The Conference Board Reports Online Job Demand Down 66,700 in June

Modest growth in job demand evident in Florida and Georgia over last few months.


/PRNewswire/ -- Online advertised vacancies declined 66,700 to 3,294,800 in June, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted Online Data Series (HWOL)(TM) released today. In the five months since January, online labor demand has dropped a relatively modest 71,000, in sharp contrast to the 1,200,000 decline in the previous five months from August 2008 to January 2009.

"We are not out of the woods yet, but job demand has definitely stabilized since January," said Gad Levanon, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. "Although there is some bounce in the monthly numbers, the number of online advertised vacancies has held steady in the last three months (up a modest 35,000). Across the U.S., it is an increasingly mixed picture with some states, like Florida and Georgia, showing some modest gains, others such as New York, North Carolina holding steady, and some, like California and Pennsylvania, yet to show real improvement."

Regional and State Highlights

Modest strength seen in the South in states like Florida and Georgia.

Among the 20 most populous states, unemployed people outnumber advertised vacancies (Supply/Demand) and range from a low of roughly 2 to 1 (Maryland) to about 10 to 1 (Michigan).

The number of advertised vacancies declined in June in all four regions of the country (Northeast, South, Midwest and West), ranging from a modest drop of 3,400 in the Southern region to 18,100 in the Northeast, 13,400 in the Midwest and 10,300 in the West. "The June data shows an almost even split between the number of states with increases (24) and the number with declines (26)," said Levanon. "But there are clear signs that the employers are advertising again for workers and in some states the trend over the last few months has improved."

The June decrease of 3,400 in the Southern region reflected the contrasting movement of some of the largest states. Of these states, Florida experienced a sizeable gain, 9,200, and was followed by Georgia (2,900), North Carolina (900) and Virginia (100). Texas and Maryland both experienced declines, -5,100 and -1,400 respectively. Among the smaller states in the South, West Virginia (4,100), Kentucky (3,700) and Arkansas (1,600) increased in June. Oklahoma (-1,100) and Louisiana (-800) both declined in June and continued their relative flat trends since January.

In the Northeast, all four of the largest states posted declines in June. New York showing the largest decrease (5,300), however looking at the trend since January, job demand in New York is basically flat. New Jersey, which was down 2,600 in June, has experienced a modest increase of 1,700 over the last four months. Pennsylvania (-2,700) and Massachusetts (-2,200) decreased modestly in June, and both states continue their downward trend. Among the states with smaller populations in the region, Maine dropped a modest 100 in June and overall has shown a flat trend since January.

In the West, changes in labor demand among the four most populous states in June were split between increases in Arizona and Colorado and decreases in California and Washington. Arizona and Colorado increased 4,600 and 3,400 respectively and thereby returned to their levels at the beginning of the year, although still 40 percent below their levels in June 2008. California was down 15,900 in June and continued its downward trend. Washington reversed only a small number of last month's gains with a decline of 1,300 jobs. Among the states with smaller populations, Hawaii and New Mexico are two states in the West where the trend has been steady since January. In June, Hawaii rose 800 while New Mexico was up 1,000.

In the Midwest, Wisconsin declined by 4,300, Minnesota decreased by 2,300, and Missouri declined by 1,800. Illinois experienced the largest increase (1,900) and was followed by Michigan (800) and Ohio (700). Ohio continues to be the Midwest state where drops in labor demand have leveled off over the last couple of months.

The Supply/Demand rate for the U.S. in May (the latest month for which unemployment numbers are available) was at 4.32, down slightly from 4.40 in April but still indicating that there are more than 4 unemployed workers for every online advertised vacancy. Among the states, the highest Supply/Demand rate is in Michigan (9.95), or nearly 10 unemployed people for every advertised vacancy. Other states where there are over 6 unemployed for every advertised vacancy include Indiana (7.73), Kentucky (7.33), Ohio (6.54), North Carolina (6.49), and Mississippi (6.30). North Dakota (1.41) and Nebraska (1.44) have some of the lowest rates.

