Today's Tids Issue 3,083
Opening Stuff:
Joe April forgot
to turn off his showers. But, it is May, ah beautiful May. To some May is more
than flowers. It’s a month when socialists march and Catholics kneel to honor
Mary. It’s a day for all mothers, and the love from the families they nurture so
well. Horses run and cars roar. And fans cheer “My old Kentucky Home” and “Back
Home in Indiana”…with Mom? I always hope the Sox are still alive after May. And
we honor all of the heroes at the end of May. I had a Grandmother I never met
named May. She, a teacher, died in childbirth at 31 in 1909. This year my May
flowers are for her.
Does it bother
you when a company representative upon hearing a legitimate non-hysterical complaint
becomes oblivious to what you are saying, and just forges on?
“I got a parrot
and it talked. But I didn’t say “I’m Hungry”, so it died” I found some Mitch Hedberg
tweets, so if you read something funny today, it isn’t me, but, I wish It was.
The Question:
Name the Top 7 US Cities for Pizza. Bonus: What four states don’t observe Columbus Day? Super Bonus: Who was the First black Major
League baseball player?
The Headlines:
--US Consumer Spending Surged 0.9% In March; Feb Numbers Revised
Upward.
--New Jobless Benefit Claims Rise For Second Consecutive
Week: Back Up to 344,000.
--Russia Joins In Approval Of IMF Giving Billions To Ukraine;
IMF Says Russia Economy Already In Recession..
--Moscow Revives May day Tradition of Communist Past;
Hundreds Of Thousands March Holding Placards “We Believe In Putin”.
--2 dead, 100’s Injured In Gas Explosion In Escambia County
Fla Jail.
--NASA to Honor “Captain Kirk”.
--White House denying Benghazi Emails.
“When I was a boy,
I laid in my twin-sized bed and wondered where my brother was>”
Did you know there is
a new Opera called “Scalia/Ginsburg”? The opera by award winning composer Derrick
Wang received good reviews from critics and justices. It is based on the
friendship of the two and centers on two fictional (ha, ha) judges who must
bond for the sake of the Constitution but have differing opinions – Scalia looking
at it as the 18th century original and Ginsburg seeing it an evolving
lively document. They fight like cats and dogs, but develop a warm and beautiful
friendship. They say it is pretty good entertainment. Check your local friendly
opera house.
It’s not hard to believe
that Russia joined in with the Western countries to approve billions of IMF money
for Ukraine. Why would Putin want to take over a bankrupt country?
“One time, this guy
handed me a picture and said, ‘Here’s a picture of me when I was younger.’
Every picture of you is when you were younger.”
American Idol
continues to struggle towards the end of a woeful season…maybe the final
ending. My favorite of the final five, Jessica Meusse had a very good night.
But a couple of other critical faves slipped, notably Caleb Johnson and Alex.
My guess is that Caleb has some fans, and Alex…I don’t exactly know what to say
about his talented and innovative singer – except that perhaps he is just too
innovative for the masses. Sam, the person who should be outta there, continues
to improve as a singer but is pretty weak as a person on a stage. Oh yeah, Jena
still hits it. So, I’m thinking that Caleb will go.
So, is a Hippopotamus
in reality a cool opotamous?
Some big Wall Street
gurus are warning about a big stock crash. They are offering two possible
options—Sell everything and put the money under the mattress or take your hit
and wait five years to get back to even -- maybe. Thanks a lot.
Bob Hoskins was a
helluva actor.
Unfortunately events
like the Sterling affair spawn the silly. The latest is that Minneapolis has
just voted to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day! Say what?
And, of course, the
Washington Redskins controversy immediately surfaces. In a discussion with
a Professional team owner this morning, the questioner said that in a vote
among Native Americans, 90% said they weren’t bothered by it. The Owner CEO, a self
proclaimed liberal was flummoxed, responding that the numbers belied the
vitriol he’d heard against the name. And, that is the world we have inherited
isn’t it – where the noise outshouts the facts.
It appears that Wall
Street just can’t get a handle on FaceBook. The high PSR (Price-to-sales-ratio)
is causing the concern. Note: It has fallen from 25.8 PSR to 15.9, but the
S&P average is 2.5. In easier to understand numbers. FaceBook must achieve
revenue of $32.8 Billion to maintain its current stock price. The current sales
revenue is $8.9B. The projection for the next year is 20 billion which is
considered “Notoriously optimistic.,” and far sort of the number needed. Couple
the techno report with the reality that the huge teen group is turning away
from the big Social Media empire, and you have to be concerned if you hold the
stock. FaceBook represents the new order, and that is anything but stability.
