Cheap cheese isn't worth the price.

Today's Tids Issue 2,058

Opening Stuff:

Retailers are enticing with lower prices as people try to reign in spending. I see people in supermarkets with several cans or jars of one product trying to figure out why there are three different fairly diverse prices for supposedly the same thing. It typically goes from national brand to store brand to some value generic. The problem is that people just can’t determine easily what they are getting, and whether or not a low price is really a value price. I found the same thing with cheese recently. But it was a little different in that all of the cheeses were labeled Regianno, typically synonymous with excellent parmesan. Good Regianno typically goes for about $20/lb. Ouch. So I found one for $6.00. Hey it is labeled Regianno, so it can’t be bad, right? Wrong. It was awful. All is not what it seems more than ever today.

More and more it looks like Gitmo is the perfect choice for all terrorist trials. This whole mess just proves why campaign promises are a bad idea.

The Question:

Why do brides carry bouquets? What are the origins for phrases “Piss Poor”, “Dirt Poor”, Raining Cats and dogs” and “Rule of Thumb”?

The Headlines:

--Scott Brown To Be Sworn In At Senate This Afternoon; Ried Effort To Postpone Swearing Nixed.
--Iran Sends Missile Loaded With Animals Aloft; Seemingly Peaceful Exercise Meant To Show Military Strength.
--GOP Uses Admin Handling Of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab To Illustrate Gulf Between Dem And republican Security Policies’ Expected To be major Campaign issue.
--Tiger Woods Expected To be Picked Up At Sex Addiction Center Tomorrow By Wife Elin; Elin Woods Fires Divorce Attorney; Woods Expected To Return To Links At Accenture Tourney.
--Self-Help Empire Guru James Arthur Ray Indicted On Manslaughter Charges For 3 Sweat Lodge Deaths.
--Retailers Report Modest January Gains.
--Foreign Stock Declines Will Be Followed On Wall Street.
--Bernanke Declares Concerns For Recovery At Swearing In Ceremony.
--Toyota Facing Long Road Out Of Red.
--Tids Management Discovers That Other Americans Rely On PowerBall As Retirement Strategy.

More Stuff:

If the coffee bag says “Organic Coffee”, does that mean that the coffee tastes better, or that you can just talk about your coffee with an educated class of people?

Where is it written that you have to spend wheelbarrows full of money to fix health care?

In about two years I expect that just about every major website worth its salt will have some kind of built-social networking component. Americans will have so many friends in so many places with so many passwords that hey will never be able to find them.

I have a lot of trouble with finding the logic in 0-man calling Republicans obstructionists when the Dems have 59% of both the House and the Senate…and 100% of the White House.

The mighty Tids Sports Department loves football pickin’ Thursdays. Sadly, this is the last of the year. Happily, it looks like we have a chance of watching a very good Superbowl. I’ll be a NO fan for this one mainly because I like Brees and the coach. Gotta root for somebody because I have a lot of trouble rooting for the Poulian led Colts. And the terrible Ursey’s who stole the team from Baltimore. But…I’m picking the Colts…34-27. The announcers will mention Katrina 17 times. Regardless who wins, it will be a real football game with a lot of bone crunching tackles and blocks and some spectacular running and passing plays.

If you call Obama “thin skinned”, is that a racist comment?

The Novel:

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 52 Continues. –Jack was happy to hear my voice, and it made me happy too. My mentor and confessor. I need his shoulder now more than ever, but I don’t feel I can open myself to him. Does that mean that I am embarrassed over my love of Kent? Does that mean that I really don’t want him to solve my dilemma? “Jack, I have to talk slowly and I won’t use many words. But, this is important.” “Ok,” he answered. “You and Bill have to go to Isabelle this afternoon. In about an hour or two, she is going to have a major problem, which could have an effect on their growth and our ability to finance their company.” The phone was quiet. “Jeez, Maggie, you’re good even when you’re half dead.” He laughed. “You only say that because you love me!” “You are right about that.”, he quickly replied. “Be quiet, I’m running low on voice.” “Go on”, he followed. “I’ve been talking to the one scientist, Kent Middleton quite a bit. His team is mov ing forward at predictable rate. I expect that his competitor Seymore Bromsky will be arrested. He has even better data, but with very suspect origins which could be a public relations lack eye for the company. Isabelle will see that too, even though she will be silently pleased with the project” I was worn out. But, I felt great.

More Stuff:

Remember Urban renewal in the late sixties, early seventies. It was a federal government idea to shovel billions to cities and towns for the purpose of rebuilding what were perceived as decaying business center. But, as in the case where huge pots of Government dough is involved greed exceeds good sense. Developers and towns hired people who knew how to write requests to the government as opposed to those who knew what was good for towns cities. Urban redevelopment was a disaster filled with bad architecture and unfriendly downtowns. Many great old buildings were lost to the demolition ball. And many of those projects have been already torn down. Or are derelict reminders of a bad idea. The same thing will happen with the “Go Green” concept and in particular Windmills. Windmill developers are considered some kind of Green knight on a white horse. The big pot of dough is there, and the only way to use it is to desecrate the beautiful landscapes of America with a fairly inefficient energy source. I’d rather see trees and dolphins leaping in uncluttered seas.

If Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics had a consistent outside shot, he would be the most dangerous player in Basketball.

You have to figure that bullies are not finding a whole lot of love at home.

The Answer:

In the 1,500’s most people were married in June because they took their annual bath ion May. However brides were beginning to smell so they carries a bouquet. Urine was used to tan leather and peasant would save their urine in a pot to sell. They were known a s Piss Poor. If they didn’t own a pot, they didn’t have a…(Fill in the blanks). Only the wealthy had floors made of something other than dirt. Hence Dirt Poor. Cats and dogs and other animals nestled within the thatched roofs. When it rained hard, the roof became slippery and the animals fell to the ground. Rule of Thumb came about after a law was passed saying that husbands could not beat their wives with a branch thicker than their thumb!

The End:

Is there a better example of the arrogance of people who go on to be politicians than Mark Sanford on his wedding day refusing to take the Vow of Fidelity? I wonder if all wives of celebrity husbands are looking back at their ceremony. “Now exactly what di Tiger say!