The Great Depression 2010 - Are We There Yet?

Image: "Migrant Mother" by D. Lange,
(colorized version)
Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

In London's TimesOnline yesterday, columnist Minette Martin warned that England must prepare to live once again as it did during the years surrounding World War Two - she labels it as "austerity chic." Her column, "Waste Not, Want Not: here comes the new austerity chic," is worth the read.

Ms. Martin discusses how those of the 1930s and 1940s kept their frugal habits through the remainder of their lives, and how the realities of debt and unemployment in Great Britian today will be forcing its citizens into a new area of "austerity."  She encourages her readers to "embrace the new thrift," and how this can actually be a good thing. 

But here's the clincher:  this well-respected journalist in an internationally renowned publication actually uses the word "poor" -- which is, of course, the terror striking the hearts of so many right now. 

The Great Depression - Is It Here Already?

There's actually a website that is devoted to "The Great Depression 2010."  It describes itself as a "chronicle" of those events that mark the United States' descent into another Great Depresssion.  In 2008, experts were already discussing another Great Depression by 2011.  Heck, Wikipedia has an article entitled, "the Financial Crisis of 2007-2010," and it's pretty detailed and worth your time, if you're into the economic aspects of this thing.

However, in answer to my question, it the depression here already, I am looking not at discussions of the evil that is Goldman Sachs, or bubbles, or the impact of Japan or China or India or Mexico upon our country.

Are We Doomed to be (gasp) Poor?

Instead, I'm looking around me at what I see in my world - as I've done before.  And, I don't think we're there yet, at least in San Antonio, Texas.  Depressed, maybe, but it's not "Great" -- yet.  But I think we're gonna see it, and maybe that means within the next 6 months. 

It's bad here, don't get me wrong.  Lotsa empty store fronts and hungry people.  However, this weekend as I drove past the North Star Mall, its parking lot was still full to the brim.  People are still buying designer labels and fine jewelry (just watch HSN or QVC), and this morning I got an email from a new Mustang Island condo development telling me to get in now, before prices go up as the economy continues to recover! 

Frogs in a Pot

Reminds me of that story of how to kill frogs.  If you try to put them in a pot of boiling water, they'll fight you and try to avoid the plunge.  However, if you put them in a pot of tepid water and then let the heat slowly rise, those frogs won't be smart enough to jump out of the pot.  They'll literally sit there and get boiled alive.

What To Do About It

Living simply isn't stupid or lazy or crazy, although I've been called all three.  It's smart.  It's wise. And, it's fun and peaceful and really quite nice. 

Which means that I agree with the conclusions of Minette Martin yesterday -- the New Poor may discover that they will be much happier living without all that Stuff  though they're not willing it to consider just yet.  Right now, Denial remains something that is much more than a river in Egypt.

The Lord's Prayer Sung by a Two Year Old

Thanks to ZoeiToh for sharing this video with all of us on YouTube.

Then [Jesus] said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven."

-Matthew 18:3 NIV

ChefsBest is a Fun Site to Check Out Award Winning Food Items

Making out the grocery list and planning the menu for next week usually means that I'm surfing the web at some point, trying to get hints on new recipes or figuring out cost-cutting measures - like how to use some of the stuff that's in the pantry.

Chef's Best Food Awards

Today, while in this process (I think I have everything for a great pasta salad, but I need to skim thru several different recipes just to make sure), I stumbled upon ChefsBest.

At their Award Winner's page, there's a huge list of food items (from Gummi Vitamins to ReddiWip - the winner of the "aerosol topping" category) which independent food experts have decided are the best on the market.

Professional Chefs Give You Their Opinion on the Best Food Products

According to the site, the awards are given not just by pro chefs, but chefs that are "sensory certified as Master Tasters(R)." What's a Master Taster? Not sure, but I discovered that there were Master Tasters for coffee, as well as ice cream, in a quick search on the web. Sounds sorta like a dream job, doesn't it?

Pro Chefs Also Tell You How To Pick the Best Fresh Foods

Even better is their page with a long list of fresh fruits and veggies, herbs, spices, and nuts, with pro advice on how to pick the best fresh stuff: Almonds, rice, shallots, and oodles more.

Oh! And the site also gives you lotsa recipes, nutritional info, cool facts on the origins of the food, and really handy for me today, substitutions that can be made for the food item.

Thanks to ChefsBest, I got confirmation that there just isn't a good substitute for a green bell pepper. Since I love these in my pasta salad, looks like I don't have everything here after all - and bell peppers are now on the Grocery List.

Can't tell you how much I love reading thru this site. Great find, hope you like it too, Dear Reader.

Image:  Yellow and green Bell peppers, North End market, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Wikimedia Commons, public domain.