Recession Briefing: What’s An Out of Work Spider-Man to Do?

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

The firing of Spider-Man’s alter ego, Peter Parker, will put him in the unemployment line, but he shouldn’t expect to get unemployment benefits. That’s because his misconduct likely makes him ineligible for unemployment benefits. (WalletPop)

Just when you thought the mess from the February snowstorms was over, it has started to obscure a clear understanding of how the economy is doing. (Washington Post)

Five must-have provisions that the White House should insist upon to make sure we get financial reform that works, not just window dressing. (Mother Jones)…

Screwed: 100 at BAE Systems

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

Today’s Total: 293

BAE Systems plans to layoff 100 workers in Ohio after losing contract deals… In Arkansas, Commercial Metals Co are cutting up to 60 jobs by April 29… Eastern Maine Medical Center plan to lay off about 50 employees by March 19… Meanwhile, Kingsburg District Hospital in California announced plans to cut a nursing unit and lay off 50 employees… In New Jersey, South Orange Maplewood School District will be laying off 29 employees in the coming months… In Morristown, 4 city employees were laid off yesterday…

5 Reasons to Love Your Dog in a Downturn

True friends are there for you through both good times and bad, and when the chips are down, you find out that dog is indeed man’s best friend.

In a recent study of 400 Americans, a majority stated that their pets’ emotional support and non-judgmental attitude are key to helping them survive challenging times. Whether it’s financial struggles, job loss, or general anxiety, your dog’s got your back:

Provides structure: In an uncertain economy, the steady presence of your dog is invaluable. You may not have a job to be at every morning, but your dog still has to be walked and won’t let you wallow the day away in bed. Your best friend brings out the best in you. Not only will you get some exercise and possible human interaction, but you’ll be more likely to stay on track with your job search efforts…

Screwed: 520 in Phoenix

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

Today’s Total: 1,233

A new budget for Phoenix, Ariz. has resulted in 520 job cuts… If South Carolina state legislature passes a $5.1 billion budget plan, the Department of Juvenile Justice could suffer 295 contract employee layoffs… 200 jobs will be terminated as New Jersey Transit faces an emergency spending freeze… Cummins Inc. is laying off 194 workers from the Columbus Midrange Engine Plant… Lockheed Martin Corp. has laid off 16 employees at its Orlando, Fla. Location… New York City controller John Liu has announced that 8 employees have “separated” from his office…

Recession Briefing: The End of Saturday Mail?

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

The US postmaster general seeks big changes to the way the US Postal Service operates, including ending Saturday mail delivery. The USPS, grappling with the effects of the recession and the rise of e-mail and online bill paying, could lose up to $7 billion in 2010. (Christian Science Monitor)

The cachet of private school has taken a hit from the Great Recession, as parents question whether they can afford to pay for it, and whether it’s really worth the investment. (Slate)

Even as many Americans still struggle to recover from the country’s worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, another crisis – one that will be even worse than the current one – is looming, according to a new report. (ABC News)…

How to Keep Your Job by Becoming Irreplaceable

At the risk of stating the obvious, skill, talent, and seniority no longer guarantee job security. And blackmail and corporate espionage aren’t great alternative strategies — it’s generally better to get canned than to get jailed.

But there are ways to you reduce your chances of getting targeted during the next round of layoffs. After all, every workplace has a few key players whose bosses believe the place couldn’t run without them — whether it’s the person who can run a finicky fax machine or the only staffer who maintains a good rapport with a difficult client. These people tend to be the same ones who avoid layoffs time and time again.

You can become one of them — without a lot of hard work but with a good dose of sucking up. Here are five other tips to follow…

Screwed: Possible 4,000 in LA

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

Today’s Total: 5,214

Due to the devastating budget of Los Angeles, as many as 20 percent of all public library staff will be laid off, as well as 15 percent of the police force, culminating in possible layoffs of 4,000 city employees… In Toronto, Aveos Fleet Performance Inc will be laying off 1,000 airline machinists in the next few months… Chicago Transit Authority handed out pink slips to 99 employees over the weekend, marking the last batch of 1,067 CTA employees without jobs… In California, Salinas City may lay off 40 city employees as part of a proposed balanced-budget plan… In Ottawa, Caesars Windsor plans on cutting 45 jobs… In Nevada, Carson City may face a job cut of 30 employees due to a budget deficit…

Recession Briefing: Even (Real) Sharks Face Recession

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

The number of shark attacks in the U.S. declined for the second straight year, falling to their lowest level in more than a decade, and researcher George Burgess credits the recession. (Gainesville Sun)

A federal bankruptcy judge in Manhattan has approved the fiercely disputed method used by the court-appointed trustee to calculate victim losses in Bernard L. Madoff’s enormous Ponzi scheme. (New York Times)

Throughout the recession, many entrepreneurs trimmed their payrolls, among other big expenses. There have been tentative moves by some larger companies to rescind salary cuts for remaining employees, but few are rehiring the workers they cut. (Wall Street Journal)…

A Cool, Free Way to Figure Out a Business Idea’s Potential

Every day, it gets cheaper and easier to start a business. Want to put up a website? Try the free, open source WordPress platform. Need to sell some stuff? There are free or cheap e-commerce engines that manage the front end of the process. Even fulfillment can be automated, depending on what you’re peddling. And advertising is a plug-in from Google.

But what doesn’t get easier despite disruptive technology is putting together a viable business idea and creating a solid plan for executing on it. I’m not familiar with them, but have no doubt there are websites that aim to automate the business-idea process. I can’t imagine the businesses created this way will last very long or get very big.

The good news is that even if there’s no Web shortcut for good ideas, there’s now a free option that takes you through the rigorous process, holding your hand every step of the way, and forcing you to work out your ideas, through tutorials and worksheets. Most times, these tools are not free, and are usually very expensive…

Recession Briefing: Greece Who? California Is Much Worse

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

Jamie Dimon, chairman of JP Morgan Chase, has warned investors should be more worried about the risk of default of the state of California than of Greece’s current debt woes. (Telegraph)

Millions of Americans are now deeply underwater on their mortgage. If you’re among them, you need to stop living in a dream world and give serious thought to walking away from the debt. (Wall Street Journal)

The long-term unemployed — those out of work more than six months — make up 40 percent of people collecting unemployment. “These people, when you look at their unemployment rate, it’s just off the charts,” says Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute. “It’s very different from earlier patterns that we’ve seen in recessions.” (CBS)…