Gold at the end of the Rainbow.

Today's Tids Issue # 2548
Opening Stuff:

How about we start with a little puzzler that will get the cranial synapses zapping. This little poser is all about using the logical side of your brain. There are three bins of socks, one marked "Black", one marked "White" and one marked "Black and White". But, the three boxes are mislabeled. Your task is to correctly label the boxes by reaching without looking into just one of the three boxes and pulling out a sock. From that you should be able to relabel the boxes. What box would you start with? Why? Answer below.

The word from friends around this town of mine is that the phrase "Good things happen to good people" came true for sure when the big lottery winner was revealed as Louise White. Her son Leroy is a well known, much loved musician, and even better known as a man with a gigantic heart. It is expected that he and Mom and extended family with their trust "Rainbow Sherbert" will do a lot of good for a lot of people with those winnings.

The Question:

Double Q Day: 1. When was the Star Spangled Banner Made Official? What was the previous anthem? Bonus: Bobby Sherman composer of among many things, the music for Mary Poppins. He and his brother also write the most played song in the world. What is it?

The Headlines:

--Mitt Wins Ohio, VT, Mass, Virginia, Alaska, Idaho; Rick Gets Oklahoma, Tenn, North Dak; Newt Georgia; Delegate Math Makes Likelihood Of Mitt Win Almost A Certainty.
--Private Sector Adds 216,00 Jobs In Feb; Market Up On News.
--Super Con-Man Alan Stanford Found Guilty Of Bilking Investors Of Billions.
--Apple Holding Press Conference Today On new IPad; Faster Chip, Sharper Pic New Claims.
--Peyton Manning To Become Free Agent Today; Miami, Washington Appear As Leading candidates To Land Super QB.
--Akhilesh Yadav New Rising Star In India; Heir Apparent Rahul Ghandi Thrashed By Young Man From Nowhere.
--NYC Muslim Group Steps Up To Support NYC Police Department; Say They Protect Us And If They Have To Look At us To Find Terrorists, Than That is Good For All Including Us.

90% of all allergies are due to just 8 foods: Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Soy, Wheat, shellfish and fish. Let's see -- Cheeto's - OK! Gravy - Fine Red Meat - perfect. Life is good; Other Three Vow To Stay.

So...what do you think are the chances of the Prez calling ex Governor Sarah Palin to apologize for one of his mouthy supporters, Bill Maher, calling her a "C---"...and then returning the $1 Million the crass late night ideologue donated to the "O" SuperPac? I mean, at his press conference he implied how he is all for women while the Republicans are against them.

My next door neighbor is a kindly Doctor from Israel. Also a man who is involved politically here in pro-Israel groups. I could see the worry in his face yesterday as we both walked in from parking our cars. His mother is still there, and in conversations of the past he has always said, "we have gotten used to living in that on-the-edge world. It's part of life." Yet last night he was talking the possibility of obliteration. How impossible it might be attacking the bunkered Iran weapons. But, he saved his greatest concerns for the instability of Egypt, just south on the Israel border. I think he feels that there is still a certain amount of face saving, time borrowing bluster in Iran, but the hatred in Egypt is at a point of erupting in an all out assault. Sometimes it's good to get a feel of reality through an unflitered source

Based on what I see from the Obama Admin, I think its about time the ACLU steps up to defend the entire American population. Unless of course ACLU means really American Civil Liberties "As We See um' " Union.

Sarah Palin revealed last night that she voted for Newt and would be a candidate for the 2016 race. Just in case you are bored with the current race and are looking ahead.

The new IPad is supposed to have a much clearer picture! Really? The only reason my Picture isn't clear is because of the potato chip grease on the screen.

The Answer:

1. Francis Scott Key's poem set to the music of a popular British drinking song "To Anacreaon in Heaven" (And also tune for Luxemburg's National Anthem), was first used officiall in 1889 by the US Navy, the White House in 1916, and then after public pressure made the official anthem by Congress in 1931. Before that the National Anthem was considered to be "Hail Columbia" composed by Philip Phile for the inauguration of George Washington -- "Hail Columbia, happy land! Hail, ye heroes, heav'n born band, Who fought and bled in Freedom's cause...". Bonus: The world's most played tune is "It's a Small World After All."

Yesterday morning it was 19 degrees. Today it is a robust 60. Get out those shorts and stow away the socks. Maybe the song should be renamed "It's a weird world after all."

Puzzle answer: You reach into the box labeled "Black and White. Let's say you pull out a white sock., then it means of the remaining boxes the one marked "white" should be  "black" and the one marked "Black" should be "Black and White".

Looking for good news.

Today's Tids Issue #2,326
Opening Stuff:

Actually I'm looking for news beyond Japan, Libya and Elizabeth Taylor. Something must be happening. right? The world is still spinning, isn't it.

