Sometimes, economic downturns create silver linings in the most unlikely of places: The New York Times investigates how beer has made a difference in the economy of Bend, Oregon, which was particularly struck by the housing market collapse. The verdict: "Beer endured" — one out of seven brewing jobs in Oregon is in Bend's Deschutes County, a significant number "for a county that had 4 percent (one of every 25 jobs) of the state’s total employment that year." [NYT]
