Idealism is frustrating.

Today's Tids Issue 2,908

Opening Stuff:
A new study says that 25% of US firms give bonuses for incompetence! Yikes! Can you say fall of the Roman empire. So the next time you drive by a gated super-mansion overlooking the ocean, you can feel comfortable knowing that there's a pretty good chance that the owner may be a complete dunce. You have to find your psychological happiness wherever you can.

Often I write prior to my leaving for a trip saying, "beware, the Tids may not arrive in your inbox for a few days". Generally I find a way to keep it going. However, for the next five or so days I'll be sailing on the deep blue sea, wind in my face, hair matted down by the salty, invigorating spray of the seas bursting from beneath the plowing edge of the bow...and on waters with nary a cell tower to be seen. But think of the tales I might tell when it is over and we glide into safe harbor.

The US still appears to be supporting the Military Junta that took Egypt by a forceful coup. So, now we learn that in order to get possession for proper burial of bullet ridden, burned or mutilated bodies, relatives must sign a release that says the deaths were by "Natural Causes". But, then, I guess they're kinda right -- deaths by bullets bombs and fire in the Middle East are basically natural causes.

Talk about "In your face, conservatives" casting, the new movie The Butler has traitor Jane Fonda playing conservative mate Nancy Reagan.

The Question:

Name who you think might be the five strongest female movie "characters" ever.

The Headlines:
--Wall Street In Neutral After Day Of Angst; Is Current Sell-Off Precursor To September Plunge?
--Morsi Backers Rage Against The Brutality Of The Military Regime.
--US NSA Has Broken Privacy Rules, Overstepped Legal Authority Thousands Of Times Since 2008.
--Escalating Violence In Iraq Could Lead To Civil War And Add To The Uncertainties About The Middle East; New Bombings In Lebanon Kill.
--Japan's Constitutional Watch Dog (Constitution Written By US After WWII) Says He Will Allow Country To Keep On Expanding Military; Japan Forces As Large As France.
--Ebola Killing Again In Uganda.
--New Quakes In Central New Zealand Topple Homes

A couple in a Chinese Restaurant are intrigued by the daily special "Chicken Surprise, and the order it. In timely fashion a large cast iron pot with lid firmly in place is delivered to the center of the table. The curious wife immediately reaches for the lid, but before her hand grasps it, the lid raises slightly and two eyes peer out and the wife gasps. The husband being brave, says he'll check it out and as he reaches out the lid again rises and the eyes again stare at them. "Waiter," they exclaim, "there is something odd here." The waiter scurries over and looks at the big black pot, opens the lid and says, "Oh, I very sorry, I make mistake. They brought you Peeking Duck!" Thanks to a good reader for this to keep the humor at he lowest of possible levels.

Duh Headline of the Week, Department:
Headlining a story about the 0-Vacation on MV, the local daily newspaper titillated us with, "President Finds Time for Golf". Where have they been for five years?

Sean Hannity can be a real creep some of the time. I often cringe when listening to him, and never watch his TV show..

The papers here about a month ago after the Gay marriage act became law were loaded with photos of happy newlyweds. You may have thought there was a wedding a minute. Well, it appears that it was just another example of media overkill, for as of yesterday the total gay marriage licenses applied for in this state has been twelve! Governor Chafee's new economic revival plan is already falling apart! But the real story here is how the populace can be fooled when media overplays or underplays the facts.

Speaking of a downtrodden RI economy, you really have to be worried about the latest employment numbers. For years now citizens here have been told not to worry about the demise of the once mighty manufacturing economy because we were destined to become one of the great tourism locations of all time. Plenty of jobs for all, albeit low paying and often temporary. So how surprised was I this morn when at the height of our runaway tourism economy season I learn that RI lost 900 jobs in July! Yikes! Gadzooks I say, this after we have sold our soul and privacy to get New Yorkers and Nutmeggers to clog our highways and byways, to settle into out former favorite haunts.

Obama tried to be strong against the aggression of the Egypt military, but all he could bring himself to say was that the US will not play war games with them this year. Horrors. That will bring them to their knees. What about the Billion in US taxpayer dollars that go into that cauldron every year. But, I am over-wringing this dilemma for dramatic purposes. It is a real dilemma, as Egypt has been traditionally the most influential country in an unstable Middle East. The question then is not whether or not to keep the mess going until some degree of sanity is achieved, but why the US let it get this far in the first place. They should have been shortening the line attached to the Billion way before the situation got out of hand. Who in the US didn't have the guts to play it tough? Hillary? Barack?

