and lurkers. Today will be very interesting. I am teaching Growth and Development to the 5th grade boys. I am lucky that the Art teacher-a guy-is with me. We give the boys a good perspective. They are so cute...some blush, some bluster. The girls (next week) are so mature. They soak up the facts and ask good questions. I've done it so many times, but every time is different.

And speaking of kids, I think my daughter was still sleeping on cloud 9 last night. She was chosen, by her orchestra peers, to conduct the High School for the Professional and Visual Arts' orchestra during the graduation ceremonies. She will be conducting Sibelius. It is such an incredible honour for her (especially since she is wanting to do that). Our household has been turned upside down again. Hubby is so proud of her. He has been teaching her sitar and was just commenting after her lesson the day before yesterday that she was ready to have a part in their performance this weekend (she has had a month of practice). Because of the nature of the sitar, she cannot have a big part because she does not have strong callus' on her fingers yet and they tend to bleed (strings on a sitar are like the thread on a cheese slicer-ouch).

Well, I'm off to make sure all is set up for my class.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bear.

and lurkers. He's been sputtering that spittle about 'pale recession' since a meeting (I think it was in Switzerland) last week. I hate to break the news to him but we are already sliding into a 'light depression'

And speaking of 'light depressions'-I think I will be having a depression soon, per the old joke. I mentioned earlier that my beloved principal was retiring. Instead of our decision making committee having a say-this will be a top down decision. Principals can and frequently do eventually bring their staff with them-so I am not the only one concerned. I am the building union steward too-which can give me the added nuisance of having an adversarial relationship with the new principal. Our parents are quite versed in the law and are well to do. The parents from the area they are bringing this new principal from-the parent are poor, ill informed and tend not to fuss too much. This coming year will be very interesting.

I will be prepare for what ever comes. I have very good connections and will probably return to MD Anderson long enough to retire at a higher pension. I sure will miss being a school Nurse though. And who knows-the principal might turn out to be a great person. My experiences with this sort of thing are 50-50. I at least have some time to prepare. It's funny, even though our town is doing relatively well, folks are cutting anyway, preparing for the worst I guess.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

is why I am so upset that impeachment was taken OFF the table. By doing so, we foster the notion that these folks are above the law. If Nixon had been impeached....we wouldn't be putting up with this shit today. And by not impeaching Bush-the next time around will be even worse!!!!!!! I am going to journal this so I can tell folks "I told you so" when this happens again. Even if the DEMs get a wider margin this time around-I hope that we will show some of our 'leaders' the way to the exits.

SHANGHAI, China — A blood thinner manufactured in China and linked to dozens of deaths in the United States is now safe because of tighter testing and controls, a top American health official said Monday, while warning that all U.S. imports would face closer scrutiny in the future.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has linked 81 deaths and hundreds of allergic reactions to a contaminant found in China-made shipments of the drug heparin.

"We have put in place processes that we believe can ensure the safety of the heparin supply within the United States," U.S. Health and Human Services secretary Mike Leavitt told The Associated Press in an interview in Shanghai.

He said all exporters of food, drugs and other products must prepare to meet more stringent guidelines of quality and safety, following a raft of product safety problems stemming from lax standards among overseas producers, especially in China.
<snip>

China's drug safety agency has accused the U.S. of blocking its own inquiry into the problem by refusing to provide details on victims and specifics about production. Beijing contends that it is too early to conclude that a contaminant found in raw heparin exported to the United States caused the adverse reactions.

<snip>

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/bus...

Can you believe those folks moxie "Beijing contends that it is too early to conclude that a contaminant found in raw heparin exported to the United States caused the adverse reactions."

They must think that we will buy any lie the toletarian...er.....uh government...spits....out....as .....tru.....nevermind. Those reactions were caused by extra protein and we know protein is good for us, and these folks didn't even get charged for the extra protein they got. What are they bitching about

Guess the date the DJIA rolls back to the level it was when the chimp took office-10,578.24. You can revise your dates up until Labour Day (the working man's holiday)or the DJIA hits 11000 (got to have a cut off). Anyone can join, just give a date and your reasoning for that date.

