Cost of eggs skyrocket!

Back in the carefree days of the mid-sixties, a dozen eggs could be had for about fifty five cents! As a kid, I enjoyed them scrambled, sunny side up and as a key ingredient of French toast! Those sure were the good old days! and, as time has gone by, eggs and egg products have made their way to become a center piece of many breakfast foods (think Egg McMuffins)! But listen up Gerty! I want you to grab a hold of your garters - them days are long gone!

Even before the crippling effect that Avian flu has had on the poultry industry in recent months, the cost of all this poultry have gone way up! What cost a few pennies in 1965 now cost a few dollars and things are going to get worst... much worst, as the loss of millions of hens begins to impact the food industry in earnest this fall! A single large egg going for a buck may not be far off! And, experts also warn that as the cost of one 'meat' goes up, then so will the other popular meats including pork and beef. But, that's OK - our boys on Capitol Hill have everything under control....

Philae is awake!

The European Space Agency’s Philae comet lander, out of power and presumably lost after bouncing into heavily shadowed terrain last November, phoned home Saturday after finally getting enough sunlight on its solar panels to transmit data to the Rosetta orbiter for relay to Earth, ESA reported Sunday.

More than 300 data packets were received at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in a burst lasting 85 seconds, the first sign of life from the lander since it went into electronic hibernation Nov. 15, about 60 hours after touchdown.

The data were relayed to Earth by ESA’s Rosetta orbiter, which released Philae more than three months after matching orbits with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko last August.

“Philae is doing very well,” project manager Stephan Ulamec said in an ESA blog post. “It has an operating temperature of -35 (degrees Celsius) and has 24 watts available. The lander is ready for operations.”

I once rode on a ship called Decay...

At precisely 11:40 PM on April the 14 in the year 1912, Mr. George Quincy Clifford had just retired when he thought he heard a rather peculiar sound. It was a deep grinding noise emancipating from somewhere down below, perhaps in the cheaper 3^rd class area. He gave this only a passing thought before drifting off to a sound sleep....

Few passengers aboard the ill-fated Titanic fully comprehended their tragic fate after hitting a massive iceberg somewhere in the frigid waters in the northern Atlantic. Less than three hours later, more than 1500 passengers would be dead due to a lack of lifeboats... A sad and ironic fate for those who sailed a ship that was termed 'unsinkable'.

Imagine now, flash forwarding to the year 2021 and an even larger 'unsinkable' ship, aka the USS America. She too is on a voyage of sorts, bravely sailing in very deep and very dangerous fiscal waters. She also seems to be riding a bit low in the water! (Little wonder as it seems most everyone hitched a ride based on the promises of men who claimed that 'hope and change' would lie at the end of the journey).

Tic...tic...tic

Yet, a few passengers still seem to be uneasy. This ship just didn't look all that healthy, even to their not-so-well trained eyes. All around they could easily spot clear and present signs of rampant fiscal corrosion and incipient moral decay. One even remarked that he had a feeling of 'slippage', as though the world had somehow twisted slightly out of true shape and form...

Yes, it would seem that some were very concerned. Yet, the majority of riders felt everything was just okey dokey as this baby was FULLY equipped with trillions of cute little paper lifeboats, each inscribed with the motto 'In God We Trust'.... I mean what could go wrong?

'I once rode on a ship called Decay.

She'd seen better times come her way.

But, those days are past. She ain't gonna last.

We're all going down today!'

Emirates set to go for Mars mission!

The United Arab Emirates' Space Agency has unveiled its official strategy and operational plan, and it takes bold aim at Mars with a planned robotic mission to the Red Planet by 2021.

The UAE Mars probe, called Hope, is slated to launch in time for the 50th anniversary of the UAE and forms a major element of the national space agency's official road map, which was unveiled on May 25.

Hmm. And where is America? Oh yes, there it is... sinking slowly beneath the waves...

Rockaway Boat races a bust early on!

The temperatures were in the 80's – check. Partly cloudy skies abounded with light winds – check! Hydroplanes were on the lake with crowds gathering - double check! Yes, it was almost a picture perfect day!

You'd think with a start like that, everyone would have a great opportunity to see some exciting racing action as groups of hydroplanes thundered around Taneycomo lake speeds in excess of 80 miles an hour! But, sadly that didn't take place. (At least it didn't take place when it was supposed to). And just why was that?

Apparently the one ambulance that was on duty that day, got busy! It was late to show up and when it finally did, was called out on numerous back to back calls... and so the boats just sat there and the crowds never materialized..... As someone once said long ago – this was no way to run a railroad.

Well, there's always Sunday - maybe they will get their act together!

River Run and Shadowrock Parks close!

River Run Park

After a relatively normal spring with normal rains, the Corps of Engineers have still managed to flood the lands along and down the Bull Shoals waterways! Is it any wonder that many people are upset?

As of May 29, 2015

The figures, (at right) for my area near Forsyth Missouri were tabulated by myself and may only represent an approximation of what the National Weather Service has for their records. As you can see, our area really hasn't had all that much rain when compared to historical standards. So, that brings up the question as to why the waterway is flooded? A situation that may become even more pronounced if the heavy rains that are forecast over the next few days actually materialize.

I took an opportunity to drive through Shadowrock Park only to discover from the Park attendant that it was also closed as was expected to flood! I was shocked as this park is higher in elevation than its sister park (River Run) to the south directly across Bull Shoals. According to the attendant, the reason for the rise in water levels was due to; 1) the desire by the government not to interfere with agriculture concerns in Hillary Clinton's home state of Arkansas and 2) that the Corps needed to reduce the water levels of Table Rock Lake upstream due to 'work that needed to be performed'! Really! You mean to tell me that the Corps couldn't have done this work over the winter when lake levels are traditionally lower? You mean to tell me the interests of people in another state trump those of us living in Missouri? Who knows...?

Meat prices set to rise sharply!

With no end in sight, the avian flu infections continue to rise all across the United States. Currently, about 34 million chickens have been destroyed in an effort to bring the plague to a halt. Experts are predicting it could be late June or July before a reversal of the trend is seen. And in the meantime, consumers can expect the cost of poultry, eggs and egg products to sky rocket in the months and years to come. Some analysts say consumers are probably seeing some price increases, not only for cartons of eggs but also for products that contain so-called liquid eggs, which are used in everything from mayonnaise to cake mix and are a major product of Iowa’s poultry industry. Fast food chains, like McDonald's, who do a significant amount of their business in breakfast foods, are expected to pass on costs to consumers that some predict could triple by the summer.

But wait, it gets worst. As the country finds itself with poultry meat at a premium, it's expected that the shortage will also drive up the cost of pork and beef just as the country is headed into the summer months. And, with inflation beginning to increase on products across the board, consumers may soon find themselves strapped for cash. All this happening at a time when the government is expected to ask for large increases in taxes to help offset a national debt that recently exceeded the eighteen trillion dollar mark.

Disclaimer: The post is based solely on the opinion of the author and may or may not reflect in a factual manner in all instances.