Faith, hope and charity.

Today's Tids Issue 2,099
Opening Stuff:

When you look around at the recent gloom, think of the words of William Arthur Ward: “Faith sees a beautiful blossom in a bulb, a lovely garden in a seed and a giant oak in an acorn.”

With the passage of HC, I think you can see that the Dems are becoming emboldened. Republicans seem to be retrenching, as they plot a strategy for November. The best strategy may be hoping that the Dems become too emboldened and start providing new examples of ignoring the people. Meanwhile, some including Obama and NYT’s Friedman are recognizing the power of movements like the Tea Party. Basically, the political scene is jumbled mess right now and it is all about positioning for the elections.

The Question:
Many cities claim to be “First” in many areas. Name the cities first to have ambulance service, a black majority, electric lights, baseball stadium, Catholic cathedral, radio station, computer, lighthouse, hospital, opera house, railroad station, skyscraper, subway and traffic light.

The Headlines:
--New Medical Science Report Declares Chocolate A health Food; Easter Bunny Smiling.
--Stock Futures Fall After Private Sector Job’s Report Shows Cuts Of 23,000 Jobs In March; Experts Had Forecast Addition Of 40,000 Jobs.
--Rising Waters Consume Rhode Island; Schools Close Again As 100 Year Flood Waters Inundate State; Sewage Plants, Interstate 95 Under Water.
--China Hackers Disrupt Journalists Yahoo! eMail Accounts.
--Obama Ok’s Oil Drilling Off Virginia.
--GOP Leaders Warn Candidates Not To Run On Repeal Of HC.
--Massachusetts Small Businessman Warns Rest of Country On Government Mandated Health Care.
--New Suicide Bombers Kill More In southern Russia.
--Sarkozy In DC To Work With 0-Man On Iran Sanctions.
--UConn Women Move To Final Four After 40 Point Win Over “Tough” Florida State team, Star Maya Moore Says They Were Not Perfect, Yet.

Back to More Stuff:

Let’s get American Idol over with first. Personally, I think this is a tough week for picking a final three. Not only do you have to listen to the music, but you have to factor in the popularity contest too. I’d still like to get rid of Urban, but, his singing wasn’t so bad this week. And, he has that invulnerable cuteness factor among teenies going for him (I guess). I thought Aaron, who I generally think is a good singer was the worst performer of the night. Didi didn’t do the deed well for the demagogues, but her voice sounded ok to me. I like her. Lee was great along with Bowersox and Casey. (BTW – With opening day less than a week away, I’m calling her “Bosox” from now on.) Andy and Mike were good. Siobhan had an off night, and could even be a candidate for the bottom three. Katie showed me that she has a real voice, but her performance was robotic. So, the stool sitters tonight should be Didi, Aaron and Tim or Siobhan.

I see where hockey great Gordie Howe is turning 82 today. Any day now I expect an announcement that he will join in with his grandsons playing on the Harford Whalers. Forgetting that the Whaler’s left town years ago. An aging mind is not a pretty thing.

A new non-scientific CBS News Poll on the 0-Man’s first year has him receiving far more “F’s” than anything. He was to be rated either A,B,C,D or F on foreign Policy, Health Care, The Economy, Afghanistan, Iraq, The Threat of Terrorism, Social Issues, Energy/Environ and Bi-Partisanship. Personally I gave him a several “C’s” and a couple B’s”. I only gave him one F and it was for his dramatic lack of Bi-Partisanship. His overall rating on this poll had 63.98% F and 22.94% D. That only leaves 13% for A, B, C. After looking at the results, I felt like a flaming liberal.

One of the best lines I have heard in a while is: “America needs a safety net, but not a hammock.“.

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 63 continues. --Actually, the dinner went very well. Paul seemed to have loosened up, like he had gotten something off of his mind. We laughed and had a grand old time just like a regular family. Hey, we are a regular family. It’s just me who is a little out of line. Then I thought of Kent. But in some small way, not as I did two weeks ago. Maybe. After the kids ran off, we sat down with our coffee in our second colonial parlor, a room known as the mourning room. I wonder how many people had been laid out in the middle of the room over the years. It certainly wasn’t gloomy now, as we had painted in brighter colors, but with a colonial aura. I loved the comfort, and lord knows I certainly felt alive now after my near miss. I looked at Paul. He seemed so calm, enjoying the perfect silence. “So, why did you ask me so many questions about Middleton?”
It was as if he was waiting for the question. “I think I was being defensive. Maybe it was because of the guilt I have for working so much so long into the night. Maybe I saw something that wasn’t there because I know how much I have left you alone. I was starting to see a relationship that didn’t exist. I’m sorry that I even thought that for a moment.” I didn’t say a thing.
“What do you think of Middleton and this Bromsky testing affair?”
He thought a moment. “You know, that is a very good question.” There is something that puzzles me about the whole thing.”

Perpetuating Bad Behavior and Irresponsibility Department:.
The bailouts for banks and financial institutions were hammocks for the irresponsible thieves who ran us into the ground; Bailouts that in the long run will only serve to perpetuate the same activities for new thieves and irresponsible self serving financiers. The fact that the Government is now making a nice profit off of their intervention will only inspire our gutless leaders to bailout over and over again and again. And the real intrinsic problem will never be solved. It is exactly like welfare that keeps the downtrodden down. Bailouts keep the scoundrels and inept soaring.

The US economy just doesn’t work when the government is involved.

24-um: --A reader notes that Jack looked much too clean shaven after 13 hours and much two spry after three shots to the chest. –Renee can shoot! –Has their ever been a faster military coup in the history of the world than the attempted subversion of the Presidential order last night? –Dana makes a good evil person. –It’s time for the office sex lecher to do something great. –The head of CTU is just too vanilla now.

I see where 0-Man yesterday signed the new Government takeover of student loans by saying the government will save $68 Billion by eliminating the dreaded “middleman”. Doesn’t he realize that the majority of the jobs remaining in a post manufacturing America are middlemen? And speaking of middlemen, the biggest middleman of all is the US Government who takes your money, adds a trillion or so in debt to it and gives it back to you as a benevolent gift. Think of the billions we would save if we got rid of that middleman!

Did you hear about the worker who after a labor action decided go into the laundry business to sustain some income? He decided to iron while the strike was hot.

A report in the new issue of Vanity Fair paints a seamier and seamier picture of the Tiger Woods affair. The new bloody details, and I mean bloody, portray the golfer in gloomiest light yet. The article attributes his downfall with falling in with the wrong crowd – namely Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Then it goes into sordid detail of his ravenous cravings, to the point they say where it will be tough reading. No wonder that the other golfers in their nightly prayer add: Now I lay me down to sleep, I hope I don’t draw that (bleep)!

The Answer:
 Ambulance – Cincinnati; Black majority – Washington DC; Electric Lighting – Muncie Indiana.; Baseball Stadium – Pittsburgh; Catholic Cathedral – Baltimore; Radio Station – Pittsburgh; Computer – Philadelphia; Lighthouse – Boston; Hospital – Philly; Opera House – New Orleans; Railroad Staion – Balt; Skyscraper – Chicago; Subway – Boston; Traffic Light - Cleveland.

The End:

Keep the faith, hope for rainbow followed by the sun and love thy neighbor as thyself.