Hard Times

President Barack Obama stood in a recently erected wind-energy factory on Wednesday and addressed the nation about creating “green” oriented jobs.
Factories are downsizing or shutting down across the midwest, but Obama believes the answer to economic recovery lies in energy efficient technology moving into these closed buildings.
“The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy,” Obama said, according to the Associated Press.
New energy sources promise to wean the US away from foreign oil imports, and also reduce greenhouse gases, something Obama hopes to reduce by 20 percent in 10 years.
The Stimulus Package allocated $300 million for more fuel efficent vehicles to achieve this.
“Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy,” Obama said. “The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world’s leading importer of oil, or we can become the world’s leading exporter of clean energy.”

Still hard on cash, but want to take your sweetie out? Well you’re in luck…as long as the warm weather keeps.

Grab your u-pass and head to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Price: completely free. Or take the 66 bus to Navy Pier and enjoy the festivities Navy Pier has to offer.

If it’s really nice, grab your swim suit and head to the beach for the day. Soak up the sun and play some beach volleyball.

Don’t want to get all sandy? Pack a few sandwiches and head over to Buckingham fountain and have a picnic. While you’re over that way be sure to check out Millenium Park with its new pieces of art.

Want to be a bit more active? Rent a bike from Loyola’s rent a bike program and ride down along the lake.

According to the Chicago Tribune, musicians and music lovers are using the Internet to learn how to play a musical instrument. What several people do is go on YouTube and look for tutorials with the song and musical instrument of their choice. During these tough times, everyone is looking for ways to save money, and having lessons on the Internet is cheap. You can practice at your house (unless you need to go somewhere to get an instrument), and you don’t have to pay your teacher for the lessons which can cost hundreds of dollars.

One disadvantage of this kind of tutorial, as the article mentions, is that it can be “information overload.” For example, search for “Coldplay piano tutorial” on YouTube, and you’ll find hundreds of search results which makes it really difficult to find the best tutorial among them all. But there’s a solution to that:

One good strategy for YouTube tutorials involves finding a video mentor you like and sticking with her. If a pianist posts a clip you find valuable, she likely has others at the site. Many YouTube musicians use the Web portal to promote their instructional videos, and often give out their e-mail addresses.

Another disadvantage is that there is no direct interaction between the teacher and the student. If you want to ask a question or give a comment to your teacher, you either send him/her an e-mail (if he/she provided that info to you) or send him/her a comment on the Website. Though how positive are you that he/she will get to read it and whether he/she replies or not?

I think that having tutorials online is a great alternative. I’ve seen some of the videos, and they can be really helpful. I know that nothing beats a session with a teacher in person, but some people just can’t afford it for now. And if you got the talent and skills, why not share them with other people?

Recently, I saw a story in the paper about how movie theaters are doing better in the economic downturn. Despite the obvious reasonable explanation for a rise in moviegoers, the theater being a place people can escape to for a few hours and drop their worries at the door, I can’t help but wonder if there’s really that much truth to this story. Maybe more people are going to the movies, but the only rise on the movie industry that I’ve actually noticed is an increase in film piracy

Web sites like Mini Nova and Pirates Bay are gaining increased popularity for creating a platform where people can post movies that in some cases haven’t even come out in theaters or on DVD yet for other users to download. With ticket prices in the city at a whopping $10.00-12.00 per ticket, I’m not surprised that these sites are so heavily populated.

Although a free movie from the comfort of your own home sounds good, there is something about the experience of going to a movie theater that I think is still worth a visit. Either way, it’s an issue worth thinking about… If downloading these movies weren’t illegal, or even just more easily accessible and simple to do, would theaters still be as crowded?

Chicago’s tax increment financing program (TIF) is a system that has brought in billions of dollars for the city. This money is used mainly for building projects and infrastructure, and is controlled by the hand of Mayor Richard Daley. Citizens and publications like the Chicago Reader have protested the lack of oversight into the way the money is spent. This is especially a concern now, as the recession is making wasteful government spending more dangerous than ever. However, soon, this system may change.

