Uh Oh

We're flat broke, our leaders are squabbling in Congress and our President is re-arranging the deck chairs as the Titanic sinks and somebody over at Standard and Poor's has noticed.
http://phelps.donotremove.net/2011/04/sp-cuts-u-s-ratings-outlook-to-negative/

The Big Idea: Perennial Grains

Scientists think they can create perennial grains, thus solving many of the problems we have today with farming annuals. Can I hear a big 'woot' for science? Got to love those geeks out there solving problems with their minds.  :)

Don’t trust the AP for news. by SnarkyBytes

Completely ripped off from SnarkyBytes ,Thanks Alan.

If you haven’t realized it yet, the AP is totally untrustworthy.
Here’s a gem from today.

Oil has topped $108 a barrel, the highest price since 2008. Regular unleaded gasoline now goes for an average $3.69 a gallon, according to AAA’s daily fuel gauge survey, up 86 cents from a year ago.
The higher costs have been driven by unrest in Libya and other oil-producing Middle East countries, along with rising energy demand from a strengthening U.S. economy.

Completely and totally wrong. The price of oil is at a record high because the value of the dollar is at a record low. Oil is priced in dollars. When those dollars are devalued and buy less, Oil becomes more expensive. You can thank the Federal Reserve for it.
“Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon” –Milton Friedman
For you liberal reporters out there, “monetary phenomenon” means it’s caused by the central bank’s manipulation of the money supply*.
But you won’t learn that from the AP.

* Yes, I know other things affect the money supply but in this case it is directly caused by the quantitative easing the Federal Reserve is doing. For you journalists out there, quantitative easing = printing money.

Who do we owe? The national debt is crazy scary

So, China doesnt have to go to war with us, they just keep buying our debt until they own us. Nice.
http://www.defeatthedebt.com/understanding-the-national-debt/who-do-we-owe/

Spring, baseball and hot dogs

For those of you in North America, spring is finally coming in and its time for hot dogs. My favorite way to eat them is slathered in chili sauce, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, onions on a steamed bun.

Sauce Recipe (suspected to be Tony Packo's)
2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 T thyme
2 cloves garlic (finely minced)
1/2 T cumin
Dash cayenne pepper
2 T chili powder
3 c water
1 T black pepper
1 T Hungarian paprika (no substitutes)
1 t salt

Brown ground beef, breaking into very small pieces as it cooks; drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients; simmer 1 hour or until desired consistency.

Serve with chopped sweet onions, relish, shredded cheese and maybe even a pickle. Mustard, no ketchup on a chili dog. Steam your buns people.

Note: Serve over a Nathan's dog, Hebrew national, Bahama mama or any other high quality beef frank, not just any hotdog.

Why aren't we listening to the IMF

The IMF says we have to do something about our defecit/debt soon or the International economy will crash.

Why arent we listening to our armed forces?

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen has described our national debt as the greatest national security threat facing our nation.

Methinks that would get someones attention when the top soldier (ahem, ok, sailor) mentions that the government is its own worst enemy.

We have to act

Speaking of bad governments - Quote of the Week

"If George Washington knew you were Tweeting about the British royal wedding, he'd snatch the iPhone from your hand and kick your ass."  Tam

Our Government is out of touch

Man, this graph sums it all up

I'm too lazy for an April Fool's joke

So I will just link to someone else s.

Enjoy!

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG

Yo dawg, I heard you like towing, so we put a tow truck in your tow truck, so you could tow while you tow!

Wow, thats a lot of pessimistic news....better get my garden planted

Economics and Investing:

 End of the Dollar?

 The Dollar Will Collapse Within 3-4 Months

Connecting the Dots … Grain Shortages & Food Inflation Quietly Accelerating Due to Perfect Storm

 Fears rise that Japan could sell off U.S. debt

Items from The Economatrix:
 Postal Service to Cut 7,500 Jobs, Close Offices  
Asian Shares Higher After Wall Street Closes  
US Experiencing Uneven Job Growth Across States  
Oil Hits Highest Levels Since Recession  
Private Corporation Official Admits Impending US Bankruptcy  
US Consumer Confidence In US Falls More Than Forecast On Rising Fuel Prices  
When Silver Investors Finally Wise Up

Time to plant your garden (in Ohio anyway)

You really should have started your sprouts by now (I have mine in an indoor greenhouse thingy). As soon as the snow stops falling (we got some yesterday) I'll plant everything outdoors.

