|
||||||
|
Story Archives of 'recession'
New Hampshire Newsmakers of the Year 2009
By Laura Knoy on Thursday, December 31, 2009.2009 was a year of mixed emotions. Another year of recession had many residents crunching numbers and feeling the pinch - new businesses popped up, many more shut down and a telecommunications company called Fairpoint found struggle in transition. A new legislative session began with new challenges, while the Granite State’s senior US Senator chose to step down. A virus called H1N1 made some sick and many paranoid. Gays and lesbians rejoiced over a new law that would allow same-sex marriage, while residents of Mont Vernon were racked with grief over the senseless murder of one of their own. Today we look back at some of the state’s biggest stories of the year - and forward to the coming year.
Guests
- Ross Gittell, professor of management at the Whittemore school of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire and forecast manager at the New England Economic Partnership
- Josh Rogers, NHPR statehouse reporter
- Judd Gregg, Republican US Senator from Rye
- Jim Splaine, Democratic state representative from Portsmouth and primary sponsor of the bill to legalize same-sex marriage
- Peter Nixon, president of Fairpoint Communications
- Jose Montero, New Hampshire state epidemiologist
- Dean Shalhoup, reporter and columnist for the Nashua Telegraph and Milford Cabinet who covered the Mont Vernon murder
- William O. Hennessey, professor of law at Franklin Pierce Law Center
Christianity And The Crash
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, November 30, 2009.It’s just over a year ago that the housing bubble burst and the economy took a downward dive. We’ve heard a number of reasons for it - slack regulation, greedy bankers, sub-prime mortgages doled out to anyone who sign their name, spiralling consumer debt. Here’s a new twist: the prosperity gospel – the belief that material success is one’s inheritance for faith in God.
The prosperity gospel is a cobbled-together theology that runs through the Pentecostal Church and a surprising number of mainstream evangelical churches, and is especially popular in immigrant communities.
Researchers began to note that the gospel’s growth tracks closely to the pattern of foreclosure hot spots. And many of the churches were built among fringe suburban developments in the '90s and 2000's – the same neighborhoods now filled with foreclosure signs. A series of lawsuits this summer revealed how banks teamed up with pastors to win over new customers for sub-prime loans.
Joining us to connect the dots is Hanna Rosin, contributing editor of The Atlantic and author of God’s Harvard: A Christian College On A Mission To Save America.
The Atlantic: Did Christianity Cause the Crash?
(Photo courtesy Melanie via Flickr/CreativeCommons)
The Recession Mindset
By Jon Greenberg on Friday, November 20, 2009.This week our series on the economy, Working It Out, has been asking, has this recession changed us. Jon Greenberg picks up that theme in our weekly economic round-up.
Redesigning and Rethinking During a Recession
By Laura Knoy on Thursday, November 19, 2009.Granite State business has been forced to think outside the box in order to survive. We'll see what businesses are doing to adapt to our ever-changing economic times.
Guests
- Matthew Lowry, editor of Business NH Magazine
- Jon Greenberg, NHPR executive editor and curator of our Working It Out project
We'll also hear from
- Arthur Learned, owner of Things Are Cooking, a kitchen supply store in Concord and board member of the New Hampshire Retail Merchants Association
- Kathryn Underwood, president and CEO of Ledyard National Bank in Lebanon
Lessons Learned From the Recession
By Laura Knoy on Monday, November 16, 2009.When the downturn began, the causes were well-documented: consumers drowning in debt, lenders handing out subprime mortgages and banks gambling with money they didn’t have. We said we’d change, but have we? What happens once better times return - will these lessons stick, or are we destined to repeat past mistakes?
Guests
- Russ Thibeault, president of Applied Economic Research in Laconia
- Amy Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Economics and Business at St. Anselm College
We'll also hear from
- Peter Temin, Professor Emeritus of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Good News/Bad News of the New Hampshire Economy
By Mark Bevis on Monday, November 9, 2009.The recession is technically over. That’s the good news.
It’s been the longest and the most severe recession since the second world war, but economic production is expanding.
In New Hampshire, we’re still seeing job losses, but the rate of loss has slowed.
Of course when someone says here’s the good news, you can usually expect another shoe to drop.
Economist Dennis Delay with the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies presents the bad news to NHPR’s Mark Bevis.
What Would You Do With A Year Off With Salary?
By Todd Bookman on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.You know the economy is rocky when even law firms are having trouble making ends meet. To save cash, big firms are delaying the start dates of their new associates - some for several months, others for a full year.
To help young esquires bridge the time, many firms are giving their deferred-hires stipends. Though only about one-third the size of the nearly $200,000 new hires normally make, the stipends ranging from $45,000 to $90,000 are still a pretty big paycheck for not having to show up.
Recession Haircuts
By Avishay Artsy on Monday, August 31, 2009.One of my favorite haircuts ever took place during my senior year of college. One of my housemates set up a folding chair in our driveway and sat me down in it. He had a pair of clippers in one hand, a flask of whiskey in the other, and he proceeded to give me a perfect haircut.
Street Smarts
By Todd Bookman on Monday, July 27, 2009.
Homelessness is on the rise in some cities and towns, as unemployment and foreclosures push people out of their homes and onto the streets. One social justice group is offering advice for the newly evicted. The organization Picture the Homeless has created a top-ten list of suggestions that is appearing in this week’s issue of The Nation.
Item one: Let go of your pride, but hold on to your dignity.
Stretching Through Hard Times
By Martha Poole on Tuesday, July 21, 2009.It’s a tough lot for the unemployed in this economy. There are a few positive testimonials, among the many stories of individuals struggling to get back in the game. For some, being laid off has allowed more time to spend with the family, or volunteer in the community - and for some it’s a chance to get back in touch with their inner prana.
The New York Times 
