Will the center hold?

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We all feel the pinch... pinch?? Sting certainly captures the emotion better and it's humbling.
These people who start expensive avoidable wars and those trading in invisible cash have really done us in(my explanation for the financial crisis).
Ok may be we were Living the dream and then some but reaaaalle, things have never been tighter. Chinua Achebe's book title "Things Fall Apart" doesn't even begin to describe the chaos up in here.

I started smelling smoke when Oprah gave out some pretty odd favorite things this past year. CD's, treasure boxes, gift baskets, a nice book to read, she even encouraged swap parties where people exchanged items instead of buying new ones.
Now I know y'all Ugandans would be going gaga on this stuff, seeing as gifts at Christmas or any other time of the year are like Nsenene (grasshoppers) in June.
What you don't get is that, Oprah's favourite things in 2007 left me smitten, floored, speechless. Oh! how I wished I had a fairy god mother who would show up and wave me into her audience with a magic wand.


Scrabble - the best game ever. Standard mixer, I like baking so this would look good in my kitchen.
A camcorder would definitely make blogging so much more
HDTV Refrigerator with Weather and Info Center from LG Electronics??, soft sigh. How could one person get all these things for free?

But today my friends, today, it's a different story.
America and the world at large (ripple effect) is going through a crazy time.
People are losing jobs like a plague, we are learning to cook instead of eating out, switch off the lights, take the bus, ride the bicycle (the car is reserved for emergencies). Two or more families staying together isn't such a bad thing after all, unplug gadgets that are not being used, learn to layer on clothes we ain't gonna run up our heating bill. Businesses are closing, items are on sale, and coupons are a sweet sound to the ear, ok you are getting the idea. Obviously some of these things go with out saying for some African Ugandans like me who regard some of these pleasures as sinful. This is probably the worst recession since the Great depression (1929 - 1939).

This ad just about puts things in perspective

I watched the inauguration of America's 1st black president in the comfort of my home.
Now I get to feel the recession/crunch in my home and pocket.

Comments

  1. Peter Eichstaedt7:40 AM

    I invite you to see my new book on Joseph Kony and the LRA, titled First Kill Your Family: Child Soldiers of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army, available now at Amazon.com. See more at www.firstkillyourfamily.com and follow the issue at www.petereichstaedt.blogspot.com
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous1:58 PM

    This credit crunch yawa.Yes, we have had a few leaflets sent to us in the post at work asking us to sell our "gold" crowns, yes the bling people put on their teeth.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mrs.O10:07 PM

    For real.

    ReplyDelete

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