Economic Crisis

Homespun: Jumbling Towers

Jungle's Going to Be on My Mind
jumblingtowers.com

Dancing Dandies and DeLoreans

Thrown Out At Home

Little House in the Present: America's economic downturns run through Laura Ingalls Wilder's books like a big three-hearted river

President Obama's Jobs Plan -- Voices from Barrister's

Albert Samaha"Stimulus has become a bad word," says Lasky (left).​Last Monday in his jobs speech, President Barack Obama made a serious effort to wrest control of the Narrative away from the Republicans.For months Democrats have complained about how they kept ending up negotiating on Republicans' ... More >>

The Downgrade -- Voices from The Royale

Somebody clearly messed up. But who will take the blame?​After S.& P. downgraded America's credit rating from AAA to AA , the political strategy on both sides of the aisle was clear: Blame the other guys.The irony of the situation, of course, is that Monday's stock market dip, partially sparke ... More >>

Todd Akin is One of Those Republicans Willing to See America Default on Debt

​Depending on which prominent economist you talk to, a failure to raise the debt ceiling by 12:00 a.m. (EST) August 2, 2011 would either be "doomsday," "calamitous," "a calamity," "serious, and we probably would be thrown into a recession," "could provoke a renewed financial crisis," or someth ... More >>

Will Debt Toast Quiznos?

​St. Louis has already said farewell to one fast-food chain restaurant this year when the area's only two Del Taco locations closed at the end of June. Now, the Wall Street Journal has word that the sandwich chain Quiznos is in deep debt trouble: Sandwich chain Quiznos made its name selling hot su ... More >>

Stop Foreclosing on Our Homes! Activist Group Announces "People's Hearing," Tells Banks to Be Ready

The activist group MORE issued a summons to the banks, accusing them of crimes.​It may not be Cairo, but we've had our share of protesting lately, too. Last Friday a throng of activists assembled at the entrance of the downtown branch of Bank of America in support of foreclosure victims and m ... More >>

Busch's Grove Market (Version 2.0) Closing Saturday

www.buschsgrove.com​Busch's Grove, the restaurant, endured for more than a century. Busch's Grove, the upscale grocery store, will have a considerably shorter run: The store announced last week via its email newsletter that it would close for business after Saturday, January 8.(The Post-Dispat ... More >>

Homelessness in St. Louis: A Quick Primer

Daily RFT stumbled across this recently-uploaded student documentary today, and learned -- among other things -- that the nation's biggest shantytowns during the Great Depression were right here in STL. It's worth a look.

Child Nutrition Bill Passes House of Reps, Headed to President

Despite being blocked by an unrelated amendment on Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the Child Nutrition Bill yesterday. The AP gives the details of the final bill, and explains that the added amendment, pertaining to background checks for child care workers, was passed in a separate bi ... More >>

Blame the Recession for Your Drinking Problem

​Has this ever happened to you?Your concerned friend/family member/bartender/bootlegger gives you big, sad eyes, puts a gentle hand on your elbow and says, in a hushed voice, "I just don't know, Daily RFT reader. You're still incredibly handsome, but you've changed. I think you have a drinkin ... More >>

Yes Depression

The National

8 p.m. Thursday, September 30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard.

Construction to Resume on Shriners Children's Hospital in CWE

Construction will finally resume later this year for the new Shriners Hospital for Children in the Central West End a year after the recession put the project on hold, the hospital's board announced on Tuesday. Image sourceAn artist rendering of the new Shriner's Hospital for Children, if it ever g ... More >>

Cardinals Ticket Prices Up 24 Percent in Secondary Market

​According to SeatGeek.com, a website which compiles data on the costs of tickets for various sporting and music events in the secondary market, the St. Louis Cardinals' overall ticket prices are up 24 percent going into 2010 over the second-half of last year. This should come as no surprise, ... More >>

The Joy of Free

No Justice: We've bailed out the banks. When do we go after the crooks behind our financial collapse?

The Awful Truth: Attn: Wall Street. Michael Moore is a Marxist (but he's still selling the same old shtick).

What to Expect When You're Expecting Economic Recovery

Dorothea Lange, courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum​In an interesting piece in the October Atlantic, Benjamin Schwarz surveys a collection of books about daily life during the Great Depression in an attempt to glean some lessons from the past about what we can exp ... More >>

Tomorrow! Mad Art Hosts Preview of Book, Paintings and CD Involving Pre-War St. Louis Blues

madart.com​St. Louis artist, author and one-time RFT cover illustrator Kevin Belford is a man on a mission: to assert St. Louis' rightful place in the history of blues music. Belford's new book, Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St. Louis, is out next month from Virginia Publ ... More >>

That Little Light At the End of the Recession Tunnel is Actually Five Years Away

flickr.com/photos/mickdansforth​Last month, Macroeconomics Advisers, LLC, a Clayton-based economic consulting firm predicted that the recession should be ending just about now, with a significant caveat: We won't actually start to feel any relief until jobs start coming back.Economist Ben Herzon t ... More >>

