U.S. jobless claims rise more than expected

Reuters ^ | January 30, 2014 | Reuters

[John W]

Jan 30 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, but the underlying trend suggested the labor market continued to heal.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 348,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Claims for the prior week were revised to show 3,000 more applications received than previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast first-time applications for jobless benefits rising to 330,000 in the week ended Jan. 25.

The four-week moving average for new claims, considered a better measure of underlying labor market conditions as it irons out week-to-week volatility, edged up 750 to 333,000

[devolve]

"He's just 'too talented' to do what 'ordinary people' do."



- Valerie Jarrett







"…. maybe a little blow…."



- Barack Hussein Obama II

[RipSawyer]

In other news a newly stuck pig continued to bleed at an unexpectedly higher rate but the average rate of bleeding is decreasing suggesting that the underlying rate of healing continues. The pig is expected to be flying again within a year.

[RipSawyer]

Present conditions of insanity in the USA would not be possible without the tremendous advances in technology in the past few decades. If you try to estimate what percentage of Americans are actually engaged in productive work and I mean producing the goods and services necessary for daily life it is frightening. You have to realize that this necessarily does NOT include police, firefighters, military etc. I only refer to the production of the basic necessities of life, there was a time when almost everyone old enough to walk straight was involved in this to some degree. I was born during WWII and literally started doing chores to help out on the farm before I started first grade and this was a time of advanced technology relative to earlier times.
What I am getting at is that America is indulging in a monumental hissy fit of incredible proportions that would not have been possible in times when people really HAD TO WORK TO SURVIVE. A very large part of the population is acting like a three year old holding his breath to try to get his way. The proper response is to just say, “Okay, you will take a breath before you die, so have fun.” Instead these spoiled babies are being catered to in every imaginable way.
To add insult to injury many of these spoiled babies imagine themselves to be possessed of great virtue and wisdom so profound that those of us who actually try to deal with the real world in a sane way are just too stupid to understand the great gifts they are offering us.