Recessionwire’s Recession-End View on Portfolio.com

Portfolio.com, where two of us worked pre-Recessionwire, asked us to weigh in on all the assertions on the recession’s end. You can see our story there today:

The Recession is Over. But the Change is Not.

And here’s an excerpt:

If you really want to know if the downturn is done, try this: Turn off CNBC and unplug your WiFi. Look around and take stock of what you have. Chances are, you haven’t made many purchases in a while, and you probably have no plans to. The fridge is stocked because you don’t eat out as much as you once did. Instead of your regular summer vacations…

Recessionwire is Seeking Interns

Yesterday, the Intern Queen wrote about a surge in demand for interns, as well as a broadening of their responsibilities. Well, now Recessionwire needs an intern as well. We’ve had some great folks fill the spot, and we’ll let you speak to them about it if you like – we occasionally let them take a break from the grueling tasks (kidding! kidding!). Olga might even post a video testimonial.

If you or someone you know is looking for an internship opportunity this fall, please consider ours…

Recession Briefing 8.18: Gold-Panning on the Rise

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

High gold prices, combined with increasing economic uncertainty, means that more families are including gold panning in their vacation plans. And, because a little bit of gold can become a lot of money, gold panning for some people is more than a hobby: It’s a source of much-needed income.( USA Today)

91,100 Manhattan households feel more comfortable hiding their savings in closets, in pillows — even in brown paper lunch bags — than in banks. (New York Times)

As a result of the recession, visits to national parks were up about 4 percent in the first half of the year. (Deseret News)

Some economists expect a powerful recovery, others a sustained but muted one. Some even say it will be neither: a fleeting rebound quickly followed by a second slump. (Wall Street Journal)

If you come across a good article or blog post about the recession pass it on. To receive Recession Briefing in your inbox, subscribe to our daily email.

Screwed: 800 at Lockheed Martin

A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s Partial Total: 2,293

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co. has announced 800 layoffs… Ryanair Plc is cutting routes out of England’s Manchester Airport, resulting in 600 layoffs… Sovereign Bancorp has laid off 517 Pennsylvania employees… New Flyer Industries Inc. is laying off 320 workers from Winnipeg and Minnesota… President of Fresno State warns of another 50 staff cuts… Salon has laid off 6 editorial staff as it tries to become a “true Web publication”…

So Much for the Mancession

In the 1970s, women and minorities got bashed by the downturn; they were most vulnerable to LIFO—“last in-first out,” a principle that labor unions swore by. In 1974, when GM laid off 2,400 workers, that included almost every woman on the assembly line, since they had not been hired until four years after the Civil Rights Act was passed.

This time around, we’re seeing a Mancession. The vast majority of the jobs lost in the downturn have been held by men—manufacturing and construction have been hit harder than health care and education. Women now make up 49.83 percent of the American workforce—more than ever before.

But reality isn’t all simple and shiny.

The biggest reason to hold off on celebrating: Do we want more work or do we want more choice? They’re not the same thing…

Interns: Wanted, and Working Harder

As the unemployment rate continues to reach new heights, I’m constantly asked about the interns (Why me? Because I’m an expert, having done 15 internships in my four years of college.). What everyone wants to know is, has the recession affected interns and their career paths? (Uh, yes – hasn’t it affected everyone’s career path?) Are they getting paid less? (Yes.) Working more? (Yes.) Are there more of them? (Than ever!)

An internship is the first stepping stone on a career path, the opportunity to break into a new business and really learn an industry from an insider’s point of view. Here are some of the new rules of internships in the recession…

Recession Briefing 8.17: A Cocktail to Kill the Recession

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

Brian Redzikowski, executive chef at Bond Street Beverly Hills serves up a blueberry cocktail these days called “Is the Recession Over?” Here’s the recipe. (Vanity Fair)

The recession, tight job market, depressed stock portfolios and mounting bills have prompted a growing pool of new game show hopefuls: unemployed white-collar professionals seeking quick-fix stimulus packages to keep afloat in turbulent times. (USA Today)

How has the recession been affecting one affluent Westchester suburb? One resident describes how she’s now “squeaking by” on just $300,000-a-year. (Washington Post)…

Screwed: 1,033 at Blue Cross Blue Shield

A daily roundup of the employment fallout around the country and the world.

Today’s total: 4,221

Blue Cross Blue Shield has been conducting layoffs: 650 in Chicago; 200 in Tulsa; 183 across Texas. … Embattled AIG has closed 145 branches and eliminated 900 jobs. … Contact lens maker CooperVision will close a plant and let 570 workers go. … In Germany, Q-Cells, a solar cell maker facing massive losses, will cut 500 workers. … BAE Systems in Minnesota is gearing up for layoffs that may include 400 workers. … Virgin Media will let go 250 customer service employees at a Great Britain site. … In Finland, Finnair laid off 200 employees, after handing out temporary layoffs to 6,000 others. … At MassMutual, 118 of 6,100 employees were dismissed. … Milacron in Cincinatti plans to cut 130 positions. … Under new ownership, Midwest Airlines will pare back 100 jobs. … Gannett’s The Journal News cut 50 jobs…

8 Things We’re Glad the Recession Killed

There have been many sad passings in the downturn, some the results of the economy (lots of jobs, Domino magazine) others not (John Hughes). But as always, there is an upside: The bust seems to have killed off some of the more distasteful boom trends, expressions of excess that just aren’t appropriate anymore.

McMansions
All around the country, sprawling new developments sit empty, oversized homes are being foreclosed on, and home buyers are choosing—for the first time in 15 years, more normal-sized properties. A double-height great room does not a happy (or financially sound) family make.

SUVs
The McMansions of cars also boomed in the boom, when we didn’t care how much we spent for gas and were happy to tower over pathetic hippie cyclists. Wired.com says that 60 percent of the cars that have been junked through the Cash for Clunkers program are gas-guzzling Ford Explorers…

Cheap Date: Blog with your Sweetie

Hey hey. Good news. Over at the New York Times, super sourpuss Paul Krugman thinks the economy may have cratered. Mr. Brightside warns that before we all buy jet skis and charter flights to Monaco to realize things are still grim. Saving more and spending less is a pretty good policy. But dating, mating and the whole relating shebang are tough to do without spending dough. That’s when you gotta get creative…