Screwed: 3,700 at Arcandor

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

Today’s Partial Total: 11,138

German retailer Arcandor plans to cut 3,700 mail-order jobs…Deutsche Telekom’s business client unit, T-Systems, plans to layoff 3,000 employees by the end of the year…Swiss automotive supplier Rieter says it will cut 1,500 jobs by the end of 2010…Scandinavian airline SAS AB says it will cut as many as 1,500 more jobs and reduce salaries…Hexion Specialty Chemicals is set to layoff 1,000 workers…Trane plans to cut 370 jobs in Tyler…Sprint Nextel Corp. is shutting down a division in Olathe, costing 68 employees their jobs…

Recession Briefing 8.14: Bottled Water Market Washed Up

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

Sales of bottled water have fallen for the first time in at least five years, assailed by wrathful environmentalists and budget-conscious consumers who have discovered that tap water is practically free. (Los Angeles Times)

With Washington bickering over how to reform the health care system, many Americans are simply head to Mexico to get care they can afford. (Reuters)

Unemployed Americans are so discouraged about the prospect of finding a new job that they’re checking out of the labor force at the highest and fastest rate in nearly 10 years. Further, the recession has forced more full-time workers into part-time slots than at any time over the past 15 years. (Washington Post/The Ticker)…

Recovery for Dummies?

So the fed says the recession may be coming to a close, but how will you really know when it’s over? Blogger Thomas McDermott entertainingly suggests that it’s when our IRAs go back to pre-bust levels and Vladimir Putin stops referring to the U.S. as “Iceland with no ice.” He also gives props (McDermott, not Putin) to Recessionwire: You’ll know it’s over when we change our name.

Love in the Time of Layoff: Back to Work

Last month, my husband Marco subbed for me here, since I was too busy throwing up to write a post. This month, the nausea has at last subsided and I’ve got lots to say.

The start-up I’ve helped launch has taken off, and Marco has freelance work again. His new gig starts this week. (Let’s hear it for the latest news about the economy!) While you’d think I’d be ecstatic about my partner going back to work, relieving me of sole breadwinner duties, I’m mixed. It’s been a blessing having him at home cooking meals, unpacking boxes, helping me get through the day. He set up my desk and I’ve been happily working from home, feet up on the radiator to relieve the constant swelling, but I’ve become something I never thought I, a woman who prides herself on her independence, would become in this particular relationship: clingy. When we’re home together, I don’t even like to be in separate rooms…

Downturnaround Deals: Wine.com, Gaiam, HP, Beauty.com, Expedia

Some of us are starting to spend again (a little), but it’s smart to keep it frugal. So every week, we’re going to post a handful of online deals hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com. Feel free to pass them along to your friends. And if there’s something you’d like to see, let us know!

Nothing better than a free weekend at a friend’s country house. But of course, you have to pony up a present. Top wine gifts are 10 percent off at Wine.com. (expires 8/31/09)

Homeworking these days? You need a printer now that you can’t use the jumbo one at the office…take $30 off when you spend at least $150 at HP. (expires 10/31/09)…

Recession Briefing 8.13: Fed Says Recession Almost Over

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

JetBlue Airways will offer an “all-you-can-jet” pass for $599 in which passengers can book an unlimited amount of flights within a one-month span. (CNN/Money)

The Federal Rerserve says the recession looks to be coming to a close, and so it’s starting to return to business as usual. (NY Times)

The French and German economies both grew by 0.3% between April and June, bringing to an end year-long recessions in Europe’s largest economies. (BBC)

Florida’s gator hunters are hurting as demand for high-end alligator skin purses, wallets, and belts has slackened due to the recession. (Tampa Tribune)…

Screwed: 1,850 at Kaiser Permanente

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

Today’s Partial Total: 2,547

Kaiser Permanente notifies 1,850 employees in Southern and Northern California of impending layoffs… The parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield in Illinois is laying off 650 employees… Findlay, Ohio may be laying off 47 city workers if their new budget plan is implemented… GRIN, a Stotockholm-based developer, is experiencing another round of layoffs…

Recession Lexicon: Slashers

/n. A person with more than one profession, such as a banker-slash-entrepreneur, or an accountant-slash-yoga instructor.

This term (perhaps first coined by Marci Alboher in her book One Person/Multiple Careers — notice the slash) reflects a major shift in thinking about work: People no longer expect to have just one career. In the recession in particular, we see “slash career” as a product of a transition or reinvention (e.g. you plan to ditch the banker or accountant altogether); maybe you’re a professional polymath who is juggling different interests talents. Or maybe the downturn has forced you to cobble together multiple sources of income, as Tina Brown described with “gig economy.” The recession has accelerated the trend.

We use slasher to describe people like some of our Lemonade Makers, including James Young, who became a real estate broker-slash-digital-entrepreneur when his business slowed dramatically last year. And it’s quickly catching on.

Nota bene: Not to be confused with actress-slash-model.

Example: What do you do for a living? I’m a slasher in dance and medicine…

The Sounds of the Recession

Over the past year, the recession has touched nearly every aspect of our lives—from the way we travel, to the way we dress, and even the things we eat—which is why it should come as no surprise that the economic downturn has impacted the way we listen to music, too. After all, great depressions have been known to spark cultural revolutions before.

So will this time be any different, and how exactly has the music industry shifted since this current recession began?

Country musicians and rap stars are changing their tune. While pop singers have pretty much ignored the recession so far, country stars have taken the downturn head on, tapping into the angst of the unemployed with songs like “Shuttin’ Detroit Down,” “Red White and Pink Slip Blues,” and “Prayer of a Common Man.” Rap stars have jumped on the bandwagon as well, coming out with albums that reflect the times, like Young Jeezy’s “The Recession,” and announcing the end of bling…

Recession Teaches Americans How to Use Credit (Finally)

Americans are pretty dumb about money. If you’re tempted to argue with that statement, just remember that we’re in a financial crisis of our own making.

The good news is, the downturn seems to be making us smarter—at least when it comes to credit cards. People are actually becoming more responsible, taking on less credit card debt and paying off their balances promptly. How do we know? Because it’s hurting the credit card companies! According to the Washington Post, Capital One Financial, the company that issues the Orbitz and MTV Visas, among other cards, is losing money in part because it’s not making as much from fees.

“Many have witnessed the financial turmoil and threats of layoffs and taken a more disciplined view of their finances, making sure to submit payments on time and adhere to limits,” the Post says…