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Recession Briefing 8.5: The Downturn Helps Standup

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

The recession is sparking a new era in stand-up comedy. People still want to laugh. In fact, they need to laugh. They just can’t afford to go out and spend too much money. (The Atlantic)

The recession has made legal service a more daunting expense for many. That has created a surge of litigants who must navigate the often-bewildering justice system by themselves. (Chicago Tribune)

Fun-seekers venturing out to farm fairs, art festivals and other mainstays of the American summer are finding either crowds or cancellation notices this year. (Associated Press)

Scores of homeowners who thought they’d cut a deal with their banks to sell their houses for less than their unpaid mortgages are seeing those agreements fall apart months later, contributing to the mounting foreclosures. (USA Today)

Just 8 percent of Americans rate the economy positively in a new survey. 76 percent think it’s not a good time to buy things, and 56 percent rate their personal finances negatively. (ABC News)

“Will America remember the economic lessons we’ve learned in the past year?” asks Douglas MacIntire. (Newsweek)

The farther we get from the nadir of this financial crisis, the weaker the pull the administration will have over Wall Street. (The Atlantic)

Solo entrepreneurs, freelancers and other self-employed professionals have always struggled to take vacations, and the recession is making it even harder. (Wall Street Journal)

With personal income declining, consumers are going to be hard-pressed to make the purchases necessary to pull the economy out of recession and keep it from falling back into decline. (Chicago Tribune)

The sour economy seems to have set the stage for misery’s perfect antidote: company. And matchmaking services are reaping the rewards. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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Tags: economy, humor, News, personal finance, real estate, relationships, spending, travel, Wall Street