Everybody loves a Bride.

Today's Tids Issue 2,187
Opening Stuff:
Generally around this time of year I welcome in August, the month that stands for nothing. The month that just sits there and turns brown with each passing day of too much summer’s sun. Oh, some of the greatest people I know were born in August. But other than that, it is a bridge to beautiful September. It’s a month when people spend too much on back to school stuff. A month when the foot ball games are meaning less. August a loser…except this year. When August may be the month that gives us the relief from an overheated July. A month of refreshed mornings. And cool nights and bearable days. Yup, maybe this year August will be worth something.

I liked the local sports columnist’s comment Saturday: “The rich get richer while the poor get prospects.” He summed up quite nicely what is wrong with a very imbalanced Major League Baseball. When you think about it, we should all salute teams like Tampa Bay who have built a winner by being smarter than other teams. Not by overspending. Buying and selling players creates voids in teams.

Actually, the Clinton wedding only cost $250,000. The rest of the $2-3 Million went to pay for publicists.

The Question:
In an effort to bring you up to date with some common food trends (Common for people other than me), name 7 current trendy foods.

The Headlines:
--Fighting In Gaza Escalates As Israel Launches New Attacks.
--Positive Euro Banking Results Have World Stocks Soaring.
--Engineers To Begin Plugging Deep Water Well For Good.
--Pakistan Floods Continue To Kill.
--0-Man Begins New Course In Iraq That Would Wind Down Ops Before Elections.
--New Super Strong Glass May Deliver Multibillions To Corning.
--Rhinebeck NY Gets Back To Its Quiet, Exurban Self.

Back to More Stuff:
Isn’t it interesting how the media lets 0-man get by with slamming Bush over his economic woes when it was the Dem Congress in power that brought down the house of cards and starting building up the deficit? And this is the same media who failed to inform the public properly about the Clinton dot com bubble burst that had the Bush Admin scrambling to right the ship after taking office. We have to get back to a point where vast majority of Americans have memories, and are not just minions to the moment.

You know you’re not living in a Neil Diamond world any more when a recommended musical line-up for a “Today’s” trendy summer party includes Van Hunt, The Marriou Playboys, Kieth Frank, Ron Sexsmith, Cibelle, Deer Tick, Style Council and Joy Division – none of whom I ever heard of much less listened to. Yikes…I am old and out of date.

Too often environmental rules and laws fly in the face of common sense.

In fact, that’s where the Founding Fathers let us down. They forgot to mention that Common Sense should be the overriding consideration in lawmaking.

Crossing into the Rubicon department: This new AMC program is straight out of leCarre. Which means it's going to take a while to get into it. The characters are forming and the eeriness is creeping into the background. It's not going to be Jack Bauer on the case. But it could be come intriguing. I'm giving it a little time.

College athletics might get back on track if the sheepskin began to become as meaningful as the pigskin.

If Chelsea really wanted a private romantic wedding for herself and husband to be, she should have locked up her father.

I had the opportunity this weekend to wander among groups of people that I would consider a broad representation of Americana, from the top to the bottom and everything in between. I listen, and what struck me was the use of the word “Full” when a couple of times people exclaimed to friends (they would meet in the crowd) about getting a job at long last. As in “Full” Time Job. The emphasis was on “Full!” With an “!”. It reminds us of the depth of the downturn and how unemployment numbers are only part of the problem. How under-employment is keeping the consumer confidence index low…and businesses cautious.

To show you how insulated cosmopolitan Manhattanites are, I give you this news item about trends from the “If-it-isn’t-in-the-NYT-I-Don’t-want-to-know-about-it” crowd: “Sunday Brunches have been trendy in the Big Apple for a while and food experts expect his to move to the rest of the country in 2010!” Talking about living under 30 Rock!

When was the first time one of you culturally starved outlanders went to Sunday brunch? 1964? 1955?

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 87 continues. –I sat there stunned as I watched Kent disappear through the door. “You friend didn’t finish his pie. He must be having a bad day.” I looked up and saw Marie standing there with a big smile on her face. A kind of triumphant smile. Did she see Kent’s abrupt leaving as a rejection by me? Did she conjure up a sort of justice in her soap opera mind, where Paul is looking like the winner of my heart?
“He had to rush to an appointment he forgot about.” I quickly said. And, now I have to get home to Paul and the kids. I put on my loving smile. Marie reached down and knowingly patted my shoulder.
“Mr. Middleton is a nice man. I’m sure you and Mr. Durham will have him over for dinner now that you know him. I think he is a lonely man.”
Marie scooped up the money and cleared the plates. I finished sipping my drink. What is going on here?

The latest quote from the oracle of Scranton: “Afghanistan policy is still developing.”! Say what?

It’s kind of scary to think that Joe Biden is a heart attack away from having his finger on the button. Actually it’s kind of scary to think of the President, who has shown the ability to foolishily rush to judgment, with his finger on the button! (Apologies to the Democrat national Committee who often use such scare tactics in their demonization of the opposition.)

I have never worn T-Shirts that advertise where I have been, where I have eaten, what I drink, my philosophies, my loyalties or anything else that reflect my personal thoughts. So, why would I want to become a member of Facebook. Oh, I do wear a Red Sox cap.

The advertising of President Obama is like promoting a product that does work. It looks great until you buy into it. Maybe if he threw in an onion chopper. And if you haven’t noticed, it is Bi-Bi to Mr. Bi-partisan. The biggest lie of all.

Actually Bush promised Bi-partisanship and set out earnestly to achieve that. It turned out to be one of his biggest problems He wound up being continually stabbed in the back by beneath contempt Pols like Teddy Chappaquiddick.

The Answer:
If you are in a restaurant or at a martini bar you are more than apt to find a basket of Edemame in front of you. These are soy beans and they are hot. Other “Bigs” are Sweet Potato everything, Cardamom, Hibiscus, Cupuacu, Rose Water and Latin Spices. I’ll take chicken gravy thank you. Also hot among those who like to be trendy is cocoanut, Organic Chocolate, Gluten-Free food, Exotic Citrus, Pickled stuff, Smoked Fish, Bacon Sweets, Tricked out Popcorn, Spicy Snacks and nostalgia like Oreos, peppermint and peanut butter.

Sorry US meida, but when I want to see a royal wedding, my eyes turn to England.