Days before Christmas day and still reading the news when graphs and economics are what I encountered. Several articles tackled about graphs which actually started when BBC asked several economists to name their graph of the year. Some of the world’s top economists shared their insights in the financial developments particularly in the Eurozone by choosing a graph which they felt explained the currents events and what they can expect in the near future.

American newspapers and blogs did not want to be left without their own version and decided to ask their favorite economists, economic policymakers and investors to name their favorite graph of the year or the graph clearly influenced their thinking in 2011 with the reasons why it did. I have to say that Derek Thompson hit it on the head when he said “In a discipline where facts are murky and certainty is elusive, graphs offer a bright light of information and a small confidence that the world can be summed up between two axes.”

The economy and the changes with and around it is really a complex thing. Charts and graphs certainly make it easier for any layman and any person in industrial workwear interested enough to understand what is happening. Here are some of my favorites among the chosen graphs with the explanation from the expert who chose it as graph of the year for 2011. 

Peter Diamond, MIT

"This chart shows that a great deal of hiring is happening, as it does each month, that hiring per job opening is higher than it was when there was less unemployment, and that the ratio of quits to discharges, while still low, is recovering (a sign of better job opportunities). I infer that the low level of job openings is our key problem, reflecting inadequate aggregate demand and the need for significant fiscal stimulus."

Larry Summers, Harvard

"The near quadrupling in the share of men not working and the seemingly inexorable trend changes every aspect of society. Cyclical and structural changes are combining in a perfect storm."

Mark Zandi, Moody's

"Households are rapidly deleveraging and getting their proverbial house in order. The number of delinquent household loans has plunged from a peak of close to 35 million in early 2009 to less than 25 million in November."

Michael Greenstone, MIT, the Hamilton Project

"This chart shows how the jobs gap has evolved since December 2007 and shows three different scenarios for different rates of job growth. If the economy adds about 208,000 jobs per month, which was the average monthly rate for the best year of job creation in the 2000s, then it will take until February 2024 — over 12 years — to close the jobs gap."

Robert Frank, New York University

"My entry is the attached graph of what I call the Toil Index. It's an index I constructed to portray the most dramatic element of the middle-class squeeze -- the effort required to rent a house served by a school of average quality. "

Mike Konczal, Roosevelt Institute

"This graphic was originally part of a presentation two IMF economists gave in Cairo days before the Arab Spring happened. In the graph they showed 2008-era youth unemployment in the MENA region and warned about the long-term effects, both economic and political, of mass youth unemployment. I've updated it to include US youth unemployment in the Great Recession."

Source: Wonkblog

Image Source: Yahoo News

Trashion is not a new word but a portmanteau or a blend of two words: trash and fashion. This is the term used for any art, fashion, clothing, jewelry, bags and objects that have been created from discarded, used, unwanted, surplus, thrown-out or rejected items or components. It encompasses home décor, ornaments, and even garments. It may be avant-garde buy it is definitely vogue which is what they really are designed for - to let people know that even though these items were made from recycled and unwanted items it does not mean that they lack style or would not look as beautiful as a brand-new item. In fact, it shows the creativity and ingenuity of the designers for having created something really imaginative from trash.

Samples of bags - Trashy Bags - from discarded sachets being made by Ghanians with the help of an Accra-based NGO.

These days, online clothing stores pretty much sell a lot of garments made from different fabrics such as cotton, polyester, wool, nylon and many other natural and synthetic fabric materials. There are specialty online clothing stores that carry 100 percent organic apparel that is now gaining grounds for the eco-friendly and the environmentalists or those who believe in sustainable fashion. Not so far from sustainable fashion is trashion which has managed to blend fashion, art, sustainability and activism.

This dress is made from recycled aluminium soda cans.   

What we really don’t know is that we have been doing this for years. Recycling is a part of trashion but we just got so used to giving away some of the things we never used and did not imagine something else could be done with it. Initially trashion was art-couture costume linked only to contests or fashion shows showcasing the creativity and resourcefulness of a designer. As eco-fashion, recycling and sustainable fashion became more prevalent, trashion soon became wearable. Online clothing stores suddenly came up with more eco-friendly apparel that transcended fashion to social responsibility. And trashion is definitely a form or recycled fashion that would eventually help improve sustainable fashion.

