Archive for February, 2009
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Recession Briefing 2.12
What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.
The Recession. Isn’t It Romantic? (NY Times)
Online and offline matchmakers are reporting that dating interest is up, way up. Match.com, for instance, had its strongest fourth quarter in the last seven years.
Lawmakers Pull Few Punches With Bank Executives (WSJ)
Chief executives at eight banks and securities firms that have gotten $165 billion in federal aid were barraged by U.S. lawmakers, who showed little patience for a charm offensive aimed at defusing ire over pay and lending.
The Fools on the Hill (Daily Beast)
The CEOs of the major banks may not have looked like captains of the universe yesterday, but the House committee was a major embarrassment as well. Does anyone actually want to solve this crisis?
Paid Testimony
What’s a day’s pay for being spanked by Barney Frank? If you’re Lloyd Blankfein, about $250,000.
Valentine’s Day ’09: Year of the Dog?
This Valentine’s Day, dogs are getting plenty of love. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend $367 million on their pets. That’s a lot of cat toys and doggy treats.
The holiday may not be a box of chocolates for us humans. But Fido? Doing okay this year.
Signs of the Recession: Retail Propportunity
This is clever: Empty retail space at West 13th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan was Cosi until sometime last summer, became a pop-up store for Ricky’s at Halloween time, and now, while awaiting interested new tenants, its empty windows are used as billboard space.
Retooling: Flex Time
We don’t envy anybody in the recruiting business right now, but we think Jeff Lundwall and JD Rehm have a good plan for the recession.
When they started media search firm Mercury Group a few short years ago, they established three lines of business: executive recruiting, sales training (they’re two former ad sales execs) and career counseling. While the executive search business took off and Mercury established a foothold with major publishing firms, those “value add” lines took a backseat.
Screwed: 10,000 at GM
A daily review of the employment fallout around the country.
GM is laying off 10,000 employees this year…Royal Bank of Scotland is trimming 2,300 positions in the U.K….
Recession Briefing 2.11
What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.
In A Toy Store Near You: Wall Street Victim Play Set (Cityfile)
“These poor people represent the emotions many of us went through as we watched our investments plummet to unimaginable lows and then plummet some more,” reads McPhee’s product description.
Some Banks Want to Return Government Money
(NY Times)
Goldman and Morgan Stanley would rather pay back billions in bailout money than let the feds have more say in their business.
Second Careers for Failed C.E.O.s
Everyone is slamming C.E.O.s for their incompetence and excessive spending (conveniently forgetting that two years ago we didn’t care as long as we were making money, too). These guys don’t need to be judged—they need sympathy, understanding, and most of all, job advice. So we thought we’d suggest second careers for some of the Recession’s fallen corporate heroes.
25 Random Things, Facts, Habits, or Goals About the Recession
We think all those Notes about random things have sharked, but then we ran across this one on Facebook:
1.) You’ll begin to think back wistfully to the days when dentists commonly put in gold fillings.
2.) Working out can be loosely defined to include being laid off.
3.) Lifting weights can include carrying boxes out of your office and if you’re really stretching it that security guard next to you could be called a spotter.
Redux: Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?
Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.
Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?
A hot dog tale.
Good-bye filet mignon, hello meatloaf. As the recession rages, Americans are finding ways to chow on the cheap. Consumers are shifting food purchasing patterns. We’re trading down to private label and value brands. We’re eating out less, and getting more aggressive about buying products on sale. Fast food joints are luring us by including more premium items on their dollar menus. High end retailers like Whole Foods are feeling the heat as the organic revolution slows. Many of use are doing without that Starbucks latte.
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