The job search will continue.

Not much near term hope. There is some work in NY fornow

This is a compilation blog I tend to trust on economics. The bloggers main interest is real estate. He quotes and is quoted by Krugman in the Times. He is generally more hopeful about the state of things than I am. The comments are mostly free of gratuitous noise.
Here he is looking at reports from Europe in the last day or two.

http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2010/02/eurozone-update.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CalculatedRisk+%28Calculated+Risk%29


Here is url of the blog without further specification:
http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/
You will have to run back a few posts for the eurozone update.

communication:

I am in such a state that I can convince myself of anything.
Mother seems to be out of immediate danger but she is deteriorating mentally and physically.
I have been escaping to work a few hours and each time it is traumatic for her.
I need clear unambiguous instructions from you.
Without them I must continue as I have been.

I have been feeding the wild birds.
a squirrel climbed the steel stanchion I hung the seed tray on.
I wiped the steel down with vegetable oil. end of problem.
I will put a picture here. tit mice, chickadees, nuthatches and downy woodpeckers. various sparrows and morning doves. There are blue jays and an owl.

Greece?

I caught a piece on the BBC stating that the Greek economy has gone into crisis.
If the management program works, the status quo anti will prevail.
If, as is likely, the program fails the euro and probably the EU are toast.
This will take down the house of cards that is the US dollar.

What that means for you I don't know. Recently Spain has been in very delicate health.

The advice I have seen is "work as long as you can. Save as much as you can. Pay down debt."

I will write more as I know and think.

The Chinese have instituted a policy of Mercantilism. They are practicing wealth extraction. A manufacturing business is a bargain at any real price. Goods may be bought for money or raw materials only. Our government will not see this. It is a trade war.

"Catcher in the Rye" was often assigned to me but never read. I would slog a few pages and abandon it for better built tales. I think the effort to ban the book made the sales. Other Salinger never held my interest either. His literary executor has a job for life.

I am ambivalent on the toads. Best thing to do is find them another niche. Preferably more than one.
I just cannot cheer on the four horsemen. That would be the real solution.