Happyslug.....5/9
Yael.....5/13
distant earlywarning.....5/13
AzDemDist6.....5/15
SpecimenFred.....6/15
Demeter.....6/17
bahrbearian.....7/1
InkAddict.....7/3
Karenia.....7/8
UIA.....7/15
Roland99.....7/28
Abelenkpe.....8/2
Kineneb.....8/8
Nadinebrezezinski.....9/1
Prag.....9/5
MoJo Rabbit.....9/5
MuleBoy(aka hiz honna da mayor).....9/11
Nickster.....9/12
Birthmark....10/10
AnneD....10/24
Neshanic.....10/24
MsLeopard.....10/31
Wordpix.....11/3
Ship wrack.....11/5



Remember-you can change the dates as we learn more. If your date isn't on the list, e-mail me and I'll add it the next time I post. I erased expired dates so you can guess again. I post about one a week-more often the closer we get to the number. The winner get the praise and admiration of those on the Stockwatch Thread. There is still time to place your bets.....And please-no Reggie bars in the pool please.

and lurkers. I hate to mess with you guys fantasy, but the cost to feed your horse is not as cheap as you think.....And let me tell you about vets-you think your co pay and deductible now? My brother could have sent another kid through an Ivy League school for what he pays for Cash's (his beloved horse)vet bill. You are better off getting a bike.

Well, I went to some friend's CD release party at our fav local Irish Pub McGonigel's Mucky Duck. The group (Clandestine) disbanded after their last album about 8-9 years ago. The lead singer is my best friend's daughter that I have known since she was in middle school. It was like a family reunion. My friends had a little more gray hair, the infants were now in elementary school and the 8 year olds like mine are now graduating high school. I was talking with a more philosophical friend of mine, that this was like some cosmic karmic class reunion or family picnic. He laughed but I continued with my train of thought. Most of these folks are the same ones that I see at the Renaissance Festival and at Science Fiction Conventions. I told him that I am convienced the Mucky Duck was an eddy in the river of time and certain ones of us gravitate to these eddies to catch up and exchange ideas and energy. In a city as large, diverse, and mobile as Houston, that is a feat in and of its self. We drank another pint. One other thing that we noticed was that all of us were possible old souls and have always been mature beyond our age. We did what we need to do for an income but had life long passions that truly defined us.It was a good time spent with very old friends-catching up on things before time flings us out into water again. Or perhaps it was just the Guinness talking.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

This is precisely why I was more alarmed by the consumer credit yesterday than cheerful. At this point in time, any rise in credit spending-all things considered-means that gap between what folks earn and their bill totals are growing from a gap to a gulf. I don't think it is new cars or any other crap the talking heads were spouting yesterday.

But on another note...this will get you marketeers off to a cheerful start. An animal charity was offering a tea with Greenspan that finally sold for $11,000. Last year a similar time with Greenspan went for $45,000. I don't know if THAT bubble has popped but as my gardening Grandma would say-the bloom is off that rose.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

and lurkers. Good in-site there Talking Dog. I think most of our male posters here are 'in touch' with their feminine side because I see a lot of global thinking in many of the posts on this thread.

I found your examples amusing and sad. I saw that dichotomy of responsibility in both my Mom and Dad's family. I consider both as matriarchal. And frankly, both Grandpas would be the first to admit that they made their biggest mistake not taking their wives council. My maternal Grandparents would discuss matters on long private walks-my paternal Grandparents would discuss thing at the end of the day as they were getting ready for bed. I was so use to having a say that this whole macho thing took me a while to get a handle. Cost me 2 good relationships. My hubby now is Indian and thinks in a totally different way-very global(tribal)and that was a very big breath of fresh air for me. It is a continual give and take, but the bottom line is the care of the household and what is best for the family.

I also find the patriarchy of most churches stifling and it was a while before I found one that I felt welcomed. Most church leaders are quick to say "Wives, submit to your husbands"... (Ephesians 5:21-22)but slow to mention the other "Husbands, love your wives like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her... (Ephesians 5:25). Those words were meant to raise the status of women, not to be twisted to further suppress them. Honestly, it is a good thing to introduce women in the ranks of the church. The last vestiges of male hold overs are politics and big business and goodness know we need more balanced thinking in those areas

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

Some where, some how, someone stole my joy this weekend. It could have been on Friday when I found out my principal (that I love and work well with)is retiring. Any of you that have ever worked in education realize-you are only as effective as you principal-and as a Nurse-I particularly rely on a principal for backup and support.

