Two is one, one is none, and twenty is one with inflation

Really, it's not a problem:

Using a speech last night in Madrid to issue his stark warning, Dominique Strauss-Kahn argued that government efforts to tackle the economic downturn so far have been uncertain and largely insufficient, which could lead to severe consequences. He singled out the eurozone nations as he attacked the inadequate global response.

His hard-hitting comments came as fears of a prolonged slumped intensified after China showed signs that its economy could be in more trouble than initially expected next year. Factory output in the rapidly growing economy registered the weakest growth in almost a decade last month.

The IMF's managing director said such news signaled that a world recovery may not take place until late next year or into 2010 unless swift action is taken.

Translation: Y'all are screwed, and we might be able to fix it if we really wanted to, but half of us don't know our rear-ends from our elbows, and the other half would rather ride out the ensuing chaos and rebuild from the rubble after-the-fact, no matter what the cost.

On a related note, posting frequency has been low in the last week owing to a host of factors, including epic allergies, copious research regarding possible retreat/settlement areas, the usual ridiculousness that comes with the holiday-season... Oh, and the hand-numbing cold in this dump makes me a tad sluggish.

Also, I've been stepping up the prep-work for an eventual (and likely lengthy) economic depression. Now, owing to the fact that I'm the only one in my immediate family that seems to be taking this somewhat seriously, the onus of labor is upon me. Not that it bothers me to any large degree; I will confess to a level of paranoia that makes many people uncomfortable, but as the saying goes, it's only "well-prepared after-the-fact".

I know this is a market-correction that has been a long-time coming, but I'm still anxious. This is bitter medicine for a great many people, and some will use it to justify rash behavior, to say the least.