“People just aren’t having [you know what] in the office any more,” a Wall Street HR person said. “It’s like the crash dampened their hormones.” (Business Insider)

New-car shoppers appear to have already snapped up all the $1 billion that Congress appropriated for the “cash for clunkers” program, leading the Transportation Department to tell auto dealers Thursday night to stop offering the rebates. (New York Times)

Millions of Americans are making dramatic career turnabouts in the recession as some industries shed jobs which analysts say likely won’t return for years, if ever.  (USA Today)

Much of the $787 billion in a federal program to spur the economy was supposed to pour onto American roads, bridges, and construction sites. So far, though, the amount of money funneling into US construction zones is less than expected. (Christian Science Monitor)

Dan Barry tells the story of Camp Runamuck, a tent city in Providence, R.I., under an overpass stretch of Route 195 that is scheduled for demolition. (New York Times)

Because of the housing bust, a New Jersey firefighter and his wife are the only residents in a massive 32-floor condo building in Ft. Myers, Fla. (The News-Press)

The recession inflicted even more damage on the economy last year than the government had previously thought. (Associated Press)

Las Vegas is the worst hit city in the U.S. in terms of foreclosed properties with one in 13 housing units in foreclosure. (Huffington Post)

The pace of economic decline slowed substantially in the second quarter, as the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 1% — far less than it did in the first quarter, according to a government report released Friday. (CNN/Money)

The solar business is basking in new Recovery Act incentives. (The Big Money)

Tags: camp runamuck, career change, cash for clunkers, foreclosures, Las Vegas, office romance, recovery act

The effect of the recession on the California wine industry has been brutal. Wine is a cash-flow business, and all along the pipeline, from farm to production to sales, cash is not flowing. (New York Times/The Pour)

The unusual new faces of joblessness in this groundbreaking recession are those of older white men cut loose from employment at the peak of their earning power and work experience. (USA Today)

More than 90 percent of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas saw their unemployment rates climb in June from the previous month. (Associated Press)

The global recession may end toward the end of 2009 — instead of sooner — but the global recovery in 2010 will be anemic and well below trend, writes Nouriel Roubini. (Forbes)

New jobless claims rose last week to 584,000, but the Department of Labor says the trend is pointing down. (NPR)

There is an urgency for politicians to show that spending programs designed to stimulate the economy are working — even if that means stretching the facts. (USA Today)

Instead of hunkering down and holding out for the economy to recover, Whole Foods has been experimenting with ways of convincing America that it was, in fact, an affordable place to shop, without actually slashing prices store-wide. (The Big Money)

Construction on more than 10 percent of 1,306 planned skyscrapers was on hold at the end of June, and there were 11 percent fewer such projects under way compared with six months ago, a report released on Tuesday said. (Reuters)

The battered housing market appears to be on the mend, with sales climbing nationally and prices leveling off, even rising in some spots.  (Washington Post)

With so much bad news in the workplace, gallows humor is making a comeback. (Wall Street Journal)

Tags: end of the recession, housing prices, men in the workplace, skyscrapers, stimulus, the daddy shift, unemployment, whole foods, wine

Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama says the global economic crisis is an opportunity to re-think values related to finance. (AFP)

More retailers are accepting food stamps, as a record number of consumers are turning to government aid to pay for groceries. (USA Today)

Even as the recession has led to reduced budgets, it is also bringing forth a class of highly skilled volunteers who agree to work for only a thank you. This could be very valuable during hurricane season. (New York Times)

Men may be disproportionately affected by the economy, but that doesn’t mean these are boom times for women. (Newsweek)

A study finds that the recession will likely have a negative effect on the health and well-being of American children. (Washington Post)

A new survey finds that American love lives are becoming strained as a result of the recession. It also found that Americans have become resigned to retiring later, but are unwilling to sacrifice their current lifestyle. (Press Release)

Based on consumer confidence polls as well as hard data, Americans have shifted many of their former bad habits. Here are five lessons we’ve learned from the recession. (CBS News)

Some employers have begun rehiring, and a survey says that nearly a fifth of displaced employees return to the company that issued their pink slip. (CNN/Money)

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s assets tumbled by as much as 29 percent last year as declining stocks eroded the value of his annuities and other investments (Bloomberg)

Working a government agency might sound like a good idea, but their plans to hire may be a mirage. (Wall Street Journal)

Tags: Ben Bernanke, Dalai Lama, employment, food stamps, government jobs, job market, recession sacrifices, relationships and the recession, retirement in the recession, unemployment, women and the recession, working for free

The economic downturn is taking a central role in the local debate in Chicago over the city’s bid for the 2016 Olympic Games. (New York Times)

A group of eminent British economists has written to the Queen of England explaining why no one foresaw the timing, extent and severity of the recession, and apologizing for their “failure of collective imagination.” (Guardian)

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Sunday said he engineered the central bank’s controversial actions over the past year because “I was not going to be the Federal Reserve chairman who presided over the second Great Depression.” (Wall Street Journal)

