Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Riley Factor #114

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
December 21, 2011, Issue No. 114
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit-to-print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley and the Littles -- AJ got into some sort of brawl while out in the outback and suffered a couple of wounds to his right side - all cleared-up with a visit to the vet and a couple of shots and medicines. He did have to wear the dreaded cat helmet for several days - looked hilarious as he tried every trick to extricate himself from the cone of silence. Riley, Gabby and the others refused to give AJ a moment of peace. Izzy, our newest cat, is making slow and short strides outside of the upstairs bedroom which has become her lair.

Plowing and Planting -- No plowing. No planting. No growing. Fall expires and winter approaches.

And They're Off -- Lately, both Lady and Rio have been craving our attention. Whenever we get near the pasture fence, one and then the others walks up to us and seeks a nose rub or hug. Probably, they are really trying to find out if we are transporting an apple or carrot. In any event, they are extremely gentle and friendly of late.

The Herd of Four >>> Two -- Alack and alas, December 20 was the day that we had some of our steer butchered to provide beef for the upcoming year. The Butcher Block, a traveling butcher shop of sorts, arrived and butchered our two Dexter steer. Dexters are the world's smallest major breed of cattle. Our two, Michael and Raphael, had been with us since August 2009, and were each about 30 months old and fully grown at about 1,000 pounds. This is about half the size of adults of most cattle breeds (Holstein, Hereford, Angus, etc.). Michael and Raphael had a good life when they were with us. They were loved and well cared for, spending nights in the barn and days in our pasture. They were fed our own organic pasture grass and hay, supplemented with a bit of our own wheat, oats and some other grain. It is always a bit melancholy on butchering day. We get to know our animals well, and even violate one of those true and tested farming rules - don't name the cows. But they are after all farm animals, not pets. Farming can be enjoyable and rewarding, but has its messy aspects and down sides as well. Everyone knows that all meat eaten for food results from animal slaughter, but most of us ignore the day to day aspects of this.

A scene from the film Leap Year ...
   The set - Amy Adams' friend, a chef, walks up to a chicken in a farm yard, captures it, and breaks its neck.
   Amy: (shocked) What are you doing? Why did you do that?
   Friend: I'm making a chicken stew for dinner. (pause) Where did you think chicken came from?
   Amy: I always thought that chicken came from the freezer section.

And from the world of agriculture, here is a bit of farm science from a 2000 Grant & Albright study.

Typical daily time budget for a cow or bull.
Activity	Time devoted to activity per day
Eating	3 to 5 h (9 to 14 meals/d)
Lying/resting	12 to 14 h
Social interactions	2 to 3 h
Ruminating	7 to 10 h
Drinking	30 min
Outside pen (milking, travel time)	2.5 to 3.5 h

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- With mild November and early December weather, we were able to spend many days felling trees, cutting-up trees taken down last year, and splitting firewood. We are probably ahead of the game for this year and have already began stacking wood for use next winter. Cutting, splitting and stacking firewood is a great way to spend a sunny fall day. Excellent exercise. We have yet to put exact science on it, but we think that we burn about a dozen cords of wood heating the place each winter, using our basement wood boiler and the kitchen stove.

Fowl Weather -- For some reason, our roosters have decided that the Christmas season is breeding system. They spend all day chasing hens and mating. The larger, younger Jersey Giant hens seem better equipped to evade the roosters than their smaller, older Rhode Island Red/Cornish Rock Hen counterparts. But all in all, it is creating havoc in the barn and barnyard. Well, after a couple weeks of this, we decided to butcher the roosters, and on December 14, we sent all nine of them to Annie Kanagy who was happy to oblige. I see a few chicken dinners in our future. And in the Kanagy family's future.

Visitors -- All quiet on the western front.

Blog -- The Riley Factor's official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/. It contains all issues to date. (If you actually spend the time and search through our Internet site, you may need more help with your life than we are able offer.... But we digress.)

Quotes of the Month --

     Obama is our first green president. He is obsessed with green jobs, putting greens and the green in our wallets. -- Greg Gutfeld

     It is impossible to play the quarterback position any better than Aaron Rodgers is playing it right now. -- Tom Brady, 12/3/11

     Quite possibly, Aaron Rodgers is playing the quarterback position better than anyone we have seen in history. -- Kurt Warner, 12/7/11

Fact of the Month --
   The sun converts 4.8 trillion tons of matter into radiant energy ... every second.

