.jpg)
Yesterday, we got another glimpse on the effect of the dismal economy on daily life in America: We decided to go to our local movie theatre and watch Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. (We liked the movie, by the way, and recommend it. Good actors, good story)
Our local, suburban movie theatre is old, smells musty, the chairs are not very comfortable, the quality of the screens is so-so and tickets are cheap: only 7 bucks compared to more than $ 10 in the big, modern theatres in the Greater Boston area.
In the past, we felt sometimes almost lonely in our local theatre because only few people went there - even on Saturday nights. Boy, how has this changed. Yesterday, to our big surprise there was a long line in front of the ticket box and we feared , we wouldn't be able to get in, since several movies were already sold out. Luckily, we made it, but just barely. Shortly after we got our tickets, also Last Chance Harvey was sold out as was Benjamin Button, Rachel getting married and Gran Torino.
Well, it seems that at least some businesses profit from the economic crisis and I don't need to worry anymore that our historic Capitol cinema will disappear because of lack of customers.
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Economy and College
I didn't write here for a long time because I have so much work with my teaching job. I'm teaching at a Community College and this semester I have suddenly a lot more students in my classes than before. This year, it even happened that one of my classes was full long before the end of the enrollment period.
The same happened to other teachers at my college, and though I don't have official numbers, I believe Community Colleges are now more attractive for many students because of the lower costs. In a tough economy like this one, students feel that four year colleges with their price tag of $ 30 000 and more per year, are unreachable - particularly here in the Northeast. Therefore, they start their education at two year institutions like mine, hoping to being able to transfer at a later time.
The same happened to other teachers at my college, and though I don't have official numbers, I believe Community Colleges are now more attractive for many students because of the lower costs. In a tough economy like this one, students feel that four year colleges with their price tag of $ 30 000 and more per year, are unreachable - particularly here in the Northeast. Therefore, they start their education at two year institutions like mine, hoping to being able to transfer at a later time.
Friday, November 14, 2008
House Break-in
My next door neighbor had an unpleasant surprise yesterday upon returning from an overseas trip: Someone had burglarized her house. All of her gold jewelry was gone, only a few silver rings and necklaces were left.
She came right away to my house, in tears and afraid to stay alone in her house. Her husband was on his way back from a business trip and was expected later in the evening.
Together, we walked thru her house to see whether more was stolen than just the jewelry from the bedroom. Luckily,the burglars seemed to have been in a hurry to get out of the house again because they left behind a big and heavy shovel. So nothing else was stolen, but we wondered for what they would have needed the shovel.
We then called police. The officers investigated and took photographs, though they didn't give my neighbor much hope that she would see her jewelry again.
My neighbor is heartbroken, particularly because one of the stolen pieces is her engagement ring, which is a family heirloom. It was originally made as engagement ring for her husband's grandmother.
Worrisome is that one of the police officers told us about a sharp increase of break-ins in our Boston suburb. According to him, it's because of the bad economy and he predicted, we will see more crime like that in the future as the recession continues. His advice: Get a security alarm system. A simple one with window and door contacts will already do, which will sound an alarm if someone tries to move or break a window.
She came right away to my house, in tears and afraid to stay alone in her house. Her husband was on his way back from a business trip and was expected later in the evening.
Together, we walked thru her house to see whether more was stolen than just the jewelry from the bedroom. Luckily,the burglars seemed to have been in a hurry to get out of the house again because they left behind a big and heavy shovel. So nothing else was stolen, but we wondered for what they would have needed the shovel.
We then called police. The officers investigated and took photographs, though they didn't give my neighbor much hope that she would see her jewelry again.
My neighbor is heartbroken, particularly because one of the stolen pieces is her engagement ring, which is a family heirloom. It was originally made as engagement ring for her husband's grandmother.
Worrisome is that one of the police officers told us about a sharp increase of break-ins in our Boston suburb. According to him, it's because of the bad economy and he predicted, we will see more crime like that in the future as the recession continues. His advice: Get a security alarm system. A simple one with window and door contacts will already do, which will sound an alarm if someone tries to move or break a window.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
List of online Shopping Helpers
In economic difficult times like now, every buck saved is important. Checking out prices online before heading to the store is therefore a must for me.
After we moved to the US, I learned quickly that here prices can be very different. For example, recently I bought a new digital camera that was offered at $ 230 in one store and at almost $ 400 in another. In both cases, the price was only for the camera body, no extras involved.
Like many people, I don't like so much buying online (though I do it); it's for safety reasons and because I like to see what I buy. However, price comparing websites help me to find the right stores - and sometimes, after having seen the product in a store, I still end up buying it online.
Some of my favorite websites:
And for those of you, who are hitting the road during the summer, check out the best gas prices at www.gasbuddy.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
