Downturnaround Deals: Victoria’s Secret, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Foot Locker, Crayola

Every week, we post online deals hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com. Feel free to pass them along, and if there’s something you’d like to see, let us know!

Get 15% off orders of $100 or more at Victoria’s Secret. (See more Victoria’s Secret Coupons.)…

Video: Let the Good Times Roll…

When New Jack City was released in 1991, times were indeed tough—New York City hadn’t yet seen Rudy Giuliani unleash his police force to clean up the streets; the dot-com and real estate booms hadn’t propelled Manhattan to epic heights of prosperity. But if the facade is better now, the times are tougher, at least by the measures above. First-time unemployment claims last month? Nearly double the “month” in New Jack City: 530,000 in September. Americans with income below the poverty line totals 47.4 million by at least one estimate. As for economic inequality—well, that’s an old story by now. Homelessness is only getting worse. And the national debt stands at $12 trillion…

Recession Briefing 10.30: Rappers Hurting Too

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

Rapper 50 Cent has admitted that he has to sell his old diamonds before buying new ones after the recession cut down his fortune. (Telegraph)

Recent studies found that 40 percent of American women are now the primary earners for their families, and that means more and more moms are going back to work — or at least trying to. (Fox News)

Economist and writer Katerina Alexandraki has launched a creative idea for easing the housing crunch this holiday season. She’s asking Wall Streeters getting big bonuses to contribute them to folks in danger of losing their homes. (BusinessWeek)…

Screwed: 361 at Fortis Bank Polska

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

Today’s Total: 737

Fortis Bank Polska may lay off 361 employees… 200 Milwaukee county workers may receive layoff notices at any time… Boeing’s Missile Defense Systems is laying off 69 employees in Huntsville… Pratt & Whitney laid off 45 workers yesterday at three locations around the country… Princeton University is laying off 43 employees and cutting hours on 18 other positions as part of a new budget cutting plan… 10 positions were cut at the Frederick County Health Department… The Wall Street Journal is closing its Boston bureau, resulting in up to 9 layoffs… Target Corp. has cut 8 percent of its downtown Minneapolis corporate marketing team… Thousands may face layoffs in the Hawaii Department of Education if a federal judge blocks teacher furloughs…23andMe has undergone restructuring and an undeclared number of layoffs…

No Comeback for Credit Cards

In case you haven’t heard, Americans are plunking down their gold (and blue and red and green) cards a lot less. And it looks like some of us are swearing off them altogether.

Almost a quarter of people said they had permanently changed their attitude towards credit cards and would not be using them anymore…

5 Ways the Recession is Good for Your Kids

Some days, you might feel a bit down in the dumps over a lost job or a depleted 401K, but that doesn’t mean your kids may be. In fact, it’s beginning to look like the recession might actually be good for your kids—in the long run, at least. Whereas older generations learned their money lessons from the Great Depression, today’s younger generation is finally getting its chance to see the benefits of frugality and savings up close. Here’s a few more ways that the economic downturn might be benefiting your kids…

Recession Briefing 10.29: Your Cash for Their Clunkers

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

The “Cash for Clunkers” program cost taxpayers approximately $24,000 for each extra vehicle sold when you factor in the cars which would have likely been sold anyway in the second half of 2009. (CNN/Money)

Remarkably, there has been a decline in deaths during the recession. The truth, little known but well documented, is that death rates decline and healthy living habits improve in tough economic times. (Fortune)

The economy grew at a 3.5 percent pace in the third quarter, the best showing in two years, fueled by government-supported spending on cars and homes. It was the strongest signal yet the economy entered a new phase of recovery. (AP)…

Screwed: 2,500 at General Electric

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

Today’s Total: 7,475

The good news: John Deere will recall 452 manufacturing workers by the end of November.

The bad: General Electric’s lighting unit will lay off 2,500 Hungarian workers over the next two years… German railway company Deutsche Bahn is set to cut 2,000 administrative workers due to declining revenue… US Airways anticipates cutting up to 1,000 employees in 2010… BP plans to eliminate 600 German workers as a cost-cutting measure… Insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher is set to lay off 400 workers despite rising profits in the third quarter… Versace will shed 350 as part of a “comprehensive corporate reorganization”… Intermet is set to close the Archer Creek Foundry in Campbell County, Virginia the day after Christmas and cut 200 workers… Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Inc. will hand out 150 pink slips… Aramark Services filed notice with the state of Florida to lay off 96 employees in Pompano Beach… Citigroup anticipates laying off 75 employees in a Las Vegas office by the end of the year… The axe came down at Forbes Wednesday which shuttered bureaus in London and Los Angeles and eliminated about 50 editorial staffers… Workforce Solutions will lay off 48 workers in response to reduced federal funding in East Texas… Teen Vogue met its McKinsey-mandated 25% budget cut by eliminating 6 staffers from its sales and marketing departments… The Associated Press is set to cut 10% of its workforce, although a final tally is not yet available… American Suzuki laid off its entire press relations department…

Lost Your Job? Tell Your Landlord.

Sure, he jacks up your rent, ignores your calls about vermin and takes two days to get the toilet fixed. But your landlord (or lady) is really nice.

In fact, two-thirds of small, independent landlords say that they would reduce rents to help tenants stay in their homes, according to a new survey by the National Association of Independent Landlords. And a third say they already have…

Small Business: Up Your Game When the Economy’s Down

As a small business owner, you will probably lose some business during the downturn, despite your best efforts, as client companies cut their budgets, shift strategy, or, sometimes, go away altogether.

Bernard Nneji, president of Sigma Works Group, a process-improvement agency, suggests a variety of reasons clients and investors say they have lost interest in a small business: the client contact has changed and decides to “fire” the business; budgets and timelines are no longer working for the client; the small business’ strategies and execution of strategies cease to be in line with the client’s mission or the client has outgrown the small business…