     Around the world, more people drink goat milk than cow milk.

     For the first time in history, over one billion people in the world are hungry.

Bumper Sticker of the Month --

Commentaries of the Month --

President Obama has set forth his game plan - grow the government and tax the rich. We will hear this over and over for the next year. Whenever he uses his code works, he is promoting his Socialist agenda. These are his phrases such as: rich should pay their fair share, give so-and-so a fair opportunity, everyone should have the same chance, fairness to everyone, fair play, fair shot, fair competition, middle class is in jeopardy. All of these nice sounding phrases mean the same thing - Socialism. Promoting not equal opportunity for everyone, but equal outcomes for everyone. If successful, Socialism will lead to America's bankruptcy. And the Democrats know that tax cuts stimulate the economy - how long have we been hearing them promote extension of the payroll tax cuts? Yet on the other hand they want to tax the rich. They know taxing something reduces consumption (think cigarettes, alcohol), yet they claim they need more taxes to fund the economic recovery. We are in a box and the only escape is voting out of office Obama, Reid, Pelosi and company. Obama's de facto motto >>> If you take from four and give to five, do you know what that gets you? Re-elected.

The Green Thing

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?
Remember: Don't make old people mad. We don't like being old in the first place, so it doesn't take much to piss us off.

NFL --

     September   8 ... Green Bay Packers 42, New Orleans Saints 34 / Patriots 38, Dolphins 24
           18 ... Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 23 / Patriots 35, Chargers 21
       25 ... Green Bay Packers 27, Da Bears 17 / Bills 34, Patriots 31
   October        2 ... Green Bay Packers 49, Denver Broncos 23 / Patriots 31, Raiders 19
                           9 ... Green Bay Packers 25, Atlanta Falcons 14 / Patriots 30, Jets 21
                         16 ... Green Bay Packers 24, St. Louis Rams 3 / Patriots 20, Cowboys 16
(And then there was one)
                         23 ... Green Bay Packers 33, Minnesota Vikings 27 / Patriots (bye week)
                         30 ... Green Bay Packers (bye week) / Steelers 25, Patriots 17
     November    6 ... Green Bay Packers 45, San Diego Chargers 38 / Giants 24, Patriots 20
                         13 ... Green Bay Packers 45, Vikings 7 / Patriots 37, Jets 16
                         20 ... Green Bay Packers 35, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26 / Patriots 34, Chiefs 3
                         24 ... Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 15 / Patriots 38, Eagles 20
       December 4 ... Green Bay Packers 38, New York Giants 35 / Patriots 31, Colts 24

           (Packers clinch NFL North Division Championship)
                         11 ... Green Bay Packers 46, Oakland Raiders 16 / Patriots 34, Redskins 27
                                          (It has been a year since the Packers last lost a game)
                         18 ... Kansas City Chiefs 19, Green Bay Packers 14 / Patriots 41, Broncos 23
(oops)

And then there's this --

Packers Around Town

I have been wearing one or the other of my Green Bay Packers shirts around town while running errands. Recently, one morning while at the Fort Plain Curtis Lumber, the following conversation evolved.

The stage: Me, in my best green & yellow Packers sweatshirt, holding door open for another arriving customer.
      Him: Oh.
      Me: (silently looking up at him)
      Him: I'm a Bears fan.
Me: Oh. Sorry to hear that. It's not too late to switch.
      Him: That Bears game Sunday was awful.
Me: I know. Caleb Haney is not the answer.

Friday, December 16, 2011

The Riley Factor #113

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
December 2 2011, Issue No. 113
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit-to-print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley and the Littles -- Riley and Gabby have begun fighting to the death at the beginning of each of their twice daily runs. They are playing, sort of, but it does become serious fairly often. Although both dogs are extremely friendly, they do have those giant canine teeth, and love to hook onto each others; collars and fling the opponent for the take-down. All complete with plenty of growling and totally ignoring any pleas from the humans.

