BudaBudaBudaBudaBuda…

Today's Tids Issue 2,209

Opening Stuff:

I believe the key in evaluating the next round of corporate reporting is revenue performance. Profits looked pretty hale so far this year. A rather fast return to profits is generally the first thing you see at the beginning of a recovery. Corporations can easily (Well maybe not easily) accomplish rosy profit pictures through general tightening, reduction in employment, heavy discounting or cost cutting. It’s an old story. But now the test. Are people buying again? Are companies getting good prices? Or, are sales continuing to be sustained through heavy discounting? Let’s check out some top lines on the third quarter reports. This is the test.

Pleasant moments with the second movement of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto Number 2 is like looking deeply into a lover’s eyes.

Countries around the world are starting to wake up to the fact that they are still giving China $2.5 Billion in foreign aid. And wondering why the 2nd largest economy in the world needs it. But, that’s like any other government program. Once instituted, it is almost impossible to get rid of it even in the face of overwhelming conclusive evidence against it.

Doncha kinda get the feeling that the NEA is sponsoring NBC’s week long focus on education?

The Question:
Yesterday we did Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice. So today, let’s try Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Learner (In honor of NBC’s Ed Week!). What was this song writing duo’s first hit and biggest hit. Name five shows.

The Headlines:

--World Stocks Pulling Back Over New Concerns About economic Recovery In Europe; US Stock Futures Down.
--US Stocks Continue To Fall After Consumer Confidence Level Dips To Lowest Level Since February.
--NK’s Kim Makes Son 4-Star General; Sets Line Of Secession.
--Gap Between Rich And Poor Widening.
--Obama Wooing college Students Again; Students Expected To be more Selective This Time Around.
--LA Heat Reaches 113F!
--Tids To Boycott First Lady Speeches Until She Stops Talking About Vegetables.
--Red Sox Still In Race After Another Outstanding Effort By Cy Young Contender Clay Bucholtz.

Back to More Stuff:
While strictly against any leniency or compassion for illegal aliens, I have always felt that a work visa plan could work. There is an apparent need for lower cost labor in many industries. And I guess, it is work that is beneath many who are doing just fine on welfare or unemployment checks. Of course there would have to be a lot of restrictions governing such a plan. For example, there would be no government support beyond issuance of the Visa…or the deportation of criminals. The employer would pay for all basic benefits. If the worker was hospitalized and the employer had failed to provide HC, the employer would be billed for all medical services. Unions would not be allowed to organize of the legal temp workers. There would be no Gov benefits for family members. And any worker caught doing anything illegal would be immediately deported.

I don’t look good in form fitting clothing.

I think we are into a long period of a “Hand-to-Mouth” economy. Like now, when summer bursts of employment are winding down and we enter a lull before Christmas/Halloween rehiring. Loyalty on both sides of the employment spectrum has been waning for a couple of decades now. Many of the new middle class jobs require less critical skills, so that the layoff/rehire seesaw has less effect on operations.

The wealthy will slow down domestic investment because over time they can’t see the middleclass as sustaining as high a level of purchases as they have in the past. While the statistics show that the wealthy pay an overabundance of the total tax bill, they also show that the economy we have enjoyed for so many years is because of the unrelenting purchasing power of a consistently strong middle class. A middle class where the future for consistently high earning power is cloudy at best.

Frankly, doncha kinda get the feeling that the current Admin is being run by the NEA?

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 96 continues. –I quickly averted Kent’s piercing eyes. I needed to control my soul myself now. The fear of an hour ago had strangely morphed into resolve. I waved away Dan, and walked into the den. I heard no growls, but I felt aggression.
“Sorry I’m late,” I looked at them with the confidence of someone totally in charge, “But, thanks for waiting for me.” I saw Jack’s face relax ever so slightly. I was assuming that my favorite lackey Jeff was in charge of hiding the greasy one. I walked to the wall and pulled a chair to the center of the room. “I’m glad you thought of an extra chair or two Jack.” He rose, and started towards me, hand out. Ready to shake my hand and pull me in for a fatherly hug. Which he did. Izzy alone, sat like on an island, trying to plot out her next series of moves. Kent sat calmly unaffected by my little drama. But I felt his soft glance. I can feel the presence of this man who knows me so intimately.
“A funny thing happened on the way to this forum.” I said it matter of factly, informatively, but I knew they knew. “Yeah, I was chased by a couple of goons. And when they couldn’t find me, they beat the crap out of my friend Billy.” I stared at the blank expressions of the Izzy/Jack duo. God what psychopaths. I thought Jack felt for me. Like a daughter he never had. “What do you all think happened?”
Nobody spoke, which is not surprising. Finallly, I heard Kent.
“I am happy you weren’t hurt. His voice was soft, almost like he was contradicting some inner emotion.

Something strange happened Saturday night on the East Side of Providence RI. The stadium for the Brown/Harvard night game was packed to the rafters! With frenetically cheering people and…students. The last time Brown U probably saw a full house with enthusiastic students was in the sixties before campus radicalization., When the big game became mass protesting as opposed to “Root, root, root for the home team”. When a foot ball game became too clichéd, too establishment for the anointed elite. Before the late sixties, Ivy League powers like Yale and Princeton had SRO 70-80,000 packed houses…almost every Saturday afternoon. These were events! Could it be that good old fashioned, heart on the sleeve enthusiasm has a chance to be once again in vogue?

There’s a couple of good neighboring states races that I believe are terrific indicators for the depth of the mood of cirizens everywhere.. Charlie Baker, a Republican in Massachusetts, is running against a well known Obama pal, Deval Patrick. Baker is a business man in the mold of Scott Brown. He seems to know how to make things work. And why businesses are finding it harder to stay in Mass. On the other side of the “Hinge” state is Connecticut where the states AG Blumenthal is running against wrestling biz owner McMahon’s wife. She is for real. Knows the issues and has the money to get out the message. Blumenthal is exactly the kind of person we are trying to rid ourselves of; Big government give-away artist. If Blumenthal, and others like him get in, then you will know that all of the anger has accomplished nothing.

Our first lady has been extolling the virtues of the way early Native Americans (Indians) planted corn. Excuse me, but I think we have come a long way in 390 years.

The Answer: 
I don’t think many would argue about picking “My Fair Lady” as the duo’s biggest hit. Since it is also perhaps one of the all time Broadway favorites. Brigadoon was their first substantial hit. Camelot soared off of the success of “Lady”. Other big hits for the duo were Paint Your Wagon and the wonderful Gigi (Movie only.)

The End is Near:
So what’s this BudaBudaBudaBuda…thing all about? It’s about me turning into a mindless blatherer. And it’s the fault of all politicians good and bad. The airwaves are fraught with conflict. Overpromises. It is becoming as hard to watch programming featuring people I support as it is watching those I think are complete fools. I think it is an incumbent conspiracy. Throw as many issues at the people as you can and confuse them to the point where there only means to continuing sanity is to vote for the person they know…the dreaded incumbent. My mind is exploding. I’m turning off the TV. Changing the radio’s dial. BudaBudaBudaBudaBuda.