Can we vote him out yet?

Today's Tids Issue 2,530
Opening Stuff:

But, enough politics. This is Romantic Old Fools week! "Think of me, think of me fondly, when we've said goodbye. Remember me once in a while - please promise me you'll try. When you find that, once again, you long to take your heart back and be free - if you ever find a moment, spare a thought for me. / We never said our love was evergreen, or as unchanging as the sea - but if you can still remember stop and think of me... / Think of all the things we've shared and seen - don't think about the way things might have been... / Think of me, think of me waking, silent and resigned. Imagine me, trying too hard to put you from my mind. Recall those days look back on all those times, think of the things we'll never do - there will never be a day, when I won't think of you..." --Thanks to "Phantom", which just brought down the curtain on it's 10,000th performance. Hoorah! :x

I can be pretty cynical when it comes to Hollywood types and celebrities in general But, there was always something about the Whitney Houston tragedy that gave me pause. A little heart ache. Maybe it was her enormous talent and above the fray appearance of her early success. Her positive smile. Bigger than life. A star for the ages. And the resonance of that voice. Oh, the voice. It just pained me t see her rot away under the spell of her slug of a husband Bobby brown. So I mourn Whitney today, from the heart. And, it hurts a little.

In a related story this morning Bobby Brown said on stage last night, "I love you Whitney." And then he cried. Creep! That's why I'm so cynical.

Of course, the big news around here is that last night Gov. Chafee-Lite called an emergency meeting to create a task force that would get the state Treasurer to the $336.4 Million first. The Union leadership is dominating the task force.

Hey Mr. President...The USA has been the "Fairest" country in the history of the world. Stop trying to redefine fair as meaning "something for nothing."

Never stand next a person with a cell phone and a twitter account if you want to keep your life private.

The big controversy in divorces of the future is how to divide up FaceBook friends.

The Question:

Name five songs from Phantom of the Opera.

The Headlines:

--al Qaida Jumps In To Support Syrian Protestors; Terrorist Org Participation Creates Problem For USA And UN Support.
--RI'er Wins Powerball Millions; It Wasn't Me.
--Romney: "I will not be lectured to by a failed President."
--McConnell Says Obama Budget Fails To Stem Tide Of Runaway Spending.
--Greece Proving That Socialized Give-Away Programs Will Eventually Crumble Cultures.
--China VP Xi Jimping In US For Critical Visit.
--Michelson Dominates Woods To Win Pebble Beach; Pat's belichick Comes In Third In Amateur Event.
--Houston Said To have Died From Mixture Of Xanax, Other Drugs And Alcohol.

It was a quiet room, a small room, with corners and floors described by shadows from flickering candles. The silloutes on the bare, rough plastered walls seemed to glow beyond the dimness of the Kentucky cold winter evening. There were smiles on the faces and a feeling of love in the hearts of the parents Nancy and Thomas looking down at the infant, sleeping, born just yesterday. Abraham Lincoln looked back with wide unseeing eyes. Who knew?

I thought LCool-J was a class act last night and handled the Grammies better than most have or would have. He set the perfect tone for the evening with sadness in the background -- which could have become an over the top celebrity fawn feast. The night was full of treats starting with an energetic Springsteen and highlighted by pure unadulterated talent -- Adele. Jennifer Hudson got the tears flowing and showed her vivacious talent with a tribute to Whitney. McCartney was Ok, and the beach Boy 50th was nostalgic and kind of sad at the same time. Glen Campbell was lively and somehow got all the words right (Phew). Foo Fighters showed why they and Adele were the big award winners. As one observer noted, there are still plenty of singers who can stop a show with their talent as opposed to weird costumes and smoke and lighted mirrors. Oh yeah, and then there was Chris Brown in an underwhelming performance that had the audience cheering -- for a wife beater. But, hey. I'm not cynical.

I don't have any Northface clothing. Does that make me a bad person?

With all that is going on in the worldwide economy, the creeping price of gas here could be the real monkey wrench.

Only in New York -- This is a phrase which only last week I listed as one most irritable to me. But I have to retract a bit. Only in New York can a Jeremy Lin become an instant mega-star after five games of basketball. But then, if New Yorkers didn't have fads to rush to, they'd be jumping off high buildings.

The guy hoping to buy a new stereo system was looking for sound advice from the salesperson.

Twitter would be a good idea if there weren't so many of the mindless using it

The Prez decided not to intrude on Freedom of Religion. Instead he is intruding on private enterprise by demanding Insurance companies give away services for nothing. What a guy?

After all of the beautiful piano concertos, I always come back to Beethoven's 4th. There's just something about the blending between the piano and the orchestra there that I don't sense some of the other great ones.

One thing I can't comprehend at all is why the answer to the question, "Are you Pro-Life?", isn't, "Of course!".

