Checking The Weather?

While I believe (somewhat) in the fundamental inter-connectedness of all things (so sue me, dear departed Douglas Adams), the responses of my fellow Singaporeans never fail to astound. Last week, some STOMP blogger posted a picture of a double rainbow as a sign of better times coming. On that same vein, some chap from US of A claimed that economic recovery in America could come as early as late 2009.
Then, dramatically, during the weekend, the Merlion was struck by lightning, and the Net was abuzz with talks of the demise of Singapore. In a separate news conference, our PM said the recession could yet last many more years.
So, in the same week, 2 diametrically opposed viewpoints. Who is right?
Well, one sensible middle path is to disregard both prognoses, and focus on what each of us can do to get through this. Re-finance loans and mortgages, take up another job, hold jumble sales of items you hardly use, rent out spare rooms, whatever. Every bit helps. I particularly like the news that people are exercising more, losing some excess weight and spending more time at home with their families. Can't have enough of that.
The cutest suggestion came from an old schoolmate I met along the five-foot way near our respective workplaces. I was saying, the time has come from those who kept their money in mattresses or beneath their pillows to bail us out. He says, even better - government servants who managed to squirrel savings because most of their expenses are paid for (like transport and meals - think army guys, diplomatic corp etc). They should spend and save us all. Hmmm, on a separate note, the Merlion was struck in the head, wasn't it? (Head = Ministers and their civil servants, get it?)