Over Thanksgiving, we added a fourth (I know, don't say it) cat to the fold. Izzy, the daughter of our Maine Coon Cats Stryder and Arwen, made the journey from Hopkinton, where she was being lost in the fold, west to Middle-of-Nowhere. She is about three years old, extremely calm, and craves petting. Looks just like her mother size and physique-wise and is colored just like her father. Her first encounter with AJ, our semi-civilized barn cat turned house cat, did not go well. She is still adjusting to life in our zoo, and has not yet had the requisite face-to-face with Riley or Gabby.

Plowing and Planting -- No plowing. No planting. No growing. Just fall expiring and winter approaching.

And They're Off -- Rio and Lady have been especially friendly lately, frequently wandering over to the fence rail near the pond for some TLC. They still make their daily arguments for apples, which are dwindling down to the final few. The winter switchover to carrots is looming. They still both roll in the mud whenever it is available. Does not make for a pretty picture at day's end.

The Herd of Four -- Alack and alas, the Herd of four will soon be reduced to the Herd of Two. December 14 is D-Day.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- Great weather this fall for wandering around out back in the trails and woods. Must keep the orange on until deer season completes its run on December 11. And there is nothing better than spending a sunny afternoon splitting some firewood.

Fowl Weather -- Our lone remaining French Guinea Hen has bonded with the four largest White Broad-breasted American Turkeys and formed a posse that roams daily in search of whatever it is that bird posses search for. The Flock of Five is very friendly and is overjoyed at having survived the Thanksgiving Season. They approach whoever is out in the yard or driveway to get in on any barnyard action (of which there is frequently none).

Visitors -- Thanksgiving week filled the house with Stevie and Scott. CJ elected to stay home in Hopkinton, as he had to work Friday and had weekend plans to furniture shop, in anticipation of his move into his new apartment in Weymouth on December 10. The day after Thanksgiving, we dragged Stevie and Scott to the Annual Amish Christmas Auction in Fort Plain - always a thriller. Stevie got to hold some live rabbits and pet some piglets and miniature horses.

Blog -- The Riley Factor's official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/. It contains all issues to date. (If you actually spend the time and search through our Internet site, you may need more help with your life than we are able offer.... But we digress.)

Quotes of the Month --

     Economically speaking, America is the prettiest horse in the glue factory. -- Stuart Varney
     It’s better to burn out than to fade away. -- Neil Young

     The future is now. -- George Allen

   Hope dictates effort. -- Michael Irvin
     Action is eloquent. -- William Shakespeare
     Two traits make a great President, intelligence and character. -- Henry Kissinger

     Face today with more enthusiasm than anyone else on earth. -- Jack Harbaugh
     As a former Democrat, I tell you this - the Democrat Party wants there to be one class of poor people at the bottom, each identifying with one another, and voting Democrat as a block. The Democrats want that block of poor people to be as large as possible, relying on the government to provide everything. That is their objective. -- Dick Morris

Fact of the Month --

Today, there is more computing power in a cell phone than there was in Apollo 11.
Oil has recently been trading at around $100 per barrel. All-in, it costs less than $5 per barrel to find oil, drill the oil wells and extract oil from the ground. The rest? Profit to OPEC and the other oil producing nations.

Bumper Sticker of the Month --

Occupy a Job

Commentaries of the Month --

Very slow growth 2012, then long bear to 2020

The house always wins at Wall Street’s casino, gets rich. While America loses. Jack Bogle called Wall Street a croupier skimming a third of Main Street profits off the top. In both bull and bear markets. Not once but twice during the decade, the Wall Street casino lost over 45% of your money, trillions of your retirement assets: through the dot-com crash, a 30-month recession, the credit meltdown of 2008, a recent recession, and now today a national economic disaster caused by self-destructive partisan political wars.
So don’t kid yourself folks, recent economic and market “ugliness and violence” not only won’t end soon, it’ll get meaner and meaner for years after 2012 elections … no matter who wins. Only a fool would believe that a new bull market will take off in 2013. Ain’t going to happen. That’s a Wall Street fantasy. Fall for that, and you’re delusional.
In fact, you better plan on a very long secular bear the next decade through 2020. With the European banks, credit and currency on the edge of a global financial meltdown, there’s a high probability that a black swan virus, a contagion will sweep the world, making all investing “uglier” and more “violent” for Americans in 2013, indeed for the rest of the decade.-- Paul Farrell, MarketWatch

