Life keeps you thinking.

Today's Tids Issue 2,438
Opening Stuff:

80 degrees on Sunday? My fragile body can't react to extremes that fast. Hell, I'm just starting to grow a fat layer to enure me from the winter weather, and now this. And what now am I going to do with all of that gravy in the freezer? Life is tough.

When Joe Biden says, "(GOP) Absolutely strong enough to beat us...), Repubs better start runnin' for the hills. Everything and I mean every little innuendo that comes form the White House these days is calculated to add to the Re-Elect Prime Time campaign. Even from the loose-cannon lips of the Veep. But then, maybe the nation's Plagiarist Laureate read the Tid's "realclearpolitics.com Report yesterday where it was suggested that 0-Man dump Biden in flavor of a moderate Republican. Maybe he's throwing his hat in the ring for a GOP Diversity ticket.

The Question:
Name the last ten Nobel Peace Prize winners.

The Headlines:

--Healthier Payroll data Has WS keeping The Rally Going This Morning.
--Moody's Downgrades Credit ratings For 12 British Banks; Royal Bank of Scotland And Lloyds Among the 12; Not Barclays Or HSBC.
--New Zogby Poll Has Cain Leaidng Mitt By Astonishing 20 Points!; Also Shows Cain beating 0-man By 1; Romney Losing To 0-man By 1; Other Polls: CBS - Herman-Mitt Tied; YouGov/Economist - Cain Ober Romney By 4.
--Hugo Chavez Says He Will Size Houses Illegally Built On Caribbean Island Los Roques.
--Economy Adds 103K Jobs; Unemployment Remains At 9.1%
--3 Win Noble Peace Prize for Work On Women's Rights; Liberians Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf And Activist Leymah Gbowee Plus Yemeni Tawakkul take Home Loot.

I had to love the the AP furnished and pretty obviously White House directed giant picture above the fold this morn depicting 0-Man bathed in heavenly lights standing before the press with arms extended wide in a God-like pose. If it was on the cover of Mad magazine it would have been delightful sarcasm.

I'm having this inclination to break down and pay for Showtime just to get their new program "Homeland" -- which appears to be about as close to "24" as we're gong to get for a while. KThunk. KThunk. KThunk. But then my wallet is suffering from severe Quahog-itis -- shut tight.

Today is a day every honest, realistic person should celebrate. Fifteen years ago they pushed the button that enabled Fox News to take to the air. Some people avoid Fox because they fear the Fox personalities ridiculed in the press and thus miss out on the most complete and informed news reporting of any other TV source.

Hope Yen writing for the Washington Post tells us that home ownership has dipped to 65% and opines that it will never again reach the highs of 70% as it was in the recent mid decade. She goes on to list a number reasons for this (Right out of the Obama campaign class-warfare playbook) but fails to mention the only reason that counts. The market was never that large because 5% obviously could afford what they bought. And shouldn't have been approved in the first place. I'm starting to sound like a broken record on this (What's a record daddy?) but the head-in-the-sand opinions keep on coming. And it irks my kind heart.

I could become a full fledged vegetarian if I could smother that stuff from gardens with rich, creamy, fatty pork gravy.

I heard John Henry (Red Sox CEO) this morning suggesting that a better nutritionist could have helped stem the September slide. How about hitters and pitchers who don't choke. The world isn't real any more.

But then I've had a wonderful smile on my face ever since last night when Alex Rodriquez went down swinging for the last out. Again! It was a yummy moment, and becomes even tastier with the knowledge that this overpaid declining "slugger" has 6 more ineffective years remaining at near $30 mil a year. I wish hack writers were paid in inverse proportion to their clunkiness.

Reading between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--I'm putting Ides of March on top of my movie list. Clooney produces, directs and stars in this political thriller that skewers both sides of the ideological aisle. It's centered around an Ohio primary where an up and coming press secretary finds himself involved in a scandal that could sink his candidate.
--Real Steel is about boxing in the future where promoters traipse around the country arranging fights between their Robots. This movie is a takeoff on the old The Champ movie where a washed up boxer tries to comeback for his adorable son. In this one a washed promoter with a rusty old robot makes a comeback after learning that he has a son. It sounds like Shirley Temple meets the Transformers. A lot of people will like it, but not me.

The more RI does to create a happy atmosphere for Illegal Immigrants, the more illegal immigrants will flock to the RI. The more the state with no money will go deeper into debt contributing to the welfare of people who contribute nothing and whose only claim to fame is breaking the law as their first official act in America.

