U.S. factories help job recovery
U.S. factories help job recovery
WASHINGTON (AP) — A resurgent U.S. job market that has lifted the economy appears to be enduring. Factories in the Northeast kept hiring in early March. And the number of people applying for unemployment aid fell back to a four-year low.
The economy is adding jobs at a time when inflation remains relatively mild outside of higher gas prices. The upbeat government reports Thursday reinforced the message sent by last week’s encouraging job figures for February.
Good economic news drove stocks higher, too. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed above 1,400 for the first time since June 2008. The Dow Jones industrial average finished up for the seventh straight session at 13,252.76 — the highest close since the last day of 2007. Applications for unemployment aid dropped to a seasonally adjusted 351,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That matched a four-year low reached last month.
Skydiver makes 13-mile test jump
Associated Press
Skydiving daredevil Felix Baumgartner is more than halfway toward his goal of setting a world record for the highest jump.
Baumgartner lifted off Thursday for a test jump from Roswell, N.M., aboard a 100-foot helium balloon. He rode inside a pressurized capsule to 71,581 feet — 13.6 miles — and then jumped. He parachuted to a safe landing, according to project spokeswoman Trish Medalen.
He’s aiming for nearly 23 miles this summer. The record is 19.5 miles.
“The view is amazing, way better than I thought,” Baumgartner said after the practice jump.
Thursday’s rehearsal was a test of his capsule, full-pressure suit, parachutes and other systems. A mini Mission Control — fashioned after NASA’s — monitored his flight. Baumgartner reached speeds of up to 364.4 mph Thursday and was in free fall for three minutes and 43 seconds, before pulling his parachute cords, Medalen said. The entire jump lasted eight minutes and eight seconds. Baumgartner is believed to be only the third person ever to safely jump from such a high altitude.
Anti-smoking ad campaign is set
ATLANTA (AP) — In a graphic new ad campaign announced Thursday, the government is trying to shock smokers into quitting with the sometimes-gruesome stories of people damaged by tobacco products.
The new effort confronts a hard truth: Despite increased tobacco taxes and bans in many public places, the adult smoking rate hasn’t really budged since 2003.
“When we look back on just a few decades to the days of smoking on airplanes and elevators, it can be easy to focus on how far we’ve come,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Kathleen Sebelius.
But smoking continues to take a devastating toll on Americans, and the ads are meant to be “a wake-up call” to smokers who may not truly grasp the dangers that still exist, she added.