Sorry for the lack of posts

It has been almost a month and we didn't post at all! Sorry. Lo-Lin isn't the posting type. She says she will post in Chinese (maybe).

It has been quite a month. First, I went to Dubai for my job search. I met a few great people, had some good conversations, and stayed in my hotel because of the heat (105-110 degrees Fahrenheit the entire time). Sadly, I didn't come back with a position - but we are going to keep trying. I've only recently figured out how to express the position I really want - in construction/engineering it is called "project controls". Lo-Lin has started looking for a statistician's position too. We will be headed back to Dubai from Oct. 17 through Nov. 13.

We'll be posting about our recent trips in the next few posts: Den Haag/Rotterdam and Bruges. Lo-Lin went to Antwerp and Gent by herself so she may post something. =) This weekend: Amsterdam!

On a side note, the American (and world) economy is hurting because of the recent collapses. I don't know what to think. I'm a heavy believer in a free market economy with appropriate controls. As an established free market economy - aren't firms that show irresponsibility liable for their actions? Maybe we should let them fail and allow the market to self-correct rather than tax the individual to rescue these irresponsible firms. The type of action the government has taken allows for a propped up system of irresponsibility in the financial services sector (and housing too!). Let them collapse and allow the properly investing firms to pick through the bones. Yes, I'm a bit of a pessimist, but really - why should I pay for the irresponsibility of others - especially those that are highly educated and know better?

It really is a slippery slope - shouldn't the government cover my individual investor losses because I made irresponsible decisions? Even though my losses are much smaller - why should we have a discriminatory practice (big loss vs. small loss) of who receives assistance and who does not?