Is there anything else?

Today's Tids Issue 4,314

Singular objective:

Well, look here, everybody! It’s fabulous, frenetic, foreshortened February. The month of Presidential remembering and for some reason selling cars in honor of them. It’s a month when people believe they can start seeing spring. But most of all, February is about love. It’s in your heart and in tingly chills up and down your spine. It is rambunctious, remarkable, rapturous and utterly romantic. It’s when on the 14th the heart stirs, and a special warmth envelops bodies fighting Jack Frost’s cold. February is full of the best kind of shivers. Love it.

When you think about it, all the crap the permeates society doesn’t mean very much at all. Mainly it’s a bunch of people arguing for the sake of arguing. It especially means nothing at all today, today, this Friday when all emotions are directed squarely towards Sunday. The political games are so frivolous, and will continue regardless of whether or not they are solved. But, Sunday, this Sunday, there will be a game with a resolution. There will be honest give and take between supreme combatants. Minds will counter minds, and bodies will meet forcefully in controlled collisions. And in the end, one side will be smiling. But both sides will be knowing, we played the game hard and we played the game well; we played the game to win. And the victor will have won fair and square. It will be settled. There will be a decision.

The key to life is really quite basic – heat in Winter.

Proper punctuation can make the difference between a sentence well-written and a sentence that’s, well, written.

The Question:

Who are these people -- Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Michael Anderson, David Brown and Ilan Ramon? Bonus: As kids playing sports we argued about the differences between footballs and baseball gloves mainly made by Spalding, Wilson and Rawlings. Another brand that sold a lot was J.C. Higgins. Who owned that brand?

The Headlines:

--US Businesses Added An Amazing 304,000 Jobs Last Month; Market Reacts With Pizzazz; S&P Has Best January Since 87; Honeywell And Exxon Post Strong Profits.

--US To Withdraw From Nuclear Arms Control Treaty; US And Europe Says Russia Has Too Many Violations Making It Inoperable.

--Cory Booker Announces His Candidacy; Howard Schultz Surprised At Vicious Backlash Form Dems.

--Yankee Candle Closes Local Store.

--All Eyes Turn Towards Atlanta.

I can see a movement emerging somewhere in the summer of this year for Beto O’Rourke for President.

Well, the Tids NFL Pickers are up against the wall this Sunday, the final chance to look smart. But, alas, a single game does not a full season make. The big element in this game is the validity of knowledge. I have read tons of opinions about this game, just as I had for the previous two playoff games. In the previous two, the experts were basically singing the praise of stars and missed the point that these games are about teams. So, I have the same fear for Sunday. The Pats are doomed against the LA behemoths; that doesn’t give them much of a chance. Could the prognosticating scribes be wrong again, or are the odds in their favor to finally get one right? Now you all know I am a shameless homer, and I have a lot of faith in the Patriots. But this time, some of the anti-Pats analyses are clouding the sensibility of my mind. Ah, screw it. I’m picking the Patriots 27 to 24.

A lot of senior citizens these days are altering or rebuilding their homes to include first floor bedrooms. One thought for contractors: Offer to use left over lumber to build personally designed caskets, with dovetail joints, and colonial quilted interiors. Makes a nice TV stand an storage unit in the meantime. And, it reminds you not to eat so many Cheetos.

Let’s face it, the underlying factor creating disruption in issues from Climate Change to The Wall is economic and competitive advantage. Alternative Energy companies have a big stake in declaring fossil fuel power sources obsolete and dangerous – while lobbying for subsidies to offset the higher cost of new fuel systems. Most people understand that that Silicon Valley giants would like electronic solutions to border control over concrete and steel. That’s the way it has been and will always be. The government has subsidized new businesses that have gone on to demolish existing institutions.

If I find Chinese music disturbing to my ears and heavy in my brain, does that make me a racist?

Something to keep an eye on during the year: David Simon CEO of the largest Mall owner in the Country says there could be a lot of retail bankruptcies this year.” It appears, too many are over levered; they have nowhere to go.

I just heard news about a new bar in the area featuring “Medieval Axe Throwing”. Good idea, people sloshed throwing axes. Nothing bad ever happens in bars.

Line of the Day: “I haven’t seen Democrats this mad since Republicans freed their slaves.”

Another reason to root against the LA Rams – they are the Hollywood celebrities team.

Reading Between the Lines Movies Reviews:

--They Should Not grow Old Is a very good documentary film about British Troops in WWI. Using real footage showing the fear and Uncertainty soldiers at a frontline battle in Belgium. The director has used to lip readers to bring soldiers words to life. The words accompanied by a perfectly digitally remastered film makes this a special tribute to all British WWI soldiers. Will be moving.

--Arctic is a good survival thriller. A man after crashing his plane in Antarctica, must decide whether to stay with the safety of his plane makeshift home or set out on a trek through the harshest environment on earth. Everybody likes it.

--Miss Bala is a below avenge superhero woman adventure where Bala finds a new power that sets her in the center of an across the southern border crime wave and big battle.

--Velvet Buzzsaw is a satire of the high-priced art world and the conflict that arises when art collides with commerce. Just fair, but interesting topic.

The Answer:

That was the crew of the Columbia who all lost their lives abruptly upon reentry when the space shuttle disintegrated. It was 16 years ago today. A truly sad day in America. Bonus: That was the brand of sporting goods from Sears & Roebuck. It was not considered cool on my street.

Well, that’s it. What do I do now? Just about 54 hours. Tick, tock.

Have a great weekend, and may your favorite team win.  – E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!!