Today's Tids Issue 3,434
Opening Stuff:
BOO!
Yes, the ghosts and goblins and things that make strange noises when you walk
into dark rooms are stirring. The temps are falling and the spirits are rising.
The trees and bushes, grasses waving in fields of rolling hills are dying, leaving
American vistas awash in vivid colors; behind haystacks with long shadows. We
celebrate Columbus finding us, and hopefully not mourning your favorite team
losing on the gridiron. October is another of those perfect Fall months and can
be quite exhilarating as long as the stock market doesn’t collapse. Forget the
witches and skeletons, maybe it’s the financial world that makes it so scary.
But
then, what could be more scary for October than Putin’s
aggression, and the prospect of the USA or Russia shooting down the other’s
plane. What has been set in motion often kindle the kind of incidents that seem
to escalate. So far the Russians seem to be going after Assad’s enemies rather
than ISIS as stated. And Assad’s enemies just happen to be the resistance fighters
sort of supported by the USA (Or as described today – CIA backed rebels). My
guess is that Putin is on a warpath and sees a huge opportunity to replace the
USA as the dominant country in the Middle East. It has been confirmed that he
has Generals in Baghdad. It has also been noticed that Iraq wants US Soldiers
out and off their battlefields. All of these Russian moves are not in a vacuum;
they never are with Putin. The Tsar of Russia has a plan and he will pursue it
inch by inch as he always does. Can you say Crimea? The problem is that he is
counting on no serious response other than a few words from the White House.
But, if a couple of rockets are unleashed in the direction of Russian planes or
vice versa…”Duck and Cover”.
It’s
amazing what you can do, if you simply just sit down and
do it.
The
Question:
Double
“Q” Day!: 1. Winston
Churchill once described a country as “A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an
enigma.” What country was it? 2.
Name the four actors who starred in the TV show, The Honeymooners. This Question
may be illegal as it excludes several generations of Americans.
The
Headlines:
--Good News From China Could Send Stocks Higher
for Third Day; Bears Say It’s Their Market Now.
--Congress Passes Bill That Will Keep The
Government Running.
--Joaquin Jumps Up To Cat 3 Hurricane; Could Bring
Wrath And Rain To East Coast.
--Russian Hackers Intruded On Hillary’s System 5
Times; Did She Click?; Dozens Of Newly Released Private Emails Contain
Classified Information.
--Iran Implicated In Deadly Doings In Argentina
--Afghan Says They Have Recaptured Kunduz From
Taliban; Kunduz Residents Tell BBC That Taliban Still Holding Center City And Fierce
Fighting Continues.
--Large Ship Of Illicit Arms Bound For Yemen
Intercepted By US In Arabian Sea; Arms Suspected To Be From Iran.
--Northeast Fisheries Caught The Least Amount Of
Cod Since 1968.
As
said by one TV wag observing the Russian incursion,
“America has gone from being the world’s policeman to the world’s guidance
councilor.”
Your
favorite Pickers are ready to go after a strong 13-3
bounce back from a horrendous week 2. The percentage is still low for the Tids
Sports Guy at 61%. This week’s three top games seem to be KC-Cinn, SL-Ariz and
Minn-Denver; maybe SF-GB, if San Fran has anything left. For those I’m going
with Cinn, a defensively powerful Denver and maybe one of the best teams not on
the radar, Arizona. I like GB to keep SF down. Pitt has a new QB and Balt needs
a win – Balt. The Jets have a better English accent than Miami. Chicago is lost
and Oakland is surprising – Oak. Carolina will go 4-0 against TB and the Eagles
will continue to strengthen against America’s enigma, Washington. Atlanta
proved itself last week and will take down Houston. I have to take SD over
Cleve and Dallas over NO. Seattle will get to 2-2 after Detroit leaves town.
Word
out of the Pentagon is that the Generals are frustrated,
which is a nice way of saying they are mad as hell because their hands are tied
by the White House. It looks like Putin is seeing the same thing as the US
military chiefs – the soldier chiefs, not the political chiefs.