Get ready. There's only 7 more Red Sox Grapefruit League games. The next segment is beginning to look it may be snowball league games. Just what we need when all of those tender hamstrings move north. JD Drew will be out for a month. Crawford will be shivering. Gonzales, Padroia, Youklis and Elsbury bone repairs will be aching and the "team to beat" will open miserably. I'm just trying to condition myself for the possibility of this near perfect team being out of the race by August just like in the good old days. It's in the "Nation's" DNA.

Hey, sorry I fell into my Red Sox melancholy mode. The coming of the baseball season is a good thing. The start of the real baseball season signals just 2 and 1/2 more months of basketball and hockey.

If Obama is reelected in 2012, he will open the socialism floodgates. Buyer beware.

The Question:
Ok... Quick! How many husbands did Elizabeth Taylor have? Name them in order.

The Headlines:

--Durable Goods And Jobs Reports Have Wall Street Paring Futures Gains.
--Libya Civil War Enters Gray Area.
--Japan Issues New Alerts On Radiation.
--Unemployment Apps Drop Slightly.
--Hispanics Account For Half Of US Population Growth; Group Now At 50 Million; Center Of US Population About To Leave Midwest.
--FaceBook Kicks Off 20,000 Underage Users Per Day (13 and up is ligit).
--NATO Bombs Kill Two Civilians.
--New Home Sales Lowest In Past Half Century.

Back to More Stuff:
American Idol had a bunch of singers improving which makes it tough to pick a bottom three. I thought Haley did well what Haley is good at doing. Hopefully she will escape the bottom three. Probably safe are James, Casey, Lauren, Pia, Stefano and Jacob. I'm not sure the usually reliable Scotty did himself proud. Paul did better but he irritates a lot of people. Niamo wasn't as great as the judges thought. Thia will get points for stepping out from ballads. I do have to say a few thngs about early favorite Pia. She is starting to sound the same to me and may be the least flexible of them all. The bottom three...this is tough. I'm going Scotty, Naimo and unfortunately Haley.

One major voting site after last night has viewers voting Scotty #1 with 19%. Next are James (17), Jacob (12), Pia (11), Thia (10). Then at 5% we have Casey, Lauren, Naimo, and Paul. Two at 4% are Haley and Stefano.

You can count on the Pols courting (Maybe over-courting) the rapidly growing Hispanic bloc now at 50 Million people. The questions is are they going to bind them to the Government by giving them freebies (We can't afford) or are they going to treat them as honest hard working people who will grow taking advantage of the opportunities innately available under the U.S. of A. system?

You know that the prepubescent mind of crass comedian Bill Maher has gone too low when even NOW can't stay mum and steps forward to protect a conservative woman. Maher called Sarah Palin a dumb tw*t, and you have to wonder how many are swayed against the former VP candidate by repeated unfounded slurs. I used to think Maher was moderately funny, but he has become just another a**hole with a mike. I'll probably get in trouble with NOC for that.

When she saw gray hairs she thought she'd dye.

Liz was a great looking younger actress, but the overly made-up personality of the past 20 years was really, really hard to look at...and probably never should have been allowed out in public.

As a dyed in the wool North-easterner, I really happy that the center of the US population is moving west. It was getting too crowded around here.

Almost Near: Chapter 13 continues. The fortyish near fifty Mae Johnson looked like what female real Estate agents look like. Well coiffed and red lips that were always smiling even when her eyes weren't. She automatically shook Samantha's hand and kissed Dante on the cheek. "Well Smantha, I don't believe I ever knew you as a child. But I did know your dad from his insurance business in town. He always seemed like a really nice guy, but then of course you knew that. Frankly, I was surprised when he called me because I didn't think would ever leave that adorable home.
Why don't I have these wonderful memories of a wonderful dad, Samantha thought. "Mae, I'm just looking for clues about my parents (She thought of the news item about her mom's suicide). I left home abruptly and was in contact, but when they moved I lost them. Frankly I'm confused." She couldn't be more honest about that.
Dante remained silent and thoughtful as Mae talked. All I know is this. Your dad called from a small town in Pennsylvania (Dalesford, thought Samantha). I remember the call because he sounded so unlike what I remembered about him. After some discussion about the house, he went on to offer that he had an opportunity in business he couldn't pass up. Frankly, I remember thinking that was odd, since he was so well regarded here. That's all I know. Let's eat!"
The waiter appeared as my mind tried to pry open that past.

There has to be more to life than shopping and staring at sunsets.

The Answer: 
The fading goddess had 8 husbands in her better years. At 18 she married the drunk Nicky Hilton of hotel fame. Her next was to Michael Wilding which imploded when she met Mike Todd. After Todd's unfortunate death, she then snagged Eddie fisher from the adorable little Debbie Reynolds. It didn't take long for her to dump the crooner for Richard Burton. She divorced Burton but remarried him again in 1975. Senator John Warner was next and then finally construction worker Larry Fortensky, who actually couldn't put Elizabeth back together again.

The End:
Obama is lying so low that it is hard to get a handle on what he really doing. BTW, how big a photo-op flop was that trip to South America. Nobody cared.