Other garments worn by the students were made from cardboard, plastic bags, packing tape, bubble wrap, car tyros, and plastic bottles

Some are very innovative while some are awe-inspiring because you never really thought one could be made out of it. I guess it really takes a lot of imagination, creativity, ingenuity and a lot of artistry in you to be able to see something beautiful from something so ordinary like buttons, zippers and other damaged or otherwise discarded pieces of clothing like old suits and coats. Amazingly, some designers can create wearable jewelry pieces from non-clothing recycled items that others call trash that may have been on its way to a dumpsite or landfill such as bottle caps, old keyboard pieces, microchips, discarded containers and many more. Their jewelry pieces become more visually appealing and interesting and sometimes make you wonder it came to be.

End key necklace, Sprite bottle cap necklace and Coca Cola bottle cap bracelet

Old windows, doors and lamps are just some of the old and discarded items that can be used to create a wide variety of furniture. No need to but new and expensive when you can turn an old one into something that is uniquely yours. Remember that since you were the one with the original idea it would ensure that you will be the only one with that kind of furniture. With imagination, creativity and artistry another person’s garbage can be made useful, old and battered furniture could be given a new lease in life.

Handbag and totes made from discarded and old men's suits. Recycled post consumer beer bottle ruffled bowl.

There are now so many bloggers who have turned trashion into a DIY or crafts blogs where they can showcase some of their products and turn it even into business by featuring it in the different marketplaces such as etsy.com. Here are some of the examples of trashion garments, jewelry, bags and even home goods that are appealing because of its exclusive flavor that’s intrinsically unique and quirky.

Earrings from Coca Cola cans, Sprite bottle caps, and Noxzema bottle.

Microchip cufflinks, vintage bottle ring, and Scrabble key chain.

Image Sources: Etsy.com, Global Envision and AlexHofford.com

The latest news about poverty, income inequality and wealth divide is disheartening. While we have been constantly waiting for the good news that would ultimately say recession is over hearing about people being able to buy uniforms for their new jobs is positive news in itself.

But learning that 1 in 15 Americans now rank as poorest poor is demoralizing. Back in September, the news headline was astonishing when it read that poverty continues to rise in the US and it is now up to 15.1 percent. I am not surprised about the increase in percentage since jobs are still scarce but the fact that it did despite a minimal increase in job availability and opportunities. And also about it being the largest number of Americans in poverty in the 52 years since the U.S. Census Bureau has been publishing these estimates. It has also been reported that the median household income has declined as people are not even able to find jobs and buy uniforms for themselves.

What makes it more horrible is the recent news regarding the great wealth disparity amongst Americans. The richest top 20 percent of our society controls about 84 percent of the wealth and the combined wealth of the bottom 40 percent accounted for only 0.3 percent of the wealth. While we all knew that the wealthy holds a great deal of the wealth, we all assumed it wasn’t this big portion.

Only the top income earners remain unfazed while the rest is affected. Pundits believe that recession will eventually end but unfortunately the effect is long-lasting as the disparity is widening. The rich are getting richer while the poor are becoming poorer and may not be able to recover. Immigrants who have left their countries to seek greener pastures in the US have found themselves in tougher situations. Some may be able to buy uniforms as they find jobs as nannies for the rich or temporary retail jobs but more have not found work in more than a year. According to news, concentrated poverty has spread to new areas. Now we not only find it in the inner-city ghettos but also in the suburbs, not only high-school dropouts or single mothers but high-school or even college graduates.

(Article was written by contributor writer, our very own product consultant and freelance writer Lola Hanson. This original article was first published by Niagara Falls Review on Nov 4, 2011.)

