A daily review of the employment fallout around the country and the world.
JP Morgan Chase to close credit card service center, 700 jobs lost…Vodafone said to plan hundreds of job cuts at U.K. division…Lagardere Active to layoff 250 workers..China’s Founder Tech axes 200 jobs…
What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.
A Dose of Deference and Earnest Showbiz (NY Times)
Jackman channels Depression-era glamour at the Oscars. He sang, he danced, he sat on Frank Langella’s lap and he also presented the 81st annual Academy Awards. Hugh Jackman was a shrewd, even thrifty choice for a recession-era Oscar night — the hosting equivalent of a value meal.
Disagreements About Stimulus Embroil G.O.P. (NY Times)
Republican governors split sharply during the weekend over how to respond to the economic crisis, a debate whose outcome will go a long way toward shaping how the national party redefines itself in the wake of its election defeats of recent years.
Through the extraordinary arc of his career, Mickey Rourke has personified our obsessions, our excesses, and now, finally, the possibility of our redemption.
Way back in the mid-eighties, in 91/2 Weeks, he cast his knowing gaze on Kim Basinger, playing an arty type who works for peanuts in a SoHo gallery. New York City is grey and gritty, filled with predatory squeegee men and homeless bodies that the resigned masses hopscotch over on their morning commute…
Tough economic times may tempt you to dispense with insurance when you plan your getaway. Please resist! The quickest way to compromise your bank account, not to mention your sanity, is to start thinking of insurance as a luxury.
The main travel insurance plans available are trip insurance and travel medical.
We’ve just been poking around the West Indian island of Nevis, the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton. This man knew a little something about money, and there’s a renewed interest today in his prescient ideas about the American economy.
Alexander Hamilton was the first US Secretary of the Treasury, a Founding Father, economist, and a bit of a rake. He was a thoroughly modern man who envisioned a strong federal government and a strong treasury, a national banking system, a stock market and foreign trade policy that balanced openness with protections…

Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.
Is the Recession the final blow to SATC excess?
Flappers of the late 1920s were the Carries and Samanthas of their day: bold, sassy, and fond of flaunting fabulous frocks. They stepped out in sequined sheaths, pricy handbags tucked under their arms. They sported make-up, smoked cigarettes, and bared limbs. Trading petticoats for scanty panties, they shopped for sequined dancing shoes to replace sensible lace-up boots.
But the fashion orgy didn’t last.
When your company lets you keep your job, but ships you to a developing country.
IBM has a new approach to laying off workers: Hang on to your job, but move to India. After pinkslipping thousands, Big Blue is telling American employees that they can have a job, but must export themselves to India, where they’ll receive…
This Valentine’s Day, dogs are getting plenty of love. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans plan to spend $367 million on their pets. That’s a lot of cat toys and doggy treats.
The holiday may not be a box of chocolates for us humans. But Fido? Doing okay this year.
Looking back at the Great Depression to see the path ahead.
Will Meals on Wheels be the Next Boom?
A hot dog tale.
Good-bye filet mignon, hello meatloaf. As the recession rages, Americans are finding ways to chow on the cheap. Consumers are shifting food purchasing patterns. We’re trading down to private label and value brands. We’re eating out less, and getting more aggressive about buying products on sale. Fast food joints are luring us by including more premium items on their dollar menus. High end retailers like Whole Foods are feeling the heat as the organic revolution slows. Many of use are doing without that Starbucks latte.
A daily review of the employment fallout around the country.
FedEx Freight cuts 900 jobs…Kansas-based Black & Veatch, the area’s largest engineering firm, to shed 140 employees…Dartmouth College lets go 60…Stanford Graduate School of Business cuts 49…