Ok, I think everyone is in agreement that a new, uncluttered thread is called for at this point. I'm gonna give everyone some more time to state their opinons on things since there seem to be quite a few coming in and not everyone has had a chance yet.
As for difficulty, I see it like an exchange price history graph, ups and downs, but as long as it settles at a higher level than before, we are still growing.

waltsmith