Twenty-five people at the heart of the meltdown ...

The worst economic turmoil since the Great Depression is not a natural phenomenon but a man-made disaster in which we all played a part. In the second part of a week-long series looking behind the slump, Guardian City editor Julia Finch picks out the individuals who have led us into the current crisis...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/26/road-ruin-recession-individuals-economy

VCs Speak On The Economic Downturn: Batten Down the Hatches

1. Act now. Act with speed, and raise more money if possible.
2. Protect the vital core of the business. Use a scalpel instead of an axe.
3. Get 18 months or more of cash in the businesses, against conservative revenue forecasts.
4. Defer Facilities expansions. Instead of buying more PCs or more software, use webbased stuff.
5. Negotiate. Negotiate with all your supplies and vendors, get more favorable payment terms.
6. Everybody in your organization should be selling. You need everyone to be selling the ideas and the organization. This is about increasing revenues.
7. For people with bonuses, offer equity instead of cash. Doerr noted that he once had a voluntary salary deduction program for people who remained during the downturn - Investors will be on board with this idea.
8. Pay attention to where your cash is, and keep it secure, in a place fully backed by the government. Doerr said that he’s been putting money into treasuries.
9. Make sure that for the revenues you plan, you have leading indicators that tell you 90 days in advance whether you’ll be getting revenues or not.
10. Overcommunicate with your employees, investors, and customers. Let them know your resolve. Don’t sugarcoat it.

You are right!! got sort of obsessed with the thing, now for the past 24 hours I've been calming down and looking at the brighter side! Since both my startups are relatively new, i will take your advice and focus on innovation under slow markets to bring more beneficial products! not in for fast money for sure :-)

Financial Meltdown 101 By Arun Gupta "Everything you ever wanted to know about the biggest economic meltdownsince the Great Depression but were afraid to ask."

Jordan, Lebanon named two of 28 countries facing financial strains due to high food and fuel costs and now from a cascading credit crisis in a new World Bank report yesterday.

http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnJOE49901C.html

Global financial crisis in graphics from the BBC...powerful and scary

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7644238.stm

r u merely observing the markets, or r u watching ur money dwindle in the markets?

Sounds like a good time to start a business!