Today's Tids Issue 3,212
Opening Stuff:
I thought you’d never
ask,
About my Halloween mask
I thought I give Dems a thrill
And dress and look like The Hill
And let out scream so shrill
“What difference”, about Benghazi!
In my costume, regally snazzy.
Be a clown; make em’
laugh, Department:
In the Midwest, the big new thing in Halloween candy
collecting is telling a corny joke. Yes kids not only have to look intriguing
to candy givers, but now have entertain with humor like “What do you call a cow
with out legs?” “Hamburger!” (Hey, they could, write for Tids!) If the adults
giggle, they must drop sweet stuff into the bag. The Astronaut said the
restaurant on the moon had great food but no atmosphere. I’ll take a Reece’s,
please.
Scarier than any
Goblin or witch is a cornered politician who is in jeopardy of losing just
before election day. In Louisiana Incumbent Senator Landrieu used both the gender
and race cards in a lst ditch effort to pull her out of losing battle. A left leaning
group in Colorado in a panic over Udal’s potential loss ran an ad saying that a
vote for his opponent Gardner could cause a national crisis of a condom
shortage. As the candidates panic, though, the media advisors and commercial makers
are getting all of the candy. Meanwhile, the voters have all become zombies.
The Question:
Name 15 songs that define Boomers. Bonus: What are the three largest software companies in America and
which is most profitable?
The Headlines:
--Chocolate Prices To Rise; Millions Of Americans Stunned.
-- Market Is Sweet At 11:15 – Up Over 180; Bank Of Japan
Surprises With new Quantitative Easing; Gold And Oil Plumb Multi-Year Lows.
--Hagel Outlines Flaws In Obama Syria Policy In long Email
to Susan Rice; Kerry Says He And Prez Condemn Use Of Words “Chicken Shit”
(Worthless Coward) To Describe Netanyahu; They Prefer Stubborn Bastard.
--Elusive PA Cop Killer Finally Captured.
--Russia Central Bank Surprises With Heftier Than Anticipated
Interest Rate Increase; Bank Trying To Stabilize Currency; Move fails To Halt
Ruble Decline.
--Mysteries Of Laura, NCIS NO, Scorpian, Madam Secretary and
Stalker Winners In Early fall TV Sweepstakes; Sluggish Secretary Benefits From
Sandwich Between 60 Min and Good Wife.
I’ve been following
the Around the World Volvo Sailing race. The pictures are amazing, but I
was perplexed about the route that takes the eight boats along the South
American coast as opposed to the African coast which seemed more apropos for a
journey to Cape Town. But, what do I know.
Could Bashar al-Assad
emerge as the First President of Islamic State? He certainly helped pave the way
for the renegade takeover with the slaughter of 100’s of thousands of Syrians.
One of the key terms
in our society going forward is “Analytics”. Think about the fact that many
of the new billionaires started companies basically designed to collect data. Yes,
almost all apps and places like FaceBook and Twitter only exist to collect data
about masses of people. Marketing/Advertising* has evolved from its creative base
to a data driven analytical industry. Analytics are the basis for portfolio
management and risk analysis. Hey, even politicians use it as a foundation upon
which to manipulate and disseminate misinformation. Analytics is the discovery
and communication of meaningful patterns in data through the use of mathematics
and statistics; descriptive techniques and predictive models. Data is now
pouring in a like and never ending flash flood. Big companies like IBM,
Microsoft and Oracle will hitch their futures to it. Insurance companies have
been doing it for centuries. But, now the science has exploded. You are a known
factor and are being plied in the soft hands of a marketer/mathematician at
this very moment. Feel good? Oh, the
word analytics was first used around 1590, but now we have computer power to
make it work. Want to buy a “free” app?
(*Note: The good advertising agency since the beginning of
time always based creativity on good data about people and markets and product
capability. Computing has made it a new ballgame.)
My old alma mater is
having a rare off year on the old gridiron, so much so that the Coach is
saying this is one of those years when it is nice to have a great tradition to remember.
This miserable season was to culminate in grandeur with the playing of the 150th
Game in the historic series with arch rival Lafayette in Ya, ya, Ya…(WYKWIM)
Stadium. It will still be a fantastic event, worthy of one of the greatest American
sports rivalries, despite what the cash rich SEC says about Student athletes,
with a capital “S”.
It seems as though
the NCAA may have to add to the cash now approved for big time college
basketball and football players, a personal lawyer on full retainer.
Think about the fact
that in the not so distant future Starbucks will have more stores in China than
the USA. Can you sing, “We are the world”?
Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--Before I Go To Sleep with Nicolle Kidman and Colin Firth
could be one of the better mysteries of the year. It’s about a 47 yo old married
writer, Kidman, who has an accident that traps her in a new existence that has
her waking every day thinking she is single and has all of her life choices
ahead of her. A series of meetings with a psychiatrist has her learning a truth
better forgotten,. I’m seeing it.
--I always liked Michael Keaton, and they say his role in
Birdman deserves an Oscar. Keaton plays a washed up actor who used to play a
superhero icon beloved by all, but now must overcome his ego and family trouble
to mount a comeback in a Broadway play. It is tragic humor at its best. The
subtitle of the movie is, The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”.
--Nightcrawler is another thriller that could be a winner.
It’s essentially and expose’ about all of these scrounging photogs who make
their living off of pics and films of victims
of crimes, murder, fires and car crashes. An out of work man, Jake Gyllenhaal
gets into crime journalism only to learn it is far more dangerous world than
imagined. This also stars Rene Russo as a local TV news veteran and Bill
Paxton.
The Answer:
My years were formative quite a bit earlier than the boomers,
but I enjoyed much of the music they brought to the scene. But, not particularly
the Number 1 on the list -- Jailhouse Rock by you know who. The rest are That’ll
be The Day (Buddy Holly), At The Hop,
Johnny Be Good (Chuck Berry), What’d I say One of my favorites), The Twist, I Want
to Hold Your Hand, Dancing in the Street (Another fave), I Can’t Get No
Satisfaction (Stones), Like A Rolling Stone (Another Favorite), Good Vibrations,
R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Aretha), Light My fire (Doors), A Day in the Life (From a favorite
album Sgt. Pepper) and 15 What’s Going on by Marvin Gaye. I am surprised there
isn’t more rock stuff from the late 60’s early 70’s like The Who, Cream, Yes, The
Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Crosby Stills Nash and Young and Steely Dan…among
others. Bonus: Microsoft is biggest
followed closely by IBM and Then Oracle. Oracle is most profitable.
Hey, why not end the
week with a Boomer special. I’m picking What’s I Say:
The Truth comes out
Department:
Back in the late fifties a couple of my fraternity brothers found
this great band playing at a bar in the basement of a Brothel in a city like Reading
the Middle of Pennsylvania (I don’t know why they were there and I’m not
mentioning names). The band, “King something or other” was sweaty and loud and raucous.
We brought them into the house for Saturday parties and they became the biggest
thrill on Lehigh U hill…and the top hit that drove everybody crazy was “What’d I
Say?” Today, we’d be thrown off campus, or worse.
Happy Halloween,
E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!
