September is like Spring again.

Today's Tids Issue 2,210
Opening Stuff:

Ahh September. When the August dust settles and green things get greener. I love September. It is a time slow down form the hectic pace of trying to fill up sunny summer days. To relax and le the days come to you. As evenings get cooler. And days get shorter. I get to celebrate the birthday of one of my favorite people which just happens to be the same day I will be remembering the 3,000 lives slaughtered when inhuman assailants flew plains into the Twin Towers. September is a rebirth and a reawakening.

First it was Nancy and Harry. Then it was Barack. Now I have Earl taking dead aim at my assets. At least with Earl, I know he’ll be gone by Saturday morning!

In 2004 George Bush stood on an Aircraft carrier and said Mission Accomplished. Last Night Barack Obama sat in the Oval Office and said Mission Changed. And 50,000 US non-combatants will still be there dodging bullets, bombs and mines for another year or more.

The Question: 
Who would you pick for the top 5 in last night’s America’s Got Talent show.

The Headlines:

--Hurricane Earl Threatening NC As Tourists Evacuate; Projected Path Still Giving New Englanders Hope.
--Stocks Take Healthy Bounce Upward On New Manufacturing Data.
--Midwestern State’s Supply Managers Predicting Recession For 2011.
--Prez Goes Through Motions In Speech Many Dems Say He Should Have a Avoided.
--Alaska’s Murkowski Concedes.
--Bombs In Pakistan Kill 20 At Shiite Religious Ceremony.

Back to More Stuff:
When you’re the Tids guy, you have to report on what’s out there. And what was out there last night was an Obama campaign speech. He really shouldn’t have given it. In fact the word is that many leading democrats wanted him to nix the whole idea. The reason; He was taking credit for the accomplishments which were a result of Bush’s surge decision which he ridiculed and voted against.

In the news blips leading up to last night’s speech one highlighted in this order: “First look at White House décor make-over”; “Tribute to American military”. Are we really that shallow? In fact if the media had spent as much time on the US Mexican boarder as they have examining the boarder of the new Oval Office rug, we might have the truth and everything there under control by now.

The most overrated news story of the week so far is Troy Palumalu’s Million dollar hair. Save me.

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 91 continues. --Now it was my turn to pause. Why am I playing cat and mouse when what is important is the safety of Sarah/Maggie. “Is Mag…Sarah there?”
:Nope, Kent” answered Henry quietly, cautiously. Then he added. “Paul, that’s her husband who is sitting here with me, says she had her Maggie face firmly in place when she left.”
“Oh, I remember that face when we organizing our little group,” I answered trying to be light. But I didn’t feel light. The more I thought of her out there driving with Cotter’s guy following; with Izzy on a warpath; The more my anxiety grew. “Didn’t you guys think that she might be in danger when you let her go?”
“Why do you say that,” came Henry’s quick reply. I paused to think. Was I supposed to know about that tail she spotted?
“Well Henry,” I started slowly, “She said to me within the last 24 hours that she thought someone was following her.” Was that close enough o what they knew?
“Oh really!”
“Listen Henry,” I decided to get firm and stop playing his game. “We all know that it was very likely someone forced her off the road the last time. That time when she was almost killed. Why did you let her go?”
Now it was Henry’s time to pause. I could picture him with his hand over the mouthpiece held snuggly against his chest talking to Paul. What are they waiting for? Nobody cares about Maggie/Sarah like I do. “You bring up a good point, Kent. I guess she looked so confident now after what happened earlier today, and we were so busy that it was more important for her to get to Boston.”
“Henry, get into your car and follow her.”
“Will do,” he said again in his normal under control way. And then he added “You sound very concerned. Do you know something we don’t?”

How many politicians have you heard lately saying he or she is going to create jobs! Politicians don’t create jobs the real economies need. They are supposed to maintain an environment in their town, state or country in which businesses of all kinds can flourish and prosper -- and hire!. I’d like to see one of the RI job promising con men running for higher office say, “I’m going to turn around our union smothering environment so businesses will return RI to its one time greatness.’ Something like that.

