|
|
Here, updated with this morning’s non-farm payroll data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is the latest edition of my comparing-the-recessions chart:
Update: Now I’ve got a piece up on TIME.com about the employment data.
Update 2: Here’s a new version of my Great Recession vs. Great Depression job loss chart.
Now that federal regulators appear poised to approve Google’s $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility, speculation is mounting about what the Internet giant will do with its newly acquired assets. And what assets they are. Once the deal is formally approved — an announcement could come next week, according to multiple reports — Google will be in possession of some 17,000 patents related to mobile phone technology. And it will be well-situated to enter the hardware business, which could mean that consumers will soon see Google-branded phones and home entertainment devices.
A key step was taken yesterday in moving the country beyond the housing crisis, a crisis that triggered the worst recession in decades and whose lingering effects continue to hinder the nation’s nascent recovery. The deal, which brought together 49 state attorneys general and the Justice Department, was a large-scale compromise between states, the federal government, two political parties and the nation’s largest financial institutions. Given the number of players at the bargaining table, it’s no surprise that this isn’t a deal made in heaven. There are significant shortcomings, and critics have already offered legitimate reasons why the deal will not turn the housing market around or even serve justice to those parties that committed fraud and broke the law. At the same time, the settlement will offer real relief to homeowners across the country, and it lays the groundwork for sane regulation of servicer conduct.
