The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings ta ever one in western Illinois and all readers of "The Quill".
Rain And The Lack There Of
We sure missed a good chance fer rain this past weekend at many parts of our community. It is mighty dry in spots with some fields of beans look'n ta be hurt'n fer a drink. Ya don't have ta look hard ta see fields of corn around these parts waist high. Those fields will be tassel'n the 4th of July, way ahead of the old cliche "Knee High by the 4th of July". That is, of course, if'n they don't wither away in dryness beforehand.
Come'n Events
There is some important events come'n Up:
June 16 - Henderson County Olde Tymers Tractor Drive begin'n in Stronghurst fairgrounds 9 a.m.; Father's Day June 17; 1st day of Summer June 21. I'm a hope'n we gets a good soaker rain before Summer starts.
One of the local fellers finished his first cutt'n of hay last week. He sez it was about 60% of what the first cutt'n was last year.
Mark Twain
Down towards Hannibal, Missouri they had the good fortune of gett'n a nice "mushroom" thunder shower. Fer some reason that reminded me of Mark Twain. He always had some enteresting things ta say. Fer example, here was his take on the media even as far back as when he walked the earth:
"Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR. That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse." - Mark Twain
That quote is enterest'n. I wonder what he would have to say today with all the "Fake News" and such go'n on?
Chinese Future
Speak'n of news, there's been a lot of late concern'n China as it relates to embargoes and business the U.S. does with them. As a point of enterest ya might not know, here are some little known realities:
In future China will employ millions of American workers and dominate thousands of small communities all over the U.S..
Chinese acquisition of U.S. businesses set a new all-time record last year, and it is on pace to shatter that record this year.
The Smithfield Foods acquisition is an example. Smithfield Foods is the largest pork producer and processor in the world.
It has facilities in 26 U.S. States and it employs tens of thousands of Americans. It directly owns 460 farms and has contracts with approximately 2,100 others.
But now a Chinese company has bought it for $4.7 billion, and that means that the Chinese will now be the most important employer in dozens of rural communities all over America, including Monmouth.
Thanks in part to our massively bloated trade deficit with China, the Chinese have trillions of dollars to spend.
They are only just starting to exercise their economic muscle.
It is important to keep in mind there is often not much of a difference between "the Chinese government" and "Chinese corporations".
In 2011, 43% of all profits in China were produced by companies where the Chinese government had a controlling interest in.
Last year, a Chinese company spent $2.6 billion to purchase AMC entertainment - one of the largest movie theater clains in the United States.
Now that Chinese company controls more movie ticket sales than anyone else in the world.
But, China is not just relying on acquisitions to expand its economic power. "Economic beachheads" are being established all over America.
For example, Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group, Inc. recently broke ground on a $100 million plant in Thomasville, Alabama.
Many residents of Thomasville, Alabama will be glad to have jobs, but it will also become yet another community that will now be heavily dependent on communist China.
And guess where else Chinese companies are putting down roots?
Detroit. Chinese-owned companies are investing in American businesses and new vehicle technology, selling everything from seat belts to shock absorbers in retail stores, and hiring experienced engineers and designers in an effort to soak up the talent and expertise of domestic automakers and their supplies.
If you recently purchased an "American-made" vehicle, there is a really good chance that it has a number of Chinese parts in it.
Industry analysts are hard-pressed to put a number on the Chinese suppliers operating in the United States.
China seems particularly interested in acquiring energy resources in the United States. For example, China is actually mining for coal in the mountains of Tennessee.
Guizhou Gouchuang Energy Holdings Group spent $616 million dollars to acquire Triple H Coal Co. in Jacksboro, Tennessee.
At the time, that acquisition really didn't make much news, but now a group of conservatives in Tennessee is trying to stop the Chinese from blowing up their mountains and taking their coal.
And pretty soon China may want to build entire cities in the United States just like they have been doing in other countries.
Right now, China is actually building a city larger than Manhattan just outside Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
Are you starting to get the picture? China is on the rise. If you doubt this, just read the following:
# When you total up all imports and exports, China is now the number one trading nation on the entire planet.
# Overall, the U.S. has run a trade deficit with China over the past decade that comes to more that 2.3 trillion dollars.
# China has more foreign currency reserves than anyone else on the planet.
# China now has the largest new car market in the entire world.
# China now produces more than twice as many automobiles as the United States does.
# After being bailed out by U.S. taxpayeres, GM is involved in 11 joint ventures with Chinese companies.
# China is the number one gold producer in the world.
# The uniforms for the U.S. Olympic team were made in China.
# 85% of all artificial Christmas Trees the world over are made in China.
# The new World Trade Center tower in New York includes glass imported from China.
# China now consumes more energy than the U.S. does.
# China is now in aggregate the leading manufacturer of goods in the entire world.
# China uses more cement that the rest of the world combined.
# China is now the number one producer of wind and solar power on the entire globe.
# China produces 3 times as much coal and 11 times as much steel as the United States does.
# China produces more than 90 percent of the global of rare earth elements.
# China is now the number one supplier of components that are critical to the operation of any national defense system.
# In published scientific research articles, China is expected to become number one in the world very shortly.
And what we have seen so far may just be the tip of the iceberg.
There ya have it then and ya were probably wonder'n why President Trump is make'n all this fuss over China! Think it through a bit and ya can imagine the future situations.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida has brought on seemingly a lot of concern amongst young folk concern'n death. Here are some more data on causes of death in the USA in 2016:
Abortion: 501,325
Heart Disease: 282,038
Cancer: 271,640
Tobacco: 160,680
Obesity: 140, 939
Medical Errors: 115,439
Stroke: 61,106
Lower Respiratory Disease: 65,623
Accident (unintentional): 62,460
Hospital Associated Infection: 45,449
Alcohol: 45,908
Diabetes: 35,114
Alzheimer's Disease: 42,943
Influenza/Pneumonia: 25,354
Kidney Failure: 19,631
Blood Infection: 15,363
Drunk Driving: 15,521
Unintentional Poisoning: 14,580
All Drug Abuse: 11,479
Prescription Drug Overdose: 6,886
Murder by gun: 5,276
A feller has ta wonder what Mark Twain's thoughts would be on this data as it relates ta the press's fixation on "Gun Control" and taken away our 2nd amendment rights?
The boys will have much ta dwell on fer this week's information, thank goodness their sprayin' is all caught up and the first cut'n of hay is complete so they'll have adequate time ta give proper thought ta these various topics!
Well, that's all fer this weeks' column. Have a good rest of the week, and keep in mind yer many bless'ns.
Hope'n to see ya in church this weekend.
Remember, wherever ya are, whotever ya be a do'n, "BE A GOOD ONE!'
Keep on smil'n
Catch ya later
Barnyard Bruke