Mixed emotions.

Today's Tids Issue 3,937
For Healing:

Holy Cow! Another beautiful, cool day here where you can hear your heart flutter; where romantic dreams are inspired by every green leaf that turns inside-out from comforting breezes off the sea. It is a day to imagine, while building rock sculptures above mean tide; the sounds of waves crashing and the salty spray wipes my brow. I have no worries, I am safe.

The floods have ended and the realization begins – no home, no furniture, no cars. Nothing but hope, that ebbs and flows like the gulf waters.

I feel the pain of others, and cannot help them heal. My heart aches.

Basically, when the Founding Fathers decided to create a Republic instead of a Democracy they were guarding against mob rule by Twitter.

I’m wondering why the media isn’t disturbed by Anti-Fa, that scary black masked gang which is just about the only group that attacks American citizens for exercising free speech. Maybe it’s because our Journalists only have one-way morality. I have to believe that Peter Zenger would have looked for more from his successors, like perhaps, fairness and understanding. Hey, even Nancy Pelosi says, “Lock em’ up”! But, the media just lets them roll on.

Nothing bothers me as much as thieves and looters who would use the tragedy of Harvey and other disasters to rob homes and businesses of the stricken. I put them at the top of my Capitol Offense column.

The Question:

Who was Harold Peary?

The Headlines:

--Two Large Explosions Rock Houston Arkema Chemical Plant, After Flood Stops Refrigeration And Power Sources; Houston Area Railroad Tracks Not Operable.

--As Texas Flood Recedes, Death Toll Rises.

--US Stock Futures Look Positive.

--Mexico Among The Many Sending Aid To Houston.

--Rhode Island Jumps Into lead As State With Largest Increase In Construction Jobs.

-- Many Remembering The Death of Princess Diana 20 Years Ago Today.

--56% In New Fox News Poll Says Trump Is Dividing America; Congress Approval Rating Dips To 15%..

--America Is Heading Towards A Chicken Wing Shortage.

I see where yesterday Los Angeles announced they will no longer celebrate Columbus Day, but replace with Indigenous People’s Day. I think if they want to replace remembering the great explorer, they might consider renaming it “Father Junipera Serra Day”. He is certainly relevant to the establishment of the West. But, the left despises him too, because he taught the natives the love of Christianity.

My guess is that if we didn’t have media we’d probably have 95% of citizens living to side by side in relative harmony, generally understanding each other. How can we move from envies and jealousies to respect and empathy.

So did you hear about the woman pumping gas while smoking a cigarette while two policemen watched. Another customer observing this went in the store and bought an overpriced soft drink. When he came out he saw the woman’s arm on fire; she crazed, was swinging it around, running in circles. Suddenly the police had her on the ground and were cuffing her. The customer asked, “What’s the problem here officers, pumping gas while smoking isn’t that big a crime?” One cop looked up seriously, “She was waving a firearm.” Shoot me.

An local artist named Richard Grosvenor died yesterday. He was a teacher and painter, and kind human being; a nice man who had time for everyone. His lively paintings brought the ocean and coastlines into living rooms across this island and lands afar. He may not get national recognition, but he should. He will be missed by many here.  

Word Selection, Department:

I watched Ari Fleisher on Fox basically praising the efforts of Trump at the Texas deluge massacre. But the Huff Post characterized Ari as all anti Trump. That’s why we are growing apart.

The left loves the cool and elite French magazine “Charlie Hebdo” Yesterday they came out calling the Houston victims “Neo-Nazi’s”, mocking them in a cartoon.

Warning: Don’t buy a “Rescue Car” from Eastern Texas.

Some people get it. Avowed Hillary supporter Warren Buffett says he would work for President Trump if the need arose, and if he could be helpful. In a interview, the solid Democrat Buffett added that Trump would be “crazy” to share NK defense strategies with the media. It’s what’s good for all that counts.

