Economic Issues

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Drawing inspiration

"Die, yuppie scum," chants the long-haired man, to the beat of a pounding drum. "You don't need to fuck people over to survive."
Anarchist Seth Tobocman brings radical comic-book to the Lucy Parsons Center
By VALERIE VANDE PANNE | June 18, 2010

Beer on a budget

The beer industry is generally considered recession-proof, since people are still going to drink beer when times get tough. But has the same been true for more expensive craft beer in the recent recession?
In defense of expense
By JOSH SMITH | May 21, 2010

How Rhode Island can eliminate homelessness

Making it a reality is a matter of political will.
The concept is as simple as it is radical: give the homeless a place to live, with no strings attached
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | May 14, 2010

A Providence non-profit loans out the future

Eva Jiménez came here from the Dominican Republic in September 2001.
Where Credit Is Due
By MARION DAVIS | May 14, 2010

Joe Paolino weighs a different kind of mayoral run

It had been rumored for some time.
The Independent
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | April 16, 2010

Maine women take to the gridiron

Saturday will be a different kind of ladies’ night at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
Full Contact
By DEIRDRE FULTON | April 09, 2010

Tanked

The term "think tank" looks as if it signifies something impressive.
A few guppies short
By AL DIAMON | March 19, 2010

Get smart

There are lots of theories about what's wrong with Maine's economy.
Budget problems? It's the stupidity, stupid.
By AL DIAMON | March 12, 2010

Romney's new character: Macho man

Few things are more predictable than a GOP presidential candidate posturing as a he-man protector of America, and depicting his Democratic counterpart as an effete, appeasing girlie-man on the dangerous world stage.
In his new book, Mitt makes himself over as a muscular defender of America
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | February 12, 2010

Bay State's top lobbyists

Nearly everyone in Massachusetts felt the pinch of the recession in 2009 — even Beacon Hill lobbyists had to tighten their belts.
Talking Politics
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | February 05, 2010

Trying times for Obama

It was only a matter of time before President Barack Obama turned into a deficit hawk. But it is a measure of the desperation sparked by Scott Brown's election to Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat that Obama hatched before the conclusion of the 2010 congre
Tough times for the nation
By EDITORIAL | January 29, 2010

A nation hooked on cars

The car is at the center of many of our troubles — our addiction to oil, the warming of the planet. Car accidents do incalculable damage.
Vroom! Vroom!
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | January 29, 2010

What’s next for Cicilline?

Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline rode into office seven years ago as the fresh-faced anti-Buddy. Bleach for a soiled City Hall.
After a couple of tough years — and some jabs from Buddy — how bright is his political future?
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | January 22, 2010

Parish Cafe and Bar

The edge of gentrification can present some close-minded folks with a barrier to finding good cheap eats.
A veteran Back Bay restaurant expands to the South End
By MC SLIM JB | January 15, 2010

Instead of cuts: guts

Let’s assume, reader, that you’re concerned about economic and social justice. For those in real need — people who are poor, sick, old, mentally ill, addicted, disabled — you want decent care. You’re concerned, too, about proper funding of schools, commu
Raise taxes on the rich? Only one candidate says ‘yes’?
By LANCE TAPLEY | January 08, 2010

Looking back, going forward

Economic recession and post-racial themes abound in Boston’s early 2010 theater repertoire.
A diverse display for 2010
By MADDY MYERS | January 01, 2010

Nobody dies

Some things in life are essential — beer, the MLB Network, caller ID — and some things aren't — tofu, Jay Leno, the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.
The Department of Economic and Community Development dodges the axe
By AL DIAMON | January 01, 2010

2009: The year in cheap eats

In the wake of the Bush Recession, it's been gratifying to spend 2009 noting how many good budget-priced restaurants Boston has.
A good year to dine 'On the Cheap,' for many reasons
By MC SLIM JB | December 25, 2009

Worth the gamble?

Just three years after Rhode Island voters killed plans for a full-scale, Vegas-style casino, big-time gambling is in the cards again.
A push for full-scale Vegas-style casinos is in the cards again. Can poker and craps save a state in freefall?
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | December 18, 2009

Kristof on the ‘paramount moral challenge’ of our era

Since he began writing a column for the New York Times eight years ago, Nicholas D. Kristof has become the closest thing we have to a voice of conscience on human rights abuses around the world.
Q+A
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | December 18, 2009

Even more recession recipes

Scamfast
Big Fat Whale
By BRIAN MCFADDEN | November 27, 2009

City Table

I'm enjoying this restaurant recession more than the last one.
Sampling the perks of a recession
By ROBERT NADEAU | November 20, 2009

Has Obama peaked? No, he hasn't

Barack Obama's popularity should not be judged by the day-to-day, media-driven vagaries of politics — nor by the wishful thinking of his opponents.
Obama’s days of greatest power and popularity lie before him. But be warned: he might not do what you want with it.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | November 13, 2009

Conservation in Copenhagen

In about a month, representatives from almost 200 nations will converge on Copenhagen, Denmark, for what could be the most meaningful meeting on climate change, ever.
Going Green
By DEIRDRE FULTON | November 06, 2009

A turbine grows in Warwick

If all goes well, Shalom Housing in Warwick, a division of Jewish Seniors Agency, will be the home of a 100-kilowatt wind turbine, part of new federal “green” stimulus award of up to $1.5 million from the US Housing and Urban Development to retrofit the
Windy City
By RICHARD ASINOF | November 06, 2009

Prodding the free market

Yes Man Mike Bonanno on the most fun aspect of co-directing the new documentary, The Yes Men Fix the World: “climbing into an abandoned flooded quarry in a business suit with 30 pounds of rocks in the pockets to combat buoyancy for the underwater scenes.
The Yes Men’s irreverent crisis of conscience
By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | October 23, 2009

Affordable housing in a wealthy redoubt

Barrington, not exactly known for its welcome mat to working poor families, now has its first affordable housing project in living memory.
At Home
By RICHARD ASINOF | October 23, 2009

The battle for our city schools

In your recent story “ Boston Public-School Apartheid? ”, charter public schools are faulted for taking disadvantaged Boston students and sending them on to excellent high schools and, eventually, college. Why shouldn’t low-income students of color have
Boston Phoenix letters, October 23, 2009
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | October 23, 2009

Co-dependent? The US and China

Action Speaks!, the panel discussion series at Providence art space AS220, continues its fall run with a conversation about the increasingly dependent relationship between the United States and China.
Action Speaks!
By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | October 16, 2009

Con Sol

Three-year-old ethnic bargain spot Con Sol snuck under reviewers' radar with an Iberian menu that draws mostly on Portuguese-American food — a cuisine that feels native to long-time Cantabrigians, but otherwise is little known north of New Bedford and F
Shining light on a secret Iberian bargain
By ROBERT NADEAU | October 09, 2009

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