The Recession Has Ended… in the Art Market?

Says who: Sotheby’s head of contemporary art Tobias Meyer in reference to his $43.76 million sale of Andy Warhol’s “200 One Dollar Bills”

“… after a year of not buying … collectors have started buying again … The desire to have great things will make (them) step up and pay more than $40 million for a work of art.” (via Reuters)

Why it might be false: One pricey painting is an uptick, but it doesn’t…

Frugal Obsession: Listia

You know you have it. Stuff you don’t want and don’t use, but that seems too valuable to throw or give away. The nearly-full bottle of hair product that’s taking up space in the bathroom. That promotional glass paperweight. The television cables you bought and forgot to return after you realized they didn’t work with your set.

Okay, you might not have those exact things–but I did. And frankly, they were causing me the tiniest bit of angst until TechCrunch wrote about Listia, a new website that’s a cross between eBay and Freecycle…

Recession Briefing 11.17: More Going Hungry

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

The number of Americans who lived in households that lacked consistent access to adequate food soared last year, to 49 million, the highest since the government began tracking what it calls “food insecurity” 14 years ago. (New York Times)

Massive financial fraud schemes like Bernard Madoff’s multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme may attract lots of headlines. But as the effects of the recession wear on, it’s small-time financial crimes that are thriving, experts say. (NPR)

Some 15.4 million taxpayers could receive smaller refunds than they expected or owe taxes next year because they did not have enough money withheld from their paychecks as part of the Making Work Pay tax credit program. (Washington Post)…

Screwed: 2,500 at UBS

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

Today’s Total: 6,595

UBS anticipates slashing another 2,500 jobs in addition to large cuts the company has already made this year… Mining company Harmony Gold plans to shut down several mine shafts and reduce its workforce by 2,000 people internationally… Dell is shutting its plant in Forsyth, N.C. and eliminating 600 employees… Pennsylvania plans to lay off 319 state workers across 10 agenices due to deep budget cuts… Devon Energy Corp. was forced to lay off 275 members of its workforce after selling off assets… Deluxe Corporation will close a call center in Colorado Springs and leave all 225 employees from that location jobless… The Marine Corps Logistics Base in Yermo, Calif. will cut 170 posts… Manchester Metropolitan University in the U.K. was forced to cut 127 members of its support staff… Amway Corp. announced its plans to eliminate 93 jobs in Michigan in the next year and a half…

Entrepreneurs, Trust and Money

It might sound obvious, but if you’re running a business, you should aim to bring in revenue that exceeds the costs of running the business. It’s a point that panelists at New York Entrepreneur Week today at Columbia University felt they needed to reiterate, which may indicate that entrepreneurs are losing sight of what’s important in creating a successful business: income that will allow your business to grow.

“It’s a very simple thing to say,” said JP Werlin, Pipeline Deals. “But it runs contrary to what you’re taught in the venture capitalist industry, but – ‘no expenses before revenue,’ it’s a mantra we have internally in our company and it’s helped us get to where we are today.” PipelineDeals, which makes software for salespeople, never raised venture capital, but developed a company structure that allowed it to build slow and scale based on the revenue they brought in – not on spending money raised from investors…

Nine 70s Flicks to Make You Feel Better About the Recession

I tend to romanticize the 70s as an era. I am charmed by the idea of people “finding themselves” while making dramatic, life-changing decisions in pursuit of authenticity. And in our troubled times, there’s something especially cathartic about watching others caught in the vortex of events they can neither understand nor control, but nonetheless work heroically to resolve. As my wise Buddhist friend once said: “falling off the path is the path” — it’s when we’re faced with challenges that we have the opportunity to grow and to discover the boundlessness of our own mettle.

One great thing about the modern age, though — Netflix and YouTube make watching these old flicks easy and affordable.

Shaft (1971)
This prime example of “Blaxploitation” film tells the tale of John Shaft, a badass African-American private detective (the smokin’ hot Richard Roundtree) on assignment to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of a mobster…

Recession Briefing 11.16: Going Abroad for Jobs

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

With the nation’s unemployment rate at a 26-year-high of 10.2%, more Americans are hunting for, and landing, work overseas, according to staffing companies and executive search firms. (USA Today)Some are now recession refugees. (Recessionwire)

The recession is intensifying rumblings of discontent from Generation X. The 32- to 44-year-olds are just waiting for the economy to pick up so they can hop to the next job, find something more fulfilling and get what they think they deserve. (Associated Press)

Corporate failures have slowed, as companies once on the verge of default have found a new life. These companies are now refinancing their balance sheets with new debt, pushing out maturities on existing loans or using distressed-debt exchanges to avoid a bankruptcy filing. (Wall Street Journal)…

Screwed: 403 at MTN

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

Today’s Total: 2,087

MTN, South Africa’s biggest mobile operator, announced plans to lay off 403 employees across all divisions… Nebraska state officials are contemplating 400 layoffs to help meet a $334 million budget cut… Fiserv will close a customer call center in Illinois and leave 290 jobless… First Data Corp. will reduce its global workforce by 250… Oklahoma state’s Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services voted Friday to reduce its budget by $7.3 million and eliminating 100 jobs… R-G Financial Corp. cut 100 jobs from retail banking and mortgage banking operations in Puerto Rico… Murray Energy Corp. announced the layoffs of 91 employees in Ohio… Virginia Commonwealth University plans to lay off 91 staff members after state budget cuts for education… Colorado Springs will lay off 73 transit workers by the end of the year… Lennox Hearth Products of Orange County, Calif. cut 71 workers from its payrolls last week… Wyoming school administrators proposed eliminating 57 staffers unless unions agree to a pay cut… The town of Buckeye, Ariz. anticipates cutting 40 public safety jobs in order to compensate for a budget deficit…

10 Sneaky Tips for Flying Fee-Free in Europe

If Dante were writing today, he would have designed the tenth circle of hell after the Pisa Airport. While it’s often advertised as the “Florence” Airport by some European budget airlines, it’s actually about 50 miles away, waiting to punish you with outlandish excess baggage fees.

Europe has a number of airlines that offer if not luxurious travel, at least insanely cheap fares. Easyjet, Ryanair, and the lesser known copycats offer flights for as little as a few dollars. They don’t tell you that you’ll have to wake up at 3:00 am to catch a bus to some remote European town and wait in line for two hours before boarding something that resembles an aircraft. And they aren’t big on reminding you about the countless extra fees they can charge, especially for luggage.

I’ve learned the rules of frugal flying the hard way. I’ve been stranded on buses in Slovakia and had rough landings through flocks of birds in Lithuania. But if you’re crafty, prepared, and desperate for a European vacation, the experience can feel like a victory, especially after flying round-trip on $35…

Why that Headhunter Won’t Call You Back

Recruiters can be like cads: They lead you on, pretend to be interested, and then never call you back. Lots of people have horror stories about recruiters who reach out for their resumes, interview them in-office, and then never speak to them again.

There’s a reason. And, it’s not pure malice. Generally. But I might need you to thicken your skin for a moment.

1. They Don’t Have Anything For You Right Now. The simplest answer is often the truth. Why, you ask, would they waste everyone’s time if they don’t have any positions for you? It’s in their interest to find out what you’re all about so that you’re good to go when a position does arise for your background…