Today's Tids Issue 3,031
Opening Stuff:

What's great about skiing is that it can be violently ruthless or beautifully poetic, and everything in-between. You can test your mettle or dissolve into perfect calm, in symphony with the hypnotic sounds of scraping and scrunching skis. When you think about it, it's a little like sailing.

I received a lot of responses, with all agreeing on The Tids assessment of the overly aggressive Kristen Cooper in her interview with Bodie Miller.. Even some media wonks agree that interviewers with a heart would have stopped at the first non answer. But, the same wonks opine that when she returned to the media central she would have received many a joyous back-slap and huzzahs. Media people seem to applaud classlessness. Anything for a made up story, eh fellas.

Google has just launched a new growth equity fund to inset in companies hitting their "growth" phase, or for the hipper new investor, "The Groove Phase". Google already has a fund for "Early Stage Firms". I'm thinking...watch where the Goog-ster puts money.

The Question:
Name the Ten celebrities who were rich before they made the big bucks in Glitterville. Bonus: Singapore is one of the most successful nations on earth. Part of their success is based on the "Rule of 4's". What is it?

The Headlines:
--Fed's Lockhart Says First Rate Hike Will Probably be In Mid 2015.
--Kiev Ukraine Explodes From Peaceful Protest Into Chaotic Death Scene.
--Fed Says Foreign Banks Operating In US Will Have To Raise Their Reserves.
--CBO Report Says Employment Would Drop With Higher Min Wages.
--Olympic Points: Russia 64, Nor 59, US 57, Neth 56, Germany 53, (Golds: Ger 8, Nor 8, US 7, Rus 6, Neth 6, Swiss 6, Belarus 5, Poland 4.
--Housing Starts Tumble In January.
--0-Man Dubs Art History Majors As "Impractical"; Apologizes By Saying, "...be open to technical training which can lead to a more honorable career."

The sophisticates
of Liberal NYC are clamoring around the slush after yesterdays storm ruing the "The second highest February snowfall in NY History." Climate change is going to kill us they acclaim in true Broadway fashion, singing, dancing and emoting. The first biggest single snowstorm was in 1888 followed by1947 (I remember it well) and 1978. Do you see a pattern here? Of course, what's really happening is the Weather Channel and all news all of the time Cable. Snow has changed from something happening before your eyes to a news regurgitation. It's Winter. It snows. Relax.

New IRS Regulation IR-2013-92 tries to define exactly what Social Welfare Organizations (501c) Groups can and cannot do. This is obviously in response to the accusations of political favoritism in the IRS towards Liberal charitable organizations. I suspect this reg defines Tea Party type orgs out of existence, effectively squashing pubic speech, or for the O-Admin, shutting down public criticism thereby squelching an ongoing investigation.

Brookins and MacNelley suggest that a great way to meet professional athletes is to become a parole officer.

Yesterday the Prez said, "That an increase of the Min wage to $10.10 would lift people out of poverty." If a person works forty hours a week for fifty two weeks that would amount to $20,008. The current min wage of $7.25 would compute out to $15,080. The official government poverty line for a family of one is $11,484, and for a family of 4 is $23,027. So, what the hell is he talking about now. The current Fed wage is already above the Poverty level for one and the increase wouldn't get to the poverty levels for a family of four.

Considering that Putin backs Iran and Syria and has stepped into Egypt politics, combined with this intense confrontation in Ukraine over going back to Russia versus the EU, would lead you to believe that the Russian leader is putting together a new kind of Axis. Not to scare, but just a thought that popped into my head.

A good example of why companies won't move to RI to create jobs can be seen in the unified four person Congressional delegation urging the passage of the $10.10 min wage. It's what you would expect from SSRI.

When you think about it, wasn't it an Income Gap that juiced the start of the Bolshevik Revolution? And weren't the leaders who promoted the gap the new hierarchy of the communist nation that arose from the ashes.

Robins are really confused, especially in the lower Middle Atlantic states. In fact word is out that they are suffering from snow blindness. I'm expecting that to be the impetuous for a new NBC special on Climate Change.

Do you really want to know why O is so in favor of building back an economy upon fabricated wage increase? Because nobody can really afford all of that organic food being pushed by his wife. Or the alternative energy electricity pushed by him.

If you really want to enjoy wind power, go sailing.

I wasn't very happy yesterday with my little diatribe abut making wrong choices. There was something missing, I felt as I pushed that "Send" button. I started to see it as much too simplistic, because while bad choices can certainly contribute to less income, it doesnt necessarily mean that a choice made by a responsible person that may appear wrong to those successful in money, it is not wrong to many who have other goals in life which may produce less wealth. I may talk more about this tomorrow, but I just wanted you to know that there is more to life than one persons opinion of bad choices.

The Conscience: Chapter 38 continues.
      We sat quickly at he first table. It was very nice little place, But, not near anything. I immediately started talking, blurting out about the nervous maid and the little device that to my amateur eyes looked like a bug. As sharp as ever, Angelica quickly agreed and suggested that we could use it to our advantage, which it just so happens was exactly what I was going to tell her. I kept that to myself.
       I ordered coffees and I started wading through my history with Sanna, her mom, beginning with my attempted manslaughter. I did leave out that episode of her mom riding my hips with Bruno watching, smiling in that crummy little bar. Her eyes were fixed, brown and beautiful as ever. She didn't frown or flinch at anything including the wierdest parts of my tale. She did reach over and briefly touch the top of my hand as I told her of my anguish and guilt. I didn't know whether she was feeling sorry for my plight or pitying me as a loser with no guts.
     "So now we know," I began to finish, "that she was looking to get Bernard to acquire the operation, the dirt and all, and I believe now she would stick me with the criminal side of the business."
    "And James Smith," she now said in an even tone, "set a lot in motion to bring her down, embarrass your friend, and help you." She sat back and closed her eyes. Now, a little emotion, I thought to myself. A little tear formed, "I never expected this even as I knew my mother was bad. Yes I knew she as bad. But my father, I just thought he was quiet." She tok another deep breath, "Grandfather will be disturbed."

The Answer:
Number Ten is Robin Thicke who already had $10 Mil. Next was Paul Giamatti followed by Korean Psy, son of CEO Father and Restaurant owning Mom. At #7 we have Adam Levine and then at 6 it is Chevy Chase who's Mom was an adopted daughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt Crane (Crane Plumbing Co). Now we have the top five starting with Anderson Cooper great, great grandson of The Vanderbilt and then a couple of financiers daughter Taylor Swift and Achy-Breaky heart heiress Miley Cyrus. #2 is Lady Gaga daughter of a wealthy Internet entrepreneur, and #1 is...Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who is worth  a tidy sum of $3 about Billion in addition to the millions she has earned herself. Bonus: The Rule of Four set the goal for every worker in Singapore: A car with 4 wheels. A house with 4 bedrooms, a 4 figure salary (Huge at the time the rule was instituted) and a family of Four. This was good for looking up, but it worked because the country has achieved 99% literacy. And, it is stable because they believe in Law and Order, even for petty things to Americans like leaving McWrappers and Dunkin'Cups on the street.

Let's see, Obama was a Political Science major. Political Scientist? Art Historian?

I wonder what kind of test tubes political scientists use? O-man's experiments are going wrong and I wouldn't be surprised if the next thing you hear is the explosion in the chem lab.

This was not a great Tids, so I'll leave you with a song I like (You may have to cut and paste):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j82al7MjtQ