaisons, and crowds calling for blood at bullfights.Today the pre-Lenten event is more family-friendly. But there’s still a touch of hedonism as fancy-dress parties, concerts, fashion parades and firework displays transform the city into a vast alfresco theater.

Grammy Awards

As a concert, the Grammy Awards are often well worth watching. Witness Sly Stone coming out of retirement, or the raucous tribute to the Clash’s Joe Strummer a few years back, or even the hushed opening by a reunited Simon & Garfunkel in 2003.
Coldplay is up for Grammys in the big three categories: album, record and song of the year.

Coldplay is up for Grammys in the big three categories: album, record and song of the year.
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But as an awards show? Not so much.

Each year, the winners of the Grammys’ major categories — record of the year, song of the year and album of the year — often tilt toward safe, veteran acts or newcomers who sound like safe, veteran acts. Occasionally a fresh face breaks through — Amy Winehouse took home record and song of the year last year — but usually the winners are balladeers (Norah Jones), R&B balladeers (Alicia Keys), legendary figures (last year’s album of the year winner, Herbie Hancock) or late legendary figures (Ray Charles, who won album of the year for his posthumous release, “Genius Loves Company”).

“Making fun of the Grammys is … almost too simple,” wrote MTV.com’s James Montgomery. “They’re easy targets: gigantic, slow-to-turn battleships of mass appeal, just floating there, awaiting a well-placed torpedo.”

But, says Blender magazine’s Joe Levy, this year might be different.

“The whole purpose of this year’s Grammys is to be more exciting than last year’s,” he said. “Last year, of course, album of the year went to a Herbie Hancock album — a jazz album of covers of Joni Mitchell songs. I think the Grammys would like to avoid that this year, and they’ve done that by making the nominees hipper than they have been for many years recently.

Indeed, this year’s Grammy performers include Paul McCartney (with the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl backing him on drums), U2, Coldplay, Grammy nominations leader Lil Wayne, Radiohead, Kenny Chesney and Justin Timberlake.

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Among the presenters: Craig Ferguson, Sheryl Crow, Jack Black, Gwyneth Paltrow (the wife of Coldplay singer/pianist Chris Martin) and Al Green.

Rapper Lil Wayne received eight nominations, including album of the year (for his “Tha Carter III”). Coldplay earned seven nods, including album of the year (for “Viva La Vida”) and record of the year (the title track).

Among others with multiple nominations are Ne-Yo, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Alison Krauss, Robert Plant, Radiohead and newcomer Jazmine Sullivan. See some categories way under the radar »

Levy said this year’s album of the year category — which also includes Plant and Krauss (”Raising Sand”), Radiohead (”In Rainbows”) and Ne-Yo (”Year of the Gentleman”) — looks to be competitive. Moreover, even if the award goes to Plant and Krauss’ minimalist, T Bone Burnett-produced album — the “adult” favorite — it’s still OK.

“Raising Sand” is “a classy grown-up record, a subdued sound, and if that wins album of the year, then, you know what? The dude from Led Zeppelin won album of the year,” Levy said. “The people at the Grammys are trying to figure out how to be classy and grown up, but still cool.”

For his part, Ne-Yo was flabbergasted to find himself in such august company.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” he said. “I’m a little dumbfounded right now, but I’m a huge fan of Coldplay, huge fan of Radiohead.”

The big awards feature artists from many genres. Aside from Coldplay, nominees for record of the year are Adele’s “Chasing Pavements,” Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love,” M.I.A’s “Paper Planes” and Plant and Krauss’ “Please Read the Letter.”

The nominees for song of the year, a songwriters’ award, include “American Boy,” popularized by Estelle featuring Kanye West; “Chasing Pavements,” whose hit version was performed by Adele; “I’m Yours,” written and performed by Jason Mraz; “Love Song,” written and performed by Sara Bareilles; and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” written by the band.

Despite all his nominations, Lil Wayne has low expectations of winning.

“Do I think I’m going to win any? No,” he said in a recent video blog, according to the Canadian Press. “Because you know politics. I think they think it’s just enough to nominate me or something.”

Levy, too, is trying to keep his expectations low — though he still hopes for some big moments.
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“If anyone can have an evening packed with musical excitement and dull the excitement … it’s NARAS,” he said, referring to The Recording Academy, the organization that oversees the awards. “[But] they’re trying to make a case this year that something exciting is going on. So they packed it with performers, young and old. Anything that features Miley Cyrus and U2 is definitely casting a wide net, but I think it could be a good one.”

The Grammys are scheduled to air Sunday beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The show will be on CBS.