It should be noted that the Supply/Demand rate only provides a measure of relative tightness of the individual State labor markets and does not suggest that the occupations of the unemployed directly align with the occupations of the advertised vacancies.

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Georgia Deptartment of Human Resources Launches Online Health/Wellness Resource in Eight Counties‏

The Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR) Division of Public Health (DPH), in association with Longitude Health, announced today an innovative program, MyHealthVillage, to help identify and reduce the major risk factors for chronic conditions. The program will focus on improving cardiovascular health including issues associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

MyHealthVillage is being introduced throughout the state of Georgia. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the program is a holistic approach — addressing the whole person and the whole population — and improves health and wellness by recognizing how cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity are interrelated and share a common set of modifiable risk factors.

“Georgia faces a high prevalence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. When these conditions are combined they reduce our citizens’ quality of life, hurt the productivity of our workers and raise healthcare expenses for our employers,” said Dr. Sandra Elizabeth Ford, acting director of the Division of Public Health. “This program provides a proven prevention, wellness and disease management service that will help individuals assess and manage their health risk factors including how they eat, exercise and manage tobacco, alcohol and stress. As a result, we hope to see improved health and productivity among participants.”

The innovative healthcare program includes:

· Longitude Health’s MyHealthVillage.com Health Assessment - A comprehensive health risk assessment questionnaire delivered online or on paper.

· Onsite biomedical screening for additional health risk factors.

· One-to-one health guidance on understanding the Health Assessment and reducing risk factors with Longitude Health Healthguides, who are trained, allied health professionals.

· Access to online health tools and workplace-delivered resources including proprietary Longitude Health content and the American Heart Association’s Search Your Heart Curriculum.

· MyHealthVillage.com incentives and communications resources to encourage and reward maximum participation in the program as well as coordinate with DHR Division of Public Health’s promotion activities.

Once an employer enrolls in the program, employees and their spouses can participate with no out of pocket cost to either the employer or the participants. The MyHealthVillage program is free to selected worksites through an application process with the DHR Division of Public Health’s Office of Health Behaviors (http://health.state.ga.us/programs/healthpromo/index.asp).

“Our mission is to prevent unnecessary death, disease and disability by providing carefully planned and appropriately implemented health promotion, disease prevention and care activities,” said B.J. Walker, Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources. “We are excited to be able to provide our citizens with a comprehensive health solution that easily adapts to Georgia’s varying communities.”

“Over the years, Georgia has been working actively to support worksite wellness and promote healthy behaviors. We are thrilled to be included in this effort and we look forward to introducing Longitude Health’s resources,” concluded Dr. Jan Swaney, Founder and CMO of Longitude Health.

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Online Guide For New Ship Speed Regulation Available

An online guide to a new ship speed limit designed to protect imperiled right whales will hopefully help speed up compliance while encouraging large ships to slow down.

The compliance guide for the right whale ship strike reduction rule made effective this week is available at:

·NOAA Fisheries’ Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Web site: www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike/

·NOAA Fisheries' Southeast Region's Right Whale Conservation site: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/mm/rightwhales/rwconservation.htm

·NOAA Fisheries Northeast Region's Ship Strike Reduction site: www.nero.noaa.gov/shipstrike/

The speed restriction established by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requires vessels 65 feet or longer to slow to 10 knots or less while traveling in designated critical habitat areas along the U.S. Atlantic coast. The rule went into effect Tuesday, Dec. 9.

North Atlantic right whales are slow swimmers that frequently rest just below the surface and often do not respond to the sounds of approaching ships. Ship strikes are the leading cause of mortality for the species. Other threats to survival include entanglement in commercial fishing gear, collisions with smaller recreational boats and disease.

The regulation specifies November to March as the calving season. The warm coastal waters off the Georgia and northeastern Florida are the only known calving grounds for these rare aquatic giants. The whales are especially vulnerable during this time due to heavy traffic in Georgia’s shipping lanes, where the whales tend to be found. It has been estimated that the loss of one or two female right whales a year could lead to extinction of the species within a century.

