This writer isn't quite willing to use the "D" word to describe the currently hellish economy, although at least one scribe overseas is more than happy to do so. In an article entitled "Depression architecture: the only way is up," the Guardian's Jonathan Jones takes issue with his Sunday Times colleague Simon Jenkins who claims there's a silver lining to what's being called "The New Great Depression": tall cranes will disappear from the London skyline. (Along with jobs, too, apparently, but that isn't mentioned). Jones says he's tired of Jenkins' "perpetual bullying of skyscrapers and all who like them.

There are many ugly, vacuous tall buildings in the world. There are lots of ugly, vacuous low-rise buildings too. I can't believe Jenkins could seriously claim the architecture of largely towerless London in the 20th century was more distinguished than that of high-flying Manhattan." End quote. And that was back in the good old days when fish and chips were just about all you could get too, if you could afford it. Anyhow, while we're on topic: the Empire State Building and other big-ticket projects were constructed in the (old) Great Depression in the U.S., that wasn't enough to lift our economy out of the doldrums. World War II did that. Just an observation.