Today's Tids Issue 3,524
Opening Stuff:
Presidential
candidates can puff up their ability to slowdown
the growth of the feds, but the best way to do it is to reinvigorate the sovereignty
of states. It is the remaining power for the people and it might work if the
states weren’t trying to resemble their bloated big brother. The reason Scott
Walker was so scary to the Dems is because he did what all states should be
doing to re-establish sanity in government and control at the state level. The
state you live in is a constitutional powerhouse, and the citizens should exercise
what they have at their fingertips. If we can do it before everything is
wrapped up in red tape and IOU mandates, the country may breathe healthily well
into the future.
Maybe
we should teach states rights in the school system.
Don’t
you think that we have gone way too far with casual dress?
Dressing up was generally considered a show of respect for others. But then we
have to consider that sportsware and team wear is considered dressing up to
many. It’s the same old problem: You give a person with no understanding of
standards an inch, and they’ll take a mile.
If
there ever was a Hollywood stereotype character
for Wall Street underhanded dealings, it would be Martin Shkreli.
The
Question:
You may or may not know that many good artists consider
illustrators a notch below their edification. Most simple souls like me
disagree. Who are considered the greatest US illustrators?
The
Headlines:
--Manufacturing Jobs Hit 7 Year High.
--New Pol Has It Trump 36%, Rubio 15, Crus 14 and
Bush 8.
--Hillary Comes Out Firing; Odd Couple Argues
About Who’s Most Liberal; Clinton Gets Booed For Bernie Rebuke.
--Putin Ups Syria Air Strikes After Kerry Reprimand.
--Romney Urges GOP Powers To Let Carley In On the Act.
--Assange Lawyers Seeking Safe Passage to Ecuador.
--California’s $63 Million Jackpot Remains Unclaimed.
--Crane Collapse In Lower Manhattan Kills Four.
Super
Bowl musings: --There a lot to read that’s not
worth the time as boilerplate and sportswriters agendas take over. I much
prefer reading about the rise of High School hockey on this island. –Denver’s “D”
is better than what the Offense lovers give it credit for. To most, the run,
the pass, the marvelous snag is what lights up the eyes of most observers. But
games are won in the trenches, and Denver has that at least on the defensive side.
–The great battle of the day will be between Bam Newton and Von Miller and DeMarcus
Ware. –The halftime show will be too long. –The commercials, once a surprise addition
to the overall telecast, are now over promoted and overdone. – OK, enough small
talk. Who will win? Luke Kuechly will intercept Peyton twice, but the Denver D
will bottle up Cam and take away his recievers. Denver wins with a field goal
17-14.
There
is no truth to the rumor that Donald Trump will
pick Roger Goodell for Veep.
By
the way, Real Clear Politics combined polls have
Marco Rubio as the best Repub candidate against a presumed Hillary foe. Rubio
beats her by 5 points and Cruz wins by 1. Against the others, Clinton is up by
7.5 against Kasich, 4 on Trump, 3.6 on Carley, 2.4 on Bush, 0.7 on Christie and
0.4 on Carson. So, the top four where it counts are Marco, Ted, Ben and Chris.
It
will be interesting to see how Hillary holds up after New Hampshire
which right now looks like a pretty good win for Bernie.
When
we look at the terrible and heart wrenching destruction
of Midwestern towns after tornadoes, part of the national reaction is that
there are more storms and more violent storms. I contend that there have been
storms for eons, but not so many people in housing developments to get in the way
of them. For instance, in 1911, the capital building of Missouri was burned
down for the second time after being struck by lightning. If you have ever
driven across those majestic plains, you get a sense of widespread storms never
felt in coastal states. Nature is always out there doing something, but when affects
or destroys the lives of people, storms become bigger in the eyes of caring people.
One
of the reasons I’ve been running this “Countdown to Valentine’s Day”
song fest at the end of the Tids each day is because I firmly believe we need
more love in this society. Whether or not people like it, most humans are more
alike than different. But judging by the decibels of the screams and the
crassness of petty insults, you’d think
that different people groups came from different planets. Hey, maybe Mulder and
Scully are on to something.
One
of the few advantages of watching afternoon TV
is feeling how fortunate you are by never having to be a celebrity being asked
questions on the Ellen show.
It’s
interesting how Hillary keeps landing on her feet after
being flipped so many times.
Hey…sorry!
Some of you may have found a picture of me in the Tids yesterday. My ego is not
going wild. I’m am not…I repeat, I am not running for president. I added
something late and the picture was part of what computers do.
Hold
on a minute, have to go out and shovel snow! Love
it.
Whew!
Celebrities
are probably pretty smart, but they sure don’t sound like
that when not reading from a script.
“The
Parking Lot” resumes On Monday. The excitement is
building. I have to stop and take a breather every once in a while. I
appreciate your understanding.
Reading
Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--I think that Hail Caesar could be fun, especially
for those who remember Esther Williams and the late forties-early fifties films.
It is a spoof from the Coen Brothers that looks perfect, and captures a day in the life of a slick talking “studio
fixer”. The movie brings back the era with a great cast and man good smiles.
--Nicholas Sparkes’ The Choice is a critical
disaster and not much better in the eyes of audiences. It is the author on film
with all of the clichés in this tale about how early life’s choices affect
later happiness. I’m staying away.
--Regression reads well, but critics don’t like
it. A detective, Ethan Hawke, investigates the case of a young girl, Emma
Watson, who accuses her father of an unspeakable crime. The father admits his deed,
and later in the hands of a probing psychiatrist, his memory reveals a
horrifying national mystery. Sounds interesting to me.
--Pride and Prejudice and the Zombie is what it
says – an outbreak of zombies in Jane Austin country. It is still about class differences,
but the threat of the zombies breaks down old barriers as Darcy and Elizabeth
join together in the battle. I suspect tghr beginning is interesting and the end
is trite.
The
Answer:
There are thousands of great American artists who
made their living as an illustrator. Probably best known is Norman Rockwell,
and next maybe because of his family of well known artists, NC Wyeth. So, it’s
really hard to find a top ten list, because so much what is good about art, and/or
illustration, is in the heart. And, best known is not the best standard.
Maxwell Parish is often considered as one of the great innovators, and some say
that Andy Wahrhol was an illustrator. Other key collectable illustrators are JC
Leyendecker, Charles Dana Gibson, Howard Pyle, Margaret Whitcomb Pearl, Alice
Barber Stephens, Frederick Sands Brunner and John Clymer. This is just the tip
of the iceberg, or should I say sable hair brush. Find your favorite: http://www.americanillustrators.com/artists/
Well,
have a wonderful weekend, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!!
Enjoy
this latest in the Valentine’s Day Countdown https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXfGPOHgImk
I
remember over fifty years or so ago living in a duplex
house on a very steep hill East of Pittsburgh. One day my landlord living in the
other side of the house called me over. He was a hardworking guy with a machinists
job in a big Westinghouse Electric factory. Today though, had unusual twinkle
in his eyes, a smile of pride on his face. I said, “Hi.” He just stood in the doorway,
slowly pulling from behind his back his new album of Madam Butterfly. I often
saw him sitting contented in his rocker after work, a million miles away, lost
in the music of Pucini.
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