AltWeeklies Wire
The Rise of the Barter Economy: Online Trading Gains Momentumnew
Proponents of bartering tout benefits like increasing disposable income, gaining an appreciation for the true value of the goods and services, and finding an increased sense of community. But it can be hard to know if you're getting a good deal.
Boise Weekly |
Tara Morgan |
08-26-2009 |
Shopping
Eight Philly Artists Tell Us How They Pay the Billsnew
The following profiles peek behind the curtain, revealing how artists' day jobs affect their work and vice versa. More specifically, they reveal how eight local artists make enough dough to get up in the morning and create paint, make music or simply entertain us.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Molly Eichel |
08-25-2009 |
Culture
Every Wildfire Brings its Own Financial Storm With Itnew
"California has developed a 'seven points of light' agreement that says if anybody breaks a fire, the departments will send resources," says Cal Fire spokesman Mike Mohler. Yet with so little money to burn, it's hard not to wonder who's getting stuck with the mounting bill.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Jessica Lussenhop |
08-21-2009 |
Disasters
College Guide: Beware Private Loansnew
Now, the truth lay before me, thousands upon thousands of dollars owed in my name to the federal government -- or was it my lender or some private bank? I'm still not sure. I had reached that repayment bridge, and all I wanted to do was turn back and start all over again. I soon found out that I wasn't alone.
North Bay Bohemian |
Leilani Clark |
08-20-2009 |
Education
College Guide: College During a Recession is as Bad as it Seemsnew
Four students, ranging from junior college to the just-graduated, weigh in on how the college experience is different during a recession.
North Bay Bohemian |
Daniel Hirsch, Jackie Johansen, Cassandra Landry and Denis Lindsay |
08-20-2009 |
Culture
The Shift to Local is Happening Across America, and It's Happening Nownew
I just spent 23 days traveling across America. I drove 9,220 miles, visited 25 cities and towns, and interviewed 75 people who are reshaping and reforming our communities by investing in local economies.
Dig Boston |
Joe Grafton |
08-20-2009 |
Business & Labor
The Recession is Ending, but Only for Banks and Investors ... The Rest of Us Are Still Screwednew
It's over. The depression, recession, whatever you want to call it -- it's over. The corporate media told me so.
Cash for Clunkers: Ugh!new
While the know-it-alls in Washington try to satisfy the taxpayers by giving them back some of their hard-earned cash, they didn't really think this whole thing through very well.
Artvoice |
Jim Corbran |
08-17-2009 |
Transportation
At Vermont's Biggest Auction of the Year, Another Dairy Family Calls it Quitsnew
Ken and Carol Borland are among the many victims of Vermont's flagging dairy industry. In the past five years, the state has lost 250 dairy farms. In the last 12 months, 50 Vermont dairy producers have gone out of business.
Seven Days |
Lauren Ober |
08-17-2009 |
Business & Labor
The News Wars Are Comingnew
If it's fight or die on the new media landscape, does anyone think traditional media won't fight? The classic portents of serious battle are converging.
Chicago Reader |
Michael Miner |
08-17-2009 |
Media
Washington State's Prison System Starts Shrinkagenew
The main factors driving the projected drop in inmates are bills that will put offenders in home detention and drug-treatment programs rather than prison, and offer them housing vouchers as part of an approved release plan that will allow them to leave prison before their maximum sentence is served.
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
08-17-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Is Economic Recovery Money Helping San Diego Businesses?new
The combination of tax cuts and direct government spending is supposed make consumers spend and businesses invest, creating a multiplier effect that would boost the economy. Using a database of stimulus spending compiled by the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica, we called businesses receiving stimulus dollars and asked them what they were doing with their money.
San Diego CityBeat |
Eric Wolff |
08-12-2009 |
Economy
Pacific Pride Foundation is One of Many California Orgs Reeling from $52M in AIDS Funding Cutsnew
With a stroke of his pen, Governor Schwarzenegger slashed $52 million from critical AIDS services funding through the state's Office of AIDS. That shoves California back to pre-1985 levels of funding, essentially the dark ages of HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment.
Santa Barbara Independent |
Penny Patterson |
08-10-2009 |
Politics
Mayor Daley: Mr. Big Spendernew
As the city faced a gaping budget deficit, the Daley administration closed out Chicago's oldest and fattest slush fund by spending every last cent in it -- and then some.
Chicago Reader |
Ben Joravsky |
08-10-2009 |
Politics
State Budget Debacle: California Descendingnew
Some experts predict the state budget will quickly become unbalanced again, thanks to a persistently bad economy. But that didn't stop self-congratulations and posturing by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democratic majority leaders Karen Bass and Darrell Steinberg, and Republican minority leaders Dennis Hollingsworth and Sam Blakeslee, the so-called "big five" who worked out this latest budget.
L.A. Weekly |
Jill Stewart |
07-31-2009 |
Politics
