The Thin Green Line

Wow. This is really bad news from BoingBoing. The Speaker of the House released this happy little graphic that compares the current monthly job loss rate to the previous recessions in 2001 and 1990. See that green line that looks like it saw a $20 bill on the ground? That's us.

Newspaper Industry Hit Hard in 3rd Quarter

Hey all, thought you might be interested in this, Happy Thanksgiving:

Newspaper sales fall 21% in historic rout
Newspaper advertising sales dived by a record 21.1% in the third quarter in a historic, across-the-board rout paced by a nearly 31% plunge in classified revenues.

Barely eking out $9 billion in print sales in the three months ended in September, the industry shed more than $1 billion in revenues from the same period in the prior year, according to statistics published quietly on the afternoon before Thanksgiving by the Newspaper Association of America (continued).

http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2008/11/newspaper-sales-fall-21-in-historic.html
http://www.naa.org/TrendsandNumbers/Advertising-Expenditures.aspx
http://www.slideshare.net/hblodget/mary-meeker-web-20-presentation-presentation

Great Depression Photos

Reuters is featuring a series of 18 famous photos of the Great Depression. Though it is clearly a comment on the recent economic crisis, which has often been compared with the 1930s, it is difficult to say how the editors intend for it to be interpreted. It could be seen as a contrast with the past, or a hint towards the future - probably a bit of both. Check it out.

Bailout

I wrote to my House Representative, Peter DeFazio D-Ore., regarding the recent bailout vote. The $700 billion bailout is designed to insulate the market from years of poor decisions and irresponsible lending. Along with many other Congressional members, Rep. Defazio voted against the bailout plan. The market reacted with the largest point drop in history, and one of the largest percentage drops since the Great Depression.

I understand that http://www.house.gov/ is getting slammed by citizens who are wanting to let their representatives know their opinions, and I thought that I would lend mine as well. Here is the message that I sent the DeFazio administration:

To whom it may concern,

I wanted to register my concern with Rep. DeFazio's no vote on the recent bailout proposal. I think he is a good man, and I am sure he has many reasons for his position, but I urge him to consider supporting the bill.

I do not think that it is the best solution, but I think that it is a necessary evil. The potential risk of allowing the economy to stagnate for another two or three weeks is too great.

The government must display decisive leadership to provide a direction for the markets before they shake themselves apart. Inaction threatens harm that will take a generation to heal.

Thank you for your time,
Tristan Coolen

Journal Entry VIII

The following is part of a series of reposted journal entries made for a reporting class I am taking right now. They aren't particularly edited, or necessarily even interesting (though hopefully they are), but they do a pretty good job of expressing what I am doing right now. And, of course, they are pre-made content. Reader beware.

Journal Entry 8: Oakway Center

One more neighborhood entry. I wanted to talk about the Oakway Center (and by extension much of Coburg Road and the Valley River Center to the West), because it is an interesting element of the Cal Young Neighborhood. These two major economic areas bound the neighborhood by either side to the Southeast and Southwest, and comprise the highest level of contact between the neighborhood and the rest of Eugene. Most Eugene residents have visited one, if not both, of these sites, but few have ventured northward to explore the rest of the neighborhood. While talking with people in the Oakway Center, I found customers who had travelled from as far as Junction City so that they could shop at some of the stores. The VRC attracts shoppers from all over the region, from as far away as Albany or Cottage Grove.

To me, these economic centers of the neighborhood have a lot to say about the values of the community. The influx of nonresidents certainly has an impact on the openness and trust of the residents. The heavy commercialization of the South is reflected in the insular residential districts and the relative lightness of commercial businesses in the residential areas. Another thing to note is that the area provides an in between Eugene and Springfield. Eugene’s preference for small and local business is contrasted with Springfield’s wont for chain stores. Cal Young achieves the happy mean of the yuppie community-conscious chain store, meaning something like a Borders bookstore.