The Answer:

“Hal” Peary who’s birthname was pure Portugese – Jose Pereira de Faria -- was a very funny guy who is best remembered as Throckmorten P. Gildersleeve. His Radio show “The Great Gildersleeve” became a solid hit from 1941 to 1951. He began his career as Gildersleeve the Fibber McGee’s neighbor, and owner of a Girdle factory. Many great character actors like Bea Benadaret and Gale Gorden were regulars on the Gildersleeve show which was noted for word play like when referring to his new nemesis Judge Hooker, “That crook of a hooker has hooked our cook”. I remember laughing on a regular basis.

Spell-Check never heard of him. Hope S-C isn’t related to Cortana, Alexa or Seri or out past will be lost forever.

Let’s hope we never forget Houston. They are just beginning.

Houston: Citizenship 1; Partisanship 0.

Today's Tids Issue 3,936

For Human Love Over All:

I’ve been watching the Houston tragedy pretty closely, and I have yet to see one stranded human being say to a person arriving by boat to save them – “Go away, you aren’t from my political party.” That’s really America, not those screaming in the streets.

The Houston Texan’s super star JJ Watt raised $5 Million for Harvey relief…in three days! Tennessee Titan’s Owner Amy Strunk contributed a Million to Watt’s fund. The Texans Owner and Patriots Owner Robert Kraft pledged to match giving up to $1 Mill each. The NFL General Fund and the Jets also joined in, and I have to figure that other teams will too. We see a lot of people moving out of homes, with more than half, they say, not having flood insurance. So there will be a lot of mending and rebuilding to come, a lot of people staring out into space wondering how in hell they can ever come back from this one. But, once the waters recede and the tears stop flooding eyes, the resilient courage within, will have people striding along the way back. And with help from their fellow Americans they will find it. American is great.

Don’t let anybody ever tell you that you can’t achieve something, especially anybody called yourself.

The Question:

What are actresses Cameron Diaz, Peggy Lipton, Joan Blondell and Elizabeth Ashley best known for? Bonus: Name four Fred McMurray TV programs or movies.

The Headlines:

--Sun May Shine On Houston Today.

--Second Quarter GDP Revised Upward To 3%; Trump To Meet With “Big Four” – Ryan, Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer To Discuss Debt Ceiling And Possibly Moving Towards Tax Package.

--Tropical Storm Irma Forms In Eastern Atlantic; Expected To Become A Hurricane.

--Harvey Moves On Land Again; New Flooding Takes Over Western La And Beaumont, Port Arthur Texas; Nation’s Largest Oil Refinery Owned By Saudis Is Shut Down; Death Toll In Houston Rises To 20.

--US, Japan Setting Up New Missile, Anti-missile Locations; Japan PM Abe Shaken Over NK Launch.

--Guam Hit With 5.2 Earthquake.

--Mattis Freezes Trump Ban On Transgender Troops Pending Review.

The Tids official Insurance Guru tells us that government funded Flood Insurance is run the same way as any other Government run or sponsored business. They don’t charge enough to cover costs and then proclaim their programs a success because everybody is buying into it.

Last night, Diane Feinstein told her mainly anti-Trump audience that Trump will be their president until the end of his term. She said, “she hopes he can grow and learn, and if he does,” she added, “he could be a good President.” Some of our politicians can be statesmen.

America’s Got Talent started off the night of the last quarter final with arousing, thoroughly entertaining Greater works gospel group, and then failed to match that for the rest of the evening – despite the sometimes-maniacal raves of judges. For instance the next bro-sis dance act, Junior and Emily got increasingly boring after the first few spin moves, yet the crazy enthusiasm continued. Personally, I think the entire show has way too many singers now. Maybe that’s the Simon influence. Not that the singers are bad, but the show used to be interesting from a variety point of view. Next was good foursome of singers, First Draft, but who were good but sounded like most others. I thought them better than some of the judges. Oscar Hernandez is a favorite for some unexplained reason, but he is amateur hour as far as I’m concerned. Colin Cloud, the mentalist, should go on, but last night he tried to cram one too many tricks into an act that went on much too long. Still, in the end he was amazing. James the subway singer is actually very good, but just another of too many singers. Oskar and Gaspar are projection artists. Basically, they project moving images on people who go through a moderate dance act. It left me sleeping. Great for performance art gatherings in Tribeca. Sara Carson gave us a lively performance with her dogs and I watched and enjoyed it. Chase Goehring will be a success regardless of what happens on AGT. He is an inventive songwriter and imaginative singer who may have already received offers from producers. I’m not sure he will appeal to broad voting audience, but he should. Diavolo is an exciting acrobatic dance group named after creator Diavlo who’s ego is just a notch below Trump’s. But, what he produces holds your attention. Kechi, an airplane crash survivor with horrible mending disfigurements can really sing. The judges play on her story, but even as I felt for her, I would vote for her voice regardless, for sure. Who goes? Oscar Hernandez, James the Subway singer, Oskar and Gaspar, Junior and Emily, First Draft top my probable list. Other axe possibilities are dog trainer Sara and the amazing Colin.

