Fashion designers Carmen Marc Valvo and Betsey Johnson are opting to hold their fall 2009 runway shows somewhere other than Bryant Park during New York fashion week. The 1,000 capacity tent carries a price tag of around $100,000 — too much to be spend on your brand when people aren’t spending much in general. Will [...]
December 17, 2008
Are Economic Troubles Spelling End to U.S. Manga Industry?
Tokyopop, the U.S.-based manga publisher, made serious cutbacks this week. All in all, the tally of layoffs seems to be 15 people, including the prolific editor Bryce Coleman. Titles in the pipeline for next year seem to include only one bona fide manga, in the traditional sense: Aria. Other titles are Disney comic books for [...]
December 17, 2008
Layoff Survivor Syndrome; It Might Be Worse To Keep Your Job
MSNBC.com has an interesting piece about Layoff Survivor Syndrome: “Like people who escape harm when others are hurt in a natural disaster or terrible accident, employees who keep their jobs in downturn often feel guilty.” Survivor’s guilt. Do any of you have it? Is the fear of losing your job so great you’d wish they’d [...]
December 17, 2008
I Wish Someone Could Have Bailed Them Out
I don’t usually get this emotional, but I saw this really heart-wrenching story in The New York Times today and thought I needed to share. Due to massive structural problems to their beautiful church in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn (estimated to cost $20 million to repair), a small group of devoted nuns are being forced to leave [...]
December 17, 2008
When Young People Can’t Find Work, They Riot!
“Youth riots” (as many are calling them) in Greece have continued unabated for over a week, sparked by the fatal shooting by police of a 15-year-old boy in the Exarchia area of Athens—a bohemian, lefty neighborhood, and a popular hangout for young people and so-called anarchists. The victim was from an affluent background. He attended [...]
December 17, 2008
I Bet A Lot Of Fans Are Shot Through The Heart
Say it ain’t so! But according to Bloomberg.com, the Arena Football League decided to shut down for the 2009 season to “reogranize.” The league which consists of 16 teams that play on an indoor 50-yard field has actually been around for 22 years. The owners decided that in this worldwide economic meltdown the organization will need [...]
December 17, 2008
Pink Slips Causing Reverse Migration?
To our neighbors down south in Mexico, the United States used to be the land of opportunity. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. There’s less work for Mexicans, so they’re going back home. The same thing is happening in China. Not too long ago, Chinese villagers were flocking to cities to work in bustling factories. [...]
