Working man’s blues: First-time claims for unemployment insurance in Louisiana for the week ending Jan. 28 increased from the previous week’s total. The state labor department figures released today show the initial claims increased to 3,360 from the previous week’s total of 3,343. The figure was lower than it was for the comparable week a year earlier, when there were 3,872 initial claims. The four-week moving average, which is a less volatile measure of claims, increased to 3,761 from the previous week’s total of 3,726. Continued unemployment claims filed for the week ending Jan. 28 totaled 42,319, a decrease from 43,211 the previous week. The four-week moving average for such claims decreased to 43,696 from 43,928.
Action! Universal Pictures has had a good run making movies in Louisiana, and the studio is returning next month for one of its biggest projects yet: an action thriller with sci-fi elements that will star Tom Cruise. While film details have been kept so under wraps that even its official name isn’t being disclosed, one thing Universal executives will say is that Louisiana has served them well when it comes to making movies. Louisiana was the site of several Universal projects, including 2005’s The Skeleton Key, with Kate Hudson, and the action film Contraband starring Mark Wahlberg, which is in theaters now. Andrew Fenady, Universal’s president of physical production, says Louisiana is a wonderful place for filmmaking because of its generous film tax credit program and infrastructure, including a deep crew base and numerous studios.
Konnichiwa: For an emerging generation of Japanese innovators, the dream isn’t a job for life at a big company. They have new ambitions, and they’re determined to go places—especially Silicon Valley. Small but growing numbers of Japanese entrepreneurs are jumping into the startup scene in northern California, particularly since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last March. The Associated Press has the full story here.