Commodities

I'm long commodities and currencies, because if the world gets better, the shortages in commodities will make sure I make money; if the world economy doesn't get better, I'd rather own commodities because they're going to print money. -- Jim Rogers

Investing

The minute anyone selling an investment can’t or won’t answer your questions or can’t give an explanation in plain English, it’s time the savvy investor should dig deeper and the average guy should walk away. Remember, too, that if someone won’t answer all of your questions and ease your mind before they get your money, things aren’t likely to improve once they have your cash. -- Chuck Jaffee, MarketWatch

Government in Industry

     Whenever the government gets involved in the market, the price goes up for consumers. In the end, that’s what causes the industry to collapse. Let industry succeed or fail by their own merits, based on what consumers choose. -- Lance Dutton, Maine Heritage Policy Foundation

NFL --

     September   8 ... Green Bay Packers 42, New Orleans Saints 34 / Patriots 38, Dolphins 24
           18 ... Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 23 / Patriots 35, Chargers 21
       25 ... Green Bay Packers 27, Da Bears 17 / Bills 34, Patriots 31
   October        2 ... Green Bay Packers 49, Denver Broncos 23 / Patriots 31, Raiders 19
                           9 ... Green Bay Packers 25, Atlanta Falcons 14 / Patriots 30, Jets 21
                         16 ... Green Bay Packers 24, St. Louis Rams 3 / Patriots 20, Cowboys 16
(And then there was one)
                         23 ... Green Bay Packers 33, Minnesota Vikings 27 / Patriots (bye week)
                         30 ... Green Bay Packers (bye week) / Steelers 25, Patriots 17
     November    6 ... Green Bay Packers 45, San Diego Chargers 38 / Giants 24, Patriots 20
                         13 ... Green Bay Packers 45, Vikings 7 / Patriots 37, Jets 16
                         20 ... Green Bay Packers 35, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26 / Patriots 34, Chiefs 3

(Factoid: it has now been over a year since the Packers lost a game.)
24 ... Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 15 / Patriots 38, Eagles 20

And then there's this --

Five Ways We Ruined the Occupy Wall Street Generation

        5. Making You Ashamed to Take Manual Labor Jobs
        4. Implying That College Would Guarantee You a Good Job
        3. Adding Seven More Years to Being a Teenager       2. Creating the Idea that Entertainment Has No Monetary Value (it's OK to steal music, movies, games)

1. Taking Away Every Reason To Go Outside

The Riley Factor #112

The Riley Factor
Fort Plain, NY
November 15 2011, Issue No. 112
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit-to-print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Riley -- Riley and Gabby run until they drop every morning. Then a day full of naps readies them for their late afternoon run. Cool weather has made the daily swims now a rare occurrence. Even the goldfish now surface for feeding only on the warmest of sunny afternoons.

Planting and Plowing -- No real farming going on this late in the year. We picked the final apples on November 1st - bumper crop this year - best ever. Carrots and parsnips were pulled from the ground in the first week of November. And the crops are gone for 2011.

And They're Off -- A horse is a horse, of course, of course. And no one can talk to a horse, of course. That is, of course, unless the horse is the not so famous Rio or Lady. The two equines always come running when we are at the fence and love to put one of their giant eyes about six inches from your face and stare into your mind. Unless I am totally misreading them and all they want is more apples and grain.

The Herd of Four -- Always somewhat a sad time of year, it is approaching butchering season for one or two of the steer. Eli, the Holstein, is 27 months old and about 2,000 pounds. That would convert to 900 pounds hanging weight and about 600 pounds trimmed and packaged. The two Dexters, Michael and Raphael, are 31 and 32 months old, respectively, and weigh about 1,000 pounds each. This would translate into about 1,100 pounds hanging weight and 700 pounds trimmed and packaged. Butchering is scheduled for mid-December. More to follow.

