There’s always the other side.

Today's Tids Issue 3,809

For a little breathing room:

CBS News reports their post-speech poll says that 86% of Americans thought DT looked Presidential. Not wanting the potential bump enthusiasm to last too long, Dem politicos and fawning media started asking immediately, “Where are the specifics?” I have watched many a joint session of Congress and State of the Union speech, and don’t believe I ever saw specifics. Often the best result of a good Presidential speech is to get collective American hearts pumping.

Sometimes when I don’t get a long-anticipated email reply on my smart phone, I go to my laptop to see it it’s there. Then my tablet. Humans are odd.

What bothers me is this laissez-faire attitude about Pot and its inevitability, often stating in support, “Why not, it’s not addictive,” they say. Yeah sure. I have written about this a lot, so I was happy to see the new report form the American Academy of Pediatrics who warn of the dangers to the yet to be fully formed frontal cortex (planning and judgment) and Hippocampus (Memory) in adolescents. (And, they point out the “considerable” increase of the psychoactive substance from 4% to the 12% of current farm to market drugs.) Because the brain is likely not to recover executive function and processing speed even after usage is stopped, long term effects are foreseeable.

Something bothers me about the headline: “Elevate your pasta with Brussel sprouts.”

The Question:

Who are these people: John Cullum, Cassie Yates, Bedrich Smetana, Susanna Salter, John Irving. Bonus: Who was the first President of Texas?  Super bonus: What instrument did Karen Carpenter play?

The Headlines:

--Dow Opens Lower, Down to 21,102; All Eyes On Snap; New Jobless Claims Lowest In 44 Years.

--Snap Now Expected To Open For Trading At around 23; Huge Demand Had Snap Pricing Initial Offering At $17, Up From Original Forecast of $14; Secondary Markets Could be Costly.

--George W. Bush Warns Against Isolationism.

--FBI: Mexican Cartels Fueling US Heroin Epidemic.

--Ben Carson Officially Elected Secretary HUD.

--Dems Divert Attention Away From Trump Success To Alleged Sessions/Russian Talk; Repubs Say AG May have To Recuse Himself From Russia “Election” Investigation.

--Former AG Holder Says Community Organizer Coming Back To Help Dems Redistrict The USA.

--NK Says Kim’s Half Bro Died From A Heart Attack.

Leftovers: I would have liked to have seen Trump talk about potentially huge Cyber warfare problems. --I really think the “Wall” is a bad idea and way to costly. --The admin and Repubs have to stop talking about “ObamaCare” and just refer to ACA. Using the former makes the underinformed opposition think it is just another attack on their beloved former president.

Rats! Allan Evans beat me to it. Yes, my delusions of ascending to the throne of England are now quite diminished as Evans of Colorado has delivered proof showing he is a viable “descendant of an unbroken primogeniture line legally documented since the 3^rd Century in Great Britain and registered to the Royal College of Arms”. All I have is a picture of my Mother who looks a little like Queen Elizabeth II. Guess I’ll have to go back to the drawing board on my retirement plan.

In the aftermath, the media is asking why Trump didn’t talk about our increasingly dangerous massive debt. Where was this same media when their guy Barack was amassing it?

DT had a meeting yesterday with Nancy Brinker who is regarded as the leader in the Global Breast Cancer Movement. She is the founder of the well-known Global Strategy of Susan Komen. Komen was Brinker’s sister, and as the Huffington Posts says: “Nancy Brinker’s determination to fulfil her promise to her dying sister to do something about Breast Cancer, has changed the world.” I have written about this several times, and I always pause to think about all of those not thinking about just writing a column. You write about this stuff, and you just can’t imagine.

