Today's Tids Issue
4,021
For the Propagation of People Enjoying People:
A
lot of people are touting drones as a better way to take
selfies. All of that technology for a better picture of one’s self? I have seen
large investments being devoted to other new businesses built around taking selfies.
I don’t get it. I don’t even look good in pics.
I
like that TV commercial where a little girl is staring out
a car window at people of all races and ages and genders standing in the city streets
looking at their smart phones. The little girl rubs and shakes a snow globe,
making a wish. Suddenly, softly, snow starts falling upon the people and music rises.
They, one by one look up from their phones and begin to notice that there is indeed
a beautiful world beyond technology; the smiles broaden and one by one they begin
talking to each other and finally happily dancing together. The little girls smiles.
And, I do too.
It
has been determined that 99% of robocalls, which are
currently a serious societal disease of epidemic proportions, are made
illegally and virtually impossible to stop through the “Do Not call Registry”.
In fact, statistics say that one successfully completed scam call can finance
100,000 additional illegal calls. “Do not call” does not seem to be working against
the illegal computer-generated calling. There is only one successful remedy.
“Do not answer”, even if the call looks like your next-door neighbor.
Why
don’t I feel depressed at missing out on the
cryptocurrency boom? I think I have reached the inert stage of life.
The
Changing Times Department: The new tax bill bars deducting
payouts to sexual misconduct victims. Yikes.
The
five best Christmas Beers you may want to consider for your
guests, (Or for sitting alone, sulking in your garage after not getting what
you want for Christmas) are St. Bernard’s Christmas Ale, Great Lakes Christmas
Ale, Delerium Noel, Troegs Mad Elf, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Bells Christmas
Ale, Anchor Brewing Company Our Special Ale, 12 dogs of Christmas Ales, Samuel
Adams Holiday Porter and Affligem Noel Christmas Ale. Raise a mug and sing out
“God rest ye merry Gentlemen”… and Ladies of course.
The
Question:
Name the Top Ten all-time Christmas movies.
The
Headlines:
--Senate Joins House In Passing Tax Reform Bill;
Wall Street Resting; Tax Bill Could Produce 10% House Price Drop In More
Expensive Neighborhoods.
--Uber Designated A “Transportation Company” By EU
Court; Blow To Car Sharer Could Also Affect Other Digital Services.
--Boston’s Infamous Cardinal Law Dies.
--Celebrity Cruise Ship Tour Bus Crashes Killing At
Least 12, Injuring Many; 7 Americans Among the Dead.
--Return Of Powerful Santa Ana Winds Reinvigorates
Big Cal Fire.
--NYC”s Mayor DiBlasio Tells Iowa Dems To Move left
To Win.
--SK Would Like To post Pone Military Drills With US
Until After Olympics; NK Said To Be Testing Idea of Anthrax Missile Warheads.
--Chloe Kohansky Named The Voice; Addison, Brooke
And Red Are 2, 3, 4.
--Recount For Virginia Statehouse Seat Gives Dem 1
Vote Win Over Repubs: State House Now Tied 50-50.
That
Uber call by the EU court could be quite significant
for all of those digital emerging industries who definitely don’t like being defined
as what they are. Uber likes its own definition as “A Marketplace to connect
people for services’. Now in much of Europe it is a Taxi Company, pure and
simple. Other companies not liking to be ruled by regulations are for instance AirBNB,
which considers itself “a technology platform” as opposed to being a “Housing
provide”, which of course it is. Many other digital gold mines want to be only
considered helpful apps, that shouldn’t be held responsible fro what they
actually do. England has ruled that Alphabet does not have any right to other
people’s secret personal data. This British ruling was tested in Indonesia and
Alphabet was forced to eliminate data as requested. Thinking out of the box is
a license for a lot of people these days, but the those who do it best are
those who do it considering the rules of an orderly and fair society.
There’s
a lot of talk about who gets hurt most in the new tax
law, almost all of politically based. Now we know that this year through
intelligent estimates that 45% of Americans do not pay any taxes. So that means
that the poorest of the Americans will not be affected. We also know that the
Treasury collects $1.37 Trillion and that the top 1% of wage earners pays $542
Billion. I fact, the top 10% pays $973 Billion or a little over 70% of all
taxes. The top 25% of wage earners pays $1.255 Trillion, 86% of all taxes. The
bottom half of American wage earners only pay 2.8% of its income in taxes. But
the rhetoric would have you believe that the less able to pay are getting hurt
real bad, and that somehow the people who have been most successful creating
businesses for jobs and wealth often designated to charities are getting a huge
break. As always there is a happy medium in these discussions which politicians
just find impossible to achieve.
There’s
no truth to the rumor that President Trump’s main interest in
the Olympics is watching how high the Mexican team pole vaults.
Harvard
has ruled that no student can be a team’s captain or hold a
leadership position in an organization if they are a member of any club or
organization whose membership is limited to a single sex (i.e. – Fraternity,
Sorority). Ah yes, our enlightened academia.
Did
you know that one of the big difficulties that Dem and Repub
admins have had in determining the percentage of Americans who don’t pay taxes,
is trying to uncover the unknown masses who don’t even file!
Today’s
super smart Artificial Intelligence software writers are
probably creating robots who in 10-15 years will be able to write software to
propagate their own future better than humans. That will be just in time for
the next tax Code revision.
Midweek,
Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--I’ll be going to see “The Greatest Showman”
starring one of them – Hugh Jackman. It is like a Broadway musical based on a
life that of Barnum. It has pathos, a bit of a fairy tale and lot of music as
we see the greatest promoter rise from nothing to bring magic to the world. And
this movie is pure magic and good fun. Good acting and a whole lot energy in
this film about a juvenile thief-swindler-turned super showman.
Did
you see where sad faced Rosie O’Donnell sent a tweet
offering GOP Senators Collins and Flake each $2 Million to vote against the Tax
Bill. Does that sound like offering a bribe to you? Are celebs actually that arrogant?
New
defense in court: “I’m a celebrity.” It rhymes with
insanity and is better known as the vanity exclusion.
The
Answer:
Number One is probably no surprise – “It’s a Wonderful
Life”. The rest in order are “The Christmas Story”, “National Lampoon’s
Christmas Vacation”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, “Home Alone”, “Miracle on 34th
Street”, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, “Elf”, “Rudolph” and “The Santa Clause
(Tim Allen)”. One of the best ever, “A Christmas Carol” only shows up at 19,
and the original 1938 version is nowhere to be seen. BTW, 2 slots ahead of The Christmas
Carol is “Die Hard”! Bing Crosby’s White Christmas is #11, and his “Holiday
Inn” which introduced the song White Christmas is #25. What about the “Bells of
Saint Mary’s”?
Today’s
Addition to our eclectic week before Christmas song list
is:
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