Although we are entering a recession, the prices of goods and services continue to soar. Wages will not go up in the near future and more people will lose their jobs or be required to take unpaid holidays. In the meantime, our money buys less and less. With stock markets and banks collapsing, many investments have become worthless. People who invested most of their savings have been badly affected, but in the end everybody is likely to be affected. So what can we do to protect ourselves? The only solution is to spend less and save for the future - just look carefully at the bank before you give it your money. Sandy Chan Wai-san, Christian Alliance S. C. Chan Memorial College From the Editor Thanks for your letter, Sandy. It's difficult to understand how, with fuel costs falling and prices dropping all over the world, the prices of goods and services in Hong Kong are going up. Economists tell us they are not going up as much as they would normally go up. But you would think they should be coming down. However, a trip to the supermarket will show that this is not the case. It is important, through all of this, to remember we are in one of the best places in the world. People in Hong Kong will not have to face the hardships of other places. So let's be thankful for what we have and try to help those who have nothing. Susan, editor
