The new

president isn't having much luck charming the Republicans the way he charmed the young, and the ladies here in Iowa. I hope the stimulus package works, but it's about like tossing a Cheerio on a thread to someone who is about to drown in the lake. The solution to the problem is to do more of what caused the mess in the first place. People have to go out and buy things they can't afford, and borrow the money. One of these days Obama will be pleading with the public to do just that. Detroit has to sell cars, and Whirlpool has to sell appliances, and so on down the line. You can give employers a tax credit, but they won't hire one person they don't need if their business is bad. Again, I hope the nearly 800 billion works. The money will be borrowed, and that means lots of interest to pay, plus the debt has to be repaid some day down the line. Usually the people that will have to do this are called our kids and grandkids. Too much debt can lead to bankruptcy, and it seems to me that's what Bin Laden hoped for with the twin towers attacks.

A little good news, at least for us in Dayton. The predicted snow for yesterday left more than seven inches in Des Moines, but we had none at all.

The number 1 TV show of 1961 was a Western called "Wagon Train."

You can only smell 1/20th as well as a dog.

I watched

a little of the golf tournament from the Phoenix area last weekend. Somehow it doesn't seem quite right to see so much green grass and water in the middle of the desert. Where does all the water come from? Tons of water must evaporate every day when the sun shines nearly every waking hour.
We are in the midst of a January thaw. Snow is disappearing fast, and good riddance. Trouble is, there is lots of time left for more.

There is a city called Rome on every continent in the world.

At this moment, the Earth is traveling through space at 660,000 miles per hour..

I sometimes

wonder why it is when someone is to be interviewed on (60 Minutes) or a show like that, the interviewee is often seen walking purposefully down the sidewalk, or towards the camera in a hallway, before the interview. What is this about?
It's beginning to look like the way to get a high position in the Obama administration is to not pay your income tax. Is this the change he promised?

The leaves of an adult oak tree give off seven tons of water every day.
Letters galore: Chinese script has more than 40,000 characters.