Types

• Cool-season and warm-season vegetables can be grown in Ohio. Cool-season crops withstand light frost and include many leaf and root vegetables. Warm-season crops, such as cucumbers, squash, melons and tomatoes must be planted after the threat of frost passes.

Time Frame

• Experienced Ohio gardeners begin planting cool-season vegetables in Mid-March, according to the Ohio State University Extension web site. Ohio is located in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 and 6, with an average last frost date occurring in April-May. Warm-season vegetables can be planted after the last killing frost.

Considerations

• Starting vegetable seeds indoors during late winter can result in transplants by the early spring planting season. Using transplants instead of direct seeding can add a few weeks to your harvest season. Successive planting can also make the most of a season. Plant new crops as soon as the previous ones are harvested.

Chicken With Lemon and Green Onion Sauce

Tried this last night, it was awesome. Still working on side dishes, although obviously chicken goes well with lots of things.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
4 tablespoons butter
dash salt
dash freshly ground black pepper or seasoned pepper

Prep:

Pre-heat broiler; line a broiler pan with foil and oil the rack.
Rinse chicken; pat dry. Put chicken breast between two sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound to thin to an even thickness. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange on oiled broiler rack.

In a saucepan, combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 seconds.





Cooking:

Broil the chicken for about 12 to 15 minutes, turning about halfway through the cooking time. Drizzle each chicken breast with about 1 teaspoon of the lemon mixture 1 minute before it's finished. Serve chicken with the remaining sauce.

Goes well with a side of rice and cornbread.

Serves 4.

Tongue in cheek post about German gun laws

"Again, as a “normal citizen” you have to establish that you in terrible danger [to receive a concealed carry permit]. Being shot more than one time is considered adequate proof that you qualify. Being murdered is the best proof to get a CC. Unfortunately, a posthumous CC isn’t much use. The state does not allow citizens to be buried with a loaded weapon."

Check out the post here.

Funny one there Tam

Remember back in '50s and early '60s, when we set off something like 900 atomic bombs in Nevada? And how we just let the fallout blow wherever and it landed all over the eastern US? And how it wiped out life as we know it and all that was left from Colorado to the Atlantic were six-legged rats battling two-headed cockroaches in the glowing ruins?

Yeah. Exactly. So shut up with the panic already.

Courtesy of Tam

Understanding the Federal budget woes

It is predicted the Federal budget deficit will reach $1.65 trillion this year with a $14.1 trillion debt and about $2.1 trillion in income. Yet the House cannot reach agreement on spending cuts. The House Republicans want to only cut $60 billion in spending and the Democrats only want to cut spending $6.5 billion. If you were to scale this down into numbers people might be able to relate to it would look like the following.
If your family income were $50,000 then:

• Family debt is $335,700
• Family deficit is $39,300 (spending is $89,300/year)
• The head of household wants to cut $1,430 in yearly spending
• The spouse wants to cut $154.80 in yearly spending 

Props to Joe Huffman

Good point, seems like common sense...but its not that common

"When General Motors and Chrysler were facing bankruptcy our government stepped in, handed both companies a ton of our money to reward them for failing, and then allowed them to pay back these "loans" with money obtained through a different tax payer funded scheme.
There is another way companies can avoid bankruptcy and it doesn't involve stealing money from the tax payers. This method, although hardly known, is to produce a better product."More of the post here
http://wp.me/puTMW-1yU

due credit to Christopher Burg

Hometown Seeds, Check 'em out, I like 'em, Not affiliated.

Pardon the fact that my template goes over the ad, I'm too lazy to fix it. I like Hometown Seeds and think you should give 'em a look see.