Cheery News of the Day

A real bumper crop of gloom ...

Major storms Could Submerge New York City in Next Decade (Guardian)
Irene-like storms of the future would put a third of New York City streets under water and flood many of the tunnels leading into Manhattan in under an hour because of climate change, a new state government report warns Wednesday.

Retailers See a Split in Behavior of Shoppers (NY Times)
At Wal-Mart, shoppers cut back on staples like milk and meat that had price increases of a few cents. At Saks Fifth Avenue, they paid full price for shoes and designer fashions at a rate higher than before the recession.

...“I feel good about the luxury consumer,” Mr. Sadove of Saks said.

Congress Blocks New School Lunch Standards (NY Times)
Food companies including ConAgra, Coca-Cola, Del Monte Foods and makers of frozen pizza like Schwan argued that the proposed rules would raise the cost of meals and require food that many children would throw away.      
Hah!
      
Coney Island game booths get the pink slips (Brooklyn Paper)

But it's Christmas now, at least!  At Starbucks, employees already have on their Santa hats, & are listening to endless loops of Yuletide cheer, & the booths in Bryant Park & Union Square (it's OK to take away public space for commerce) are ready to go.  Deck the halls!