Layng quietly in fields

Layng quietly in fields
Glstening lights

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Take my car, take my money, but don’t take my aspartame from me.




Today's Tids Issue 3,768
For Friends:

Where is the ACLU when you really need it? Has there ever been a bigger infringement on American freedom then the suffocating Philadelphia tax on “Sugary Drinks” -- which BTW also includes drinks without sugar, but doesn’t include drinks with lots of sugar like Orange juice. This is so quintessential government thinking, that it is entirely laughable if it wasn’t so sad. In case you missed it, Philadelphians will now pay cutthroat taxes on nanny state designated harmful drinks, for instant – a sweetened Tea now costs $3.92 instead of $1.77 because of a $1.92 tax! The only drinks not taxed are water, non-sugar drink mixers (Unless designated as Unsweetened(?) or promoted as sugary(?)), Bloody Mary Mix, Tomato juice, unsweetened tea and coffee, and pure, 100% juices -- Orange, apple and perhaps grapefruit and pineapple. Pure Welch’s Grape Juice, though, is taxed, as is everything else except those listed. Idea for making America great again – get the self-righteous out of office.

The guy who developed a sore arm moving into his apartment has tenants elbow…at least according to Brookins and McNelly

NFL players are generally indicted by the unknowledgeable using much publicized negative stereotypes to accuse. But let me give you the words of the Latest Bart Starr Award Winner Matthew Slater, who I believe speaks for a vast majority of players. “I’ve tried to keep in perspective that I am not different than anybody else because I play football. It’s just a job.” He went on, “The connection you make with people, the way you treat people, the things you try to stand for and believe in- it’s something that is very important to me. I’m proud to have won an award that represents Bart Starr I never knew but who was known to have touched the hearts of many. He was a man of faith, a man who was all about family, a man who stood for a lot of good things that I’d like to stand for over the course of my life.” He spoke these words to reporters when coming out of the crowded team Bible class which he ran.  

The Question:
As many of you erudite Tidsters may have noticed, John Grisham's new Book The Whistler is #1 on The NYTBS List. Oh, that BS is Best Sellers…or is it!  A guy named Christian Pierznik has as his hobby ranking Grisham books. What do you think his I top 10 out of the 31 written? Bonus: Name five sweeteners that can be used as substitutes for sugar.

The Headlines:
--Queen Elizabeth near Ly Shot During Early Morning Walk; Guard Mistook Her For Intruder On Royal Property; Guardsman Out of work.
--Stocks Lower; Macy’s Closes 68 Stores To Start Restructure That Lose 10K Jobs; Sears Closes 150 Stores, Sells Craftsman Brand; Kohl’s Also Reports Big Decline In Nov/Dec Sales index; Amazon Stock Rises As Investors See Internet Sales Gaining Over Retail.
--US Added 153,000 Jobs In December, Lower Than Expected, Needed.
--Trump Manic Questioning Of US Spy Agencies Confusing Senate Hearings On Cyberthreats.
--New Car Bombing, Shootings At Courthouse In Turkey.
--Obama Letter To Public Says Good days Are Ahead.
--Hill Mulling Run For NY Mayor.
--Two Parties In Congress Trading Insults Not Worthy Of Reporting.

A great old friend called me yesterday. Just to talk. He raved about his new digs, a home where the population is up a bit in years. He never thought he would be there, but he is and it is good for him and his wife, he said. “No dishes, no making the beds!” He told me he is using a cane and his wife, now about 88, is getting around in a walker. He said his wife was out, up in the town, at a shelter, working with abused women. Working with the disadvantaged, as she has all of her life. Nothing will stop her, or my friend by her side.

I’m not going to comment much on the new President until I can make sense of it all. It’s conceivable that will never happen.

Too often the only spinach available these days is “baby spinach” as opposed to strong and full bodied leafy spinach. Baby spinach tastes a little slimy when sautéed.

“In our new world of rampant vulgarity, the word “risqué” has virtually lost its meaning.” --Thomas Sowell.

It serves me well being an old New Yorker from an area where nobody trusts anybody or anything, because I am reluctant to open anything that looks weird on my computer.

A good guy sent me this morning two tests of reading paragraphs that could determine my potential for Alzheimer’s. One consisted of Jumbled numbers and letters and the other of misplaced letters in words. I found it relatively easy. In fact it looked quite similar to the Tids just before I send it out.

Isn’t it interesting that health foodies like everything natural but sugar?

The Becket play “Waiting for Godot” opened in Paris 67 years ago, today. People are still waiting, and wondering why they are.

In case you’re considering a festive trip across the border to Tijuana, think again. There were 910 street crime homicides there in 2016’. Anybody want to buy a sombrero, cheap!

Young NFL defensive lineman Trey Flowers seems to be coming into his own this year for the Patriots. I don’t how good he is, but he is great for headlines -- Last year’s budding rookie has blossomed! He’s picking up a bunch of sacks. Flowers is growing strong roots in New England.

The Answer:
The John Gresham Best Of List according to Pierznik has as #1 “The Partner”. After that we have “The Last Juror”, “A Time to Kill”, “The Rainmaker”, “A Painted House, “The Testament”, “The Street Lawyer”, “The Brethren”, “The Racketeer” an at #10, the one that brought the fame, “The Firm”. I enjoyed “Pelican Brief” and that is number 13 (He liked it too despite the exaggerations). The Book at #31 on the bottom is “Skipping Christmas”. “The Whisperer”, the New #1 on the NYTBS List is a dreadful #27 – described as boring with no climax and no suspense. But, people are buying it regardless. Bonus: Ok, “Health Magazine lists the artificial 0-Calorie Acesulfame potassium (Sweet One) which after 22 years has seen no problems surface. 20 Calorie Agave Nectar is like honey. 0-calorie Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet -- After 36 years FDA, WHO, and Diabetes Asso says no threats.). Others are High fructose corn syrup, Honey, and the newest in the market Neotame (The only artificial sweetener to get seal of approval from the CSPI.) There is the natural alternative to artificial sweeteners -- non-FDA approved Stevia Leaf Extract. Saccharin (Sweet and Low) is the granddaddy which at one time scared people after a report later abandoned that implied cancer problems. Sucralose (Splenda) another that has tip-toed through earlier negative, poorly executed sturdies, and is now great for baking for diabetics. Sugar Alcohols have some calories, and may cause discomfort. “CSPI” stands for “The Center for Science in the Public Interest, and they generally are negative.

If it sells who cares if it is good or bad. There are lots of resounding successes in this new world of publicity. And there is even more noise generated about what s good for us. Fortunately, I have mastered the art of tuning out.

Sorry I’m late. Had great early  morning with great friends, and we weren’t even playing golf. Great fiends – kind of a remarkable aspect of life, isn’t it.


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