Mowings, Musings and the Woods -- Plenty of firewood remains to be cut and split. We still have about a half dozen large trees on the ground out back near the upper pond. And the equipment shed has about a hundred 18-inch lengths just waiting to be split. Good work for warmer fall days. As deer hunting season approaches (November 19 - December 11, here in New York's Southern Zone), we are seeing more deer wandering around the fields and trails. One day while mowing the second field, I saw a good-sized doe with a similarly-sized buck, about six points on the rack. They stood still as I approached them on the tractor from about 200 yards and did not move at all until I got about 25 yards from them and had to turn. Then, the pair slowly wandered through the hedge row into the third field. Beautiful animals. Hunters say that deer possess an internal clock that knows when hunting season starts, at which time the deer vanish for about three weeks, before slowly returning in mid-December. Who knows. But as deer season approaches, they are still roaming and plentiful.

Fowl Weather -- It must have been a plot. Our American White Broad Breasted Turkeys grew much more slowly this year than our turkeys in either of the last two years. So slow was their growth that they were not ready for Thanksgiving. For which they (presumably) gave their own thanks.

And in a related story, I recently read a piece on having fun with your chickens. (Yes, I know that says a lot about my life, but I digress). The article suggested naming your chickens. My two favorite names from the article are -- Egghead and Gregory Peck. And the article also suggested naming your chicken coops. The author named her first chicken coop, which was a small coop on wheels, 'Hennebago'. Her final coop, a large stationary model, she named 'Coop d-Etat'. What barnyard hilarity.

Visitors -- Barbara stayed with us for nearly a week in the wake of the late October snow storm that created such widespread power outages in Western Mass. At its worst, 87% of the City of Agawam was without power, with Southwick and West Springfield not far behind. It took Western Mass Electric over a week to get most people back up on the grid. In Suffield, CT, Susan's sister, Beverly, fared much worse, and was without power for well over a week. And Barbara and Barbara Jean returned to visit for a few days in mid-November.

Rest in Peace --    Norman Brennan, July 1952 - November 15, 2011

Blog -- The Riley Factor's official blog site is located at http://the-riley-factor.blogspot.com/. It contains all issues to date. (If you actually spend the time and search through our Internet site, you may need more help with your life than we are able offer.... But we digress.)

Quotes of the Month --

     Effort requires no talent. -- Rod Marinelli, Defensive Coordinator, Chicago Bears

     History is history. Tomorrow's history is being written today. -- Mike Tomlin, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

     Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. -- John Wooden, late legendary basketball coach, UCLA

      In 1950, spending for social programs was only one percent of the total Federal Budget. As the economy grew, social programs expanded to include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Unemployment Compensation, Supplemental Security for the Disabled and educational programs. In 1983, as the United States pulled out of an ugly recession and brought inflation under control, social programs consumed 26% of the budget. In fiscal year 2012, they’ll eat up an estimated 57% of the budget. -- Janet Tavakoli

     It's very simple. If you spend more than you earn, you lose your butt. -- Senator Alan Simpson

Facts of the Month --
   Population -- As of October 31, 2011, there are 7 billion people on planet Earth (it took 12 years to increase from 6 billion to 7 billion Earthlings). Here's the build-up:
          2011     7 billion (12 years)
          1999     6 billion (12 years)
          1987     5 billion (13 years)
          1974     4 billion (15 years)
          1959     3 billion (17 years)
          1942     2 billion (25 years)
          1917     1 billion (a few million years to create the first billion people on Earth)

          But world population growth is slowing. The World Population Model predicts that the 8 billion population level will be achieved 17 years down the road, in 2029, and that planet's population will begin to decrease before the end of the 21st century. The planet's peak population is expected to occur in 2059, at just short of 8.8 billion.

     Unemployment -- We have all heard for a couple of years now that the unemployment rate is over 9%. As of October 28, 2011, the rate according to the government was 9.1%. But here's the breakdown -- the unemployment rate is 13.1% for those individuals without a high school diploma, while it is 4.4% for college graduates. It is generally believed that the true unemployment rate is not 9.1%, but is in reality over 15%, when you consider unemployed individuals who are no longer able to collect unemployment compensation and when you consider those individuals who were previously full-time employed and are now working part time. -- Patricia Powell, CEO Powell Financial Group, November 5, 2011

Bumper Sticker of the Month --
ELECTILE DISFUNCTION: the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either party for the 2012 election year.