More than 18.7 million homes stood empty in the U.S. during the second quarter as the steepest recession in 50 years sapped demand for real estate and banks seized properties from delinquent borrowers. (Bloomberg)

Recent readings across many of the world’s biggest economies, including the United States, China, Japan, Britain and Canada, suggest the global recession is petering out. What is missing is a catalyst for a sturdy, sustainable recovery. (Reuters)

The economy is forcing some companies to cut back on a staple of summer — blood drives. (Associated Press via Chiacgo Tribune)

California had 14,570 fewer births in 2008 than in the previous year, a 2.6 percent drop that surprised demographers with its size. It was the first annual decline in births since 2001, when the state was last mired in a recession. (San Jose Mercury News)

Sales have all but dried up for many art dealers in L.A., and quite a few galleries have closed and others have downsized. But solidly established dealers are soldiering on with tightened belts, and a surprising number of galleries are growing. (Los Angeles Times)

Garage sale postings on Craigslist rose 200% in the past two years, while traffic to YardSaleSearch.com, a portal for potential sellers and bargain hunters, is up 16% from last year. (USA Today)

A non-profit has extended its services to provide affordable, professional clothing for the unemployed. (SF Weekly)

Tags: Ben Bernanke, California birth rate, chicago olympics, Craigslist, end of the recession, foreclosure

An iPhone app that feeds into recession rage? The idea in the “Squash the $treet” video game is to squash as many “shady bankers, creepy fraudsters and corrupt CEOs” as you can — for cash. (CNBC)

Who is behind the Recession 101 ad campaign? It has to be someone who would profit from people getting their minds off the recession. (New York/Daily Intel)

The poor economy is taking a toll even on the dead, with an increasing number of bodies in Los Angeles County going unclaimed by families who cannot afford to bury or cremate their loved ones. (Los Angeles Times)

Economist Simon Johnson and Obamanomics author John Talbott say there’s plenty of blame to go around for the economic crisis. (Salon)

The global recession has now passed its nadir but the financial crisis still has some time to run and it will be a year at least before banks start lending again in earnest, according to a poll of analysts. (Reuters)

Chadwick Matlin spends a day on the Mississippi River tracking some of the Federal stimulus money. (The Big Money)

A new “real misery index” feature aims to provide a more accurate gauge of what is happening in the lives of millions of Americans as a result of the ongoing economic hard times. (Huffington Post)

Martin Feldstein, a professor of economics at Harvard University, sees the risk of a “double-dip” recession looming. (Bloomberg)

The recession is killing British pubs at an accelerating rate, an average of 52 every week in the first half of the year, an industry group said Wednesday. (USA Today)

Tags: alcohol and the recession, Chadwick Matlin, death, double dip recession, misery index, obamanomics, recession 101, recession rage, Squash the $treet

Science has confirmed what we had suspected – financial stress has a way of turning into body fat. (Live Science)

The recession has jolted Las Vegas in a fundamental way. Upward mobility for the working class is evaporating. (Wall Street Journal)

Components of the index of leading economic indicators are signaling the recession may be over now, not three to six months from now. (Bloomberg)

Commercial real estate is moving into the spotlight as the next potential body slam for the economy. (CNN/Money)

Recession-starved employee salaries have scarcely grown this year, and early predictions for 2010 aren’t looking much better. (Wall Street Journal)

Economist Nouriel Roubini said Monday that the economic recovery is going to be “very ugly.” (CNBC)

Ten business tips for beating the recession — without spending a penny. (Real Business)

The economic recession may be a national phenomenon, measured by data like gross domestic product and unemployment rates, but the experience at the local level is very different. (Christian Science Monitor)

The number of home funerals, where everything from caring for the dead to the visiting hours to the building of the coffin is done at home, has soared in the last five years. The cost savings can be substantial, all the more important in an economic downturn. (New York Times)

When General Motors, the biggest employer in Ontario, Ohio, laid off 400 workers in December, it was like a boulder falling into a very small pond. (USA Today)

Tags: commercial real estate, end of the recession, financial stress, home funerals, Las Vegas, obesity, recession, unemployment

As they ride out the economic recession, some American rodeos are bucking the hard times while others are sitting on the fence. (Associated Press)

540,000 Americans will exhaust their unemployment insurance benefits by the end of September, and a whopping 1.5 million will run out of coverage by the end of the year. (National Employment Law Project)

Federalism, often described as one of the great strengths of the American system, has become a serious impediment to reversing the downturn. (New Yorker)

College graduates from the class of 2009 who have been able to find jobs are landing starting salaries comparable to those offered a year ago, a new report finds. (South Florida Business Journal)

Check out this interactive map showing which states have been worst-hit by the unemployment crisis. (Huffington Post)

Surprisingly, Americans are feeling less stress from debt these days. (Associated Press)

The way the term “recession-proof” is tossed around these days, practically the entire economy seems to qualify. But, in truth, no job is immune. (Chicago Tribune)