In August, Americans stepped backwards in their use of Credit Cards. This is good for their personal financial situation but a bad sign for confidence in the future.

A segment of a local New England Patriots 1/2 hour TV show is called "Trash Talk"... and it is sponsored by WM Corporation (Waste Management).

If Americans were to abuse their children by making them a part of criminal act as Illegal Immigrants have done to their children, the authorities would take the children away.

Almost Near: Chapter 42 continues. --Samantha stood in the kitchen of Tuckers neat little house. It wasn't hard to get here after she looked in the windows of two cars and saw keys on the floor of one peaking out from beneath the seat. She had scanned the area quickly, thinking that her only potential problem was one the geezer clerks coming out for a smoke. She had laughed at that thinking how anti-smoking measures had made it hard on car thieves. She took all of the back roads she actually remembered clearly and got here in a half an hour. I'll dump the car in Essex she thought, figuring she had a little lead time being two states away form her felony act.
So here she was, and like she seemed to do more and more lately, she was wondering why she was here. Tucker knows me better than I know myself. Why doesn't he just come out and tell me who I am. Wouldn't that be like, easy.
She started poking around, not knowing what she might find but feeling that something was here. Everything was so neat. Her mind flashed to the times they made love, in the kitchen and bedroom. And the meories felt pleasant, But now a small cloud was creeping in to the scene. She shook her head as if to clear aay the apst. Focus she thought. Even not knowing who you asre, you can still focus. maybe I'm me, standing here in tghis house. Maybe that's all i am. But teh nagging thoughts about so many things missing snapped her out of that as fsast as the thought arose. Too many thoughts. Too many thoughts.
With knowing how she got there, she found herself standing before a locked door. The door felt forbidding. Why? She rattled the doorknob. It was very secure. As she looked closer she could see that somebody had recently added a second lock. Now she was really curious.

The Answer:
Before the women above we had Liu Xiaobo (China HR), Obama (Nobody Knows why), Finn Pres Martti Ahtisaari (Peace Several countries), Gore (Exaggerating GW), Bangledesh economist Muhammed Yunus (Microfinancing to ease poverty), Mohamed Elbaradei (Anti Nukes), Kenyan Wangari Maathai (Planting Trees), Shirin Ebadi (Democracy in Iran) and Jimmy Carter (For appearing to be better now than when president).


You have to figure that Lehman execs are still sitting around thinking -- why me and not all the other inept on wall street? --. "Maybe I'll sue Goldman this morning. They must have done something to screw us."

Have a great weekend under the sweltering October sun!

Ziggy Circles.

Today's Tids Issue 2,285
Opening Stuff:


One of the great things about email, is that on cold cloudy days, lots of warm sunshine can come your way.

The problem with vegetarians is that they are promoting their food so much that prices are bound to climb way beyond the level of good value. (Value is measured as dollars divided by taste bud modules.) As almost anybody moderately aware of economics knows, the poor tend to be heavier because they eat the cheapest foods -- Pastas, taters and Tasty Cakes. Hmmm? What's wrong with that?

How many people think like I do that it is odd how the media follows Gabby Gifford's every movement, every flutter eyelid, every ambulance transfer? I wonder why? Is it because it is the only Democrat with any guts that the media has left to write about.

The Question:
Another bonus Double "Q" today! 1. Actually, this morning I'm savoring a big win by Providence basketball over Villanova (PC's 2nd in a row over a top 25 team) Which conferences have the most teams in the top 25 list? 2. Exactly what is a "Ziggy Circle"?

The Headlines:

--Egypt Fiery Anti-Gov Protests Continue For Third Day.
--SS Fund To Be Kaput By 2037.
--Dollar Spikes After S&P Downgrades View Of Japan's Debt.
--New Unemployment Data Rises Unexpectedly; New Apps Surge 51,000 To 454,000; Stock Futures Down.
--Econ Doubts Have Foreclosures Rising In 149 Of 207 Largest Metro Areas Across The Country; Continued Unemployment The Problem; Phoenix, Chicago, Detroit Metros Hit Hardest.
--Bombs Kill 37 At Baghdad Funeral.
--Palin PAC Has More Than $1.3 Million In Cash.
--Mandela Hospitalized.