Federally listed as endangered, there are only 350-400 north Atlantic right whales left in the world.

Georgians can help conserve right whales, as well as other animals not legally hunted, fished for or trapped and their habitats, through buying wildlife license plates featuring a bald eagle or a ruby-throated hummingbird. They can also donate to the Give Wildlife a Chance state income tax checkoff. Both programs are vital to the Nongame Conservation Section, which receives no state funds. Visit www.georgiawildlife.com for more information, or call Nongame Conservation offices in Social Circle (770-761-3035), Forsyth (478-994-1438) or Brunswick (912-264-7218).

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Great holiday gifts available now during the Atlanta Braves Foundation Holiday Online Auction

Just in time for holiday shopping, the Atlanta Braves Foundation will auction off valuable and unique items during the Atlanta Braves Foundation Holiday Online Auction, Dec. 4 - Dec. 15 at Braves.com/foundationauction.
Fans will have the chance to bid on valuable items including:

• 1966 Atlanta Braves team signed jersey featuring Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro
• Twenty Atlanta Braves autographed baseballs framed together, including baseballs signed by Bobby Cox, Chipper Jones, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Brian McCann, and Tim Hudson
• Framed 2008 Atlanta Braves team-signed jersey
• 2008 Atlanta Braves starting line-up autographed bat

Fans can also bid on other valuable memorabilia including Atlanta Braves autographed baseballs, autographed bats and autographed jerseys from current and former Braves greats including Hank Aaron, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur, John Smoltz, Brian McCann, Tim Hudson, Bobby Cox, Dale Murphy, Phil Niekro, and David Justice.

The non-profit arm of the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Braves Foundation actively supports community organizations and their programs within the metro Atlanta area. Since its inception in 1992, the Atlanta Braves Foundation has provided support to thousands of metro Atlanta based organizations and has contributed more than three million dollars in financial assistance to the community. Through the generous support of Braves players, employees, sponsors and fans, the Atlanta Braves Foundation continuously strives to improve the quality of life for our youth.

Other great gift ideas for Braves fans this holiday season include:

• Atlanta Braves Holiday 6-Pack - available for a limited time (Nov. 14 - Dec. 15) at Braves.com/holiday or 404-577-9100. Includes a pair of tickets to six marquee games in 2008 including Opening Day, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees games. Other season ticket packages are also available.
• Atlanta Braves Foundation Legacy Brick inscribed with personalized message, available at Braves.com/bricks or 1-877-ABF-BRIX [1-877-223-2749]. Gift certificates also available.
• A wide variety of Braves merchandise is available at the Braves Clubhouse Store at the CNN Center or through the Braves Clubhouse Collection catalog by calling 1-800-433-BRAVES. Free ground shipping on all orders before Nov. 14.
• Atlanta Braves Gift Cards, redeemable for Braves tickets, concessions, and merchandise, are available at Braves.com.

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Recession Relief: Leading Coupon Publisher Puts Coupons Online

/PRNewswire/ -- Clipper Magazine, the Pennsylvania-based publisher of local and regional coupon magazines that reach about 35 million shoppers in over 30 states, recently launched couponclipper.com, putting savings from local businesses nationwide at consumers' fingertips free-of-charge.

Couponclipper.com allows anyone with internet access to easily search for local businesses in a multitude of product and service categories. Visitors can locate anything from chimichangas to chimney sweeps across the nation, as well as coupons, directions, and even menus and website links.

COO and Co-founder Ian Ruzow comments, "Couponclipper.com evolved from myclipper.com, our original online service that allowed Clipper Magazine readers to access and print electronic versions of local coupons. The 250 thousand members of that site became the first members of couponclipper.com, but may be joined by anyone anywhere who surfs for savings." He notes that Clipper mails as Savvy Shopper in Georgia and Arizona and Rewards Magazine in Ohio, as well.

