Heroes of the Recession: Meet the Beatles? Be the Beatles.

Welcome to the first installment of 'Heroes of the Recession,' where we pay homage to those brave citizens who against all odds are hanging in there, refusing to be bullied by a a bear market, and continuing to spend money like it's their job. That is, the job that they no longer have because they were laid off 6 months ago and have found nothing since and now have simply given up because there's really no point anymore. Anyway, these spenders who slowly digging themselves into more debt are digging us out of a recession. And so we commend them, for they are true American Heroes.

This week, gamers and music fans alike lined up like kids in front of a crack-laced candy store to score a copy of the new Beatles edition of the video game "Rock Band" fresh off the racks.
Just One Crazed Consumer of Many, Gleefully Shelling Out for a taste of the Fab Four
A limited edition of the game, which comes with special instruments resembling the ones the Fab Four used, will cost $250 and is expected to sell big. The standard version will cost $160 with controllers included, or just $60 for the software alone. Although the original Rock Band has been a consistent money loser for Viacom, the company expects this version of the game to shake them out of their slump, selling as many as 5 million copies this year and generating up to $1.2 billion in revenue.You'd think these guys they were more popular than Jesus or something.

Quick! A Few Free (and Almost Free) Things to do in NYC Before Summer's End

September 21st is the last day of summer. Stop crying about it and start reading about it, because you have exactly 3 weeks to get your act together and get your Recessionist summer on. Here are some cheap things to do before you break out the corduroy and wool.

Explore Governor's Island:

Rent a bike for free (1 hour) on Fridays through October 9th and take a ride on the island's 2.2-mile waterfront promenade. The island is completely carless, and only accessible by a free ferry from Manhattan or Brooklyn.

If you're lucky you'll catch one of the art exhibits hosted there during summer months. (Creative Time’s show, “This World & Nearer Ones,” is up through September 20.)

Have a High Time:

A park that offers natural beauty, art, and a history lesson, the High Line opened on June 8th to hordes of New Yorkers who couldn't wait to get off the ground.







What's now wildflowers and fountains was for the past 25+ years an abandoned and overgrown train track. From the 1930s until 1980 it ran through the meatpacking district in Manhattan, bringing freight from 34th St. to Gansevoort St downtown.

The track was all set to be demolished (thanks , Giuliani) until the Friends of the High Line stepped in and got that thing good and parkified. Read more about the park and the process in this New York Times article.

Take Yourself Out To The Ballgame:

The Brooklyn Cyclones' season ends around labor day. Tickets are only $7.50. The Wonder Wheel is open through labor day as well.

Warm Up at P.S.1

P.S.1, in Long Island City, Queens, holds a weekly dancefest to soundtrack of fun, experimental music, held in the museum’s annually redesigned courtyard. This year it's a bedouin tent designed by the architecture firm MOS. Remaining shows: DJ Spun on Sept 5.

Green It Up:

Whether or not you even buy, all those vitamins in the air at local Greenmarkets have gotta be good for you, right?. Plus they are always samples! Check out the markets at Union Square (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), Tompkins Square (Sundays), Tribeca (Saturdays), Tucker Square (Thursdays and Saturdays), Stuyveant Town (Sundays), Columbia (Sundays) and 57th St. (Saturdays). and catch great views of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York Harbor for free.

Take a ride on the Staten Island Ferry and catch the very best kind of views (the free kind) of Lower Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the New York Harbor.

Check out the Brooklyn Public Library's Free Summer Concert Series:
Up next are the Mandingo Ambassadors on Sept 12th, followed by Harry and the Potters on Sept 26th.

Roosevelt Island's Riverwalk Commons also offers free summer concerts, through Labor Day. See their calendar here, or on the Islander blog.

Get Skilled

Back in June we realized that having a set of skills, especially uncommon ones, are helpful in surviving a recession. Duh.

Well your opportunity has arrived, my underskilled friends. On Saturday, October 10th the Brooklyn Skillshare offers a fun-packed day of getting schooled in getting skilled.