A look at behavioral economics suggests that changes in consumer habits are for the long haul. (Adweek)

The skittishness about a recovery from the current recession may stem from the concerns that unemployment is so pervasive that the notion of a “jobless recovery” is no longer compelling. See also: Recessionwire’s tabs on the various predictions. (Daily Finance, Recessionwire)

Are the states hit hardest by the recession receiving the least stimulus money? (FoxNews)

Tags: consumer spending, federalism, health insurance, recession, rodeos, starting salaries, stimulus, stress, unemployment

A roadside billboard campaign funded by an anonymous  donor tells motorists “Self worth is greater than net worth” and “This will end long before those who caused it are paroled.” (Associated Press)

Most people believe the economic downturn has led to more gang violence, according to a new national survey. (Associated Press)

Economist Nouriel Roubini said yesterday the worst of the financial crisis is over and reiterated that the recession may end this year. (Bloomberg)

“It’s a good thing this epic recession is an opportunity to ‘reset’ our culture, as Kurt Andersen tells us, or slough off the chains of corporatism, as per Douglas Rushkoff,” writes John Cook. “Otherwise it would really suck for all the unemployed people.” (Gawker)

The recession is reminding Americans of a lesson they first learned in childhood: Share and share alike. They are sharing or swapping tools and books, cars and handbags, time and talent. (Washington Post)

How companies can start planning for a big comeback once the recession is over. (Inc.)

Just because we’re in a recession doesn’t mean it’s okay to tip less at restaurants. (Associated Press)

Jason Mannino has five tips for negotiating a higher salary during the recession. (Huffington Post)

The government is considering a proposal to allow homeowners to stay in their home as renters after a foreclosure. (Washington Post)

The foreclosure crisis — which has been concentrated in Arizona, California, Florida, and Nevada — is beginning to spill over to neighboring states. (Christian Science Monitor)

Tags: after the recession, bartering, consumer spending, end of the recession, foreclosure, gang violence, recession, salary, tipping, unemployment

To deal with its recession tourism slump, Hawaii is considering the construction of a galactic etherport to fly tourists through space. (The Atlantic)

The recession has failed to dampen philanthropic spirit, with many rich people increasing their charitable giving, according to a new report. (Economist)

New York and California are usually the leaders in producing and losing millionaires. But a new study suggests that on a percentage basis, some smaller cities were hit harder in 2008. (Wall Street Journal/Wealth Report)

A new forecast raised fresh doubts yesterday about how strong any economic recovery might be, as the Federal Reserve warned that the economy may not return to full health for at least five years. (Washington Post)

More than two-thirds of American adults have turned to the Internet for help with recession-induced personal economic issues and to gather information on national economic problems, a study said. (Reuters)

In tough financial times, people go to the movies. Movie theaters throughout the nation are packing them in, reporting sizable increases in ticket sales and overall attendance. (San Jose Mercury News)

Law enforcement and securities officials say the recession is pushing more people to steal from well-off seniors. (Boston Globe)

Peter Coy has five reasons why it’s too soon to declare the recession over. (BusinessWeek)

The number of workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to the lowest level since January, but the seasonally adjusted data was again distorted by automotive industry layoffs. (Reuters)

Foreclosures are continuing to set records despite the Obama administration’s $75 billion plan to help borrowers at risk of losing their homes. (USA Today)

Tags: foreclosure, internet use and the recession, movies and the recession, philanthropy and the recession, recession, recession and seniors, unemployment

More than half of executive-level job seekers think the recession has been good for their children, as a lesson that opportunity will not be handed to them. (Reuters)

Buoyed by some positive forecasts, Daniel Gross is ready to call an end to this whole recession thing. (Slate)

Marion Maneker wonders whether our culture of narcissism unleashed the boom — and thus the recession. (The Big Money)

A new survey from Zagat finds that New Yorkers are cooking at home more as a result of the recession. A similar survey in the U.K. found the amount that Brits spent eating out had dropped for the first time in 40 years. (New York Daily News, Times of London)

Love at all costs?: Japan’s so-called “love hotels” are proving relatively immune to the recession. (BBC)

The recession is keeping some older workers on the job beyond the time they intended to retire. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

President Obama made clear yesterday he expects unemployment to keep worsening for a while as hiring lags behind other signs of economic recovery. (Associated Press)

To take advantage of the shift in consumer behaviors and thrive in the new, post-recession economy, Kimberley Palmer suggests you consider making these 10 changes. (U.S. News & World Report)

Many homeowners with higher-price loans don’t qualify for mortgage modifications under the Obama plan, and can’t refinance to get lower rates even if the owner is struggling. (USA Today)

The 5,000 auto-parts suppliers across the country are struggling to survive in the aftermath of the massive downturn. 600 suppliers could go under over the next two years. (Washington Post)

Tags: entitled kids, home ownership, Japan and the recession, job market, job search, kids and the recession, love hotels, narcissism, recession, retirement, the big money, unemployment