We live in an asterisk world.

Today's Tids Issue 4,051

For Interpreting Confusion:

I can feel it in my heart. It is February, the month where old romantics walk on clouds; where sun glistens off of snowy northern plains and buds swell across the south. When Presidents are celebrated throughout, and the sounds of baseballs begin crashing to bats and mitts, echoing across warm climes. There’s something great about a month where we honor a furry little groundhog. Maybe it’s because it’s short and sweet, but probably it’s because falling love is so beautiful.

There is no truth to the rumor that 63% of Americans were confused after watching 90 minutes of prime-time politics without the presentation of awards.

Janet Yellen held her last meeting, and it looks like she and the boys have cemented in place solid policies for continued employment growth and dollar stability. I would have to say that while I poked fun at her and her brethren over time, the Fed’s actions have been a huge factor factor in the positive expansion of the markets. Everything in life is a combination of ingredients.

The Question:

Music experts say that the last five years of Pop Top Forty music has been the most monotonous of all time. It just goes to show you that computer and business driven songwriters aren’t allowed to see the value of something tuneful. But some of those songs from the past five years have stood the test of time. Name five. Bonus: How Many members do you think Starbucks has in its “Rewards” program?

The Headlines:

--Dow Up Slightly; S&P Hovering Around Zero.

--FBI Chief Christopher Wray Strongly Urges Prez To Hold Memo Secret; Memo Seems To Be Reason Wray Asked McCabe To Retire Early.

--Lowes Latest To Join Companies Offering Worker Bonuses; Dow-Dupont Beginning To Look At Spinoffs; Microsoft Cloud Success Pushes Stock Up; Jobs Expected To Show Positive January Growth.

--Google Parent Alphabet In Talks With Saudi Aramco To Build Super Tech Hub In SA.

--China Ecommerce Giant Alibaba Beats Forecasts By Wide Margin But Stock Falls 6%; Company Buys Big Stake In Ant Financial Before Expected IPO; Traders And Short Sellers May be Playing Games With High Flyer.

--Weather Patterns Confounding Popel cross Nation.

--CDC Director Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald Resigns Due To Business Decision Conflicts.

--FBI Knew Of Additional Clinton Emails Month before Alerting Congress.

With Trey Gowdy announcing he will not run, Repubs have to sit up and seriously begin to take notice. Smart guys like Gowdy and the others are not bowing out just because they may have issues with Trump or even more so, tiring of or their moral compass saying no to the current status of vindictive politics. It is more likely that there isn’t a chance Repubs can win, and a life under Nancy or Chuck would be intolerable for any honest person. And the possibility of a turnover isn’t just because of the current caustic environment. The popular Ike lost 54 seats and the even more popular FDR lost 117 seats in two successive mid-terms. Reagan only lost 24 but Clinton and Bush lost even more. The iconic Barack Obama became the lost seat champ when 63 Dems were booted out. In other words, inevitability is more a factor than reason. GW Bush and Truman lost big seat numbers because of wars, so you could say that Trump has something going for him with no high visibility war currently being waged. But, then there is the inevitability all over again.

It is generally advised to lift weights on Saturdays and Sundays as opposed to weak days.

One of the reasons Hollywood celebs may be so anti Trump is Jealousy. Before now they thought they had the biggest egos on the planet. Movie stars hate being second best.

Did you every realize that Polaroid photos are/can be the real classics. All other photos, digital or film can be replicated, but the polaroid is one of a kind, with no negative or digital history.

I always thought Polaroid pics were one of the true marvels of our time.

It may look like I’m doing nothing, but I am seriously worrying about the big Super Bowl game for my beloveds. And, that is as as it gets.

The markets are said to be historically overbought.  In fact he S&P is most overbought in 22 years. Should fear it all? Nope. Since 1950, the markets have been determined overbought 13 times and only once did the markets pull back a bit. So, if facts still count, we are in pretty darn good shape.

Big conglomerate style companies of the past seem to have become unwieldy in today’s fast paced environment. Many of the old behemoths will become leaner to meet investment objectives. The workers will be the losers over time.

The Answer:

I can’t name any. But, you may remember What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction; Shake it Off – Taylor Swift; Sorry – Justin Bieber; Carry You – Union Three; Call Me Maybe – Carley Rae Jepson; We Can’t Stop – Miley Cyrus and Roar – Katy Perry. Bonus: 14,000,000 get points form Starbucks when they buy their favorite brew.

It seems that everything I write in this current cultural environment needs to be followed by a parenthetical explanation.