Forget DC--Feel the tension ooze.

Today's Tids Issue 3,319

Opening Stuff:

I hate it so when I get irate,

But, it’s those political loons

Who Ignite thoughtless spate.

So, if vile rhetoric impugns

The good in people’s hearts,

I’ll make amends, if I can,

Cause I hate throwing darts.

After all, I’m just a gentle man.

 

Before a mother knows the sex of a baby, it’s a hidden agender!

 

I have always liked Plaid shirts – English, Scotch, Irish tartans. There is just something comfortable about those woven colors. But comfort was not always their calling as many plaids (Tartan is the preferred word in Europe) represented war making intentions of clans. In fact Britain under the 1746 Dress Act banned tartans of the Scotch to bring warrior groups under control. When the act was repealed a few years later, Tartans became the national dress of Scotland. Plaids actually began in England, and among celtic tribes in 7^th-8^th centuries. Evidence has been found dating some tartans back to the Chinese and Egyptian mummies. After all, Tartan was just a method of weaving. That’s what I hate about summer – I can’t wear my plaid shirts any more.

 

The Question:

What are the five most popular Tartans (Or as North American’s prefer -- Plaids). Bonus: What are the ten most popular surnames in Scotland?

 

The Headlines:

--Corporations Seem To be Hitting Profit Marks But Falling Short On Sales; Is The Future Turning Down?

--Cop Who Shot Man In Back Had been Cited IN 13 Cpmplaints.

--Kerry Warns Iran About Involvement In Yemen.

--U Mizzu To Show “American Sniper Despite Protests From Muslim Studnets.

--Obama Backs Ban Stopping Conversion Therapy For Gays And Transsexual Youths.

 

Somewhere out there in this world of ours, Putin is thinking of what to do next, and we aren’t going to like it.

 

The only surprise to me in the elimination show on The Voice Last night was that Tonya wasn’t saved. When you look at everything objectively, the voters did a pretty good job.

 

The Master’s tournament doesn’t allow cell phones for pics or Tweeting. That means that the tournament retains some of the spontaneity of the past that has always been a bit more satisfying than the know-it-all-in-an-instant of the present.

 

You may or may not like Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, but there is no question about his intelligence. (I get this from first hand knowledge.) So when he says the next financial crisis could be more volatile and tougher to control than any other, I take notice. Is it time to be wary? I think so.

 

Too many people dress to the calendar instead of the reality of the weather outside.

 

To each his own, Department:

It appears from this vantage point that a lot of young men behave like jerks because young women like jerks.

 

The Wego music concert app appears to be the latest way for youth to expose themselves to the unknown and to find love in the Intrnet’s black hole.. The app matches people by concerts they like. So if a concert for the Montana Muckmen is coming to town, all Montana Muckmen fans will be connected and probably make plans with ither muckers to meet in the mud. It could get murky depending on the quality of Montana muck fans. But, that‘s the latest danger in selling your soul to the Internet. This is the cyber iteration of the Deadheads.

 

The hate crime thing is kind of confusing. Assaulting gays and blacks are hate crimes, but Tsarnaev Brother’s bombing of their “Hated” America isn’t.

 

Maybe I’ll start back into American Idol more regularly now that Quaasim has finally been axed. I still don’t understand the judges excitement over him. Joey Cook still entertains me most, and Clark Beckham was really solid. Tyanna Jones and Quentin Alexander are still the other strong contenders. Jax Looks good and is daring, but, she still has trouble singing. I think Ravon is better than his last performance, and Nick while capable and vote-able, is starting to sound like just another male singer.

 

The Answer:

The “Black Watch (Also known as Old Campbell, Grant Hunting, Universal, Government )and Royal Stewart are considered one and two and most popular. Others are Caledonian, Hunting Stewart, Balmoral (Can only be worn by Royal Family) and Jacobite. West Virgiinia U. has its own rather nice looking Tartan, probably paying tribute to those William of Orange supporters with their red neck scarfs who flocked to the state’e hills ( See them all here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tartans  ). Bonus: #1 most popular name in Scotland is the same as here – Smith. Next is Brown followed by Wilson, Stewart, Thompson, Campbell, Robertson, Anderson, Scott and MacDonald. Murray, Reid, Taylor, Clark, Young, Ross, Watson, Morrison, Mitchell and Walker take us to twenty.

 

I think I’ll go out a look for a good Bagpipe concert.