A Load Of Bull

A husband and wife went to an agricultural show. One of the first exhibits they stopped at was the breeding bulls. There was a sign attached: THIS BULL MATED 50 TIMES LAST YEAR.

The wife playfully nudged him in the ribs, smiled and said, "That's almost once a week."

They walked to the second pen which had a sign attached: THIS BULL MATED 150 TIMES LAST YEAR.

The wife gave him a solid jab and said "That's more than twice a week! You could learn a lot from him."

They walked to the third pen with a sign: THIS BULL MATED 365 TIMES LAST YEAR.

Her elbow nearly broke his ribs, as she said "That's once a day. You could really learn something from this one.'

He looked at her and said "Go over and ask him if it was with the same cow."

He only got cold glances for the rest of the day, but at least his ribs were safe.

Reducing Cigarette Smoking In NZ

The New Zealand government is reducing smoking by increasing tax on cigarettes. It seems that every 10% increase in excise, cigarette smoking declines 5%. Hmmm. Let me get this right. The tax increase adds money to sorely depleted government coffers. So how does it all stack up?


The smoker has to pay more for this unhealthy habit, in most cases cutting back on other things to continue.

The tobacco companies will lose 5% of their turn over. They will breathe a sigh of relief it is not more.

The government estimates with future increases, revenue will rise from $1.2 billion a year to $1.7 billion by 2016.

Had the price gone up by 20 or 30%, the shock would have had greater effect in stopping more people. As someone noticed "If you have a big hit, it's difficult for the tobacco industry to cut that. With smaller ones, they can adjust their prices and smooth the effect of an increase. With a big hit, they have less ability to do that."

NZ is struggling to balance its books financially. The good news is that this increase will help achieve that goal. The bad news is the government is even more reliant on tobacco excise. That may be the reason there is only a 10% increase, not one much higher.

In summary, it's not just the smoker then that is hooked on tobacco.

You Have To Make Time To Pray

I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn't have time to pray

Problems just tumbled about me
and heavier came each task
'Why doesn't God help me?' I wondered
He answered, 'You didn't ask'

I wanted to see joy and beauty
but the day toiled on gray and bleak
I wondered why God didn't show me
He said, 'But you didn't seek'

I tried to come into God's presence
I used all my keys at the lock
God gently and lovingly chided
'My servant, you didn't knock'

I woke up early this morning
and paused before entering the day
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take time to pray