Three Ring Circus.

Today's Tids Issue 4,321

The New Season of Survivor:

Talk about government waste – how about that day of inquisition for temporary AG Whittaker who will be gone in a couple of days. More than anything, it was a preview of angry Dem activities to come during the next two years, where anything Republican could be prosecuted, or is that persecuted. I actually love congressional investigations. I find them entertaining regardless of the subject and they are certainly a great source of Tids Fodder. But, I have to say, I have never seen the level of vitriol that I saw last Friday. These new congressional get togethers could divide this country even further if Nancy doesn’t put her spiked heel upon somebody’s throat.

Let’s hear it for Lindsey Vonn who sucked it up through pain, and scored a bronze medal in her final race ever. Lindsey is the all-time winner of women’s world cup events, and is second only to the incomparable Ingmar Stenmark for all-time world ski events won – 86 to 82. Ingmar, Lindsey’s hero, was there at the end of her run to greet her with a gigantic hug. No walls there.

Maybe some Hollywood producer friend will modernize these hearings to become – you know like the talent shows DWS and AGT, with gleeful, excessive, hyperbolic Judges grading inquisitors.  You never know.

You probably felt a few, somewhat unusual, beats of your heart this morning. That’s the way it always starts, a little beat here, a little beat there. As the days of this week proceed to Thursday, the little sensations will increase in intensity. Maybe you face will redden. You will certainly burst out in uncontrollable smiles, and wonder why. Finally, as you leave Hump behind, rapturous emotions will emerge stronger more controlling until you are finally overwhelmed with love. You will look into eyes and they will look back. The Tids management just doesn’t want you to be surprised by what you will be unable to control.

Actually, this Tids guy is very happy about the emergence of some of the new whackos on the left. I think it is going to generate a lot of laughs. Of course, it will get serious when AOC bans gravy. Oh, she’s already talking about that. Could I ever laugh that off? We’re doomed.

Congress Dems and Repubs should know a lot about walls. They have certainly built an immovable one between them.

From the “Shoe” comic strip: “Internal strife at Disney: A mouse divided against itself cannot stand.”

As we move past the year where the tax reform effect has helped maximize corporate profits, will earnings reports be at a disadvantage trying to match tax assisted 2018 balance sheets?

The Question:

Who was the first American Woman to win the World Figure Skating Championships?  Bonus: What was Malissa Manchester’s greatest hit?

The Headlines:

--Stocks Drifting As China/US talks Continue: Though Paying Lower Taxes, Many Are Unhappy With Lower Refunds Of Their Interest Free Loans To Government.

--Congress Far Apart On Issues That Would Stop Second Shutdown.

--Beijing Furious After US Navy Warships Challenge In Sail By In South China Sea.

--Cal Gov Ends National Guard Deployment At Border.

--Antifa Members Who Attacked Marines In Philly Tied To Congressional Dems.

--Repubs And Chelsey Clinton Slams Latest Misguided Tweet From New Congressperson Ilhan Omar.

--Trump To Sign Exec Order That Would Launch Artificial Intelligence Initiative.

--Grammys: Album of Year – Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves; Record Of Year – This is America, Childish Gambino; Best new Artist – Dua Lupa; Rap Album – Invasion Of Privacy, Cardi B (First Woman to Win).

Actually, I just heard they have come up with an agreed upon compromise on the Borderer situation. Both sides said ok to putting up “No Trespassing” Signs.

Do you know what almost daily email notifications are useless? It’s those from XM/Sirius radio, which are generally about music from some band I didn’t know existed.

Speaking of music, I didn’t watch the Grammys last night. But, I hear it was more of the same we have been seeing this year from other celeb galas – Woman Power, and diversity with one major exclusion. I was happy to see that the Album of the year was a new Country collection.

Did you see that news video of the women who entered a church, looked around and saw nothing, including a camera, and then proceeded to topple a 15-foot-tall crucifix? My immediate thought was that she is afraid of the truth.

I was going to vote for Bloomberg until I realized he might ban diet soda pop and Cheetos. But that will be better than AOC who would most likely ban KFC. Ouch.

Poly-Sci has been a big college degree program for quite a while. Now I think we have far too many political scientists who are experimenting with the vital organs of a great country.

Without women keeping the homestead going in colonial times, nobody would have survived. Stuff evolves.

We have a giant squid to catch, so lets get kraken!

