The Great Recession? That’s Entertainment

Are we all taking this recession just a little too seriously? In a series of short plays debuting at the Flea Theater in New York as “The Great Recession,” times are so tough that one may contemplate killing babies for money; you may end up living in squalor with others who’ve had their Tribeca lofts foreclosed on (subsisting on nothing but “tofu pops” and no cell phone or Internet); or, egads, have to come up with a Plan B when your dad is no longer able to fund your six-month vacation to wherever. Wow—get me off this train.

To hit their point home, one play features characters who’d probably be broke and a mess anyway blaming the recession. The fetish is understood.

Except for a rocky start by an Adam Rapp vignette featuring face-painted absurdist soldiers of the new order, delighting in the opportunity to exploit the downfallen, “The Great Recession” delivers pretty good entertainment and commentary on the recession…

We’re Big in France. Seriously.

Finally, we can say we have something in common with supermodels — and all it took was losing our jobs.

Recessionwire was on a tear in the French press this fall, making it into French Elle (click for the whole shebang), business magazine Capital (download the PDF here), and onto Radio France Internationale (listen here). Along the way, we learned a few things:

1. The dot-com suffix hasn’t caught on in France. They use the word for “period” instead — point. So when you wear your French accent, we are Recessionwire-pwah-com.…

Recession Briefing 11.30: Is Anyone Not on Food Stamps?

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

With food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month, a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children. (New York Times)

“If the United States succumbs to a fiscal crisis, as an increasing number of economic experts fear it may,” writes Niall Ferguson, “then the entire balance of global economic power could shift.” (Newsweek)

Growing ranks of U.S. citizens are heading to street corners and home improvement store parking lots to find day-labor work usually done by illegal immigrants. (USA Today)…

Screwed: 5,000 at ThyssenGrupp AG

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

Today’s Total: 10,627

German steel producer ThyssenGrupp AG announced plans to slash 5,000 jobs after reporting a loss of 1.87 billion Euro ($2.8 billion) in the last fiscal year… Riverside County, Calif. considers up to 1,500 layoffs in order to compensate for a “structural deficit”… Canadian cell phone and cable provider Rogers Communications laid off 900 workers nationwide last week… Bombardier Aerospace laid off 715 employees, also in Canada… BAE Systems publicized another 642 job losses across the U.K… Airline bmi will lay off 600 employees across Europe due to “restructuring”… Integrys Energy Group is considering laying off up to 350 workers in Wisconsin and other states as part of a cost-cutting effort… Aecom Europe made an additional 350 job cuts due to “ongoing effects of the recession”… Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa laid off 150 workers from a plant in Ebensburg, Pa… The University of Copenhagen has plans to cut 130 staffers from its payrolls in January…

Downturnaround Deals: Gap, Aeropostale, Bebe, Wine.com, Children’s Place, Kodak

Every week, we post online coupons for food, clothes, books, gadgets and more, hand-picked for Recessionwire readers by the nice people over at Savings.com. This week, check out their Black Friday deals, too.

Get 50% off the entire site at Aeropostale. (See more Aeropostale coupons.)…

Recessionwire Book Giveaway: Social Lives

If you’re expecting “recession lit,” a book about triumphing in difficult times, look elsewhere.

If you’re looking for a light, fun read about how rich people’s lives aren’t perfect, Wendy Walker’s new book, Social Lives, hits it….

The Newest Ways to Share and Save

We understand why you might not want to share everything (spouses and swimsuits spring to mind). But saving a few bucks by sharing other things is turning out to be one of the year’s big trends.

Sharing-based businesses are hardly a new phenomenon–though the old fashioned term for it is “renting.” Back in July we put together a roundup of our favorites, including textbooks and movies, back in July. But more companies are jumping on the sharing-is-caring bandwagon, letting customers take temporary ownership of party dresses and eco-friendly cars. After the jump, a roundup of the newcomers…

Screwed: 4,000 at Penn Traffic Co.

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

Today’s Total: 4,198

Syracuse-based supermarket operator Penn Traffic Co. expects to layoff 4,000 employees while closing dozens of locations throughout upstate New York… Maryland will face 112 state layoffs following the recent approval of the 2010 budget… Goodrich Corp. plans to lay off 78 workers from its Foley plant this coming January… Fairfield County may be forced to lay off 5 deputies sometime in 2010… Williamsport may see 3 city firefighter layoffs unless health care concessions are agreed upon… Integrys of Green Bay, Wisconsin Public Service’s holding company, has planned an undisclosed number of layoffs for its Midwest utility companies this Spring while 600 administrators will be required to take an unpaid week off in 2010… Another round of layoffs is underway at Time Inc. though it is not yet clear which publications and how many employees will be served with the notices… The Washington Post is closing its New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles bureaus… M&F Bank has closed one of its Starkville locations after 35 years of service…

Recession Briefing 11.25: Be Thankful, But Spend Less

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

The 25-pound turkey, the office party, the year-end bonus, the family reunion, the second (or third) Christmas tree — all are threatened by what employment consultant John Challenger calls “a culture of frugality” and the need to refocus an alluring American dream: a happy holiday. (USA Today)

The Unemployment League, an ongoing bowling event in Battle Creek, Mich., is an attempt lift the spirits and prospects of unemployed residents in a state leveled by the economic downturn. A local alley partnered with a employment organization to hold weekly job fairs at the bowling alley — while job seekers are throwing strikes or picking up spares. (Wall Street Journal)

The Humane Society of the United States doesn’t have comprehensive numbers on animals abandoned, but there is anecdotal reporting of increases since the recession started. And press reports on overloaded shelters across the U.S. suggest a broader trend. (MSNBC)…

Swapping is the New Shopping

For the past month, I’ve had to close my eyes every time I pass the window of J. Crew because I am absolutely dying for an oversized, button-down boyfriend sweater – but it’s so not in my budget! But I got one in the end – and I didn’t pay a dime for it!

How did I do it? By swapping.

Swapping is the new shopping – only better! Why shell out your hard-earned cash for something when you can just swap something of yours for the item you desire.

Not only do you get cool new stuff, but it doesn’t cost you a thing…