European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 4the stars and stripes saturday june 8, 1991 rises to 6.9% Washington a the nations unemployment rate jumped to 6.9 per. Cent in May As another 370,000 americans were added to jobless Rolls the government reported Friday. V the Rise in the civilian unemployment rate was a Sharp 0.3 percentage Points higher to in april s rate of 6.6 percent the labor department said. White House spokesman Marlin Fitz water said the unemployment figures were a a unfortunate but he pointed to other economic indicators such As retail sales that were rebounding a we still be live the recession is ending and we re on the Road to recovery a he said. Trip Aye a report did provide Good news about the hiring practices of . Busi Nesses. Non farm payrolls grew by 59,000 in May the first such Job growth in nearly a year. Janet Norwood commissioner of the Bureau of labor statistics not a the two numbers a More unemployed Macri cans at the same time companies were adding jobs a seem to contradict each a other a. Norwood said the two statistics which Are derived from different surveys should be looked at Over the past two months for a More consistent picture. Then she said they show the a labor Market situation is a while the first three months of the year saw massive Job losses and a rapid Rise in unemployment a Norwood said a the data for it april and May indicate a leveling off in the labor Market Quot joblessness has been climbing steadily since the recession started last july except for a one month reprieve in april when the rate fell unexpectedly from 6,8 percent to 6.6 percent. Most analysis considered the april decline a Fluke and had expected a May increase in unemployment to cancel out the april improvement even though other areas of the Economy have been rebounding. Quot. The recovery theory was backed up by fridays news about the hiring analysts said. Still that might not translate immediately into big improvements in the jobless rate itself economists said. A for the average person on main Street its still going to be difficult to see the Good news for a while. The unemployment rate is usually the last dog to die the last piece of bad news to go away a said David Jones an analyst with Aubrey a Lanston amp co. With the 370,000 americans who joined the ranks of the unemployed in May the jobless now number 8,6 million a 1.7 million higher than last july the report said. The 59,000-Job gain for May buoyed. Analysts because it s such a Stark contrast to the Steep Job losses in recent months in april for instance jobs dropped by 180,000, and workers have endured the worst mass layoffs in nearly a decade. Since the recession started. Pcs. Operation Welcome Home begins the Huttl ship Wisconsin a 111 her Crew on deck passes the statue of Liberty on thursday morning while leading a flotilla of Nav ships through new York a Arbor. The sea Parade was held to kick off Fleet week �?T91 and new York City a operation Welcome Home Celebration. Many events Are planned to Honor the men and women from nations that Allied against Iraq in the persian Gulf War. The ships Crews will be among thousands of Servic members to March in mondays ticker tape Parade of heros through the City. It will be a $5 million five hour extravaganza featuring dignitaries and troops from 30 nations. A but not in . Washington up a first lady Barbara Bush says she would not be a terribly disappointed if her husband did not seek re election and she dreamed out loud of a Long boat trip Down the East coast to Texas with her a most precious Man in the she also suggests that the stress of the 1988 presiden tial Campaign May have caused her Graves disease the thyroid disorder that also afflicts her husband. The president she said May have been stricken because of worry Over sending Young soldiers into the7 persian Gulf War. In a wide ranging discussion Over lunch with several reporters on thursday mrs Bush expressed her desire to spend More time with her husband a not in the White House but perhaps in a new Home in Houston. A i want to be with George a mrs. Bush said. �?o1 mind if he gave the four years of another term to me. \ v 1 mind if he did no to the Washington times reported. A i would not be terribly disappointed if he did t _. She described her husband As a the most precious Man in the world and she said her dream is to buy. A new House in Houston and a rent a boat and go Down the intr coastal waterway a which runs Down the Eastern Seaboard to Florida and along the Gulf coast to Texas. A. Quot. And in an attempt to spend More time with her husband the first lady said she is learning to play Golf one of her husbands favorite athletic endeavours. They Are celebrating mrs. Bush a 66th birthday today and the president will turn 67 on wednesday. Revives space by news Day Washington after a Jong emotional debate the House voted thursday night to restore funding for nasal a controversial space station project. Supporters said the 240-173 vote which reversed an Effort by the House appropriations committee to kill the project would ensure the future of the . Manned space program. Critics said the program projected to Cost at least $3 1. Billion by decade s end. Will Drain Money from other National aeronautics and space administration programs and from Domestic social programs. The appropriations amendment restored $1.9 billion for the station by eliminating any growth next fiscal year in other Nasa programs and by cutting $217 million in operating funds for Low income housing projects. Proponents of the station argued passionately that killing the program would have crippled the . Manned space program and eroded the country a technological Edge. A / both been predicting a close vote but in the last week the Bush administration mounted a major pro station lobbying Effort that paid off. White House officials had predicted that president Bush would veto a Bill that did not contain funding for the space station. The Senate which has not yet acted on Nasa funding is considered to be More favourably disposed toward the space station than the mouse. Senate and House negotiators eventually will have to work out any differences in spending Levels on the project. Critics of the project complained that ii is much More costly than planned does not meet some of its original goals and will not Foster enough scientific research to justify the expense. Quot the House appropriations committee decided that social needs such As housing and veterans medical care had higher priority. Nasa estimates the station will Cost s3q billion by the time it is operational at the end of the decade. A general accounting office study Lias put the Cost at closer to $40 billion. Space Center Houston a a Loose Seal on a cargo Bay door presented an Friday for Nasa engineers on the ground As Well As the Prospect of a spacewalk for two Columbia astronauts. A. Long piece of weatherstripping came Loose along the Edge of a door covering the Bay during launch and Landing. Quot. 1 he 60-foot-Long doors must close tightly Tor the fiery re entry into the Earth s atmosphere or the shuttle could Burn up. If the doors close properly but the Loose Seal causes a Gap the shuttle could be damaged. Engineers have studied the problem since it was discovered shortly after wednesdays launch and Are considering sending two of the seven astronauts on Board out to fix it. National aeronautics and space administration engineers planned to duplicate the problem on Friday on the shuttle discovery at Kennedy space Center in Cape canaveral Fla. A there Are no real concerns that we could t today right now if we needed to crush that Seal and Latch the doors Down a Nasa flight director Randy Stone said thursday. A but its always the better part of valor to Analyse things in their a a