"It's an amazingly convenient and valuable free service for consumers and an outstanding opportunity for advertisers to increase exposure," he adds. Ruzow projects the site will feature 120 thousand local coupons or more by year's end.

Director of Product Development Sam Gorgone, who headed the group instrumental in developing couponclipper.com, explains, "We anticipate that couponclipper.com will become the new go-to site for consumers interested in saving money. In addition to business information and coupons, it offers news feeds and product and service reviews. It even allows users to create personalized savings pages that track their favorite businesses, coupons they access and locations they visit."

Of course the new service is being advertised in Clipper's magazines, but even those who don't receive the publications should easily stumble across it as a result of search engine optimization. Clipper's next steps include exploring the popular social media and mobile markets.

Ruzow asserts, "For 25 years Clipper's claim has been 'The Best Local Advertising in America. Period.' To maintain that claim, we now need to offer the best local online advertising, too. With couponclipper.com, we're doing that, plus providing the best local savings."

Since 1983, Clipper Magazine has grown from a local, four-page campus advertising publication to over 500 local editions in 31 states. Mailed seven times annually, it reaches roughly 35 million homes with full-color ads featuring money-saving offers.

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New Music Download Site Featuring Music Without Derogatory or Suggestive Lyrics is Launched

New Music Download Site - Featuring Music Without Derogatory or Suggestive Lyrics is Launched; Independent and Major Label Artists are Represented

PositiveMusicandDownloads.com

/PRNewswire/ -- A new, online web site devoted to positive, values-based music -- PositiveMusicandDownloads.com -- has been launched by four Utah entrepreneurs to fill a void in the music industry.

Patterned after popular sites like iTunes, songs can be downloaded to MP3 players or shipped through the mail. Individual songs sell for 99 cents. CDs are priced between $8 and $16.95 and albums at $9.99.

Artists associated with major record labels as well as independent and emerging musicians are represented. Gaylen Rust, founder and president of PositiveMusicandDownloads.com, said the motivation for launching the site was to create an online destination for consumers looking for music reflective of their tastes and lifestyles. "The site will have broad appeal to those who don't like negotiating a landmine of questionable material on the typical download sites," said Rust. "Too often the industry has dictated what type of music we should be listening too. Artists who have a more positive message can't always get past music industry gatekeepers. Now there is a place for them."

The breadth of musicians currently on the site range from internationally acclaimed artist Alex Boye, who was the lead singer with the European boy band "Awesome" that performed alongside N'SYNC, the Backstreet Boys, and Mary J. Blige, to professional studio violinist Beverly Hansen who has performed with professionals such as Josh Groban, Mannheim Steamroller and Clay Aiken, to regional artists such as Jessie Clark Funk and Sam Payne, pianist Marvin Goldstein and guitarist Michael Dowdle.

Payne said a web site like PositiveMusicandDownloads.com is especially beneficial for independent artists because they must handle nearly every aspect of promoting and developing their careers. "PositiveMusicandDownloads.com is a great tool that helps independents reach their audience in a safe, friendly, shopping environment."

One of Rust's business associates is composer, arranger and songwriter Greg Hansen, who has more than 30 years of experience with some of the biggest names in Hollywood and the music industry. Hansen is well acquainted with the industry dynamics that "push the envelope toward lyrics that are salacious or sensational, in the belief that this will trigger more sales. We will not compromise quality for quantity."

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Only One Week Remains to Vote for Line Creek!

Your vote online can direct $5,000 for new trail signs and trail maintenance at the Line Creek Nature Area!

Line Creek is a 70 acre hidden treasure on the border of Fayette and Coweta Counties that offers something for everyone who loves the outdoors: a fishing dock over a placid pond . . . a picnic gazebo . . . both easy and challenging hiking trails that lead you through a majestic hardwood forest, over rock outcroppings, and down to rushing Line Creek . . . see the historic Mule Rock carving and ruins of an old stone bridge . . .