It might have happened on Saturday when I had to talk to my daughter about financial aid for the college. She won a Texas Scholar Award. This means that because of her grades and class ranking, she would get a scholarship worth several thousand dollars a year at a Texas school. That scholarship plus the money we have saved up would cover the total cost of her education in Texas. But she has her heart set on Cal Arts.

Maybe I lost my joy when her dad said he would co-sigh a loan for her but she and I turned varying shades of white when he started pressuring her to sign this loan for 90K. I told her that such a thing was fool hardy. I totally loathe her dad for the lazy, sponging leech he is. He had ruined his live and he now seems hell bent to ruin hers. His dad worked TWO jobs and so did his mom so this lazy scum could go to college. His mom worked as a housekeeper so this jerk could end up with his precious degree, living at her house, sponging off of her (his degree is in petroleum land management, he also has a Real Estate Brokers license, and a few other credentials). Frankly, the umbilical cord should have been cut 25 years ago-but that is his Mom's problem. I had to spend the weekend helping my daughter understand the finances. I am still about ready to kill him over the fact that she has NO senior picture or invitation to graduation. My friends and relatives are asking questions as they want to help/visit for graduation. I will try to help as best I can, but there will come a point where I will have to wash my hands of this mess. I am fast loosing patience, humour and joy.

Or maybe my joy was take when I saw a beautiful filly run her heart out. I don't wager-but I go to horse races just to watch them run. It is truly a moment of divine beauty and grace. The tragic ending just broke my heart. If anything will bring about padded tracks-0this surely will-there just is no reason not to protect these athletes. The fact that they cannot communicate with us makes it all the more imperative that we do all in our power to protect them.

And just when I thought I might get a little bit of joy back this morning....this saggy assed, geriatric no account, screw up of an eCONomist that kept repeating that there was there was some froth in the housing market, there was no recession, I didn't understand the exotic financing, I think we have a 50-50 chance of going into a recession is now telling me we have an awfully pale recession?????? Jesus Christ on a pogo stick what is next----A LIGHT DEPRESSION.
As some of the Texas Ol Timers would say-it's too late now he's done ripped his drawers.

I hope you all have a good week. I'm going to be working hard this week to get my joy back.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

and lurkers. I am not much of a mall shopper to begin with, Warpy, but I will vouch for you. Lately the malls only have business on Friday (the young crowd and teens), Saturday (an actual cross section of serious shoppers), and Sunday (some shoppers some window shoppers). Forget restaurants-same story. I have noticed the good moderately priced local neighbourhood places are doing a bit better. The poor are going to the fast food places where their family or friends work and getting the employee discounts. Monday through Thursdays are ghost towns in most of these places-even in Houston-and we are better off than most.

Angry, hungry, unemployed people overthrow governments. And that's all I'll say about that.

I did talk to Mom last night and of course we got to politics. I told her I knew she was a proud Arizonian and I knew she would vote for McSame. And of course she started defending him. She knows that I preferred McCain over Bush in 2000 (I still voted Gore) so she's not too upset. I told her it didn't matter to me who won because this year I would make history either way I voted. She paused for a minute then cracked up. I went on to say that I was a yeller dog democrat this year. She figured as much. But one thing we did agree on-she came down really hard on Greenspan and Bernanke. She isn't one to follow the economy much but she had choice words to say about Greenspan (pompous geriatric ass comes to mind-she's in her 70's BTW) and Bernanke (diddling twit). Ya gotta love her.

So guys-put your BS ear protectors on...

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

and lurkers. Happy Mayday-the International Workers holiday. And speaking of May Day, I don't think the consumer can take any more of these 'helpful' FED rate cuts. Finally, they are signaling something good for a change. That's probably why the markets reacted the way they did. The FED's have been acting like Doc administering chemo to a cancer patient. The chemo killed the patient in the end but by God the patient died cancer free. That may sound crazy but if I had a nickle for every patient that died cancer free-I wouldn't have to wear scrubs ever again.

