The economic downturn, and all who sail in her...

It's getting to be practically impossible to watch the news without feeling some wave of darkness come over you these days; there seems to be little to no good news left. I know the famous adage is that "bad news sells" but if the media are to be believed and we are heading towards a depression, where does that leave us, not just in financial terms,but emotionally, mentally and spiritually?

I cannot help but think this is a yin and a yang scenario. What goes up must come down. Make hay while the sun shines. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.

Maybe tomorrow has come. But "die" should not be taken literally, of course....

It would be downright inappropriate of me to suggest that some deserve it, but can I be the only one who, having worked in the South East for a number of years, thinks that a lot of people have made a lot of money over the years for doing very little?

Sadly, the shock waves will extend well beyond those individuals, and we are seemingly going to all have to lose the "disposable society" attitude many of us have acquired over the years. Instead of throwing something away simply because it no longer fits with the new decor, perhaps we should throw away our fickle and changeable approach instead.

And what is to become of that recently identified phenomenon, "retail therapy"? How will we lose the urge temporarily forget our woes by flashing the plastic on a Saturday afternoon?

I would hazard a guess that entering a buy-and-sell market to recycle any unwanted items might work; it will satisfy the need to "de-clutter" and also the urge to pick up a bargain.

Ebay. You know it makes sense.

Credit Crunch Chaos

Frequently I will read the papers and at some point (sometimes at several points, in truth) I will shake my head in disbelief at what I'm reading. Perhaps a celebrity has just had her eighteenth boob job or a Big Brother housemate has been promised a book deal to write his autobiography when he's evicted...

But this morning there is one story on the front page of the Mail on Sunday that defies belief.

A city banker, aged 47, threw himself in front of a train yesterday at Taplow in Berkshire because of the mounting pressures he was facing due to the credit crunch. He leaves behind a wife and an 8 year old son.

I don't need to write very much on this topic because the facts very clearly speak for themselves.

What sort of world have we crafted? I expect his son will ask the same question one day.