And how about Lynch former Dem Head and manipulator of all things big government in RI (Running for Congress) saying he is exactly the kind of “Non-Politician” this state and country needs.”

Joe Biden, America’s Plagiarist Laureate, is also very accomplished at saying anything that comes to mind with foot firmly planted in mouth. In 2007, for instance, he told a group of Congressional pages that they will not see in their life time the ability of Iraqis to govern them selves. And then yesterday said that the Iraqi people are fully capable of running their own country and it is proper that we leave. It is that classic kind of political misrepresentation that has people up in arms.

The Answer:
Earlier this summer I started to report on the going-on’s at America’s Got Talent, but it went on so long that I got confused and I got bored. But the Video of Jackie Evancho brought me back. Man, what a singer. So I watched last night and two of the five who would move into the top ten came readily to mind – The wonderful Jackie and the mesmerizing magician (At least he was last night) Michael Grasso. The trapeze acrobats were also thrilling and will probably move forward. As will the creative group Fighting Gravity (I thought they were just Ok last night), So now we have one spot. The two young pop singers Romer and Kenyon were below average but the boy could get that big teen girl vote. It though the hip-hop dancers were good but just another hip-hop group and quite repetitious. The second magician Murray blew it when he made a train disappear in a dull routine. Jeremy the bike rider was interesting but not a Top ten type of entertainer. Haspop was interesting and certainly talented at what he did, but I think his act will wear thin. I had a hard time leaving out the amazing young pianist Bui, but I’m giving the fifth spot to Alice tan Ridley.

The End:
So far Earl is stay out there where he belongs. Maybe September will start out ok after all.

Everybody loves a Bride.

Today's Tids Issue 2,187
Opening Stuff:
Generally around this time of year I welcome in August, the month that stands for nothing. The month that just sits there and turns brown with each passing day of too much summer’s sun. Oh, some of the greatest people I know were born in August. But other than that, it is a bridge to beautiful September. It’s a month when people spend too much on back to school stuff. A month when the foot ball games are meaning less. August a loser…except this year. When August may be the month that gives us the relief from an overheated July. A month of refreshed mornings. And cool nights and bearable days. Yup, maybe this year August will be worth something.

I liked the local sports columnist’s comment Saturday: “The rich get richer while the poor get prospects.” He summed up quite nicely what is wrong with a very imbalanced Major League Baseball. When you think about it, we should all salute teams like Tampa Bay who have built a winner by being smarter than other teams. Not by overspending. Buying and selling players creates voids in teams.

Actually, the Clinton wedding only cost $250,000. The rest of the $2-3 Million went to pay for publicists.

The Question:
In an effort to bring you up to date with some common food trends (Common for people other than me), name 7 current trendy foods.

The Headlines:
--Fighting In Gaza Escalates As Israel Launches New Attacks.
--Positive Euro Banking Results Have World Stocks Soaring.
--Engineers To Begin Plugging Deep Water Well For Good.
--Pakistan Floods Continue To Kill.
--0-Man Begins New Course In Iraq That Would Wind Down Ops Before Elections.
--New Super Strong Glass May Deliver Multibillions To Corning.
--Rhinebeck NY Gets Back To Its Quiet, Exurban Self.

Back to More Stuff:
Isn’t it interesting how the media lets 0-man get by with slamming Bush over his economic woes when it was the Dem Congress in power that brought down the house of cards and starting building up the deficit? And this is the same media who failed to inform the public properly about the Clinton dot com bubble burst that had the Bush Admin scrambling to right the ship after taking office. We have to get back to a point where vast majority of Americans have memories, and are not just minions to the moment.

You know you’re not living in a Neil Diamond world any more when a recommended musical line-up for a “Today’s” trendy summer party includes Van Hunt, The Marriou Playboys, Kieth Frank, Ron Sexsmith, Cibelle, Deer Tick, Style Council and Joy Division – none of whom I ever heard of much less listened to. Yikes…I am old and out of date.

Too often environmental rules and laws fly in the face of common sense.