The 'Recession' and yes it is a recession is widening and deepening. Businesses that aren't housing or finance related are taking hits now and the only folks doing well are the debt collectors. I heard that the auto leases will reset in June and July so that should be another event. A Nursing instructor once told me that a human can only stand so many shocks to the system and that once you start getting a cascade downward-it's impossible to reverse the course. The death certificate may read cause of death-respiratory infection (cold), but the immune system weakened by chemo, diabetes, and heart disease assisted.

We've had increased unemployment and underemployment for years now (chemo) but we were getting B12 shots (easy credit) so we looked healthy enough. We caught a cold (inflation) and it's about to put us in the ground (depression).

I hope those of you on the SWT had enough leeway to prepare as best you can in your circumstances. I sleep better each night knowing that I have done what I could to prepare. Hubby and I may not have much by some folks standards but we are relatively healthy, have food clothing and shelter, and a tad set aside for a rainy day. We have a great support network of friends and family and are able to help our friends in need. I figure that makes us very rich indeed. I hope this holiday finds you well and counting your REAL wealth,

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

and lurkers. We learned a very important lesson in our household. Hubby is your typical absent minded musician. I love him but I am forever having to remind him of things like to lock the door, don't leave electrical appliances outside (don't even use them outside, etc. I was taking the dogs out early in the morning yesterday when my foot slipped out from under me on the outside steps and I fell to the cement driveway. I landed on my right side and the slide was enough to move the rubber mat 4 inches on the cement surface. Luckily my hair was still wrapped in the bath towel and protected my head when it hit the cement-otherwise I would have had a head injury. My right under arm is one mass bruise and I have scrapes all up the side. My shoulder blade is sore and hurts when I move it, as my ribs, neck, arm, and tail bone. Fortunately I don't think anything is broken and tylenol extra strength is my new best friend.

When I can home yesterday, the porch steps were fixed and secure and Hubby was working on the faucet. He told me that he noticed several days ago the steps had dropped from the normal 45 degree angle to a 30 degree (I hadn't noticed). He thought about repairing it before some one fell but just forgot. He said he use to be a little bit peeved that I would point these things out to him, but since this happened-he would never gripe or procrastinate again. He felt awful that I got hurt and he now understands why I bring this stuff up. I'm in pretty good shape, heal well, and am grateful that this was not as serious as it could have been. He is a diabetic so I really do worry when he gets injured. It was one of those nice eye opening moments of a marriage.

So I guess the moral of the story is to take care of the small stuff so you can avoid paying for the larger things. Toothpaste is cheap compared to the cost of dentures.

Happy hunting and seriously, watch out for the bears.

and lurkers. It is offical. I am a nationaly certified CRP,AED, and First Aid trainer. I completed the training in DC this last week. I stayed at the Hyatt near the Capital. They were also having the National Conference of State Legislators. I probably bellied up with some of your Reps in the hotel bar. One that sticks out was a Rep. from Illinois. She was really interesting. We talked about history, politics, and Obama.

And speaking of political conversation...I spewed my coffee this morning when they had this sound bite from McCain on the air....

(He criticized Obama for saying that he was open to raising taxes on capital gains, which McCain said would affect the taxes of 100 million Americans who have investments.)

“That means he has no understanding of the economy and that he is totally insensitive to the hopes and dreams and ambitions of 100 million Americans who would be affected by his almost doubling of the capital gains tax,” McCain said.

“He is out of touch with the economy.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/20...




I seem to remember very recently McCain saying......


“the issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.”

Trying to explain away McCain’s comment, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, McCain’s senior economic adviser, claimed to ABC News that McCain was merely joking. “He has this wonderful self-deprecating sense of humor and out of his months comes things sometimes like ‘yeah, I’m not that good on the economy’ in an effort to make a small joke,” said Holtz-Eakin. Unfortunately, for Holtz-Eakin, McCain has admitted his lack of econ knowledge on multiple occasions throughout the years.

Sorry I can't remember where on ABC I got that, but try this.....

"At a recent meeting with the Wall Street Journal editorial board, Republican presidential candidate John McCain admitted he “doesn’t really understand economics” and then pointed to his adviser and former Senate colleague, Phil Gramm - whom he had brought with him to the meeting - as the expert he turns to on the subject, The Huffington Post has learned.

