Good morning, Everyone.  Our skies are overcast this morning and we have an unpleasant mix of snow and freezing drizzle that fell overnight. One of the weather people this morning called it 'snizzle' which I thought was cute.  I had planned to go to the library this morning but I think I will renew the books on line and go next week.  I really like being able to decide whether to go out and--in nasty weather--I simply decide not to.

Well, it seems that someone else has come to the same conclusion I have about Mitt Romney.  I was a little nicer.  I just labeled him a chameleon.  But 'serial liar' has a certain truthiness about it.

I agree, Nicola.  I have flirted with several different Christian denominations including Catholicism and Mormonism.  None of them took on any level--spiritual, intellectual, emotional or moral.  Something was always lacking.  I have acquaintances who became Catholic because they found the doctrine intellectually satisfying.  I have acquaintances who adopted Judaism because they the moral demands satisfying.  In the end I am satisfied with my own conscience and moral standards, and will keep them.

We caught a piece of a teaser on the soon-to-be released retail sales figures for January this morning.  The piece seemed a bit--tepid.  I wondered aloud about the whole holiday season because it seemed that, although we had boosters touting it and speculating on how stimulating it would be for the economy, we hadn't seen much enthusiasm since.  With good reason it appears.  January numbers were anemically better year-over-year.  December was flat.  Nothing to be enthusiastic about.

And then there is this story--only the latest example of Repthuglican anti-labor bias.