Commentaries of the Month --

The Latest New Useless Federal Bureaucracy -- WASHINGTON (MarketWatch, November 2, 2011) — The infant Consumer Financial Protection Bureau needs more oversight, Republican lawmakers said Wednesday at a hearing as a top bureau official defended the agency’s work. “My fear is that there are simply no checks and balances. It could easily become a loose cannon,” said Rep. Spencer Bachus, a Republican of Alabama, at the hearing of the House Financial Services financial institutions and consumer credit subcommittee. Treasury Department consultant Raj Date detailed the CFPB’s accomplishments over its first 100 days, such as examining large banks, and working to clarify mortgage documents and student loans. The bureau has already hired about 700 employees, including chiefs to lead offices supporting older Americans and military service members. -- Another useless federal agency. Another 700 government bureaucrats on the federal payroll. Another complete waste of tax dollars. We do not need any more regulation of financial transactions or markets. We have too many existing rules, regulations and federal employees.

WOMAN

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she ...told him.
"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say. The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said, "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort. I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children. I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining. I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly. I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart. I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

NFL --

     September   8 ... Green Bay Packers 42, New Orleans Saints 34 / Patriots 38, Dolphins 24
           18 ... Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 23 / Patriots 35, Chargers 21
       25 ... Green Bay Packers 27, Da Bears 17 / Bills 34, Patriots 31
   October        2 ... Green Bay Packers 49, Denver Broncos 23 / Patriots 31, Raiders 19
                           9 ... Green Bay Packers 25, Atlanta Falcons 14 / Patriots 30, Jets 21
                         16 ... Green Bay Packers 24, St. Louis Rams 3 / Patriots 20, Cowboys 16
(And then there was one)
                         23 ... Green Bay Packers 33, Minnesota Vikings 27 / Patriots (bye week)
                         30 ... Green Bay Packers (bye week) / Steelers 25, Patriots 17
     November    6 ... Green Bay Packers 45, San Diego Chargers 38 / Giants 24, Patriots 20
                         13 ... Green Bay Packers 45, Vikings 7 / Patriots 37, Jets 16

And then there's this --

After two years of the Obama Administration ...

Here's your "change"!

January 2009

TODAY

% chg

^Source

Avg.. Retail price/gallon gas in U.S.

$1.83

$3.95

115.8%

Crude oil, European Brent (barrel)

$43..48

$99.02

127.7%

Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel)

$38..74

$91.38

135.9%

Gold: London (per troy oz.)

$853.25

$1,504.50

90.5%

Corn, No..2 yellow, Central IL

$3.56

$6.33

78.1%

Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL

$9.66

$13.75

42.3%

Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb.. Fob

$13..37

$35.39

164.7%

Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall

7.6%

9.4%

23.7%

Unemployment rate, blacks

12.6%

15.8%

25.4%

Number of unemployed

11,616,000

14,485,000

24.7%

Number of fed. Employees

2,779,000

2,840,000

2.2%

Real median household income

$50,112

$49,777

-0.7%

⁴

Number of food stamp recipients

31,983,716

43,200,878

35.1%

⁵

Number of unemployment benefit recipients

7,526,598

9,193,838

22.2%

⁶

Number of long-term unemployed

2,600,000

6,400,000

146.2%

Poverty rate, individuals

13.2%

14.3%

8.3%

⁴

People in poverty in U.S.

39,800,000

43,600,000

9.5%

⁴

U.S.. Rank in Economic Freedom World Rankings

n/a

¹⁰

Present Situation Index

29.9

23.5

-21.4%

¹¹

Failed banks

140

164

17.1%

¹²

U.S.. Dollar versus Japanese yen exchange rate

89.76

82.03

-8.6%

U.S.. Money supply, M1, in billions

1,575.1

1,865.7

18.4%

¹³

U.S.. Money supply, M2, in billions

8,310.9

8,852.3

6.5%

¹³

National debt, in trillions

$10..627

$14..052

32.2%

¹⁴

Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history.

Over 27 times as fast. Metaphorically speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane. ……..27 times faster, it would be doing 7,555 MPH!

Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. Of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC;
(13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury