Link up : Half a tank

For some weeks now, I've been following this column on Washington Post. Aptly titled 'Half a tank: Along Recession Road' is..

"Half A Tank is a summer-long quest to find images and stories of people whose lives have been altered by a flattened economy. Starting from home in the D.C. suburbs, Theresa Vargas and Michael Williamson are traveling around the country to experience how people are coping, struggling, even flourishing as we all reconsider how we live. "

Each post is interesting, quirky, amusing and entertaining- providing a glimpse into the life of a common man or a community that is dealing with the current conditions in its own ways- taking it as a challenge, or battling it like a war, or humoring it like a child, or enduring it like a parent.

I want to list a couple of them that I particularly enjoyed :

"In WVa, a dance to say we'll be alright"- comes from the town of Union, W.Va. A town which has decided to dance their woes away.

"There’s no doubt individuals here have been hurt by the economy. But it quickly became clear to us that the recession has not been a communal cancer. This place has not been crippled like others we've seen. Children, dollar bills in hand, still raced through the crowd with newly-bought toys they did not need—inflatable hammers, neon necklaces, miniature lights for their teeth that served no purpose other than to flicker when they smiled.

If there was a time to worry, that would come later. Tonight was a time to dance. "

And then there was : "Selling the family heirloom"

'Three generations of Murphy women – Donna, 45; her daughter Rachel, 18; and granddaughter Madeeson, 22 months – were sitting by the side of road near the boundary between Elliston and Shawsville when Michael and I drove by. Their belongings were spread out on blankets and tables. There were videotapes, jeans and knick-knacks of all sorts. A doll in a faded, battered box bore the name, “Your Dream Bride.”

“On TV, they say it’s improving," Murphy said, "but they need to come out here and talk to the real people. It’s not." '

I wait for these posts, its a peek into everyday living, not the sensational reporting about Letterman's cheap digs at Palin or such unnecessary information and verbal banter. In the challenging times we live in, I'd rather hear about the common man than hyped drama.

We, the richless

Kids say the darndest things and coin the darndest terms, don't they? I read this commentary on NPR "Don't Fear The Fear Itself: You're Just 'Richless'" by Todd Holzmanand and instantly wondered why no one had thought of this word before?

An excerpt from this commentary

Overheard in the toy-strewn playroom of a rambling three-story house in the suburbs of Cleveland:

Victoria, 11: "We're poor."

Madeline, 8: "Yeah, we're richless."

Richless. Out of the mouth of babes, a word that captures precisely where so many of us truly are as we take stock of our situations in these distressing — but not yet Depressing — economic times.

We are richless. Some of the riches we had are gone.

We are not poor. We are not really likely to become poor.

It's a crucial distinction to make in an America that has such a lousy sense of its own history.

Read on because there's surely more where this came from. I don't believe the commentary says anything that we haven't been reading and see thus far in this economic crisis, its only putting it into perspective using the right words, aptly coined by children.

Amazing!

I was online, ordering books from Amazon the other day, and the genie in it, popped out, telling me that I had ordered the same book on November 1st 2004! Great, I thought to myself. We now have automated robots reminding us, in case we forget, to not order the same books over and over again.

But seriously, this was absolutely cute, I thought. Amazon also suggests books on the same genre, when you do pick one; if you choose a top, it suggests coordinated shoes and skits/trousers; it remembers all your past orders; it lets you send gifts; provides you with gift wrap options; provides used book options(if you find a new one beyond your budget) and guess what? I keep track of my address trail- all my past residences through Amazon! Its like your personal genie, really!

What's also amazing is that I have been using this site for about 10 years now. Exactly as much time as I've been in this country. The first thing I did as soon as I landed, was to build on my book collection. It has always been my dream to own a library- filled with ornate bookshelves, books- plastered with a book themed wallpaper. And so I started ordering books. I have even had them delivered to my office addresses. Hence, the website is my one stop repository of past addresses- work and home.

Amazon was one of the earliest e-commerce sites, started back in 1995 by Jeff Bezos for online retailing of books. Since then till now, one can find everything from music to clothes to furniture to accessories to kitchen appliance- all in one website. Just this past quarter, Amazon made 158 million, revenues jumped 41%- way exceeding Wall Street predictions. This, in a economy thats taking a beating, in every possible section.

Amazing!, isnt it?

So, whats your favorite website for online retailing?