(Credit: CBS)

(Credit: CBS)

Readers know that I have constantly blog about what is happening with the economy and which jobs are doing well and which are not. The most recent one talked about how there are so many jobs available but needing skilled workers. What for me is important is that the government and big corporations help each other. The government ensures that there is less dropouts since education is very important. My most recent article showed that unemployment rate for those with high school diploma are high but so much is the rate for high school dropouts. And the median earnings in 2010 for those with bachelor’s degree and higher education were higher than those without.

Fresh graduates and entry-level applicants have had it bad since the start of the recession. Not only are they not able to pay the huge debt (student loan) incurred in order to finish their studies but they are having a hard time looking for a job. For one, employees are asking for experience which they cannot provide and since they are not given a chance to start working they won’t be able to put any on their CVs.

The media have been chronicling the fact that young graduates are struggling to look for a job and finding an alternative in entrepreneurship or starting up a small business. It is said that the trend of quitting a job or opting out of their corporate shirts and starting up a business is something that the media likes to hawk on the papers these days. Another thing that has been mentioned is that millennials are finding it easier to live and work abroad to look for greener pastures or find their success in other countries. It has been reported that wages in Asian countries are high, particularly Japan and South Korea, and cost of living is pretty much lower than the US. Also, in this case, the element of adventure and travel are part and parcel of the career opportunities abroad.

Another option though has come up which they say is better than starting up a business since there is no start-up costs to consider. Freelancing is the word of the day. According to Wikipedia:

A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and labor contributed by its regular employees. Others are completely independent. 'Independent contractor" would be the term used in a higher register of English.

Although it has long been thought that freelancing is only for those people who want to shuck their corporate shirts in favor of cheap t-shirts and work-at-home because they don’t like their boss, we have to recognize the fact that there are also individuals who chose freelancing simply because they need to take care of their babies and in this case it’s usually the stay-at-home-moms or SAHMs or because they want to be their own boss.

Freelance Folder further explains that:

The idea that freelancing could also be an ideal career choice for a new graduate may be new to some people, but in reality, it’s the perfect option.

If you are a graphic design graduate and have ambitions of joining a professional agency, you’ll discover that the competition for these positions (even lower-paid junior positions) is extremely high. Thus, no matter how passionate you are, you simply may not have a diverse enough portfolio of work and satisfied client recommendations to back up your credentials as a graphic designer.

Freelancing on a variety of jobs, working with a diverse clientele, is the perfect way to expand your portfolio when you’re fresh out of college. Moreover, to the client, opting for a graduate freelancer may be the more economical choice over opting for a big-name agency or other seasoned professional.

Freelancing may not have been an option before but it is something that bears looking into for those who at the moment cannot find a job but have a lot of skills in – writing, graphic designing, website programming, website design, video production and editing, copy editing and proofreading, and many more. Actually, freelancing need not be an option for fresh graduates, even students, can start doing freelancing; all they have to do is search for the freelancing job that works for them. The one thing that one has to take care of is that you also need to build an online reputation and so it is important to keep your word especially with regards to the deadline.

Image Source: Freelance Folder and Dzinepress.com

There have been 103,000 jobs outside of the farm sector that have been added in September, significantly better than expected but the unemployment rate of 9.1 percent remains the same. One of the sectors that have been hiring as I have written in my previous blogs is the temporary help services. And last month they added 19,400 new jobs again, slightly lower than in August but definitely more than that of July. The reasoning behind hiring temporary help services is because U.S. employers are still hesitant to commit themselves into hiring full-time personnel. They are still relying on short-term contracts because they are not yet that convinced that there will be a clear pickup in demand for their own services and/or goods. And because of that hesitancy, only temp staffing providers are happy and the level of unemployed remains at 14 million.

As of September, it is said that the long-term unemployment still remains to be a problem. The time frame of being without a job marked up a new record of 40.5 weeks and jobless Americans for more than 20 weeks increased to 6.24 million. Despite the creation of jobs, the jobs of those in industrial workwear in the manufacturing industry dropped by 13,000 jobs. According to experts, we cannot expect employers to step up on hiring unless there is a great demand for it. And no matter how many jobs were added last month it cannot keep pace with the growth in population and thus not enough to lower unemployment.