Consumer debt has just passed $4 Trillion. The top two areas of debt are College Loans (About $1.6 trillion) and Car Loans (About $1.4 trillion). So, don’t be surprised when the Bernie/AOC give-away program will be cars for everybody – electric only, of course.

Did you see where during this past cold spell, the all-electric cars lost up to 40% of their battery life. Don’t drive electric cars in blizzards. Or better yet, don’t drive any car in a blizzard.

AAF Football, the latest attempt at post NFL football, actually might have a chance to make it. The ratings this weekend were quiet good, and all of the teams are in the sunny south. The league seems to have an agreement of sorts with the NFL, so they are not that much of a maverick. Will high school players bee going there instead of to the college farm system?

At this point in time, there is one significant reason why little will get done in Congress for two eyars – the Dems don’t want to give Trump anything that appears to be a victory for him. Everything in Washington is about 2020, pure and simple.

The Answer:

Doctor Tenley Albright from Boston was the first American woman to win the World Figure Skating Title. She also won the Olympics and several other North American and world titles. After graduating from Harvard medical school, she became a successful surgeon and was involved over the years in many other philanthropic activities and civic and global improvements ventures. She is currently the Director of the MIT Collaborative Initiatives. And…she still loves skating! Bonus: Malissa Manchester’s first big hit was Midnight Blue in 1973. In 1982 she won the Grammy for the Best Pop Female Performance for “You Should Hear How She Talks About You.”

Somebody pointed out to me that JFK said, “Ask not what you can do for your country…! They wanted to compare that to today, and the media darlings like AOC who are seeping up into Dem leadership, who are only about Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie. Sorry Jack. Things change, even for Democrats.

I read where high tech successful people are not so happy with the projection of doom from AOC, and certainly not some of her solutions. In fact, considering that she has said recently that the world will end in 12 years, I hear that these well-off titans all have seats on the first ship to the Mars colony. I can see it now. They are all sitting comfortably in their leather spacecraft recliners sipping celebratory nectar, when over the speaker comes, “Good morning Billionaires, this is your captain Ocasio-Cortez speaking. Due to the recent ban on rocket fuel, we will not be able to take off this morning. This craft will be donated as a sculpture for our Public Art program – “What billionaires used to own.”. Enjoy your Filet Mignon Benedict, suckers.

(The novel returns) The Parking Lot:

 (Getting back on track with this, the fifth novel written in the Tids. Before the various infrastructure failures here, we had reviewed the basic content of the first 67,372 words. Obviously, this story is winding down. We pick up the action back in Sakonnet, in about 1720 where Richard’s granddaughter, son Jeremiah and Musatta’s daughter, Martha Prescott and her husband Noah are trying to learn more about the possibility ramifications that may have arisen from the apparent attempted robbery of some documents hidden in their home. Some of the family history papers were among those documents, and were perhaps seen by potential enemies. In them there were references about Martha’s Mother Musatta and her possible involvement in the death of the Howland family’s often violent leader “Big” Howland. There is also some information about Richard Hicks’ association with Wampanoag Chief Joseph, brother of King Phillip and father of Jeremy Hicks wife Musatta, and how Richard may have helped Joseph avoid colonial armies in exchange for land. Many farmers, allies of the Hicks, and the rival Towns people, had heard rumors of that possibility, ut Richard was such strong and honest leader, that was mainly dismissed. But now with the possibility of eyes seeing that history, there is a new unknown that may affect a community finally at peace.

   Martha’s mind was filled with dread as she and Noah rode down the narrow winding trail into the harbor village. She tried to look positive. But, the unknown always brought doubt. As they passed the spot where Big Howland had been found dead, from what looked like a drunken stumble the two shuddered, then both sets of eyes became focused on the people ahead working art various tasks in the port. Teye were lookgnfor signs, but nothing came even as they rode closer. In fact a few hats were tipped and then gentle wave or two, hello.

   Martha relaxed, reached over and grasped Noah’s hand. He looked at her that way that always gave her confidence, and now with a smile that eased her concerns. He shrugged his shoulders as if saying, maybe we overthought this.

   Their heads turned when they heard a sharp bang behind them. Martha gasped Noah’s hand harder.  He looked at her then back to the sound. It was the slamming door to the home of their son’s mother-in-law Phebe Howland. She was running down her steps towards them.