Hi Brother Alek!

I'm a Clockmaker...& my biz is a bit of a Harbinger of the US Economy. Grandfather Clock Sales used to be the mainstay of my income. In 1988, we sold one a week...in 2009 we sold one all-year. Up until this year, we'd had 4 of the worst years, financially, in all 35 years we'd been in business here.

Then, slowly, but definitely Surely...Things Picked Up. Not in Sales, so much, but now people are Fixing-Up what they already-have. Repairs are coming in, and House Calls to oil-up Grandfather Clocks are WAYY Up. (And..heh..we've raised our price to do that from $100 to $130 over the last year, and it's going fine!) We normally do 1/3 our annual income Nov-Dec with Christmas Sales...so, I'll know for-sure IF the Economy's recovered-well in a few more months. (Big Clocks are for-sure Luxury Items...and those just don't get purchased in a weak economy.)

My Swiss-French wife went back several times to La Chaux de-Fonds, Switzerland...to put Papa in a rest home, after he had a stroke last year, and had to empty out his Apartment of the last 50 years. There USED to be 4 nice Antique Shops in her village... Now there are NONE..so guess The Recession's affected even The Swiss! (She had to give-away many a nice antique piece of furniture...no shops to buy 'em!)

With the US reportedly becoming an Oil Exporting Nation over the next 3 years (Thanks to improved drilling methods and major discoveries) the US should be in Great Shape soon-enough...assuming we can extricate our country from fruitless military pursuits.

Time Will Tell...heh!

Best Wishes & a Big Guy-Hug,
Stan