FoodWire: Wm. Shakespeare's Gastropub Closed

​Just received a note from restaurateur Eddie Neill informing me that Wm. Shakespeare's Gastropub (601 North Grand Boulevard) has closed. It had been operating on greatly reduced "summer hours." Wm. Shakespeare's opened only last fall in the teeth of the economic downturn, and despite generally po ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Friday, 7.17

Kirkwood residents will vote this November on a proposed smoking ban. (Post-Dispatch)The recession and federal food-safety legislation have the organic-food industry worried. (Reuters)From Australia, via the Baltimore Sun, comes word of a my kind of cat, camped out in a beer fridge. (The Standard)

St. Louis Consulting Firm Declares Recession Over! Or Does It???

flickr.com/photos/carantiYou may have noticed the article Slate ran yesterday afternoon entitled "The recession is over! (Technically.)" You may have ignored the parenthetical and burst into a joyous rendition of "Happy Days Are Here Again". Or you may have become suspicious of the term "technical," ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Monday, 6.22

The mysterious outbreak of E. coli in Nestlé Toll House cookies. (Washington Post)The International Whaling Commission meets amidst concerns of increased trade in whale meat. (AFP)Recession be damned: It's time for the Bordeaux wine fair. (AFP)

The Morning Brew: Wednesday, 6.17

New FDA head Margaret Hamburg meets the press for the first time since being confirmed. (New York Times)A new U.N. report finds that crop prices have fallen with the global recession -- but should still rise over the next decade. (New York Times)Beginning in 2011, any food that uses the cochineal bu ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Friday, 6.5

Two small farms sign up for a program to increase wages for Florida's tomato pickers. (AP)No second helping of prison loaf? The recession has states cutting back on inmates' food. (AP)Various celebrities of varying name-recognition urge famous restaurant Nobu to get bluefin tuna off the menu. (New Y ... More >>

Minneapolis Hip-Hop From Prof and Rahzwell, Kanser and St. Paul Slim at Atomic Cowboy, Thursday, June 4

Hip-hop rules the night every Thursday at Atomic Cowboy, and this week's show is no exception: Minneapolis invades the Lou in the form of Prof and Rahzwell, Kanser and St. Paul Slim. Prof and Rahzwell are touring behind a free album called Recession Music, which they're releasing for free via Stopho ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 6.2

Do fish feel pain? An angler considers the question. (Slate)A fast-food chain as a sign of national security in the Philippines. (Washington Post)Screw the recession: It's a $4,000 (roughly) curry! (Daily Mail)

The Morning Brew: Thursday, 5.7

The FDA isn't keeping up with its audit of state-level food-safety inspections. (USA Today)KFC wasn't prepared for the onslaught of customers with coupons from Oprah for free grilled chicken -- but there were no "riots." (AP)ABC News claims to have identified our favorite "recession foods."

The Morning Brew: Tuesday, 4.7

Georgia rallies around its beloved peanut, salmonella outbreak be damned. (New York Times)The stark realities facing chain restaurants during the recession. (New York Times)From the You Can't Make This Stuff Up Dept.: North Korea accuses South Korea of food poisoning its soccer team prior to a World ... More >>

Java Enabled: Is Coffee Recession-Proof?

Zach Dyer is a writer living in Saint Louis. He did his thesis research on coffee farmers in Southern Mexico. Since then, he has visited coffee plantations in Costa Rica and Mexico as well as roasters and cafés across the U.S. He blogs about coffee for Gut Check every Wednesday.Is coffee recession ... More >>

Business is Cooking at Local Crematories. Thank the Recession

Flickr Urn-ing your business.If things keep going the way the are, gravediggers will have to find something else to do with their shovels. As the recession deepens, families in increasing numbers, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, are taking their dead to cre ... More >>

Become a Writer for Gut Check!

NOTE: This is a sticky post. The latest Gut Check item follows.Recession? What recession? That's right: Gut Check is hiring! Specifically, we're seeking freelance writers who can offer unique and interesting takes on the St. Louis food and drink scene.What, exactly, do we want from you? You tell u ... More >>

The Morning Brew: Friday, 1.2

In today's news: guilty pleas in China's melamine scandal, a food crisis in the Gaza Strip and wine sales in the recession.

And the Sign Said: Scary Masked People, Need Not Apply

Hard Times: When the going gets tough, some St. Louisans head for pawn shops

Extreme Makeover: RFT readers sound off on Sarah "The Clotheshorse" Palin

Wax Fang

8 p.m. Friday, October 29. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.

The Morning Brew: Monday, 10.13

Top 13 Non-Music Reasons to Attend the RFT Music Showcase

The Morning Brew: Monday, 3.31

Bead Me Up, Scotty

Defiance, Ohio

8 p.m. Tuesday, March 6. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center (3301 Lemp Avenue).