The question remains after the Colin Cloud act -- Simon: If Mel B didn’t know the knife was rubber, why did she try to stab me so violently?”

BTW, ventriloquist Darcie Lynn is still my favorite.

Progressives who seem to find fault with everything except kale, must be really unhappy. And as George Will once said, in the process they are making everybody else miserable.

Why did Microsoft ever name their personal assistant Cortana? Well, she was an AI character in the video game Halo. She was considered intelligent, intuitive, helpful -- who could build trust over time. Actually, Cortana will learn the quirks of her users and adjust answers to their needs. I personally would have named her Max after my mother-in-law, who seemed to understand me.

Speaking of that, it appears that Kathy Griffith has retracted her apology for her detestable joke about Trump’s bloodied head. I guess she figures that the left will always come around to outrageous views under the guise of freedom of speech, as long as the speech is against people they hate. Kathy is another of the have your cake and eat too, gang. And the media is always ready to serve another piece of cake with lots of frosting.

The probability is that Kim shot off his latest missile to remind the allies of his anger over military exercises in SK. I don’t think he will be angry enough to trigger his own demise.

A report says that up to 300 gators maybe escaping from a penned area in Houston as rising water would carry them over fences. Get me outta there.

There are a lot of people working the US government to encourage abolition of foods we enjoy. For instance, a nutritionist peddling her solutions for better health says get rid of Yogurt, Whole Wheat Bread and Cereal bars. Fructose corn syrup is apparently he main villain and she says it is far more addictive than heroin. So their you have it – don’t get used to eating these dangerous foods or you may have a depression moment when the Big Gov says no more. I have been successfully avoiding trendy healthy foods most of my life, so while I may be endangering my longevity, I won’t die depressed.

Maybe all of the rejected AGT singers will wind up on The Voice, beginning again in late September.

The Answer:

Cameron Diaz is probably best remembered for “There’s Something about Mary. While Peggy Lipton has made a bit of a comeback in the movies she is still a member of the Mod Squad as far as I’m concerned. Joan Blondell was known to younger generations for her role in Grease, but she was outstanding in the 1945 film, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Elizabeth Ashley was in a lot of movies but she took home the hardware  from Broadway where she was a super star in plays like Take Her, She’s Mine, Barefoot in the Park and Cat on a Hot tin Roof. Her best movie efforts were in The Carpetbaggers and Ship of Fools. Bonus: Fred first came to prominence in the movie Double Indemnity. He was also well liked as the dad on My Three Sons. He starred in The Apartment, The Caine Mutiny, Absent Minded Professor and Son of Flubber! When he was on the tube or screen, good things happened.

We don’t need floods to lend a helping hand.

Following clichés.

Today's Tids Issue 3935

For Originality:

You have seen the pictures and the fear. What more could I possibly say here than you have not already said in your hearts and your prayers.

I think we need to do more to spur creative expression. More than ever, people reiterate popular sayings and descriptions of places and events. And, it maybe some of the self-proclaimed elite like food and entertainment critics, interior or graphic designers who are the biggest culprits of relying on tired word combinations …of course always spoken most eloquently often in a quasi-accent. When you think of it, all professions create their own vocabulary to set them apart, the bigger the word, and the more confusing the sentences, the bigger the paycheck. Who says simple things with more complexity than lawyers, B-school grads or investment bankers. So, when you see something in need of expressional dignity, spend a moment to find another way to forge beyond the ordinary, the trite.