In fact, that’s where the Founding Fathers let us down. They forgot to mention that Common Sense should be the overriding consideration in lawmaking.

Crossing into the Rubicon department: This new AMC program is straight out of leCarre. Which means it's going to take a while to get into it. The characters are forming and the eeriness is creeping into the background. It's not going to be Jack Bauer on the case. But it could be come intriguing. I'm giving it a little time.

College athletics might get back on track if the sheepskin began to become as meaningful as the pigskin.

If Chelsea really wanted a private romantic wedding for herself and husband to be, she should have locked up her father.

I had the opportunity this weekend to wander among groups of people that I would consider a broad representation of Americana, from the top to the bottom and everything in between. I listen, and what struck me was the use of the word “Full” when a couple of times people exclaimed to friends (they would meet in the crowd) about getting a job at long last. As in “Full” Time Job. The emphasis was on “Full!” With an “!”. It reminds us of the depth of the downturn and how unemployment numbers are only part of the problem. How under-employment is keeping the consumer confidence index low…and businesses cautious.

To show you how insulated cosmopolitan Manhattanites are, I give you this news item about trends from the “If-it-isn’t-in-the-NYT-I-Don’t-want-to-know-about-it” crowd: “Sunday Brunches have been trendy in the Big Apple for a while and food experts expect his to move to the rest of the country in 2010!” Talking about living under 30 Rock!

When was the first time one of you culturally starved outlanders went to Sunday brunch? 1964? 1955?

Through the Same Eyes: Chapter 87 continues. –I sat there stunned as I watched Kent disappear through the door. “You friend didn’t finish his pie. He must be having a bad day.” I looked up and saw Marie standing there with a big smile on her face. A kind of triumphant smile. Did she see Kent’s abrupt leaving as a rejection by me? Did she conjure up a sort of justice in her soap opera mind, where Paul is looking like the winner of my heart?
“He had to rush to an appointment he forgot about.” I quickly said. And, now I have to get home to Paul and the kids. I put on my loving smile. Marie reached down and knowingly patted my shoulder.
“Mr. Middleton is a nice man. I’m sure you and Mr. Durham will have him over for dinner now that you know him. I think he is a lonely man.”
Marie scooped up the money and cleared the plates. I finished sipping my drink. What is going on here?

The latest quote from the oracle of Scranton: “Afghanistan policy is still developing.”! Say what?

It’s kind of scary to think that Joe Biden is a heart attack away from having his finger on the button. Actually it’s kind of scary to think of the President, who has shown the ability to foolishily rush to judgment, with his finger on the button! (Apologies to the Democrat national Committee who often use such scare tactics in their demonization of the opposition.)

I have never worn T-Shirts that advertise where I have been, where I have eaten, what I drink, my philosophies, my loyalties or anything else that reflect my personal thoughts. So, why would I want to become a member of Facebook. Oh, I do wear a Red Sox cap.

The advertising of President Obama is like promoting a product that does work. It looks great until you buy into it. Maybe if he threw in an onion chopper. And if you haven’t noticed, it is Bi-Bi to Mr. Bi-partisan. The biggest lie of all.

Actually Bush promised Bi-partisanship and set out earnestly to achieve that. It turned out to be one of his biggest problems He wound up being continually stabbed in the back by beneath contempt Pols like Teddy Chappaquiddick.

The Answer:
If you are in a restaurant or at a martini bar you are more than apt to find a basket of Edemame in front of you. These are soy beans and they are hot. Other “Bigs” are Sweet Potato everything, Cardamom, Hibiscus, Cupuacu, Rose Water and Latin Spices. I’ll take chicken gravy thank you. Also hot among those who like to be trendy is cocoanut, Organic Chocolate, Gluten-Free food, Exotic Citrus, Pickled stuff, Smoked Fish, Bacon Sweets, Tricked out Popcorn, Spicy Snacks and nostalgia like Oreos, peppermint and peanut butter.

Sorry US meida, but when I want to see a royal wedding, my eyes turn to England.