The Line Creek trails project is one of 20 finalists chosen from 70 applicants across the nation to be featured in the "Save the Trails" online contest sponsored by the American Hiking Society and Nature Valley granola bars.

Vote for Line Creek at www.wheresyours.com/SaveTheTrailsVote.aspx. (It's 2/3 of the way down the page.)

You can help improve this popular nature preserve without spending a dime and make Line Creek an even better place to visit!

The deadline to vote is Friday, October 31st.The Line Creek preserve is located on Hwy 54 on the border of Fayette and Coweta County.

Make a lasting difference in your own community -- vote for Line Creek Nature Area today!

www.wheresyours.com/SaveTheTrailsVote.aspx

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Atlanta Falcons Encourage Children to Read with the Players Online

GFP Note: Encouraging our youth to read is an awesome program for children. Thanks, Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons players will swap their playbooks for children’s books for the “Read with a Falcon” online reading program. The Falcons have joined forces with Peachtree Publishers to kick off this exciting new program that provides kids with opportunities to read alongside their favorite Falcons players and cheerleaders! With the click of a mouse, kids can take part in a special story time with Falcons cheerleaders and players including Keith Brooking, Roddy White and Matt Ryan.

Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli kicked the program off with a reading of "Railroad John and the Red Rock Run" on September 2. The online reading program lasts all season long, so kids should get permission to log onto AtlantaFalcons.com/readwithafalcon throughout the season to “Read with a Falcon”!

A new book and Falcons reader will be featured each Tuesday during the regular season. A full list of titles (and authors) included in the “Read with a Falcon” online reading program is below:

The Opposite (Tom MacRae)
Nighty Night! (Margaret Wild & Kerry Argent)
The Monster Who Did My Math (Danny Schnitzlein)
The Copy Crocs (David Bedford & Emily Bolan)
Railroad John and the Red Rock Run (Tony Crunk)
Jake’s 100th Day of School (Lester L. Laminack)
Snow Day! (Lester L. Laminack)
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach (Carmen Agra Deedy)
Saturdays and Teacakes (Lester L. Laminack)
One More Sheep (Mij Kelly and Russell Ayto)
First Grade Stinks! (Mary Ann Rodman)
What Do Parents Do? (Jeanie Franz Ransom)
Old Tom’s Holiday (Leigh Hobbs)
My G-r-r-r-reat Uncle Tiger (James Riordan)
Zoom! (Diane Adams)
The Monster Who Ate My Peas (Danny Schnitzlein)
The Scarecrow’s Hat (Ken Brown)

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National Education Foundation Offers Immediate “Recession Relief” - Free Online Training Courses

BUSINESS WIRE--Dr. Appu Kuttan, Chairman of the National Education Foundation (NEF), announced today a nationwide initiative to provide “recession relief” scholarships for its CyberLearning program to a million low and middle income individuals affected by current economic challenges – or those simply wanting to excel further in the workplace.

The One Million Scholarships Program offers subsidized high quality web-based courses (includes 30 certifications) in IT, business, test-prep, K-12 math, science and technology education. The curriculum packages, each containing 100-400 courses and valued individually at $400-$800, are fully subsidized by the Foundation scholarships. The Foundation courses provide new or improved skills or prep for certifications in Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe, CompTIA, Oracle, Office Applications, networking, programming, web design, project management, etc. The course catalog contains 3,000 courses.

“Fear of recession is forcing individuals, especially those at low and middle incomes, small businesses and others, to cut back on training, which is normally expensive. At the same time, the U.S. Labor Department is predicting a shortage of two million IT workers by 2010. An obvious solution is to make job skills training affordable to our low and middle income individuals. That is the rationale for this important initiative,” noted Dr. Kuttan, a worldwide leader in bridging the digital divide.

“With tough economic times upon us, the timing could not be better,” noted Dr. Kuttan. The courses are available immediately.

To apply for these “recession relief” scholarships and begin learning in a minute, visit www.nefusa.org/scholarships.