2009 Unemployment Olympics

To all you unemployed people out there: if lately you've been watching your employed friends partake in all sorts of things that you can't - ie eating and drinking, your luck has changed. Now, an event just for you.

The first ever Unemployment Olympics, open only to those who can prove they've been laid off, will take place on the 31st of this month in Tompkins Square Park.

Events will include a blindfolded Pin the Blame on the Bosses, a "Race to the Unemployment Office," and, of course, a pinata (talk about necessary stress relief.)

Prizes are designed to help the winner cover the necessities: they range from a $50 bar tab to a monthly unlimited metrocard, and include gift certificates from local businesses.

Tompkins Square Park is a fitting venue for the event, given its long shared history with New York unemployment. Over the years it has filled all sorts of roles, from host to labor riots (in 1857, 1863, 1874, 1988) to home to New York's homeless - many, presumably, unemployed.