Do you want to learn how to fix your own bike, make your own butter and kombucha, prepare raw food, or tap dance? All of the above?? I thought so!

All they ask in return is a suggested donation of $10, and the schedule can be found here.

Recipes for the Recession #4: Cheap Chana Masala

Chana Masala is one of my favorite go-to dinners. It is easy, healthy, deliciously fragrant, and most importantly, cheap. Assuming you already have a decent spice collection, this recipe shouldn't run you more than $3 a serving.

If you don't, keep in mind that the seasoning in this dish is somewhat variable. If you don't have some of the spices listed, just work with what you've got. Season to taste. Doing just that is one of my favorite things about this recipe.

The chick peas, as I mentioned back in January, are cheap in the can but even cheaper dry. But, since I personally seem to have a genetic defect that prevents me from soaking and cooking dry chickpeas without either burning the beans, overcooking them, or, somehow, both, I would feel like a hypocrite if I asked you to achieve the (seemingly) impossible. So, for this recipe, we use canned.

what you'll need (this recipes serves two)

• a tablespoon of vegetable oil
• a clove of garlic
  
• 2 onions
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 large carrots
  
• 1 cupwater
• 4 cups chickpeas. That's two cans.
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garam masala.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tsp red chili flakes.
• 1 tsp ground ginger (or 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger)

what you'll do

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic and onions, both chopped and minced, and sauté over a medium heat until browned (3-5 minutes).
2. Turn heat to medium-low and add the spices. Stir for a few minutes.
   
3. Add the tomatoes and carrots and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
   
4. Add chickpeas and a cup of water and stir. I like to add a little bit of flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot to thicken up the mixture at this point.
   
5. Cook covered for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are at a desired consistency. That's right, this is that requisite annoying vague step in all recipes where I shrug off all responsibility for your end result.
   
6. Uncover, stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
7. Serve with rice and, if you're feeling rich, a dollop of plain yogurt.

Cost Count:

garlic and vegetable oil: $.15
3 tomatoes: $1.50
2 carrots: $.60
2 cans chickpeas: $2
2 onions: $.50
fresh ginger*: $.20
1/2 cup plain yogurt*: $.60
all spices, total cost:
*optional

Total cost: $4.75, or 5.55 with the yogurt and fresh ginger.

Death is a Debt We All Must Pay

At least that's what Euripedes said, way back in the day.

But during the recession many families are realizing that the extent of this particular debt is somewhat negotiable. For years, U.S. families have broken the bank to plan and execute nice funerals for their loved ones - according to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average funeral costs about $7,300, and that's not including the cemetery plot and burial fees!

This clash of this hard-to-manage expense and a down-the-drain economy is leading to two changes in the industry. One, cremation is up. Funeral homes often see an increase in cremation requests during a recession, and they certainly have this time around, with some funeral homes even reporting that interest in cremation has surpassed rates of earth burials. The former can save a family up to $4,000 or 5,000. Still, the U.S. has one of the lowest cremation rates in the developed world -

But also, many families are choosing home funerals. In all but six states no law requires that families consult a funeral home regarding their family member's burial. So, like the family profiled in this New York Times article, many are handling the arrangements themselves. The family profiled spent a total of $250, dressing the body themselves, holding a "wake"of sorts in their home, and using a homemade coffin.

A DIY funeral - very recessionista.

Be Cool To Your School?

Not if you're Trina Thompson, a woman who is suing her college for its failure to find her a job after graduation.

Thompson received her degree in information technology this past May from Monroe College in the Bronx, finishing with a 2.7 GPA and a "good attendance record." She now charges the school's Office of Career Advancement with putting "insufficient effort" into assisting her in her job search.

According to her complaint, "the office of career advancement information technology counselor did not make sure their Monroe e-recruiting clients call their graduates that recently finished college for an interview to get a job placement. They have not tried hard enough to help me."

She also complains that, "they favor more toward students that got a 4.0."

Sounds like maybe Ms. Thompson shoulda gone to law school.