OVERDONE

At least that's what folks are telling me.  Nobody will go or has gone near Venezulus and nobody has anything more outstanding to the Argies other that what is already in default which means we skate over this lovely little piece of circumstance without a bump leaving both of these deadbeats to deal with their problems by themselves.  Maybe bankers aren't so dumb after all.

Carter checked in with an interesting thought to wit, if things go well with Iran, things really go bad for Russia whose economy is based entirely on oil and gas revenue.  Now Russia is a real country, run by a Moscow Center Thug and armed to the teeth which could be a real worry if things got really bad, but in my view getting it right in Iran occurs only if our own Baghdad Bob, the White House Press Secretary, declares victory due to the genius of The Leader and the indefatigable spirit of the Secretary of State and somebody on the face of the planet believes it.  Then of course we have the Israelis about whom I would rather not think.  But it could happen and if it does, so what?

Rather, I still am most concerned with the situation Over There although there is nothing immediate to which I can point and say, "here's the bad spot."  It's a continent of  general malaise looking for some form of bold leadership and finding none appears to be content to simply await the hand of fate.  One comment that was telling was that if France doesn't get it's act together the EU will be facing a real question of survival.  Talk about a lack of bold leadership; poor Frankie is trying to juggle three women, an almost 11% unemployment rate and a growing stream of affluent Frenchmen moving over to Blighty of all places to escape French taxation.  That in turn is causing a crisis of the lack of French-speaking plumbers in London and the surrounding countryside for whom there are ads now being posted throughout the Home Counties and Europe.  You can't make this stuff up.

Over Here, our part of the Fly-Over Zone has been, as they say in Folsom, on lock-down.  It is now 4F going to -15 tonight with a wind chill of -35F.  If you venture out in a motorcar it is a $500 fine.  Too many accidents, too many machines in snow drifts, too many roads blocked to the point where emergency vehicles cannot get through.  We have enough whiskey for 4 days.  It better end by then otherwise I have Putin in the form of Trouble and Strife.  Carter, you have no idea.