U.S. businesses stepped up hiring in December

In December, government jobs fell by 10,000 but private employers boosted their hiring, adding 113,000 jobs. These rates were enough to drive down the unemployment rate to 9.4% from 9.8%, a small distance but headed in the right direction. Another reason for the drop in the unemployment rate is that the government no longer counts people that have stopped looking for work as unemployed. Even though more people were hired than in previous months, the increase in payroll gain was smaller than the 145,000 the economists predicted. Over the past three months, the economy has added an average of 128,000 jobs, which is enough to keep up with the population growth. Nearly double is needed to significantly reduce the unemployment rate. A report Thursday said that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits over the past month than in any four-week period in more than two years. A decrease in layoffs has consumers feeling better about the economy. This past holiday shopping season was the best in four years. A payroll tax cut coming this month will give Americans more money for the new year. Overall, Jobless rate is likely to keep falling but very slowly.

It is very good news to hear that jobs are finally being generated and they are coming from private businesses, which is what we need to grow our economny. Outsourcing is not good in keeping up our economy. If small business can prosper, the US will be in much better shape. A tax cut will also be nice as long as it goes to everyone across the board, regardless of income. The wealthy work for their money as well so they deserve one too. I feel like there may be a little false hope in the issue however because of the fact that even when people stop looking for jobs, they are no longer counted as unemployed when in reality that is what they are. Hopefully, more new jobs will begin to regenerate and unemployment can slowly go down. I feel that technology has a bit to do with the problem in unemployment becuase now machines can do jobs that people once did.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40960689/ns/business-eye_on_the_economy/

DC-bound plane loses radio contact, pilot erred

On Saturday, the U.S. capitol had to be evacuated due to a pilot turning his radio to the wrong frequency and losing contact with air traffic controlers as he was approaching Washington. The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing the pilot error. The loss of contact also lead to the clearing of the House and Senate office buildings. F-16 fighter jets were scrambling to get into the air but the plane was able to regain radio contact with the air traffic controlers. It is unclear how they re-established contact. The airline continues to work with local authorities to investigate the incident, it is unclear how many passangers were on board.

My first thought is, did the passangers know that they had lost radio contact and caused so much havok? If so, i would be incredibly scared. 911 all over again perhaps. I think the pilot should most definitely be investigated as to why he lost contact and how he was able to regain it. I wish i knew how the frequencies changed, then this article would make much more sense to me. I hope the passangers on the flight recieve some kind of gift since they were on this flight considering how they had to feel knowing they lost contact causing the clearing of the house, senate, and capitol. The pilot should not be able to fly again until the cause for the disconnection is found.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40872591/ns/politics/

Mexico border city has record drug killings in '10

On Saturday, an official stated that Ciudad Juarez had it's bloodiest year ever with 3,111 people killed in drug violence. The city has seen its homicide rate soar to one of the highest in the world since turf battles broke out in 2008 between gangs representing the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. In 2008, 1,587 people were killed in drug violence, and in 2009 the number increased to 2,643. The bloodiest month in Ciudad Juarez was last October when 359 people were killed related to drug war. President Felipe Calderon launched an offensive against cartels when he took office in 2006 and since then more than 30,000 people have been killed in drug violence nationwide.

The recent rise in drug violence is unbelievable to me, and so many people are suffering because of it. I would think that this high activity of cartel violence has caused many people to leave the city, at least I hope people are doing that to try and stay away from the violence. Sometimes i think it would be much simpler if the drugs were just legalized so there could be some system so there wouldn't be so many slain. But legalization would just bring more problems so i really don't know what a good solution would be but i hope there is one soon. I am very thankful that I am not living there however, i can't imagine how fearful i would be just simply walking down the street.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40874295/ns/world_news-americas/,