Oh boy.

About Phil Gramm, courtesy of the late, much mourned Molly Ivins:
When he ran for president in 1996 and finished fifth in Iowa, all the profiles written of him included the line “Even his friends don’t like him.” Self-righteous and strident, Gramm demonized his opponents and used bitter, polarizing rhetoric. During a Senate debate over Social Security, a member pointed out that the proposal under consideration would hurt 80-year-old retirees. “Most people don’t have the luxury of living to be 80 years old,” Gramm scoffed, “so it’s hard for me to feel sorry for them.” Well, there is that. "

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/2... /


I think we've had one too many. I'm not worried about the need to cut capital gains tax.....I want the budget balanced and the progressive tax reform. Gains should be taxed just like wages. Corperations and the wealthy have been ducking their responsibility as citizens. I am tired of all this 'compassionate conservatism'.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears

and lurkers. Talking Dog, for what it's worth, I've felt this fall would be a critical juncture and posted it in the SWT pool. My reasoning is part history, part experience, part fact.

My history/experience/fact...in Houston, when the S&L scandal first hit, we had high oil prices due to the Arab embargo residual (local Houston based oil companies had surplus funds)so at first the Real Estate market held up. But as things slowed down (the 87 Crash), oil dropped and folks were laid off en mass. These lay offs combined with those adjusting ARM loans (they were called Balloon Mortgages then) started coming due-causing more S&L's to go belly up (they actually were fairly sound-no shady deals-just victims of others mis dealings). The time span from S&L scandal to RE bust was almost 1+ years, after which the hole just got deeper. In our current market, most folks look back now and say the switched in August last year. If August was the earthquake, these interest rate drop, layoffs, and foreclosure are ripples that are swelling into a Tsunami. I expect the full force will start hitting fall and winter.

I'm not an eCONomist, but I see something similar in the graphs and anecdotal evidence of the Great Depression. You had a bad day and the market went down but 'rallied' around 1931, but eventual finished even lower than the initial crash after 1931. I think we are following that graph closer than most financial folks care to admit. Hey, I could be eating ground glass here and I will admit my mistakes but the world situation has changed and I don't think we will get out of this crash as easily as our politicians think.

And speaking of politicians....I will be in Washington DC this evening and staying until Saturday evening. I will be completing my National CPR, AED, and First Aid Instructor certification. I am just thrilled to go there again. I have my camera at the ready and have a list of new things I want to see.

So for a theme song today I would like to suggest a little Beatles.....

I'm looking through you, where did you go
I thought I knew you, what did I know
You don't look different, but you have changed
I'm looking through you, you're not the same

Your lips are moving, I cannot hear
Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear
You don't sound different, I've learned the game.
I'm looking through you, you're not the same

Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?
Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight

You're thinking of me, the same old way
You were above me, but not today
The only difference is you're down there
I'm looking through you, and you're nowhere

<snip>

I'm looking through you, where did you go
I thought I knew you, what did I know
You don't look different, but you have changed
I'm looking through you, you're not the same

<snip>


Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.

and lurkers. I think this food shortage is the sleeper story in this country. The last time we really had a food shortage and rationing was in the Depression and WWII. Even then it was regional from what I gather. More folks were farmers and lived in rural areas.

Mom was telling me that their farm was fairly self sufficient (fruits, dates, nuts, veggies, chickens, and hogs) but that they learned to make honey into 'maple' syrup, use it in it's crystallized form in baking, etc. They also learned to eat everything. Grandma sewed and made just about any kind garment and cooked everything. Grandpa was a jack of all trades and among other things would resole their shoes with the rubber from old tires he had and when their feet grew to big for their fall shoe-toes and heels were cut out and they were made into sandals. They would trade their ration coupons with folks in town and barter for things.

We can't go back totally to those days, but I think we will have spot shortages in the future more frequently and the government will act quickly to hush up any stories or riots that happen. Nothing gets a government booted quicker than food riots. Wonder how they will handle this with the Guard spread thin. Homeland Security may take the place of troops of the NG. I don't think we are prepared to handle something like this and it will be a shock when it happens. Keep your pantries stocked folks-it's better than money in the bank.

Happy hunting and watch out for the bears.