The really

big catch phrase these days seems to be "create jobs". The government can, and does do that a good share of the time it seems. Businesses need a reason however, like sales of their product. I've seen somewhere how the big bailout could have given every household in the country ten thousand dollars. Maybe that 10 grand should have been sent, in the form of a gift certificate, to those households. No loan pay down, or saving the money. Good only for new cars, TVs, appliances, things that would put people back to work. It may have started things moving again, rather than going to pork projects, politicians pet programs, bonuses to bankers etc.

We are having great run of weather at the moment. Only a little snow left in ditches, and the north side of buildings. Sixty seven degrees here in Dayton today. It's Iowa though, so things are bound to change. This is happening during the girl's state basketball tournament.

All the Zodiac symbols are animals, except one--Libra

Most accidents are caused by people, and most people are caused by accidents.

A segment

on 60 Minutes last night had to do with the drug cartels in Mexico, and what a problem they are becoming. Murders, kidnapping, wars with police, bribery, all because there is so much money involved. The same Mexican cartels are also gaining a foothold in this country. Our government spends billions trying to stop illegal drugs from getting to the streets, and more than likely, other countries are spending a lot as well. So far it seems that it isn't working. Maybe the world should legalize these drugs. No big money involved so crime would more than likely come down, the Taliban would lose their main resource for weapons, and billions wasted trying to stop what seems to be the unstoppable could be saved. Prohibition only begets more and more crime, and has not worked. A few more people may start using, a few more may OD, but that may well be a small price to pay in the long run. The government would surely find a way to add a tax in this somewhere, which could help the economy. Perhaps this could also qualify as a change to believe in. Don't hold your breath.

Before 1863,mail service in the U.S. was free.

The first chain store was the A&P. It was founded in 1842.

A segment

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.

Nearly a year

of 2009 gone already. The big topic these days is the economy. Obama's stimulus package seems big on rebuilding roads, bridges, all sorts of infrastructure and the jobs this will create. I have been wondering where the Wall Street bankers that have been laid off, will fit into this program. Somehow I can't visualize those people painting bridges, working on the roads or rebuilding water mains. Time will tell, if the Congress even OKs the money. The stock market is up today so some people must have hope.
The winter has been brutal here in the midwest. Lots of snow and cold and quite a lot of winter season left to go. Why does anyone live in this place?
I can't ever remember hearing so much advice about how to economize and save money. All of this should have been done years ago. Instead we were sold the idea of bigger and better everything, and told to use credit cards and to borrow the money on home equity loans or what ever to do it. I guess it was fun while it lasted, but some day the piper must be paid.

If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.
If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.