Back to More Stuff:
I see where the IRS has new "App" for easy filing. Just what I need, the initials IRS on my smart phone. I only think about that intimidating collection agency once a year. I don't need to see them when I'm scrolling to my favorite app: "Junk food of the Day".

The world was a lot nicer before the arrival of mass produced lawyers.

I don't follow American Idol too closely in these early rounds. Just a little too much contrived stuff for me. But, it looks like the talent pool in Wisconsin was better than that of the Apple last week. Among the promising aspirants are Scott Dangerfield, Beghun, Emma Henry, Jerome Bell, Naima Adedapo, Thia Megia, Molly DeWolfe Swensen, Scotty McCreery and Chris Medina. I'm think that I could get to like Emma, Naima, Thia and Scotty a lot as this goes on. That is, if they can continue to get better as the competiton moves along. And is this a year we can get the boppers to vote for someone other than a cute guy with a modest talent?

I'm thinking that the media has just discovered manufacturing as I'm seeing lots of frothy reports by wide eyed wet behind the ears "veteran" newsmen touting the amazing things that go into making product. Things any body from the lowest spot on an assembly line to head of engineering has known for 200 years.

Grow Up Department:
Some of you may remember the kid who showed up on the sandlot with baseball almost devoid of tape and a bat without a screw holding it together. Then he would say "If you don't let me play I'll take my bat and ball and go home." That sounds a lot like Robert Burton, the mega rich UConn Football booster who wants his money back ($7 Mil) because they wouldn't let him pick the football coach. This public incident is probably repeated in private throughout the land of scholar-athletes. Major college sports teams are all about money, not any longer about "My college team is better than your college team." -- pure and simple. AD's are businessmen with business training. But, Burton is right, UConn made a poor choice for Coach!

The Union bought Chafee-Lite appears to be supporting the NEA gang in RI in its desire to be rid of Education Commish Dorothy Gist. Oddly, Gist's ideas of pushing the students to greater achievement seems to be right in line with "In the NEA Pocket" President Obama. Go figure.

How about that Dennis Kucinich suing the Congressional cafeteria because he found an olive pit in his wrap. His suit says the sandwich contained a dangerous substance. Is that anything like a weapon of mass destruction. In a related story, it has been learned that the kinder gentler 0-Man admin is arming border guards with bags of olive pits.

Almost Near: Chapter 4. --All of sudden Samantha found herself standing at the end of the dock looking down at the stranger in the dory. He was concentrating on what he was writing and appeared oblivious to his voyeur. It was almost five minutes before he looked up slowly, as if to draw and idea out of the sky.
At once he noticed Samantha. His face broke into the kind of unconditional smile reserved for the closest of friends. Lovers.
Samantha was startled at his sudden expansive attention. She stammered, embarrassed. "I. I. I don't know what I'm doing here." The stranger saw the confusion in her face and his smile turned to concern.
"I hope I didn't startle you," He said kindly. A caring tone. Kind eyes putting her at ease. "I was suprised to see you standing up there and I immediately thought you were somebody I knew. But, I can tell by your reaction that I'm not." He said it comfortably like it was somebody Samantha should have known.
"I just came down to eat breakfast, and I saw you here...and .. I ...I don't know why I came over here."
"Breakfast!" he exclaimed, deftly ignoring her discomfort. "I need breakfast too. Would you join me at Lillies?" Samantha seemed to relax.

Olive pits would be one reason why I never order olive sandwiches. The other is that olives aren't any good unless in martinis. And then they are only good in martinis so you can throw them at friends across the bar.

The Non-Sequitur strip this morning announced the next national trauma with a street preacher's sign: "Repent! Unfriending is near." There's always something.

The Tids Sports department has no football predictions today. The big story is the first big tournament in golf where the Tiger returns. His fans and even those who now have a deminished view of the this super player will be wondering if he can come back. There is no truth to the rumor that his manager is placing strippers in his motel room to help him regain the magic.

The Answer:
1. The big East is up front with 7 closely followed by the Big 10 with 6. Then we have Big 12 with 4, SEC - 3, Mountain West - 2, Pac 10 - 1 and the mighty "Dick Vitale Conference" (ACC) with but One! Say it Ain't so Coach K. 2. A "Ziggy Circle" is a frivolous term used to describe fanciful play in the snow. As in...a girl running to be caught after throwing a snowball at man of her dreams.

The End:
It looks like a perfect morning to run in ziggy circles and throw a couple of snowballs.