Mark Memmott

NPR's librarians are helping us keep track of two sobering statistics about Superstorm Sandy:

As of 3:44 p.m. ET:

-- According to NPR's count, the death toll keeps rising. It is now at 101. The Associated press is reporting 94 deaths.

A video that appears to show rebels in Syria executing a small group of soldiers from the regime of President Bashar Assad has prompted human rights groups and officials to appeal to all sides to respect the human rights of their prisoners.

Ten of this morning's most compelling stories about the aftereffects of Superstorm Sandy:

-- "Staten Island Weeps At Discovery Of 2 Little Bodies." (SILive.com)

-- "Estimate Of Losses Is Up To $50 Billion." (The New York Times)

The nation's unemployment rate edged up to 7.9 percent in October from 7.8 percent in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.

But private and public employers added 171,000 jobs to their payrolls — nearly 50,000 more than economists had expected.

So the news is somewhat mixed: While the jobless rate remained stuck near 8 percent, job growth was better than forecast.

For the first time in the school's 181-year history, the University of Alabama has named a woman to be its permanent president.

"After Sandy, Wired New Yorkers Get Reconnected With Pay Phones: Coin-Eating Retro Devices Baffle Some, Frustrate Many; Moment Merits a Tweet."

That Wall Street Journal story today, about folks in lower Manhattan who have been forced by the power outages and damages in the wake of Superstorm Sandy to seek out an old-fashioned way to make a call, has struck a chord.

NPR's librarians are helping us keep track of two sobering statistics about Superstorm Sandy:

As of 6 p.m. ET:

-- According to NPR's count, the death toll remains at 91. The AP count has now moved up to 90.

New York City alone is reporting 37 deaths. New Jersey reported 12 and Maryland 11.

By at least one measure, in October consumers were the most confident they've been since February 2008, the private Conference Board reports.

Three closely watched employment indicators are out this morning:

-- Unemployment Benefits. There were 363,000 first-time claims for jobless benefits last week, down from 372,000 the week before, the Employment and Training Administration says. So, as they have all year, claims remain in a range between 350,000 and 400,000.