A by-the-numbers Look at Obama's First Year

From Breitbart


7,949.09—Dow Jones Industrial Average close on Jan. 20, 2009.

10,609.65—Dow Jones Industrial Average close on Jan. 15, 2010.

13 million—Number of people 16 and older unemployed as of January 2009.

14.7 million—Number of people 16 and older unemployed as of December 2009.

7.7 percent—Unemployment rate January 2009

10.0 percent—Unemployment rate December 2009

$787 billion—Cost of economic stimulus approved by Congress.

$10.6 trillion—Outstanding public debt Jan. 20, 2009.

$12.3 trillion—Outstanding public debt Jan. 14, 2009.

$296.4 billion—Federal spending from the financial crisis bailout fund before Jan. 20, 2009.

$173 billion—Federal spending from the financial crisis bailout fund after Jan. 20, 2009.

$165 billion—Amount of bailout funds repaid by banks and automakers.

139—Bank failures between Jan. 20, 2009, and Jan. 14, 2010.

274,399—Number of properties that received foreclosure-related notices in January 2009.

349,519—Number of properties that received foreclosure-related notices in December 2009.

34,400—U.S. troops in Afghanistan in January 2009.

70,000—U.S. troops in Afghanistan as of Jan. 12, 2010.

319—U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan from January 2009 through Jan. 15, 2010.

139,500—U.S. troops in Iraq in January 2009.

111,000—U.S. troops in Iraq as of Jan. 12, 2010.

152—U.S. military deaths in Iraq from January 2009 through Jan. 15, 2010.

539—Appointments to top federal policy positions submitted to the Senate

352—Appointments confirmed by the Senate.

180—Appointments in top policy positions carried over from the Bush administration.

12—Formal news conferences.

21—Foreign countries visited.

29—States visited.

10—Visits to Camp David.

2—Vacations.

___

Sources:

AP reporting and analysis

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Treasury Department

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

RealtyTrac Inc.

Defense Department

White House Transition Project

Coakley Campaign Highlights

Will this be the next Senator from the State of Massachusetts?

It's Christmas time

As we were saying the Family Rosary this evening, I was reflecting on the fact that my children will not be getting all the Christmas gifts that I would like to give them this year. And in fact the gifts we are giving are practical and essential. Warm socks, long underwear, books... you get the picture. And I thought to myself, what do my children have to be thankful for this Christmas? And then it came to me.

Faithfulness.

While we may not be a family of generous and easy means, while we may struggle and worry, while we may not have everything material advantage we try to be faithful.

To one another.

To the Church.

To our obligations in our state of life to the best of our ability.

To friendships and those struggling- with thanks or without.

And I hope that that will be enough.

Enough to give them happy childhood memories.

Enough to let them know that their father and I love them. And were faithful to one another and to them.

Merry Christmas.

A Nocturnal Upon St Lucy's Day, Being the Shortest Day

St Lucy's burial by Carravagio.

I will admit that my newest interest in John Donne can be traced to the book Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers and today's sermon about St. Lucy's day but anyway, having made those admissions: Enjoy:

A NOCTURNAL UPON ST. LUCY'S DAY,
BEING THE SHORTEST DAY.
by John Donne

'TIS the year's midnight, and it is the day's,
Lucy's, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks ;
The sun is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rays ;
The world's whole sap is sunk ;
The general balm th' hydroptic earth hath drunk,
Whither, as to the bed's-feet, life is shrunk,
Dead and interr'd ; yet all these seem to laugh,
Compared with me, who am their epitaph.

Study me then, you who shall lovers be
At the next world, that is, at the next spring ;
For I am every dead thing,
In whom Love wrought new alchemy.
For his art did express
A quintessence even from nothingness,
From dull privations, and lean emptiness ;
He ruin'd me, and I am re-begot
Of absence, darkness, death—things which are not.

All others, from all things, draw all that's good,
Life, soul, form, spirit, whence they being have ;
I, by Love's limbec, am the grave
Of all, that's nothing. Oft a flood
Have we two wept, and so
Drown'd the whole world, us two ; oft did we grow,
To be two chaoses, when we did show
Care to aught else ; and often absences
Withdrew our souls, and made us carcasses.

But I am by her death—which word wrongs her—
Of the first nothing the elixir grown ;
Were I a man, that I were one
I needs must know ; I should prefer,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means ; yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love ; all, all some properties invest.
If I an ordinary nothing were,
As shadow, a light, and body must be here.

But I am none ; nor will my sun renew.
You lovers, for whose sake the lesser sun
At this time to the Goat is run
To fetch new lust, and give it you,
Enjoy your summer all,
Since she enjoys her long night's festival.
Let me prepare towards her, and let me call
This hour her vigil, and her eve, since this
Both the year's and the day's deep midnight is.

---

Source:
Donne, John. Poems of John Donne. vol I.
E. K. Chambers, ed.
London: Lawrence & Bullen, 1896. 45-46.

House Carpenter

Oh, does this bring back memories.

Joan Baez sings it nearly as well as we did growing up around the campfire.

Did you get yours?

Fr. Tom DiLorenzo summoned to the Chancery in Boston

And it isn't going to be pretty.

Fr. Tom is well known for his ardent and vocal prolife beliefs and his radio show "In Season and Out of Season". Apparently EWTN carries Fr. Tom's show. Eventhough Fr. Tom is a bit of a charismatic but we don't hold that against him.

Apparently Cardinal O'Malley has decided that it's payback time. Fr. Tom made the unfortunate, and probably career-ending mistake of opposing Cardinal Sean's attempt to sign a contract with Centene, an abortion-providing health insurance company. Unfortunately, the Boston Archdiocese lost money (perhaps millions according to my fellow warrioress in the trenches, Carol McKinley) and the opportunity to sell its soul, and give away gratis any integrity they may have had left.

Fr. Tom has been summoned to the Chancery to discuss his "mental health".

The tactics don't change. The villains never come up with anything new.

The Mass begins with the phrase:

"Judge me, O God, and distinguish my cuase against an ungodly nation: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man."

Somehow I don't think this meeting will make the Cardinal's blog.

I don't think the public relations firm employed (and paid handsomely) by the Archdiocese of Boston would recommend it.