Is art necessary, and at what cost?

Connecticut Opera closes down, citing bad economy

Orchestras, ballets and opera companies across the country are facing huge deficits. The Los Angeles Opera is laying off 17 people, cutting salaries and will stage fewer performances this year. The Miami City Ballet is …

Kindness will help economy, homeless woman's rescuer says

Kindness will help economy, homeless woman's rescuer says

"You don't have to be a politician to put forth a stimulus package," Chene Thompson said during a joint interview with Hughes Thursday on CNN's "American Morning." "This is our own little mini-stimulus package …

Penny pinching and proud of it

Something for nothing

Even President Obama showed that you don't have to spend a lot of money to look good. During his inauguration, commentators talked about the fact that the first family wore clothes from J.Crew, a mid-market retailer. "They looked very good but …

Recession Forces Women's Shelter To Turn People Away

Recession Forces Women's Shelter To Turn People Away

From July 2008 to December 2008, the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh turned away 360 women and children -- 125 percent increase -- while clients increased 19 percent.

The shelter's executive director …

Confucius Says, 'Be Frugal,' But the Global Slump Says, 'Spend'

Confucius Says, 'Be Frugal,' But the Global Slump Says, 'Spend'

My mom, a 63-year-old retired textile factory worker, is one of 1.3 billion Chinese whose lives are more or less defined by a traditional Chinese culture in which saving and frugality are rooted as …

Obama must let the economy shrink

Obama must let the economy shrink

For too long, economists have fallen in love with their mathematical models of certainty and have ignored how poorly these models reflect the real world. Both Bush's economic advisers, who wanted to emphasize trickle-down tax cuts to …

Clawson, Mich. Celebrates, Practices Acts of Kindness

Clawson, Mich. celebrates, practices acts of kindness

Free haircuts for kids, hearing tests for seniors, clothing drives and letter-writing stations to send notes to those serving in the military are among the offerings. More than 35 downtown businesses are offering …

Are Religious Conservatives More Generous Than Secular Liberals?

Are religious conservatives more generous than secular liberals?

"It's original," said a Syracuse professor who worked closely with Brooks and spoke on the condition of anonymity to feel free to present alternative views. "But ... there are some who believe it is fair …

The Kindness Of Strangers

The kindness of strangers

Imagine inviting strangers with whom you share no friends or even acquaintances to open your front door and take possession of all of this, for one whole week. If, as Adam Phillips and Barbara -Taylor argue in their new book On Kindness , most …

California is broke?

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/02/news/economy/california_budget_crisis/in...

California, the world's eighth largest economy, is running short of cash. The Golden State is facing a $40 billion budget gap and has started delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, …