A discriminating prehistoric animal is called a connoissaur!

Do you feel it! It's coming. The equipment trucks are on the road, and within a week we'll being hearing new sounds form the south -- leather spheres smacking into leather mitts!

Whitney Houston just finished making a movie which is set for release this Summer. Somebody in the executive producer suite is shouting Thank you God. Who me, cynical?

10 years or so from now today's kids will be in their 20's protesting the out of control data collecting behemoth FaceBook. And it's 1984 all over again.

Every once in a while it is essential for a Tids writer to go out and shop in a variety of stores to learn if there is anything going on in the world other than what's in his head.

Almost Near: Chapter 60 continues. --"I'm glad you kids talked me into that ice cream. It was yummy-licious!" The kids Shiela and Rebecca laughed and the three traded high fives. Not bad for starters, thought Tucker as he tried to assay the degree of difficulty of manipualting this two-some. It would be tough, he thought. But, I dealt with their father. And, he never knew what hit him.
"So, who are you again?" Rebecca the older, tougher sounding girl stared unflinchingly into Tuckers eyes. He sister stared at her as if saying, "Yeah, who."
"Well," the smiling effervescent Tucker started. "I am your Mom 's oldest friend. I've know her since she was a great baseball player at 12 years old." The kids smiled at that.
"I'm twelve," started Shiela, but we didn't do much like that at our house." Then she teared suddenly. "Is mom all right?" She couldn't continue.
Rebecca grabbed her wrist and squeazed for comfort, like she always had taking care of her sister. We lived in a tough place, but Mom always tired to make us smile, no matter what." She looked off. "Mom only looked happy when she sat by the window looking out, like she was dreaming of someplace else."
"Tucker nodded like he understood, like he was a good friend of the two. He reached over and touched Rebecca's hand. She yanked away and stared at him.

The Answer:

"Think of Me" was the name of the song quoted in the opening Tid. Others in this lineup of beautiful music are Angel of Music, Little Lotte, The Mirror, Phantom of the Opera, Music of the Night, All I ask of you, Why have you Brought Me Here, Poor Fool - He makes Me Laugh, and I Remember.

Well, tomorrow is the big red heart day! And, wouldn't you know that this morning I read a story about how to eat healthy at a romantic Valentine's Day dinner. What a country! Somebody is always there to take care of the this misguided soul.

You can always find something good.

Today's Tids Issue 2,074
Opening Stuff:

How great is the news that Pakistan and India are talking to each other. Any time that mortal enemies with nukes sit down to chat in a friendlier than average way, it is always good news. In this case it is even better. With an easing of tensions on the Pakistan southern border, it frees up troops to fight the hated Taliban in the North. What it comes down to is that the Pakistanis hate the North Pakistan Taliban even more than the old foe India. Ironically, the Pakistanis love the Afghanistan Taliban. Can you say heroin?

Hey, you have to take your good news where you can find it. I find it in touching my toes…and then rising back up straight again. And not having to call 911.

I’m on the side that says lets get rid of the alleged waste in healthcare first – and that includes adding serious tort reform --and then start building a new program after we see what we have left.

The Question:
The Harris Interactive Research Company has completed a massive poll across 1,000 brands across 42 product categories to determine the “Highest Rated Brands” by consumers. What are the top five?

The Headlines:
--Nothing Gained At Summit.
--Stocks See A Little Sunlight Through The Snowflakes.
--New York, Non-Coastal New England Buried Under Snow.
--Pundits Wonder If Complicated Reconciliation Is Next Step After Summit.
--AIG Loses $8.9 Billion.
--Iraq To reinstate 20,000 Sadaam-era Army Oficers.
--Ethics Panel Finds House Ways & Means Chairman Rangel Found In Violation Of Rules.

Back to More Stuff:

Cute, Cuddly Thieves and Killers Department: --If the Killer Whale was a pit bull he’d be dead. The perception of cuddliness counts. –Doris Thompson is a life long thief and willing to steal from anybody. She’s received serious jail time 7 times. But, because she is 80 something and some people think she is cute, she has achieved kindly eccentric status. But, if she gets out again, lock your doors. She rationalizes her thievery of medical offices by saying that doctors are cheats and keep their money in drawers. But here’s her explanation for a 55 year life of crime: “I wouldn’t do all this nonsense if the government gave us more money.”! Tell her to start robbing some illegals before they send it home.

Don’t expect many novelists of the future to be romanticizing their favorite “dog eared” Kindle.

Wiley in his cartoon series “Non Sequitur” often explains the feelings of average folks about complex subjects in simple terms. For instance, today he depicts the Garden of Eden with a nude Adam and Eve standing behind bushes and a leering snake dangling form a tree next to a big ole’ apple. The captions says: “He says it’s a subprime fruit we can have at an adjustable rate, so what’s the worst that can happen?”

