The suicides we can deal with, but the lack of iPhones will make this not the New Great Depression, but the Most Depressing Depression.

Since my holiday vacation plans were just blown away by friends fearing lay-offs (Provincetown remains elusive!), the reality of the downturn is in-mind.  The Boston Globe has a nice "think" piece outlining what the new economic reality may bring. 

Lines at the ER, a television boom, emptying suburbs. A catastrophic economic downturn would feel nothing like the last one.

(via Neal (on whom I totally crush because of the points of view taken in his writing, but am unsure of his gayness.  And it's not like he lives on the same continent anyway.))