It is seldom that I write a piece like this on this site, but it would be remiss of me not to use The Perfect Connections to try to help my readers as well as bringing fun and novel snippets to your attention.

Anyone who does not know that we are living in rapidly uncertain times, is living in a bubble.  We see stores that we thought were family staples, closing.  We make calls to dry cleaners to pick up our clothes, only to find that the numbers have been disconnected.  Our friendly banker is no longer our friend, but someone who greets us with trepidation and hesitation.  In the past recession, the banks remained strong, and businesses and individuals could count on their support for refinance and help.  I personally had quite a senior employee in private banking at the Toronto Dominion Bank tell me that this was a good life lesson to be learned.  Life lesson?  How do we deal with an attitude that condescends to us as a population when we are already feeling the pinch?  The only life lesson I drew from his ’paternalistic’ unhelpful and condescending wisdom, was that the banks don’t seem to want to hear about  their constituents, and clients who are are suffering, and need guidance.  I would love to be proven wrong.

People love to pontificate and say that they “saw this coming”.  Well, good for them  Why didn’t they tell the hundreds of thousands of people and companies who have been so devastatingly affected.  Why didn’t they sit down with the CEO of General Motors and tell him that his company would be on the verge of complete closure?  That no bail out plan could be but a short term band aid solution, and that for every major lay off at a facility such as that, at least 10 sub trades would also be laid off.  A year ago, people who did not seize opportunities to make money in industry, stocks and business, would have been ignoring opportunity  As citizens of a free world, we are taught to embrace opportunity and make the best life for ourselves that we can.  When I hear people voice an echo of shadenfreunde about someone who has fallen, it upsets me enormously.  It should upset us all.

As part of the new face of The Perfect Connections, we will not ignore what is happening in the world now.  We want to hear from you now more than ever.  As a nation, as a world, we can not afford to crumble.

What we can do is begin by taking baby steps and cut corners that we didn’t think to as much before.

I have gathered several tips from people as to how they are structuring their own personal bailout plans.

I will share them with you, and look forward to your additional feedback.  Also, ad prices for The Perfect Connections have been reduced dramatically, and we have enabled google on our site (for which you have to actually go to www.theperfectconnections.com and click on the ads to support our sponsors).  If we can help you, we want to.  If people are offering their services to the general public, no matter what corner of the world you are in, we will promote you for free.  Is that fair?

We all have something to give and something to share, and now more than ever is the time to do so.  We need to recognise that recession breeds isolation.  People are afraid.  People also feel a sense of shame and a loss of pride.

Depression is prevalent and anxiety is a new societal norm it seems.  At times I feel like I am in bad Jim Carrey movie.. all I want is a break from panic talk.  I do not need to avoid it or not acknowledge or feel personally what is happening, but rather I just want to hear a Beatles song, or escape into a good movie.

Every newspaper, every television show and every radio station talks of impending doom.  Excuse me Mr President Obama, but I can barely listen to you right now.  You sound like you care,  that is clear, but when are any of your well spoken plans going to make any difference at all to the crisis that the world finds itself in?  Keep in mind that I write this as a Canadian and have no political affiliation with any political party in the USA.

So, no cute pictures in this article, I’m sorry.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will be compiling a list from my readers of what they are doing to remain healthy, and strong in this tunnel right now.

Please do not hesitate to write and to share, and remember, one thing we can all do is help.  That is the immediate action.  If you know someone who is in need, do not make them grovel .  They are already low.  If you can help, and we all can somehow, we will help you get the word out there.  If you choose to do it privately, good for you, and feel proud of yourself.

I wish you strength.  I wish us all strength.

Mary Katherine Webster, your editor.