There’s a big controversy here about building new power plant that runs cleaner than some of the older plants being phased out. Phased out means like gone. They have to be replaced. Of course, predictably anti power anything people are totally raging against the new plant, and of course urging the new alternatives like windmills. I asked for an opinion from a really smart friend of mine who has been an expert in the power business for more years than he cares to admit. He sent a nice analysis of Windmill efficiency versus the climate friendly power plant: Here is one part of that, the land use math: Average low area basis 1000MW  (wind turbine) X 22.4 Hectares/MW  X conversion to acres 2.47105381  = 55,352 acres  or 7.14% of the state's total land area. Average high areas basis 1000MW (wind Turb)  X 34.5 hectares/MW  X conversion to acres 2.47105381 =  85,251 acres  or 10.99% of the state's total land area. Rhode Island’s land area is 775,680 acres. It’s going to get crowded around here. (Note: I have just given you a small part of the complete analysis. If anybody wants to see it, drop me a line.)

I received a note from a friend who thought the mass of white at the Trump Speech looks like the Women’s Auxiliary of the KKK.

Green Arches, Department:

Finally, McDonalds is learning that people come to their restaurants because they like burgers, not salads. Many a restaurant has floundered in an attempt to be what they aren’t. MD’s original customer base gets leery and the potential additional customer base doesn’t want it. Walking into Macs is not a badge of honor for a health foods aficionado. So, get ready for good old fashioned burgers…cheaper! Remember when it was 15 cents for burgers and 12 cent for fries?

RI’s “Sons of Liberty Beers and Spirits” has won the coveted “World’s Best Flavored Whisky” Award at the World’s Whiskey Awards in London GB. It has also been named as “America’s best Craft Producer of the Year.” RI used to be manufacturing giant in the world. Now we are just laid back and zonked out.

The Parking Lot: Chapter 80 continues…

   Claudia’s eyes were firmly fixed on Nancy though it was obvious form their apparent clam that she expected Lug to burst I and save the day. Nancy smiled, “Waiting for someone?”

   Nancy loosened her grip and moved around so she could sit facing her new best friend. Jared had already brought up two chairs. “I’m Nancy Joaquim, and our families go back a bit. You’d think we’d be friends by now.” Nancy could see that Claudia’s demeaners was beginning or sag.

   “I’m amazed we haven’t met sooner.” Claudia began speaking with surprising calm. “We should have, you know. There is so much we should have been sharing.”

   Nancy looked at her. She saw a pretty strong person in front of her. A woman not easily frightened, always looking to gain the upper position.

   I happen to agree about sharing. That’s’ why I’m here.” She looked for a reaction that wasn’t coming. “I’m just not sure how well you are controlling some of the crazies in your family. I managed to get McGuire involved and you know what happened to him. So now I am having trouble with this concept of sharing with a group more interested in taking. Ad I hope you don’t know about all of the other attempts at harming people I love. How did you ever get to know so many thugs?”

   “I didn’t know about some of the other activities in our group. I and my son were just trying to find a way to gain control of land that appeared open for purchase by our substantial partnership, until learned about you and your family’s control.”

   “Is Oscar outside a friend of yours.” Claudia blushed.

The Answer:

Ok, here we go: John Cullum is an actor and singer who has found much success on Broadway, having won Tony’s as Best Leading Actor for is roles in Twentieth Century and Shenandoah. He was nominated for several other Tony ‘s including for lead actor in “Ona clear day you can See forever”. He was nominated for an Emmy For Northern Exposure; Cassie Yates is probably best known as Sarah in Dynasty. She has been in several films and is one of those familiar faces in many TV shows like McMillan & Wife, Bionic Woman, Barnaby Jones, Cagney & Lacey and Murder she Wrote, among many others; Bedrich Smetana was a composer best known for The Bartered Bride and highly acclaimed Moldau; Susanna Salter was the first ever Woman Mayor in the US (Argonia Kansas) and one of those suffragettes feted by the “Women in White”. By the way, Salter’s name was inserted on the list of candidates unbeknownst to her as a way for the men in town to embarrass the WTCU. It backfired when the GOP decided to back Salter and elect her; John Irving, of course, was the quirky writer form New Hampshire how gave us The World According to Garp, and many others. Bonus: the first President of Texas was Virginian Sam Houston. Super Bonus: Karen Carpenter played the Drums.

I’m going to go outside and stand in March winds.

I thought the above might be a tidy way to bring this Tids to a close until I remembered all of the wind destruction in the Mid-west yesterday. I decided instead to end this with a little silent prayer.

Amen.