“I’m against
picketing, but I don’t know how to show it.”
The Conscience:
Chapter 42.
“Of course you know
who I am, because Sanna Baglietto knows everything. Am I right?”
I saw James smile
as I slipped into a seat next to Angelica. James eyes caught mine an Sanna
turned. Her face remained placid, but I noticed her body squirming. It’s unlike
her, unless she’s having sex. I smiled to myself. Angelica reached over and
gripped my wrist. It hurt, but I decided bravery was called for today.
“I’m surprised to
see you here James. Of course you are an enigma to me, and today you’re adding
to the puzzle, and appears I’m the missing piece in the middle.”
I wouldn’t expect
Sanna to be docile for long. Once she understands what is happening she will be
herself again.
“My trip here
is a long Journey, Sanna. In fact, you are the reason I am here. But first, let
me tell you why I am sitting in this chair and not Jason Montgomery.”
The door opened
and Eliot Wu stepped in and took a third seat at the back wall. Sana turned and
smiled at her ally, but he didn’t smile back. She looked smaller.
“I own Bernard Yachts
now, Sanna. I bought it from Jason before my friend Jeffery Morgan visited you.
It will fit nicely into my marine divisions, don’t you think?” She was silent. “I
am also a limited partner with your daughter and father-in-law in Baglietto Panfilos.”
The door opened again and Antonia Baglietto, now dressed like the world renown
yacht builder he was, sat in the fourth chair in the back of the room. I saw Sanna’s shoulder
twitch, perhaps in an attempt to ward off eight focused pupils.
James watched her
carefully and continued. “So, when I signed with Antonio, we eliminated you as an
authorized signatory. The only legitimate documents on Bernard ownership are
these.” He held up the papers quickly, and dropped them
“So, Sanna, How
do you think you fit into this new business?” He pasued for several seconds,
knowing that she wasn’t ready to answer. “Would you like a drink? Jason left me
a very nice bar.”
I said yes.
“I went to a record
store that advertised hard-to-find records – nothing was alphabetized.”
The Answer:
On the best Pizza front, Number 7 is a city better known for
Cod – Boston. Next is Philly followed by Providence Ri and then Chicago, New
Haven Ct, Trenton NJ and New York City. I had my first pizza in Valhalla NY. Of
course everybody thinks their own pizza is best, and I fully agree…because what
you tasted first becomes your measurement for excellence. Bonus: The 4 states who have lost their way not honoring that brave
seaman who opened the lands that became the paragon for living in freedom
(Well, after a little slavery problem) are Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon and South
Dakota. BTW, did you know that May 1785 is the establishment date for the Kingdom
of Hawaii by King Kamehameha They don’t
need Columbus because they were discovered by Captain Cook. Alaska was also in another
world and Oregon…well Oregon is Oregon. Super
Bonus: Since I asked the Question, you know the answer isn’t Jackie R. Moses
Freeman Walker was the first Major League baseball player as Catcher with the
Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association. Moses played a year there and
then in the minors until professional baseball erected a color barrier. He went
on to become an inventor, businessman and advocate of Black Nationalism. He played
College baseball at Oberlin in Ohio and the U of Michigan. He was quite the man
with inventions for moving pictures which he saw as a product of the future and
also in 1891 received a patent for an exploding military shell. (Note: While
Walker has been traditionally credited as the 1st major league
player, there is plenty of evidence that William Edward White of the Providence
(ri) Grays was a hair earlier.)
It is always interesting
what you can continuously learn that may shake the foundations of your views,
complex or simple.
By the way, Moses
Walker wanted all blacks to emigrate back to Africa. In 1908 he published a
paper “Our Home Colony…” where he warned that “the negro race will be a menace
and source of discontent as long as it remains in large numbers in the US.” He
added, “The time is growing very near when the whites of the US must either
settle this problem by deportation, or else be willing to accept a reign of
terror such as the world has never seen in a civilized country.” I think Martin
Luther King Jr. had a better idea.
As Mitch Hedburg says,
“If you have a bad day at Improv, put an ‘E’ on the end of it.”
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