October 31, 2008 – 10:52 am
Is this what the bottom feels like? Iconoculture’s consumer finance experts riff on the economy, the housing market, consumers’ fear, groupsolving and what to watch next.
Download the podcast with Chris Keating, Derek Stubbs and Hans Eisenbeis here:
Podcast: What to Watch in a Train Wreck
33 min., 54 sec.
By iconoculture
|
Posted in Consumer Trend, Economic meltdown, Economy, Money/Spending, Podcasts
|
Tagged Chris Keating, Consumer spending, Derek Stubbs, Economic depression, Economic meltdown, Groupsolving, Hans Eisenbeis, Iconoculture, Iconosphere, Iconowatch, Recession
|
October 30, 2008 – 6:08 am
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Consumers who have gotten used to a certain lifestyle may take drastic measures to maintain that lifestyle, even when the economy tanks. It’s not exactly ethical, since most company’s ask for 100% engagement, but some white-collar workers are finding a way to double up on their work hours (CNN.com 9.23.08). Since they work [...]
October 29, 2008 – 6:33 am
by Derek Reveron
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A Spanish-language immersion program in the Washington, D.C. area is teaching Spanish to children as young as one year old.
¡Hola Baby! (Hello Baby) is attracting about 75 young children and their parents to each session at Mount Olivet Methodist Church in Arlington, VA (WashingtonPost.com 10.5.08). Instructor and founder María Elena Giraldo Greene [...]
October 28, 2008 – 10:08 am
Times, you may have heard, are tough. Banks are failing, world markets are skittish and our entire economic system is being rewired. So there’s that.
Earlier this month, Iconoculture’s Advisory Team took a look at the crisis. In addition to laying out some historical context, our Point of View brief on the topic offers high-level implications [...]
October 28, 2008 – 6:08 am
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
MoneyAisle is a new website that allows consumers to shop for the highest possible interest rates on Certificates of Deposit and savings accounts. More than 100 local and regional banks have signed up to participate in the bidding wars (New York Times 9.27.08).
Consumers sign up to shop for a CD or a savings account, [...]
October 27, 2008 – 6:35 am
by Tory Davis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Milk home delivery is no longer a nostalgic notion; across the country, dairies are creating or expanding their drop-off services as busy families, homebound Matures and urbanites with a taste for fresh dairy sign up in greater numbers. As the cost of milk skyrockets, the delivery surcharge (which is generally about $.50 [...]
October 24, 2008 – 9:05 am
by Stefania Revelli
WHAT’S HAPPENING
What happens to diet pills when they grow up? They become fitness pills. Researchers at the Salk Institute in San Diego have discovered two new drugs — AICAR and GW1516 — that mimic the effects of physical exercise (Reuters.com 7.31.08).
Lab tests successfully fooled mice muscles into burning fat, using energy more effectively [...]
October 24, 2008 – 8:57 am
by Josh Kimball
Last weekend, I, along with a cadre of colleagues, headed to Los Angeles for Iconosphere, Iconoculture’s annual cultural trend conference. In addition to the recession-proof and copiously flowing booze, what’s on everyone’s lips this year is our current economic crisis.
Of course, for attendees of last October’s Iconosphere, the monumental happenings of these last [...]
October 20, 2008 – 6:15 am
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Followers of La Santa Muerte (Saint Death), a female grim reaper worshiped by Mexicans whose lives are filled with danger or violence, congregate in a East Hollywood, CA storefront.
Templo Santa Muerte is foremost a retail establishment where statues, fountains, books, candles, incense and other products bearing her visage are [...]
October 17, 2008 – 6:06 am
by Hans Eisenbeis
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Payday loans are a controversial part of the American financial landscape. They offer short term loans against expected paychecks for a fee — typically $15 for every $100. But consumer advocates point out that those charges amount to a whopping 391% annual interest rate, which is predatory and abusive.
15 states have already passed laws cracking down on [...]
October 16, 2008 – 6:15 am
by Nissa Hanna
WHAT’S HAPPENING
A new Electrolux concept by designer Chris Fox lets dinner party diners cook their own meals. The adaptable cooking plates have surfaces for boiling, stir-frying or grilling food (YankoDesign.com 8.8.08).
The plates connect to form a functional tabletop work area that can wind around the surface of the table. Each modular plate has a heating [...]
October 15, 2008 – 6:07 am
by Sarah Barker
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Euw sick, adults talking about, like, HPV and stuff. The Center for Young Women’s Health, part of Children’s Hospital Boston, recruited real teens to disseminate real information on normal development, diseases and health issues affecting young women (YoungWomensHealth.org 9.08). The goal is to educate and thereby prevent health problems.
The Center’s website features [...]
October 14, 2008 – 3:51 pm
by Abelardo de la Peña Jr.
Located almost equidistant between Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles, the Beverly/Normandie neighborhood is a densely populated residential area. Sitting at the far end of a three-block-long business district filled with colorful Latino storefronts is El y Ella (His and Hers) Communication. Owner Rogelio Lorenzo stands at the counter of [...]
