Recession Adds Drama to Paying for Lunch

Unemployment straining friendships

(NEWSER) - The onetime small-talk staple “So, how's the job going?” is liable to get you into trouble these days, reports Newsweek. Rising unemployment is straining friendships as the haves learn to interact with the have-nots. Among 30- and 40-somethings, discussing luxurious vacation plans is not a good idea, and for the 50-plus set, retirement talk is strictly off-limits. More»

No, although a couple were charged and some were embarrassed

(NEWSER) - The government could soon prosecute a few Wall Streeters who allegedly played a role in the financial crisis, and the commission that uncovered those at fault was modeled on a similar probe after the Great Depression. So did anyone who precipitated that collapse ever go to jail? Nope, writes Brian Palmer in Slate ’s Explainer column: “The rampant speculation and eventual crash of 1929 weren't caused by fraud or illegality, but by unreasonable optimism and loose financial regulation.” More»

Uncertainty is the 'new normal' in America

(NEWSER) - For many Americans, "recovery" feels a lot like recession—and it may take a decade for that to change, finds the New York Times . At the current rate of job creation, for instance, it would take nine years to recapture jobs lost thus far. Home prices, meanwhile, are down 20% since 2005; even assuming 2% inflation, it would take 13 years for the market to reach pre-crisis levels. Everywhere, offices sit empty. More»

For one thing, no dancing

(NEWSER) - Looking to impress your future in-laws at a fancy dinner out? Follow John Mariani’s 39 steps for how to dine out like a gentleman, from Esquire :

• "A gentleman never has more than one cocktail before dinner."
• "A gentleman never takes more than one minute to decide on his meal."
• "A gentleman never talks about golf with women present."
• "A gentleman never drinks beer from a bottle at a restaurant."

TV spots hint at hard times, and does it well

(NEWSER) - Advertisers trying to market to recession-bruised consumers could take a cue from Ketel One vodka, suggests Seth Stevenson in Slate . Rather than playing Debbie Downer and addressing the recession with coupons—or ignoring it entirely à la Grey Goose’s glamorous yachting women—Stevenson says Ketel One has made “an effective and fully internalized response to the crisis.” More»