Annual Christmas Shakespeare quote

These lines from Hamlet are like a favorite ornament I like to take out once a year:

Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,
This bird of dawning singeth all night long;
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad,
The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
So hallow'd and so gracious is the time.

(So have I heard and do in part believe it.)

Here's hoping that holds true this year. Best holiday wishes to all from Goat Rope Farm!

You can expect another post on Monday--just don't expect much.

GOAT ROPE ADVISOR LEVEL: SUSPENDED

This and that

Random animal picture.

El Cabrero is attempting to play holiday catch up from the storm today but here are a few items that caught my eye:

ONE GOOD THING about the Senate health care reform bill, according to WV Senator Jay Rockefeller, is that it limits the amount insurance companies can spend on administration and profits.

SPEAKING OF WV SENATORS, here's the Washington Post on Senator Byrd.

DON'T BE ABSURD. No wait, cancel that. A new study suggests that reading absurdist literature may be good for your brain.

PLANTS apparently don't like to be eaten either.

ATTENTION HOLIDAY DRINKERS. Darker liquors may lead to worse hangovers. (El Cabrero prefers red wine.)

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Game on

So how's the weather, anyway? This blog missed a day yesterday since Goat Rope Farm was among the 100,000 or so households without power in West Virginia after the snowstorm that hit this weekend.

Heat and cooking weren't too much of a problem thanks to wood and gas stoves. Water, electricity, telephone and plowed roads were a bit of a setback however. By the time power came on yesterday, personal hygiene took priority over blogging.

Here's hoping the Gentle Reader made it through intact.

Note to self: you know that generator you keep thinking of getting and figuring out how to use? This might not be a bad time to get on that.

SPEAKING OF THINGS THAT HIT WEST VIRGINIA, a new report by the WV Center on Budget and Policy (small parts of which were co-authored by yours truly) was released that documents the impact of the recession on West Virginia. Here's a press release with a link to the full report and here is coverage from today's Gazette and the West Virginia News Service.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, several provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act blunted the impact of the recession on hard hit state residents, as documented in this op-ed by yours truly.

THE BIG NEWS seems to be the progress of health care reform through the US Senate, although many challenges remain before anything reaches the president's desk. AFSC did not take a direct position on the Senate bill, although it supports universal health care and did urge passage of the House bill. It is my own opinion that letting the whole thing die would be a bad idea. There are some good things in the flawed Senate bill and other problems could be dealt with later.

THE OTHER BIG NEWS was a tentative deal on climate change. This should be good for another hissy fit or two in WV.

FINALLY--a venomous dinosaur!

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED