US President Barack Obama signed into law today an extension of the unemployment benefits. Obama issued a statement saying:

“Americans who are fighting to find a good job and support their families will finally get the support they need to get back on their feet during these tough economic times,”

Apparently, the US House of Representatives voted 272 to 152 just to pass the legislation extending the unemployment cover benefits through the end of November.

If we will try to remember, the extending of unemployment benefits was done to run out June 2 after the Congress failed to approve a new extension bill. Because of this, more than 87,000 Michiganders lost their benefits during the month of June and another 85,000 stood to lose them by the end of this month without the action of the Congress.

“They stood not on the side of, but in the way of millions of Americans,” said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin “During those six weeks over 2.5 million unemployed Americans exhausted their benefits and struggled to stay afloat while continuing to look for work in this difficult economy.”

As of the latest reports, the retroactive payments are already in progress for the unemployment benefits due to HR4213. It was noted there that there are currently 5 million unemployed American across the country and an approximately half of these persons were recently cut out benefits when the insurance ran out and no extension bill was even granted.

Some people now, also known as the 99ers awaits for the tier 5 extension of the federal unemployment benefits. With this kind of issues and concerns, the local government now are being pressured of many who wants their reps to add a new category for extended unemployment compensation.

As of this writing, only two senators have expressed their full support for the Tier 5 unemployment extension bill.

Bob Welch, guitarist and vocalist for Fleetwood Mac, is born, as is singer Gary Lewis. (1946)

Bill Berry, guitarist and vocalist for R.E.M., is born. (1958)

Another Rolling Stones concert and another riot is provoked. However, this time the show in Belfast, Northern Ireland is stopped after only 12 minutes. (1964)

A London Appeals Court throws out Keith Richard’s drug conviction of last month, describing the evidence against him as flimsy. At the same time, the court reduced Mick Jaggers sentence on a related conviction to conditional discharge with probation. Chief Justice Lord Parker admonishes Jagger to remember his responsibilities as a pop idol. (1967)

A Moscow police chief reports that thousands of Moscow telephone booths have been made inoperable by thieves who have stolen phone parts in order to convert their acoustic guitars to electric. (1969)

To fill a contractual obligation, the Rolling Stones hand over the disc, “C***sucker Blues” to Decca Records. They are now free to form Rolling Stones Records. (1970)

The second night of the Who’s first of two ’71 U.S. tours is marked with tragedy when a 22 year old security guard is stabbed at New York’s Forest Hills Stadium. (1971)

James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend” hits #1 on the chart. (1971)

The group Chicago receives a gold record for its first number one album, “Chicago V.” One of the songs,”Saturday in the Park,” reaches number three in September. (1972)

Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper” and Orleans’ “Still The One” are released. (1976)

James Taylor plays a free concert in New York’s Central Park to help the city’s campaign to restore the park’s Sheep Meadow. (1979)

Elvis Presley makes his professional debut in Memphis. It’s his first concert to be advertised. (1954)

Remember the Power Ridge Rock Festival in Connecticut that was cancelled by local authorities? Over 30,000 people show up even though police have barricaded all roads leading up to the fesitval for two hours. Utilities to the site are cut off and the crowd parties on. Doctors report over 800 cases of bad drug reactions. (1970)

The Rolling Stones fire Allen Klein as their manager. (1970)

The Charlie Daniels Band, one of the U.S.’ popular exponents of Southern style boogie rock, earns it first gold record for “Fire on the Mountain.” (1975)

David Bowie plays the first show of his “Glass Spider” tour in Philadelphia. (1987)

Many Motown stars gathered for a memorial service for Mary Wells, who died of cancer at the age of 49. Smokey Robinson sang a medley of Wells’ hits. (1992)

REO Speedwagon keyboardist Neal Doughty is born. (1946)

Geddy Lee, bassist and vocals for Rush, was born (1953)

Bruce Springsteen’s wife, E Street Band guitarist and vocalist Patty Scialia celebrates a birthday. (1956)

The Isley Brothers record “Shout.” (1959)

Dick Clark premieres his summer stage show, the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars, at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City. (1961)

After a four year hiatus, the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island reopens. Those getting thumbs-up from the crowd include Joan Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary and Bob Dylan. (1963)

Peter, Paul and Mary’s “Blowin’ In The Wind” is released. (1963)

The Beatles film “Help!” debuts at London’s Pavillion Theatre. Another sell-out crowd attends while critics are bemused. (1965)

Bob Dylan crashes his Triumph 55 motorcycle while riding near Woodstock, New York. He is sent to Middletown Hospital with several broken neck vertebrae, a concussion and cuts on his face and scalp. He remains in serious condition for a week suffering mild amnesia, paralysis and internal injuries for about a month. The rumor mill begins with Dylan in a coma, becoming a vegetable, never performing again, dodging the draft, passing on or lost his mind due to drug use. (1966)

The Temptations’ “You’re My Everything” is released. (1967)

The Byrds leave on their tour of South Africa without Gram Parsons. He refuses to set foot in a country where apartheid is official policy. (1968)

The Rolling Stones’ contract with Decca Records has expired and they’re talking about starting their own label. They inform their business manager, Allen Klein, that “neither he nor ABKCO Industries have any authority to negotiate recording contracts on their behalf.” (1970)

Led Zeppelin, in the middle of a very successful U.S. tour, are the victims of one of the largest cash thefts in New York City. $180,000 is taken from the band’s deposit box at the Drake Hotel. The money is mostly cash receipts from the first of two night at Madison Square Garden. (1973)

Mama Cass Elliot, a one-time member of the Mama’s & Papa’s, dies in London. A postmortem the following day shows she died as a result of choking on a sandwich and from inhaling her own vomit. It’s later revealed that she suffered a heart attack. She was 32. (1974)

Eric Clapton begins his first tour of Britain in five years. He stays three weeks, starting off at Hempstead’s Pavillion Theatre. (1976)

Earth, Wind & Fire enter the soul chart with their version of the Beatles “Got to Get You into My Life,” from the “Sgt. Pepper” soundtrack. It makes it to number one for a week in September. (1978)

Kenny Loggins “Whenever I Call You Friend” is released. (1978)

David Bowie makes his theatrical debut as the title role in “The Elephant Man.” Bowie will leave the Denver production and take the lead role in the New York production on Broadway. The critical reaction was favorable. (1980)

Unemployment Extension benefits Tier 5 for 99ers need of the hour. Long at last the unemployment benefits have been approved. But the passage of the bill has been torturous with Republicans trying to block it. For more than six months there was standoff of on the issue between the Democrats and Republicans.

Republicans had wanted more time on it whereas the Democrats were not willing to budge. They were in a rush to get it passed as soon as possible.

They were under intense pressure to act on this important front because they had come to power by making the promise to sort out unemployment. They knew that a delay will only hamper their popularity. That is why the effort to get it passed was being spearheaded by President Barack Obama.

He kept on his work to convince the Senate about the importance of this bill that would help some 2 million workers who had lost job in the last six months following recession. During the voting, two Republicans also sided with the Democrats.

The bill now has been turned into a law and now jobless Americans are eligible for up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits until early June. The time has come for different states to dispatch the money to the needy people. Unemployment extensions were first introduced in 1958 and since then it has been granted six times.