There is one thing though that may surprise us all. While there are 14 million looking for jobs there are actually 3,228,000 open jobs in Jul 2011 that needs to be filled up according to the Bureau of Statistics of the US Department of Labor. Though it may not be enough to give jobs to all those currently unemployed, it makes one wonder why these job openings are not being filled up to think that the unemployment line is really, really long.

In a recent article on CNBC that tried to answer the discrepancy of 3.4 million job openings that is not being filled up when there are 14 million unemployed. They list down possible combination of factors that can most likely answer this which are:

• long-term unemployment killing skills
• a lousy housing market hurting labor mobility
• extended unemployment benefits likely having an impact on at least some folks’ choices in what jobs they’ll agree to take and when (though he noted that this might be extremely unpopular to say so)

Interviews with CEOs in CNBC though are telling them the same story which is: they are unable to find workers whose skills would match the job so they are unable to fill the job openings. Their article listed down companies with thousand job openings including:

• Siemens with 3,000 job openings that are not being filled up
• Cummins told CNBC that they cannot find skilled worker for their manufacturing plants. And looking at their website I see jobs posted this month such as:  

• • Catalyst Element Engineering
  • PML Technical Specialist
  • Director- Technology Architecture
  • IT Manager ERP and Supply Chain
  • IT Capacity Management and Planning Systems
  • IT Projects and Integration Leader
  • IT Operations Delivery Leader

Obviously, these are skilled jobs that need experienced job applicants.  While it might be notoriously difficult to match applicants to positions in high-tech fields the unfilled job positions are in need of workers in industrial workwear specifically in manufacturing, trades people and even truck drivers. From July of 2010 to July this year the job openings in trade, transportation and utilities went from 416,000 to 778,000. 

Filling up these job openings would help the economy a great deal. Unfortunately because the positions ask for experience or skill itself then there is also a great need to train people. The training is actually a part of the government’s stimulus plan but only a small portion has really been spent on it. Corporations need to participate by having internal training programs and even helping smaller companies by training people. The other fix cited was for the government to ensure fewer dropouts from high school. The more teenagers drop out of school the lower their chances are of getting a good job and ultimately losing their own enormous earning potential and economic prospects, and not being able to contribute to society. In fact they also become a massive drag on the economy. 

According to a study made by the Alliance for Excellent Education, cutting even just half of the dropout rate in one high school could result annually to $4.1 billion in additional earnings, 30, 000 additional jobs, and $5.3 billion in economic growth. That’s how much important it is to reduce the dropout rates in high school. Currently, the jobless rate of high school dropouts is 4% more than those of the high-school with diploma. 

What the economy needs right now is to move on and we can only do that if we have more people working. Corporations need to train the workers they need. And the government should also be able to supply workers that have the basic educational building block to guarantee that they can be trained.

Again, everyone who wants a job can have one whether it’s going to be in corporate uniforms or industrial workwear it has to be where your skills matches what is required by the job. Some people though do not agree with this idea. Well I beleive that education is important and when working trainings certainly help a lot because it gives you more knowledge on how to do things better.

Around 23,000 registered nurses are expected to go on strike starting at 7 a.m. Thursday at 34 Northern and Central California hospitals over benefit cuts and other concessions. RN members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United will hold a one-day strike against attacks on RN rights such as to speak out for patients, cuts in healthcare, retiree coverage for nurses and other hospital workers.

The strike against Kaiser Permanente which involves about 17,000 nurses is in solidarity with 1,500 mental health workers and optical employees at Kaiser facilities in Northern California who are striking over proposed cuts to their health and retirement benefits. They are also fighting for the exceptionally long wait time patients before they can receive individual psychiatric care. Depending on the location, the strikes will last anywhere from one to three days.

