Okidoki.

Today's Tids Issue 4,045
For a creativity revival:

Current society has just got to stop with the “Oh my God’s” as their only options for expressing, enthusiasm, amazement or appreciative glee. What about going back to Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat, Gee Willikers, Heavens to Mergatroyd or my personal favorite that always makes me smile, “Holy Cow”. I guess it takes a lot of moxie to disrupt the millennials as self-appointed guardians of our culture. If you ask me, there is nothing Hunky Dory about “OMG!”

China’s competitor to mighty Amazon, Alibaba, just keeps on going up and up based in innovation and strong earnings reports. Not only is it one of the two giants in their field, their field is the 800 pound gorilla in retail.

Shoppers these days don’t look at promotional discounts less than 20 %. And, they often wait for 40% or 50%. People, now with the availability of the internet, have become used to finding a better price just about anywhere if they keep on looking. But, the problem is that as retailers and product manufacturers reduce prices to match the demands of buyers, the companies bottom lines grow weaker. The tumbledown effect has more of company’s money seeking better, less common products they can sell at higher process. – and this will over time be at the expense of jobs. I can see an interesting cause and effect crisis on the horizon.

The Question:

How many vegans and or vegetarians do you think there are in the USA?

The Headlines:

--Wall Street Markets Opening Higher After GE $10 Billion Loss; General Dynamics And United Tech Report Strong Profits.

--Islamic State Group Attacks “Save the Children” Office In east Afghanistan.

--Gronk Pal Says All Star End Will be Ready For Super Bowl.

--Schumer Takes Away Wall Promise; Trump Says Schumer Puts Daca Back On Fragile Foundation; Daca Supporters Protest Outside Charlie’s Home.

--Kentucky High School Kids Shaken After 15-Year-Old Kills Two, Injures 18 in Shooting Spree.

--EU Fines Qualcom $1.2 Billion For Illegal Payments To Apple For Chip Exclusivity.

--La Bron Hits 30K Points; Youngest Ever To Reach Milestone.

--Competition Forcing Toys r Us To Close 180 Stores.

--Super Bowl Tickets Expected to be Most Expensive Ever.

--Starbucks To Use New Tax Advantages To Increase Wages,  Improve Benefits for 150,000 Workers.

--Uganda President Yoweri Museveni Says He Loves Trump; President of African Country Says He Appreciates Talking Frankly to Africans.

The flipside of a contagious gum disease is an infectious smile.

Blather Department:

Democrat politicians seem to have trouble putting two simple sentences together when asked by reporters about companies dispersing raises and other benefits to employees following the big Tax change. Actually, as I look around our own state legislature, it is hard to find a lawmaker who actually knows what capitalism is, much less have a clue about how free-to-roam capitalism is far better, and more efficient than socialist driven government mandates.

I don’t know a lot about a lot, but I really don’t know a lot about buying wine. I walk into a booze store and stare at the oceans of racks of bottles, white, red and pink, and have not a clue about where to begin, or even what to ask a clerk. But, I have recently learned that most whites are served too cold and most reds too warm. The problems go way back to the times where in an old musty castle the recommended “Room Temperature” was 60 degrees. 72 is much too warm, and only serves to over-enhance alcoholic content. 50 to 65. Whites also were naturally cooled in old castle cellars to about 45-50 degrees. Regular refrigerators are about 35. Too cold. With super chilled whites, the flavor and aroma is masked. So now I know how to sore em’, but still haven’t a clue about negotiating the racks.

Uganda President Museveni says, “It is the fault of Africans that they are weak.” –Washington Post

If you are like me wondering about cycle changes over billenniums, the news is that scientists have matched rocks in Northern Australia with those in North America – indicating that the two continents were one, 1.7 billion years ago. Yikes.

Speaking of change, I don’t think that Google search is as smart or accurate as it once was. Its seems they are more concerned about finding out who we the users are, or finding ways to corrupt simple searches with multiple advertising results.

How do liquor stores control their wine inventory costs? Or for that matter, the explosion of vodka varieties.

Mueller seems to be moving up the officialdom ladder getting ready to ask The President a few questions. If it feels humid around DC, it is just reporters salivating.

While we’re floating though cyberland, it is almost time for Apple to introduce their competitor to Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home. The “HomePod” will offer easy broad-based messaging, better sound, greater access to music and maybe most of all better privacy. When you say “Hey Siri,” the device will only be interested in your question and will not connect the request to known data about you personally – as do info collector Google and sales opportunist Amazon. That said, Apple has a lot of catching up to do.

The Golf Channel has initiated “Tiger Tracker” service. Spare me.

The Answer:

If you look around at newspaper food columns or chit-chat on those endless TV talk shows, you’d think that the majority of Americans are at least Vegetarians. According to “The Vegetarian Times,” 3.2% of Americans are vegetarians while 0.5% are vegans. Now different groups with different commercial or ideological objectives can find studies to support the growth of meatless meals. I have seen numbers for vegans as high as 6%. But, another very recent study by Harris Poll supports the Vegetarian Times study – 3.4% vegetarian and 0.4% vegan.

I would start a vegan restaurant in a known so-called culturally elite neighborhood. Vegans and vegetarians are loyal and spend money as long as the preparation is exciting and gains popularity among their brethren...and there is a good conversational wine selection available. Of course, I would keep plenty of rich creamy chicken or beef gravy in the fridge for those times when I had to eat while working.

Does anybody have any extra McDonald’s or KFC coupons?

See you all tomorrow.