Friday, May 15, 2009

Tell the hoards at Heathrow

that there is a worldwide financial meltdown, please.  If this is a depression, I'd hate to see a boom.  I'm checked into AA47, LHR to ORD, returning from a talk on genetic algorithms at the Symposium on Search-Based Software Engineering at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor, and the number of people in Terminal 3 at Heathrow is astounding.  There are people sipping Starbucks lattes, people buying Yo Sushi, people stuffing their carts in duty-free shops, people sprawled out on chairs and couches, and people milling in the crowded hallways.  

Perhaps they didn't get the memo, or perhaps the "crisis" of the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression are completely, utterly, fantastically, and ridiculously overstated.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

on the other hand, perhaps those taking advantage of Heathrow are those who still have jobs and the shopping sprees- well that's what they make credit cards for right? If you read the news lately the most hired and highly-paid positions currently, jobs that are hard to fill, are engineers and nurses. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate those with skills who actually get paid for what they do, so hats off to engineers and nurses...however, you can't tell the 14.7 million unemployed Americans that the so-called recession, the lack of jobs, and the rumbling in their belly and their children's bellies, is a figment of their imagination. As for me, I am an unemployed Project Manager as of February 09 when I was laid off a contract job, therefore I am receiving no unemployment. I am extremely capable, hardworking, personable, bright, technology savvy, sending out Resumes like mad, and so far no job offers. I do not overuse my credit cards, have no debt other than my home mortgage, and guess what? Next month I will likely decide to default on my mortgage payment so I can put food on the table. You may not remember, but in "the old days" one just walked into a place of business and announced they would like to work there. Times have changed, haven't they?