The harbor is thinning out.

Today's Tids Issue 3,191

Opening Stuff:

RFK Jr. Is just the latest in a long line of Kennedy and Skakel hypocrites.

 

I think my car and my phone just got married. It must be a same tech marriage.

 

The toughest and most prominent race for the US Senate, and perhaps dictating GOP control, is between Mitch McConnell and Dem challenger Allison Lundergan Grimes…and the results may all come down to coal! The campaign is a lot about big government regulations strangling industry, and this time it is the so-called lowly miner who is tired of big bro’s intrusions. The winner should be whichever of the two candidates looks like the savior of coal, and that may be the key to a GOP Senate majority, or not.

 

I just heard that miners can no longer buy cigarettes in Connecticut. Talk about an industry under assault!

 

The Question:

The Kennedy antics remind me of a hoax designed to prove how gullible people can be. A mass email was sent asking people to sign a petition to ban DHMO (Dihydrogen Monoxide), a colorless, odorless substance which contributes to the greenhouse effect, may cause severe burns, is fatal if inhaled, erodes the natural landscape, corrodes many metals, causes electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of car breaks and is found in terminal cancer cells. What is this mystery threat to society?

 

The Headlines:

--After Dallas Ebola Case, RI Taking A Look At The West Africa Populations In State; Other States On Guard To.

--Secret Service Director Resigns As Service Appears Disinterested In Protecting President.

--Investors Will be Awaiting Beginning Of Third Q Earning’s Reports To Get Handle On Year end Stock Movement.

--Oil Futures Drop To $90, A 17 Month Low; Euro Stocks Down; Japan It’s Monthly Low.

--As Mobile devices Boom, Twitter Expected to Catch Up With FaceBook In Ads.

--New India PM Says He Will Clean Up Country Of One Billion; Buy Lysol Stock.

--AP-GfK Poll: Economy At 92% Still Driving Force IN 2014 Elections; The Rest: Health Care 80%, ISIS 79%, Terrorism 77%, Immigration 66%; Poll Says Repubs Given Edge In Handling Economy.

--New Jobless Claims Up Slightly; Unemployment Claims Will Probably Not Go Much Lower Than 270K Per Week.

--“Angry Birds” To Cut 16% Of Workforce.

 

Speaking of being passed by, several ex-pilots wrote to say “thanks for making me feel old” – as  they said they had an entirely different definition of “Wingman”.

 

I feel like I’m picking NFL games behind the New England offensive line, as upsets break through normalcy like shifting defenses. Ouch. Now at a miserable 30-30, it’s time to check for concussions and venture out again. Minn went crazy last week, but so did Green Bay, so I’m going with GB at home tonight. Other posers (Aren’t they all lately) are Cleve-Tenn, Houst-Dal, Chi-Car, Atl-NYG, Buff-Det, Balt-Indy, KC-SF, NE-Cinn and the game of the week Denver-Arizona. I like Cleveland’s Hoyer to outduel Crocker; Dallas impressed me last week so they’re the choice in the Texas showdown; In the battle of the disappointments, I’m going Carolina; The Falcons and Giants are enigmas, but the Jints seem to be the one with momentum; Det has underachieved and I’m not sure about an always ready Buff especially away against a tough defense -- Det; Indy is at home, but Balt is showing signs of life – Balt?; If the right SF shows up they could beat a KC team that looked all world Monday night – SF?; I like Arizona, but Denver will win in their own thin air. Most of the NFL “Power rankers” have Cincinnati 1 o r 2. The Pats are looking like an also ran, but they need a good win, badly. They will bottle up Dalton and surprise everybody. The rest of the winners are San Diego over Jets, Pitt over Jax, Philly over St. Louis and NO over TB. (The way things are going this year – Jax and TB could be surprises this week.)

 

I remember playing in the coal bin down stairs in the basement. I remember the smudges on dad’s face when he came up from filling the furnace each wintry night. I remember the glee when it was all changed over to oil. I remember the fear when wondering if an underground oil tank would undermine the sale of a house and break the bank account. Government regulations will follow you to your grave.

 

You will be hearing the word “divergence” a lol in financial chatter for the rest of the year. It mainly speaks to the widening difference between small stocks and large caps and the difference between the yields of junk bonds and treasuries. These expanding gaps will be watched closely with the hope they will close towards the end of the year. If not, it’s a shootout at OK corral for 2015. Put on your bullet proof vests!

 

Threats like Ebola is one of many reasons why we have always had firm, fair yet restrictive immigration policies. Most of the time being liberal is a very bad idea.

 

Liberals have so besmirched Republicans that the GOP is resorting to running ads to proclaim that Repubs are people too – they have tats, beards, eat vegetables, drive Priuses, love Rock n’ Roll, go to art museums and operas and love their children. Hey, Republicans know that they have gigantic hearts ready to jump in to help the helpless, like people always have. Republicans live proudly in their own skin. Isn’t it sad they have to define themselves to the lazy, the deceitful in this new society of misconceptions.

 

Some people think I’m a conservative, but I’m just a simple lover of an honest life trying to paint a broader understanding of the real world around us. I would have to bet that 99.9% of the people on this orb circling the Sun are the same -- wanting food, sleep, cleanliness, sex, love , understanding, appreciation and pleasant diversions. All we really ever argue about is how to get there. It should be easier than what I’m seeing.

 

The “Angry Birds” news item above is interesting as it reflects what should be an ongoing concern for out-of-nowhere super successful business that are built mainly on whimsy, and subject to falling rapidly as the next whizbang hits the Smartphone or tablet. I think I’ll start a new management business, “Keeping fads Alive”. It’s one of those areas where few have had any successful answers, so anything with the right sheep’s clothing could be a winner. Want to invest in my IPO?

 

The Answer:

The study showed how well-presented misinformation can arouse an intense interest among the unknowledgeable. Several petitions were turned into governments around the world urging the banning of “Water”! Think about DHMO the next time you scratch your head over a local or national election. It’s and F-ing world out there, and Fear and Free win a lot of elections!

 

Time to go, but, it has been a joy this raw and damp morn. You my friends are the sunshine today! Well, everyday!