This may not be true for everyone, but Christmas music makes me feel better. I usually don’t start listening to it quite this early, but these are extraordinary times of gloom. Thus, I was pleased to see the list of such music in Cultural Offering, which also includes a link to a post CO did last year on the subject. I hope this helps provides early cheer.

It’s clear that the economy was the #1 issue for voters this year. It’s becoming painfully clear that the part of this issue that’s most important as President-elect Obama prepares to take office is job creation. Staggering layoffs have increased unemployment claims to a 14-year high. And the layoffs are far from over.

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‘Tis the season for open enrollment for group health insurance plans. Although the high cost of health insurance has been increasingly passed along by employers to their employees, most open enrollment periods have given employees the choice between two or three options. According to the New York Times, those choices may be on the verge of becoming a thing of the past.

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Thousands more employees become unemployed every day now. That’s not funny, but a series of video clips out there try to bring a little humor to the subject. The one below is a bit funny and a bit poignant.

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I’ve already identified A.I.G. as the poster child for a bailout of corporate leadership in the current economic crisis. According to an article in the Washington Post, A.I.G. is a company so far removed from normal people and basic reasonableness, there’s nothing it won’t do.

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Everyone’s heard about yesterday’s plea to Congress by the CEOs of GM, Ford and Chrysler for their own bailout. Another person who appeared before the Senate banking committee was the head of the United Automobile Workers. He said the same thing that the CEOs said.

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The Wall Street Journal’s sobering article about the reminiscences of several people who lived through the Great Depression makes one wonder how close we are to another one.  I’m amused that some people, even economists, still speculate about whether we’re in a recession yet. Though no one wants to go there, the only thing left to speculate about is whether we’re headed for another depression.

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It’s often said that King Solomon was the wisest person who ever lived. Perhaps, before our economic crisis became so grave, we should have heeded what he said in Proverbs 22:26:

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I’ve written my share of posts about dress and appearance policies in the workplace. (Click here, here, here, here, and here.) I’ve tried to give suggestions about the legalities of dress and appearance policies, as well as about the practical side of the subject.

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In a post I did last week, I indicated that I would try to have an analysis of the new regs on my blog this week. Since there’s a lot to read and since the regs aren’t effective until January 16, 2009, I’ll take a little more time before doing some kind of analysis. In the meantime, if you want to review the regs only (without all the comments) as published in the Fedeal Register, click here.