Today's Tids Issue 2,743
Opening Stuff:
 
I read a nice little piece about a successful developer, construction company owner generously bringing a high quality college Summer league baseball team to his community in thanks for the start he had received in his life on town fields for Little League and Babe Ruth League competitions. I thought that often I see successful people returning something to their town and many times it's becasue of their fondness for athletics and the chance the Town's facilities provided. Then I'm thinking about all of the kids who have other sincere interests.that could be fulfilled, if, say a town had a full service arts center. There are many, many youths into art, theater, music and cultural appreciation, enlightenment, yet the big town dollars always go for athletics -- bigger gyms, extensive fields at educational facilities; Town run fields for organized athletic leagues. But, try to get through an art center, and the towns more often than not cry poor; The town Fathers and Mothers look at proposers with blank eyes.

Obviously, scholarships worth $100-200K aren't worth anything to athletes. Just cold, hard cash in their pockets. The word is now out, loud and clear, that Paying college athletes is around a very short corner. They are just trying to come with a formula for dollar amounts. Maybe it's just the latest assault by the big colleges to squash the small upstarts. Maybe all of this money is the real reason why towns folks vote for athletics over arts and related activities fro town facilities. Maybe we need a Little Art League and a TV contract.

I see where a group of Americans is passing around a petition to ask Congress to classify the Catholic Church as a hate group because they have steadfastly held sacred their tenants about marriage. That's not going to happen, at least for now, and neither is Bledsoe

Irony Department:
In extolling the virtues of his nominees for SoD and Chief CIA, the President pointed out they had both been in the field as soldiers, operatives, saying, "To have been in the heat of battle, to understand the consequences of the decisions they make..." This, from a Community Organizer who never walked in the shoes of most working Americans and creative entrepreneurs or professionals who have to run businesses now under crushing and increasing government demands.

The Question:
It's Earnings Time in the old stock market. 9 Companies may shock on earnings. Guess who they may be. Personally, I haven't a clue. So maybe it is a crappy question. But, the maybe it will be informative. I know I learned something.
The Headlines:
--Today Marks Beginning Of Q4 Earnings Reports; Analysts, Forecasters Arguing Among Selves; Sandy, China, Europe May Drag Earnings Lower Than Originally Predicted.
--Giffords' Join Anti-Gun Mob.
--Alabama School Boy Arrested In Plot To Blow Up School; Cache Of Homemade Explosives Found.
--Tanker Hits Golden Gate Bridge; No Problems.
--Iran's Khamenei Strongly Urges People Not To Criticize Elections; Aids Enemies He Says.
--AIG Ex-CEO Says Bailout Rules Hurt Company.
--Disney Pondering Layoffs.
Are "Things they do" driving educational budget decisions more than "Stuff they need to know".

I would really, really hate being an advertiser who paid mega sums for the so-called National Championship and have a comercial slated for the second half. That game was over in ten minutes.

I'm calling the second Obama admin the nibblers. They will raise taxes a little bit at a time. They will take away small parts of gun ownership freedom a little bit at a time. They will take a little bit of free enterprise a little bit at a time. Some day we will awaken and wonder, where is America?

Some times when I'm writing I try to stuff big complex ideas into pithy little sayings and often it doesn't work at all. I guess when it works it's a candidate for Bartletts. Yeah, right.

I overheard some fisherman arguing whether or not Euclid was the first angler.

Why do they even waste the ink, Department:
The standing Providence Journal headline is "RI delegation supports Obama's (Fill in the blank.)" It's always dog bites man, and never surprises. Maybe we should call our guys the Jonestown Four. Kool-ade anybody? What an embarrassment.

If towns had Art centers, maybe they could produce the next reality show rage -- like something called Honey Boo Boo. Apparently this toddler "Beauty Pageant Queen" earns $16,000 per episode and people actually watch it. We're talkin' real money here, and for what? Please tell me!

Money saving idea from loyal reader: "No big out of sight costly inaugurations for any second term Presidents."

People with no talent, no critical knowledge, are being paid big money just for existing.

The Answer:
!: Morgan-Stanley may hit 22cents/share rather than 29. 2. Goldman surprises up 3,51 to 4.13 3. Forest Lab (Anti-depressant Lexapro) expected to surprise with narrower loss. 4. Lennar Builders to surprise up. 5. BoA Expected to surprise down 4% (Although "WhisperNumbers" sees an increase).  6. Charles Schwab off 3.4% from consensus. 7. Suntrust Banks estimates drop 2.%. 8. First Horizon national
(1st Tennessee Bank) Interesting that the big stock winners for 2012, financials, are showing downside surprises. Aah, the enigma that is Wall Street. Clueless Lane lives. (Note all of these surprises are based on earlier analyst estimates, compared to numbers after filtered for data errors by Thomson-Reuters StarMine Analytics.

Let's see, the US taxpayer gave AIG $182 Billion with a capital "B" so it could avoid bankruptcy which would have wiped out the value of shareholders equity. Today we learn that the company is discussing jointing a lawsuit by the former CEO of AIG "Hank" Greenburg against us the taxpayer, alleging that terms of the bailout were unfair. We should have let them all fail. I think the country would be in a better position today. Anf capitalism would be back upon a sounder footing. Until the next irresponsible exec came along.

What's wrong with boys and girls with music in their hearts and magic in their fingertips, who can join in a chorus of beauty; who can  swell hearts, bring tears to the eyes of a stone.

Had a confusing morning today, so I don't get to everything I had planned here. How can somebody who does nothing but write this mess, have a confusing morning? Whatever happened to the do nothing, no problem days of retirement? That is the question.