Hunting for A Bargain

A long time ago I signed up to be on the Yelp email list, and usually I don't read them all the way through, but recently I got one with this in the subject line: "Yelp! I'm Broke!" and this time they got my attention.

Turns out Yelp has a section of their site called Sales and Special Offers. Here is a blurb from the email, where they highlight some of the Yelpers' favorite deals on food:

Brandon D fiends for the "dried pig, pear compote, and stinky cheese, served with a healthy slice of gentrification" at Uva Enoteca, where you'll find $4 pizzas, paninis and fritto, as well as Peronis for $1.50 and vino for $4. The "Japanese covers of trashy American music" at Sushi Time keep Sig N coming back for more, and their $2 sake and $4 sushi rolls are the stuff of legend. There's a $2 sangria fest goin' on at Lalola, and you can counter-punch that sweetness with some small plates. Save room for dessert, though; Hen A reports their chocolate-drenched bread pudding is a "a semi-sweet fantastic melting soft chew of goodness."

So where do YOU go to find the best deals? Do you go to a website like Yelp to find your bargains? Let us know here, or at news@kalw.org.

Got an Economic Emergency? Dial 211

We all know to call 9-1-1 in an emergency in the event of a fire or an accident. But the economic crisis is creating its own set of emergencies. A job layoff can lead to hunger or homelessness, or both. So where can you turn when that happens? In Alameda County, you can dial 2-1-1, a free, 24-hour hotline. Ollie Arnold is with Eden Information and Resources which runs the 2-1-1 service. She spoke with KALW's Kristi Coale about what 211 can do to link people facing an economic emergency with the resources they need most:



Let us know if you have come across other resources that have proven helpful during this recession.

The Power of the Arts

Arts programs and organizations are seen by many as the first place to cut during hard economic times. Well one of our listeners argues that the arts just might be what keep us going, when the times get tough.

Here is his message from the Economic Edge:



Are you a member of the arts community? How is the economic crisis specifically impacting arts programs? What are innovative ways that the community has come together to cope and weather the recession?

Let us know here in our comments, or email us at news@kalw.org, or by phone at 415-264-7106.

Entrepreneurship in Turbulent Times

Despite the economic storms around every corner, a small but growing band of believers are trying their hand at entrepreneurship. Business is actually up at the nonprofit San Francisco Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. The clients are often non-native English speakers, people without much education or money, and young parents who have trouble finding their footing in the old economy. Add to their ranks the recently unemployed, and you can see why the small business classes at Renaissance are filling up. KALW’s Melanie Young spent some time at Renaissance and reports on the dream of business ownership in turbulent times:

A Bit of Good News for the Big Sip

I recently got a call from Dixon Elias, the owner of the Big Sip Cafe in Oakland who I profiled for an Economic Edge story. Apparently our story about him was heard by many people who decided to pay him a visit at his cafe, even old CNN. Listen the message he left us:

Econ Edge Roundup

We've had a lot of good Economic Edge stories on the air lately, from what business owners are talking about in the Mission, to communities fighting to stay in their foreclosed homes in Oakland...from shanty towns cropping up in Fresno, to an independent bookshop closing it's doors...

Stay tuned this week to hear about how people are dealing with our budgetary crisis, and for phoned in reports from different parts of our community on how the economic crisis is impacting them.