The BBC reports that Merkel and Sarkozy urge bail-out

The leaders of Germany and France have said that they want a new rescue package for debt-laden Greece to be agreed as soon as possible.

Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy were speaking after Greece’s Prime Minister George Papandreou announced a cabinet reshuffle.
…

There had been calls in Germany that investors should allow Greece extra time to pay off debts and should be made to participate in future fundraising by the Athens government.

After the meeting, the two leaders said they agreed that any private sector involvement should be “voluntary” not compulsory.

It was unclear under what terms private investors might voluntarily take part in a Greek bail-out.

But the comments by Mrs Merkel and Mr Sarkozy were seen as a signal to banks and bondholders that they will not be made to incur losses on Greek debt.

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The Miami Herald ran a piece on the latest Florida job numbers:

Broward’s jobless rate went from 8.9 percent to 9.0 percent, according to state figures. Miami-Dade’s unemployment rate returned to a record 13.4 percent, up from 13.1 percent in April.

The figures from the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation are bound to increase worries that the economic rebound that seemed to be gaining steam in early 2011 has now hit some sort of roadblock. But statewide, the trend was more encouraging. Florida’s unemployment rate dropped slightly, from 10.8 percent to 10.6 percent. That is its lowest level since August 2009.
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Florida’s labor director touted the May report as a good sign for the Sunshine State, which added 28,000 jobs between April and May and nearly 25,000 compared to a year ago. The yearly gain amounted a tiny portion — far less than 1 percent — of the state’s 7.2 million-person workforce.

“Today’s announcement that unemployment continues to drop and businesses continue to add thousands of jobs shows that Florida’s economy is moving in the right direction,” said Agency for Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia R. Lorenzo. “Our unemployment rate is now the lowest it has been in 21 months, and we can expect our state’s heightened focus on economic recovery to spur additional job growth in the months ahead.”

Excuse me, but if 28,000 jobs were added from April to May, and jobs are only up 25,000 from last year, it means that the entire growth for the year was in that one month, and they were primarily the summer hires, not permanent jobs.

When the ‘body count’ from layoffs of teachers and other public employees begins to get tallied, we are in a world of hurt, and going backwards, not forwards.

As with the Federal reports, many people have exhausted all of their unemployment benefits and have just given up finding a job. Last year was actually inflated by the Census jobs, and the stimulus programs, which are now gone.

The firefighters’ efforts are showing definite effects, as the rate of spread of the fire is slowing. Containment is now at 33%, but with Red Flag conditions yesterday, the growth in the fire was a modest 8,000 acres, showing the efforts are paying off in reducing the spread.

Only rain over the area is going to put this fire out, even after it is 100% contained, and it may well take the winter snows.

Information from the current Wallow Fire InciWeb Page

• Date Started: 5/29/2011
• Location: Apache, Navajo, Graham, and Greenlee Counties, San Carlos and White Mountain Apache Reservations, Arizona; Catron County, New Mexico
• Cause: Human – under investigation
• Size: 495,016 acres [773 miles² 2003 km²] based on infrared data
• Percent Contained: 33%
• Injuries to Date: 10
• Residences: 2,714 threatened; 32 destroyed; 5 damaged
• Commercial Property: 473 threatened; 4 destroyed
• Outbuildings: 1,216 threatened; 36 destroyed; 1 damaged
• Other: 1 truck destroyed
• Number of Personnel: Approximately 4,418 including 21 hotshot crews and 69 hand crews
• Equipment: 31 dozers, 284 engines, 75 watertenders
• Aircraft: 15 helicopters, 5 air tankers, DC-10
• Incident Commander: Jim Loach, Area Command Team 3

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What Are The Odds?

Can I scare him?

[Editor: Lucrezia is about to show her mean streak. Having finished her meal she prepares to spook Specialist Underhouse from his. And she wonders why the other cats don’t like her.]

Friday Ark