Dangling the Rosy Red Apple for fun & Profit Department: Bernanke says that the Central Bank is looking into possible shenanigans by Goldman Sachs and other Clueless Lane companies revolving around the use of high risk financial instruments like Credit Default Swaps (CDS) to make bets that Greece would default on its debt. Is Wall Street the biggest Bookie joint in the universe?

Don’t you wonder how groups of people or countries can hate each other for thousands of years?

The Novel:

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 56 continues.
I was feeling kind of beautiful as I sat up in my bed awaiting Kent, and Izzy. My mind was racing but not as fast as my heart. I heard a commotion outside my room. I sat up straight, and took another quick glance at the mirror. I’m feel like a girl on her first date. I looked up.
“Hi beautiful. Good news.”
It was Paul. “Paul! What a surprise. I’m sure my cheeks were brilliant red.” He ran in and gave me a huge hug. I guess he didn’t think I was brittle any more. “I pushed him away. Just a little.
“I found a baby sitter for the kids, called the hospital and asked them to send up an extra dinner for me. I thought it was time we had a little romantic dinner!”
I looked at him. He seemed so happy. I didn’t know what I felt. But, he was bubbling. That is very nice Paul”. It sounded flat.
“They wouldn’t let me bring a candle.” He laughed. “I heard from Kent Middleton’s group that the financing went through. They seemed happy to have me on board and of course very happy for the future afforded them by a certain brilliant financier!”
He picked up my hand and held it.
“I can hardly wait to have you at home.”
Before I could answer, I heard footsteps entering the room. Kent followed Izzy to my bedside. I looked up and my heart leapt. Kent started to smile that little smile of his. Then I noticed that his eyes went to my hand in Paul’s.

Back To More Stuff, Again:

Clinton will never stop distorting the truth about his perjury.

I guess one of my favorite things is applauding people who overcome big falls. People who pull themselves up without the manufactured façade of a public relations campaign. I have been disheartened lately over the unwarranted outrage by YouTube aficionados, Tweeters and FaceBookers highlighting some bad notes hit by former great and now recovering Whitney Houston. I firmly believe that this woman wants to make it back to, at least, herself. 10’s of thousands of Australians during her current tour are loving what she is doing. However, because of some personal inadequacies Tweeter and YouTube twits are relishing her occasional, very occasional stumble. And, broadcasting throughout the world.

I was disappointed with the removal of Joe Mendes from the idol last night. I thought the kid connected and frankly was very refreshing amidst a lot of the crap I saw Wednesday evening. I’m guessing the judges were surprised too. As was Urban who was totally amazed that he survived over Mendes. The Tids correctly picked 3 of the 4 castoffs. But, the miss was a big one.

Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--I’ve been watching the trailers for “Cop Out” wondering who would ever watch that except the brain dead? The critics this morning totally agree. But, there are plenty of brain dead out there who will flock to this because of favorite stars like Bruce Willis, Tracey Morgan and Sean William Scott will do stupid things and be in car wrecks. Willis is very Willis, but I personally tired of that act shortly after “Moonlight”. The plot is thin and the jokes are very weak. It’s a buddy picture about two cops trying to stop the spread of a Mexican drug gang. The funniest thing about this movie is watching Director Kevin Smith trying to get out of an airplane seat.
--The great Russian author Leo Tolstoy may seem like a dull subject as the premise for a movie. But this film starring Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti and Kerry Condon is quite good. It is centered around the fifty year marriage of Tolstoy (Plummer) and his wife (Mirren) and her efforts to stop her duped, communist leaning hubby from donating the family fortune to a anarchistic peace movement just before the great revolution. I think it looks good.
--The Crazies with Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell is much better than you may think. For some mysterious reason people of a small Iowa farm town are turning into homicidal maniacs. Nervous townsfolk and a no-holds-barred lawman make for some excellent escapism.

There is absolutely no reason to give into old age. You are always the same person and you will be surprised at what you can keep on doing, if you don’t believe it’s time to start stopping doing it. And, that goes for people who think turning 40, 50, 60, and 70 is getting old.

Do you think anybody will notice when the players in Major League Soccer go on strike as planned?

You can always find anecdotal evidence (See “Summit”) to support any cause you support. It’s just a cheap trick used by salesmen without a good story. I know. I used it often.

The Answer:
The 2010 winners are Hersey Kisses, M&M Plain chocolate, Hershey’s Milk chocolate candy bar, Google and Duracel Batteries. The top 10 in 2009 were M&M plain, Hersey Kisses, Arm&Hammer baking soda, Reese’s Peanut Butter cups, Hershey’s bar, Kleenex, Campbell’s, Google M&M Peanut and Crayola. You are not alone in your cravings for chocolate!

The End:

Roses are red.
Snow is white.
I hope your weekend,
Is a pure delight!


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