Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan gave his predictions on the economy and unemployment: He thinks the economy will grow 3% in the third quarter (which is more than he previously thought)—and that unemployment will break through 10% and be there for a while. more ›

Today Brooklyn Based has some tips on growing the perfect garden...on your fire escape. The site eases cases of outdoor space envy by saying, "If you’ve got window sills, a fire escape or a stoop, you’re two months away from homegrown tomatoes and morning glory vines." One commenter quickly sounded his safety whistle with warnings of such an urban escape being illegal—but it's certainly been done before. In fact, earlier this month SustainBlog had a list of vegetables one could grow on their fire escape. more ›

At least that's according to the Milken Institute, which found ranked the NYC-area #85, up from #148 in 2007, on its list of "best performing cities." Per the Sun, the study looked at 5- and 1- year growth and found that booming construction helped NYC avoid "the slump...However, continued pressure on major financial institutions is now becoming apparent in the New York metro area; many firms in the financial sector and in support activities are trimming payrolls in 2008 due to the fallout from the subprime crisis." Well, no kidding. Anyway, the top ten on the are in North Carolina, Washington, Texas, Alabama, South Carolina, and Utah, which had the top spot with cities Provo-Orem. See the list and data here. more ›

A negative byproduct of the disparities between New York and the rest of the country is that after every Census, Congressional seats are reapportioned based on population. Each state will always have two Senators, but New York is likely to lose at least one seat in the House of Representatives. more ›