When I look at those people using their own boats to rescue Texans from flooded neighborhoods, I‘m seeing people who look a lot like regular old hunters and fishermen – Trumps “deplorables” in action. 

One moment I’m looking at the smiling kids from Japan jumping up and down after their impressive win in The Little League World Series. And then before the elation has died, I’m hearing of a warning from the Japanese government to the northern isle of Haikaido that NK Missile is on the way towards them. Isn’t it perplexing how the interaction of the international community can be so diverse in a world that keeps on getting smaller.

One of my favorite little ditties is Seagul by Gustavo Santaolalla

Which letter is silent in the word “Scent” – the “S” or the “C”?

The Question:

What do people think are the scariest animals in the world?

The Headlines:

--NK Test Missile Over Japan Has World Markets Tumbling; Trump Says Once More, “All Options On The Table”.

--Oil Companies, Auto Makers, Insurance Companies Dealing With potential Huge Losses In Texas; Market Pausing; National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Sinking Further Into Debt.

--Half Of Houston Himes And Businesses Hit By Harvey May Be Uninsured.

--Conservatives At Odds With Solutions That Would Permit raising Debt Ceiling; Munchin Reasserts Urgent Need To Raise Ceiling.

--US Police Departments Applaud Trump For Reversing Obama Ban On the Use Of Military Equipment.

Have you noticed that after years of offering just 10% off, LL Bean is now enticing us on a daily basis with 20% Are times getting tougher for that great old mail order house?  Am I about to lose my favorite haberdasher?

Well, if LL Bean goes, I feel good knowing now that I can now buy kale at lower prices at the new Whole Foods under Amazon. Maybe Bean should offer free kale with every plaid shirt.

From what I have been reading, there is little possibility that congress will reduce SS benefits in the upcoming debt limit increase vote.

Last night they reported here that another car plowed into the side of a house. That was the third vehicle into home report in the last five days. What’s with this epidemic? Are too many people now driving with all the modern gadgetry thinking that cars can actually drive by themselves? DUI has become DUIT – Driving Under the Influence of Texting. And, it is damn scary. Drivers have always operated under the premise that the other people on the road knew what they were doing. 

You probably don’t know this, but everybody is waiting for February second, two thousand twenty-two, so they can at last call it 2’s Day!

Political operatives have discovered a new loophole in the voting process and they are not only exploiting it but furthering its access with drives to expand mobile and mail voting. Forever, mail-in voting was merely a convenience for those un able to be available to vote on a given day. Now mail votes seem to be controlled by party supporters who go door to door to “help people” sign-up. In a vote here last week, of the 256 mail ballots, 253 were notarized by one woman who went door to door working off of a democrat voter list. Isn’t kind of ironic that laws states that candidates and operatives can’t be  within “X” feet of a polling place, but they can now go into homes and basically solicit votes. Going to polls takes effort. And keeping democracy alive takes continuous effort.

One of the clear and present dangers to democracy may be the recent rise in mob rule, where the limited organized mobs are made to appear bigger than the voter blocs who elected officials. That’s why the Founding Fathers gave us a Republic and not a pure democracy which can easily be dominated by the tyranny of mob rule… especially in these days of mass communication enabling instant assembling with the real possibility of  imagined virile over support.

In case you haven’t noticed the biggest push behind the scenes by activist groups is to change the rules for the electoral college voting to “Adhering to the National Popular vote .” Apparently 10 Blue states and DC have instituted that change which would have added 165 EC votes to The Hill…effectively changing the USA from and republic to a democracy.

All the doctors who told Steven Hawking he had two years to live are probably dead.

The Answer:

Number 1 is no surprise – The Great White Shark. And they say movies have no influence on people’s lives. Next is Croc/Gator followed by Cobra, Black Mamba, Grizzly bear, Black Widow Spider, Lion, Piranha, Tiger and Rattlesnake. “Man” is number 23!

Hope you enjoyed your morning trip through the No Cliché Zone