Registered nurses at Children's Hospital Oakland and Sutter Health centers are holding a one-day walkout Thursday, but the strike is over their ongoing contract disputes at those facilities. Sutter nurses are concerned and protesting up to 200 demands for concession which they say would restrict their restrict their ability to effectively advocate for patients against Sutter managers budget-focused priorities and effectively force nurses to work when sick, which will further expose extremely ill patients to infection. This is aside of course from the issue of reduced healthcare coverage and retiree health benefits and other concessions.  The issues being talked about here are not just a matter of working hours, schedules or their discount uniforms but a matter of life for these hardworking heroes we have everyday. For the third time in a year, the Children’s Oakland RNs will be on strike over what they call punitive management efforts to cut their health coverage with demands. They believe that this would only make it expensive, even for nurses who work there, to bring their own children.

The walkout will affect two of the biggest and wealthiest hospital chains in California, Sutter Health and Kaiser Permanente, as well as Children’s Hospital in Oakland. In total, 34 hospitals in Northern and Central California will be affected by Thursday's labor action. Officials from said hospitals have made preparations and have said they will continue to provide care by bringing in licensed replacement nurses and rescheduling elective procedures.

Click here for the list of hospitals where RNs will be on strike in northern California.

Watch: NUHW members explain why they're striking at Kaiser facilities:

Kaiser Mental Health Caregivers Speak Up for Patients from Leighton Woodhouse on Vimeo.

NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 11: New York City Police Officer Danny Shea, a military vet, salutes at the North pool of the 9/11 Memorial during the tenth anniversary ceremonies of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center site, September 11, 2011 in New York City. New York City and the nation are commemorating the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on lower Manhattan which resulted in the deaths of 2,753 people after two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center. (Photo by David Handschuh-Pool/Getty Images)

A flag and roses are placed on the 9/11 memorial South Tower pool of the World Trade Center in New York as the US marks 10 years since the 9/11 attacks - AFP

As the world remembers and pays tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11 and as America mourns the loss of almost 3,000 lives, there are so many photos that show how families, friends, colleagues have survived the loss.

For me, what stands out is that we have learned the value of life and that just one event can make a huge impact and loss in our lives. And the photo of the salute, the flags and roses stands out for me because we need to remember the lives and how they have changed us. We also need to remember the heroes who gave their lives in order that they can save more people.

There have been so many good things said about those who were killed and those who survived and about the heroes, about the changes and the war, so many tears shed, so many poignant memories. But what one man said struck me as very right. Retired NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson who was the only American not on the planet at the time of the terrorist attacks, at the time he was two hundred fifty miles above the Earth's surface together with 2 Russian cosmonauts. He said and I quote:

"I think it's important for people to continue to learn the lessons from this and make sure that we are in fact making ourselves a better country as a result of it, not regressing or turning inward, or changing ourselves into a society that we won't be proud to pass on to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

Retail industry is up with estimates that sales will rise 3.5% for November and December combined but hiring plans remain conservative.

Image Credit: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

It has been a slow year and the expected increase in sales would certainly help. Retailers have found ways to face the situation more astutely ever since recession started by not ordering too much inventory and making sure the prices are really affordable or budget-friendly which would ensure more sales and less returns.

It is expected that shoppers are most likely to open their wallets by November and December starting with Black Friday. As everyone knows, Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day which has become traditionally the start of the Christmas season shopping. Though not really a holiday it has also become a tradition that employers are given a day off which increases the number of shoppers and has then been considered the busiest shopping day of the year. Even online clothing stores has its own version of this special shopping day called Cyber Monday where major sales are also introduced and shoppers can purchase at the comforts of their homes.

For the past two years since 2008, retailers rack up their sales through the last two months of the year. The back-to-school sales, which is said to provide the hint of how holiday sales will fare, has so far showed a solid result. Retailers are thus preparing for the holidays by ordering inventory, designing festive window displays and catalogs with some focusing on offering the lowest prices for its shoppers.

Despite the estimated increase in sales, retailers still plan to play it safe with regards to holiday hiring. One-third of retailers plan to hire less seasonal workers while the rest are planning to hire the same level as last year.

Since retailers find that profitability is still elusive because of cost inflation they have hit the limit on their discount. Shoppers both for brick stores and online shopping stores should not expect huge discounts on Black Friday since 89% of retailers are not planning to give deep discounts and hit the limit of their discounts.