You
know your life is fading fast when you don’t seem to
have the strength you once had to easily open a bag of Cheetos.
The
VW thing could take a turn that would infect global
banking, and in particular the influential German banks. If the VW Finance
company which is funded by bonds held by the banks defaults, the real casualty
will be with the big German banks, and they will have to look to Greece for
help.
Pope
Francis met Kim Davis at the Vatican embassy in DC and told
her to stay strong.
Putin
may being fighting ISIS because he doesn’t want them
hanging around when Russia and Iran take over the region. Iraq also is making
goo-goo eyes with Tehran. Look at a map and see what the Syria, Iraq, Iran and
Russia connection looks like. Check out the proximity of the Russian seaport in
Crimea…and Georgia.
And
then there are the Saudis in their Bentleys driving
down sandy highways wondering if they should all move to New York. Maybe they
could take over the I-195 Corridor in Providence. Gina is working on it.
The
new buzz word among home decorators, it seems, is
“Feature Wall”. Do you realize how tired that will get over a short period of time?
Most of decorating is change for change sake. It’s often about one generation
not wanting look like the previous generation. But, classic design goes on and
on and is always comfortable.
I
met a nice woman yesterday who’s last name was Marsalla.
She was pretty saucy.
What
I think we need to combat the here today, gone tomorrow
militant organizations in the Muslim world, like al-Qaida, Taliban et al, is an “Ant Trap Strategy. The problem with
these militant organizations is that they are small and hard to find, or even
identify. They could be attacking anywhere at any given moment. It is almost
impossible to defend by modern armies. So, walla! – the ant trap. You know how they
work. The little ants are enticed into them. They discover yummy stuff and they
bring it back to the nest and it kills them all. So how about planting “yummy to
the militant’s” stuff, like weapons, which they regularly grab. But, these
weapons will be rendered useless militarily and have missile guidance systems
built in. Bang!
The
Parking Lot: Chapter 17 continues…
Jeremiah
was now sitting in Joseph’s summer home, luxurious by tribal standards. The
young man who brought him there seemed more arrogant, less friendly than all of
the Wampanoags he had known. Perhaps the man -- a woman called him Acuamonia
which translates to “Raging Water” – had affection for his Elizabeth. Perhaps
thought Jeremiah, Acua felt he won a victory over the insolent white man.
But what
Acua thought meant nothing. It was only Elizabeth who counted. And now, how he
would be received by Joseph in private. He didn’t have to wait long, as the
small door slid open and Joseph came in followed by Red Shoes. Jeremiah relaxed,
a little. The two said nothing nor showed any emotion on their faces. They just
sat on the rugs before him, Joseph directly in front and Red Shoes to his left.
The
silence was making Jeremiah edgy. He tried to calm his nerves. Finally in a low
whisper, Joseph spoke, “Why my friend did you come here. You knew from the last
time that everything had changed. Couldn’t you tell? You will never become an
Indian if you can’t feel what you can sense. Or is that what all young white men
are like.” Was he joking with me, thought Jeremiah
“Why did
your come,” he repeated, and Jeremiah could see concern in his and Red Shoe’s
eyes.
“I came
because of your friend, my father. He wants to be your ally. He wants to help
your people. He knows much and there is a rift among the various villages of
the Pilgrims and new people from England. My father is an independent man. He
believes in you. He wants to do what is right.”
Joseph
looked at him, then turned and spoke a few words with Red Shoes. Turning back,
“Phillip is my brother, but sometimes I don’t know how he is. Do you understand
my position? I like your father, but I have blood that clings.” He paused, “I
will meet him by the black cove of the second big lake in four days.”
The
Answer
1.
Churchill had the quote for today as he was talking in 1940 about Russia! Some
things never change. 2. Jackie
Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolf. Yes, Joyce Randolf. Hey,
that answer might be illegal because I put the men first.
Enjoy
the first day of October. It is cold and rainy here, and
it feels absolutely perfect.
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