The Chicago Reader reports that two aldermen, Manny Flores and Scott Waguespack, have introduced a bill to bring more transparency to this program. If the bill they introduced Wednesday passes, all details and documents relating to TIF deals will be published online in a free, accessible, comprehensive fashion.

Flores and Wauguespack say that it is time for more transparency in city government dealings in order to prevent corruption and wasteful spending. They were influenced by President Obama’s call for more transparency in federal government monies.

According to an article from cnn.com, the high-end coffee industry is suffering due to the recession. Exotic coffee has been replaced by other options, like McDonald’s new McCafe’s.

Shawn Contreras, sales director for Diedrich Manufacturing, which sells roasting equipment, explains “wholesale roasters are continuing o grow, but smaller operations are having an extraordinarily difficult time’ getting funding.”

The article says credit is an issue many coffee companies are struggling with; however, the industry seems to be facing only a temporary slow-down. “[Coffee's] not going anywhere anytime soon.”

I wasn’t surprised when I found this article. I love coffee and I used to go to Starbucks and small coffee shops a lot more frequently, but ever since McDonalds came out with their cheap, specialty coffee, I have been drinking that instead. But I’m sure there are still certain people who won’t settle for anything less than their favorite exotic blend from Hawaii.

AP Photo/Cynthia Boll

credit-card-debt.jpg

According to CNN, college students are using credit cards to cover their expenses now more than ever and they are building up an average debt of more than $3,000.

“I’ve got about $10,500 worth of debt,” one student told CNN. “My cash flow is gone…I didn’t want to spend all my savings, so I would put some things on my credit card.”

Many experts believe this rise in credit card debt for students is due to surging college tuition costs, higher cost of living, and a difficult job market for students looking to pay for school.

It feels like everyone is feeling the pinch of a looming recession that has lasted for what seems like a thousand years. No industry, besides maybe the fast food guys at McDonalds and Wendy’s, is safe. Maybe it is getting a little better, but some members of the fashion industry continue to act like people can still afford thousand dollar price tags.

During the Great Depression, a great deal of clothing and accessories sprouted up made from less expensive fabrics. Burlap became a huge tool to designers, due to it’s low purchase price. Well low and behold, burlap and recycled fabrics walked this past season’s runways. The only difference is instead of lowering the prices of the items in exchange for the low cost of fabric, they have not changed a thing.

Do you want to pay thousands for a dress right now? What about one made from a potato sack? This answer is probably not, and it’s a bit of a ridiculous question.

Some examples are Fendi’s Karl Lagerfeld has created a raffia Peek-a-Boo bag for $3,770. Miu Miu’s Miuccia Prada introduced a distressed linen V-neck dress for $2,015. Okay…maybe both of these items are cute. Sure, I like linen dresses and peek-a-boo bags. I pretty much like anything these two famous designers come up with. But give us all a break. It makes me wonder why they can’t just drop their prices.

If I see someone on the street wearing one of these items, I might just have to ask them what they were thinking.

It was announced recently announced that a $146 million film and television production complex will be built near Detroit, Michigan in Allen Park. According to the town’s Mayor Gary Burtka, the studio will provide hundreds of jobs for unemployed locals.

Will trends like this continue? Can we be hopeful that large multi-million dollar projects will benefit our economy? In my eyes, business endeavours like these are a good sign. Despite being in hard economic times, people still seem to be sending money on movies and entertainment. Perhaps more money should be invested in the arts and entertainment in order to boost our economy.

Hard times have hit everyone, even in the literary circuit. According to the New York Times, publishers are weary of signing contracts with new authors. Instead, they look to the blogging scene. The more hits a blog receives, the more marketable the idea, so the saying goes. Bloggers like Christian Lander, creator of “Stuff White People Like,” scored a book deal under the same title. It sold millions of copies and generated three tours to date. Deals to new authors used to be unheard of in the pre-blog days.
Many of the creators rely on feedback or postings from the populace to fuel their site. Two such blog collectors, Doree Shafrir and Jessica Grose, founders of “Love, Mom,” struggled to track down all their postees to obtain legal copyrights to publish the material.
This new norm may or may not be a good deal for aspiring authors. Save on four years of creative writing graduate school…but hope for a sponsor (and public intrigue) for a non-profit blog.