July 12, 2003

Unemployment among blacks is rising at faster pace than at any time since mid-1970's, and jobs lost are mostly in manufacturing, where pay for blacks has historically been higher than in other fields; nearly 2.6 million jobs have disappeared in past 28 months, nearly 90 percent in manufacturing; jobless blacks are continuing to look for work, but types of jobs lost have diminished their standing in middle class; Michael Barnes of AFL-CIO notes that many without high school diplomas were hired in boom years and earned enough to rent apartments, buy cars and establish themselves, until recent layoffs (M)

Federal Appeals Court Judge Jon O Newman publishes genealogical chart of 3,673 figures in Greek mythology; book completes work done by his late father, Harold Newman, over some forty years; judge explains his own long research; interview; photos; book is laid out over 72 segments connecting horizontally, with index enabling readers to find entire cast of figures, such as Zeus, his lovers and numerous progeny (M)

Education Department civil rights assistant secretary Gerald A Reynolds sends letter to colleges and high schools announcing that Bush Administration will maintain Title IX standards (M)

Arbitrator Shyam Das rules that Verizon Communications must rehire 2,300 union workers it laid off last December; finds that Verizon violated workers' contract and must reinstate them with back pay; company cited poor sales, the economic recession, and increased competition as justification for layoffs (M)

Dan Barry interviews Julie Atlas Muz, performance artist working as mermaid at Coral Room in New York City (M)