Some towns are defying the recession, with cranes dutifully piecing together new buildings, new businesses opening, populations showing increases, and average resident income actually growing. How do they do it? Chances are, Uncle Sam has given them a helping hand.
recovery
Bellweather for the Economy: The Hot Waitress Index
Sure, to get a sense of how the economy is faring, you could look at home sale prices, or unemployment stats, or what products are actually selling well at the time. Instead, a New York magazine story explores the symbiotic relationship between the attractiveness of restaurant waitstaff and the economic climate: Basically, if your …
The Nap: Another Great (and Free!) Recession Stress Reliever
A Times story cites a report that one in three people admit to napping on a typical day. “Admit.” As if napping is a bad thing.
Sex & Jokes: The Great (and Free!) Recession Stress Relievers
You might think that a financial crisis and a dreary, prolonged economic downturn might be a total bummer. People wouldn’t find much of anything funny, and they wouldn’t exactly be in the mood for other kinds of fun, either. Actually, it appears the opposite is true: In tough times, people seek out releases more than ever—and what are …
The Great Recession: Is “Great” the Right Word?
Sometimes, an adjective seems inappropriate. Take “great.” It seems both overused and misused. Wayne Gretzky? No doubt about it: GREAT. Alexander the Great? Sure. Muhammad Ali? The Greatest. But plagues, wars, floods, depressions, economic panics, riots, and recessions? If any of these things are occurring, the situation seems less than …
Is the Minimum Wage Hike a Good Idea?
On July 24, the minimum wage will increase from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour. Every worker deserves a living wage, but the timing of the pay hike is less than ideal. The national jobless rate is nearly 10 percent, and among American teenagers—who are likely to work many of those minimum-wage jobs seeing a pay increase—the unemployment rate …
Hey Now, You’re a Blog Star: Hottest Blogs are Written by Economists?
Hmmm … should I read waste some time wwilfing at The Onion or dig into a little light reading about macroeconomic theory at Econbrowser? According to a WSJ story, more and more people are going the latter route, trying to figure out where the economy is heading by way of blogs penned by giant-brained econogeeks.
Deep Impact: 10 Ways the Recession Is Hitting Home in Lots of Homes
Divorced couples are living under the same roof because it’s too expensive to really split up right now. There are either more people around the house (because they’re out of work) or fewer people around the house (because they’re working second and third jobs to pay bills and get health coverage). More people are doing their own chores …
Foreclosure Watch: At Some Point, Is It Smarter to Walk Away from Your Mortgage?
The news is making the rounds that in the first half of 2009, 1.53 million properties in the U.S. were in the foreclosure process. That’s up 15 percent companred to the previous year. The figures are certainly the result of the rise in unemployment and slow, confusing relief efforts from the government and lenders. It’s also likely that …
Eating Healthy and Fresh Foods—Without Breaking the Bank
There’s quite a food fight going on due to a post about blog experiment Fifty Bucks a Week, in which three writers discuss their struggles and adventures while limiting their weekly food expenditures to (obviously) $50. Apparently, the topic hits a nerve. Everyone would love to eat well without spending a fortune. So how do you do it?
What’s Out: French Spendthrifts, Velvet Rope Clubs, Actually Shopping at Shopping Malls
What’s in now that the recession is in full stride: spending less in France, “anti-clubs” in New York City that are more akin to hanging out in someone’s basement as opposed to an over-the-top $400 bottle-service hip-hop video scene, and going to the mall to socialize and get some exercise—but not actually buy anything.
Pope and Michael Moore: Dynamic Duo Confront Capitalism
At a secret meeting of the Justice League 3.0, Michael Moore, Pope Benedict XVI, the Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, Optimus Prime, Nelson Mandela, and the ghost of Che Guevera gathered to solve the global financial crisis.