Better than litter.

Today's Tids Issue 3,281

Opening Stuff:

 

If it’s Winter and it’s going to snow, I figure a little each day is the way to go.  The world feels a little brighter, when the skies deliver a new coat of white to the landscapes of a cool brisk day. Many see winter as a positive day, where plodding is expected and always an  invigorating challenge; a day that presents little difficulties to overcome;  a little hardship to nourish the soul. With the often imagined obstacles, it is always a time to enjoy purity, clean and unfettered scenes --The  peace and silence that comes from each new pristine blanket.

 

I look at a painting of Winslow Homer and I see a lone fisherman battling fierce elements to bring his catch to a mother ship bobbing upon a crushing sea. I f that were today though, Government watch dogs would be setting in a temperature controlled fortress viewing this human versus the wrath of nature adventure, making sure he had the right fish in the boat. If you can’t get away from prying rocking in an old grey dory in the middle of the ocean, where can you go – back into closets?

 

Just in case you missed it, the big financial trend seems to be a move away from hedge Funds, as insider trading scandals and increasingly poor returns begin to spook big investors.  You just have to know though that somebody with a lot of money and even more financial acuity is putting together a new way to capture the tons of dough in pension funds and other Institutional treasure troves of greenbacks. Its just the way it works, and with advanced computer capability, the next big venture is anybody’s guess. But it will come. Tha is a certainty. Lets hope they find a way to block the hackers.

 

I forgot yesterday to mention the death of one of my boyhood heroes, the often too heavy but incredibly resourceful Billy Casper. Billy is another of those lost in our world of publicized celebrity. He was a major player for 20 years or so, yet was never the darling of the press. All he did was win 51 tournaments and lead a great life of honest, contributions to society around it. Billy is the 7^th all time winner in golf. Who knew? His fellow player knew.

 

The Question;

As I mentioned above, Billy Casper won 51 tournaments and is 7^th on the all time list of Golfers. Who are the rest of the Top 10 all time in tournaments won?

 

The Headlines:

--Mueller Family Confirms Death Of Daughter While In Hands Of Terror Group.

--UAE Strikes At ISIS Troops As Jordan Air Power Continues To Pound Away.

--Ukraine Battles Rage Ahead Of Summit Talks.

--Gold Is Struggling; Citi Says Oil Could Still Plunge; China Inflation Tempering.

--Alibaba Chief Jack Ma Meets With China Bigs Promising To Be Watchdog Against Product Counterfeiting; Zhi Praises Jack; Battered Stocks Ticks Upward A Buck.

--Greece May Move to US dollar.

--Obama Says Media Is Hyping Terror Threat.

 

Karma, Department:

Yesterday I heard read a particularly moving and descriptive passage about a peaceful Sunday monting turned into a Volcanic eruption, Pearl Harbor, a day innocents were slaughtered and the entire world saw evil. This morning I read that the oldest Crew member of the Arizona, Commander Joseph Langdell, had died. Is it floating in the air, or is it simply my looking for coincidences in order to fill pages of his morning mess. I think there is something in the air.

 

You have probably seen many picture of George Washington, some with both arms and legs showing, others with arms behind his back and him standing behind a desk. Portrait artists t of the day didn’t charge by number of people to be painted, but by number of limbs in the picture. Hence the expression, “Okay, but it will cost you a n arm and a leg.”

 

“Greece may move from Euro to Dollar”. That sounds weird.

 

BTW, with all of this news about new struggles and carnage in the Middle East, we haven’t seen or heard from or about Assad. Did he pay off Brian Williams for anonymity?

 

Jon Stewart suggests that Brian Williams is a victim of “Infotainment Confusion Syndrome”.

 

The hot new baby names for this Winter season are Juno, Snow, North, Winter, Frost, Neva, January, Elva, Yki and Storm. And no, it is not just celebrities having children in the winter months.

 

I think I’m getting to that point that stomping snow off my boots could cause a stress fracture.

 

You have to love the detective’s comment in a news story this morning that he considered the murder suicide with the man and woman each having bullet holes in their foreheads, “Domestic Violence”.

 

The new Breaking Bad spin-off on AMC, “Better Call Saul”, is  quirky, but it is going to grow on me, for sure. They certainly left us wondering with a good cliffhanger ending in there first half of the 2 hour premiere. Well produced and written with good acting. It’s on my dance card.

 

You have to wonder if ISIS/al-Gaida people viewing the deaths of 22 soccer fans in Egypt were thinking that maybe there was a better way to achieve wanton, senseless carnage  than suicide bombers, now more easily detected by growing vigilance in public places. Start a riot, and let the people do it. Kind of a democratic thing.

 

Kanye West had better find a new act because the Grammies audience was 3 Million smaller and the smallest viewership since 2009. Maybe it’s the music that’s getting tired. And the overwrought productions. Most of the singers to this “Meersy-Dotes” era ear sound pretty much the same, and the beat for almost ll of dancin’ tunes is eerily similar. But then who can tell after 5 martinis; 7 craft beers and assorted colored pills. Beam me up scotty>

 

I think I have noticed little girns of satisfaction on the faces of Scott Pelley and David Muir now that their chief competitor is missing in action. I guess that is always the potential fate for wartime correspondents.

 

I was sitting in a classroom worrying about driving home as I watched the “White Out” blocking my widow’s view. The I realized that it was just steam from the heating plant. Interesting how your brain can be manipulated.

 

The Answer:

Sam Snead stillis on top ven with 82  after the exploits of Tiger who has been ideld at 79. Next is Jack Niklaus with 72 followed by Ben Hogan (64), Arnie (62), Byron Nelson, (52), Billy Casper (51), Wlater hagan (45), Phil Michelson (45 ans Dr. Cary Middlecoff with 40 just ahead of two giys with 39 – gene Sarazen and Tom Watson. You have to wonder if any of the new crop will ever each those heights, not because there aren’t great players now, but because there are so many of them who are ery very good. And they just keep on coming.

 

We may have what appears to be a lot of snow, but it is less than half of many winters past. Too many people we don’t know want to tell us how awful things are, and unfortunately too many people line up to be miserable.

 

I’ll take optimism!