Average Annual hours worked 2006:

United States-----1,804

Netherlands-------1,391

Elderly below 50% of median income 2006:

United States-----24.7 %

Netherlands------2.4%

Children below 50%of Median income 2006:

United States-----21.9%

Netherlands-------9.8%

Per Capital GDP 2006:

United States-----$44,155

Netherlands------$40,167

So tell me again how social democracy is bad and American Capitalism is good?

The Greenhouse has been purchased and sections are starting to be delivered today via FedX freight truck.....it will apparently take several deliveries to obtain all the parts, sections etc. for assembly. We have contracted a contractor to put the greenhouse up since power will have to be run to it for the fans, and heaters, as well as a water line for the misting and watering system which is included with the greenhouse itself. We very well may have the greenhouse up in time for seedling starts for the upcoming gardening season which would be excellent but there are several additional items such as shelving, tables etc. which have to be acquired or made after the GH itself is up and available for use. The greenhouse is a major step forward in our urban homestead.....and for our self sufficient lifestyle. This will seriously take us further off the commercial food landscape....giving us food independence year round if necessary. I am going to try my best to take pictures during the assembly process but i seem to always forget photo's i guess i am not orientated that way i guess---but i will try.

My forced wireless for the homeless process is working out well ok----with no wireless at home i find that i have more available time...and i am not as insane to get on the net as i have been for the past few years----I have been working from my coffee shop at lunch..doing what i need to do like emails, amazon purchases, etc. The time frames are small over lunch to do this so i try to plan out what i need to do on the net in advance. At my now netless home, i try to write to a thumb drive for copy/pasting when wireless is available...... My biggest difficulty is just not having net access whenever i want it---i have been spoiled.

My Lifebook U810 is a godsend during this homeless wireless time---the perfect computing companion for these mobile computing forced circumstances....the keyboard is small but i am learning how to work it and eventually i expect to be at close to the same word per minute level as i am on a larger laptop. I am not going to do a complete review of the U810 they are all over the web. Let me just advise that if you can find a good used one and you are at all into UMPC's and mobile computing .....buy it...I am extremely happy with my purchase and the U810 does everything i hoped it would. I finally managed to photo my U810 pictured below with my tiny Nokia internet device and my Mimo usb monitor which i can hook to either device for a larger screen view. I carry the U810 and the Nokia but the Mimo stays at home although i can remove the screen from the stand and carry it if necessary. As you can see by the cigarette pack i am into a small world now....

The book of this month that I have really, truly, enjoyed reading so much that i will be sad to see it end is "Were you born on the wrong continent" by Thomas Geoghegan.

A wonderful examination of social democracy in Europe and why the European society is light years ahead of American society. When you read this book it makes you want to cry----at our national loss and stupidity. Goeghegan is an excellent and entertaining writer who informs as well. If you are a thinking American you need to read this. Although as I've said you'll cry over what we could be as a society and what we are.

An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself.
Albert Camus