Personally, I believe we spend more money on nothing right now than at any other time in our history. It is the era of hands reaching out in the middle, whether by lobbyists, distributors, lawyers...or disc jockeys, to name a few. Recently an NBA player paid a lawyer $10 Million so he could the pay his divorced wife five million. Think about it if the two had sat down together and arrived at a deal for $7.5 Mil.

Boondoggle, department:
And if you think middle men are rampant now, wait till ObamaCare gets going. Everybody will have their hands in that gigantic pot. The Feds are already spending multi millions to teach people how to sign up for free money. God help us.

Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:
--The best new movie of the week seems to be Blue Jasmine, a Woody Allen movie starring Cate Blanchette and Alec Baldwin. Its about the fall from big time closed NYC society of a woman married to a Bernie Madoff kind of swindler. It is dramatic, looking at her reluctance to be accept the truth, and intriguing as the feds try to involve her in the entire scheme. Well directed by Woody, and acted at Oscar levels. Probably in limited distribution.
--The Butler is about a, duh, butler who served 8 Presidents over five decades. A black man, he observes the behind the scenes White House from Ike to 0-Man, and as the film generally reviews history of the times from Viet Nam through Civil Rights and today. The Butler wrestles with the conflict between his duties and home life. More like a gigantic mini-series made for TV than a concise movie.
--Kick Ass II is like Kick Ass I though dumber. It's about teen superheroes who are forced to choose between saving the world and the reality of school. They join forces with "Justice Forever" and fight another ultimate bad guy.
--Paranoia is a thriller about two egocentric billionaires out to destroy each other. It takes deeply inside corporate espionage as a young exec superstar on the rise finds himself trapped with too much knowledeg too deep with =int eh battel of th egiants. Everybody wnats hime dead On my list. and

The Answer:

Noomi Rapace as Lizbeth Salander in  Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was definitely as tough as they get. Next in the vote was Whoopie Goldberg as Celie Harris Color Purple. How could you not include Uma Thurman in Kill Bill and of course, Ellen Ripley as played by Sigourney Weaver in Alien. I remember well sucking iot up as Jodi Foster played Clarice Starling and certainly Cate Blanchette as Elizabeth.

Well, that's about it for this week. Enjoy the weekend and thank God that you're you.

Misunambiguityness.

Today's Tids Issue 2,980

Opening Stuff:

Is today merely a bleak December day?
Or, has God taken a great, bright star away.
A star so special that it would be on display
To remind us all of what Nelson had to say.

I think Dan Hurley is going to be a great coach for the University of Rhode Island basketball team..

Now that the White House overworked office of unambiguity has confirmed the Obama lie about not knowing his Boston uncle, it may be time to revisit the birther question. The President has been caught in so many distributions of misinformation that it's gotten well beyond the National Anthem of DC, "Oh well, that's just politics." Now it's looking like an innate character flaw. Maybe Obama should be banned from the Mandela funeral. But then, Clinton will be there. Maybe they can exchange ambiguity techniques.

The Question:
Each year in NASCAR the fans vote for the most popular driver in  the Sprint Cup Series. Name the top five. Where do you think these popular drivers showed up in the overall standings at the end of the year?

The Headlines:

--Mandela Dies.
--Massive Winter Storm Paralyses Texas, Midwest.
--Stocks Rise Triple Digits On Good November Jobs Report; Positive Numbers Considered Good News Instead Of Tapering Omen; Unemployment Dropped 0.3% To 7%.
--Hagel Assures Middle East Allies That US Is Committed To Their Security.
--Assorted Uprisings And Bombings Continue In Middle East.

The Pope and Nelson Mandela probably would have become great friends if their times coincided.

This admin and its followers are great at hypocrisy. In order to allow the development of wind energy, the White House office of ambiguity has made a deal that would allow wind energy companies to harm and kill bald and golden eagles for 30 years in the name of green alternative progress. An AP investigation has revealed that Wind Farms for at least five years have regularly killed the birds in clear violation of law, but with no action being taken by the admin controlled authorities. Raptors unite!

After yesterday's reported 3.6% GDP number, further analysis revealed that the number included seasonal inventory stockpiling and was probably closer to 1.7%. I expect the new jobs number will be turned inside out over the week end. 200K jobs is big enough to reduce the unemployment number by 0.3%, But, people leaving the workforce is. Sorry for the negativity, but thats just the way it is these days. Is isn't what is, is anymore.

Today's generation may never understand that perfection of serenity which is never having to hear a phone ringing in your car.

I hear that 100,000 defective reindeer replicas have been returned to the factory. Let's hope they don't... recall, the most famous reindeer of all.

Another good example of how weird our society has become may be found in the fact that Carrie Underwood received hate mail for not being Julie Andrews or Mary Martin in the latest reprise of Sound of Music.

A lot of people are thinking the Pope should get the primo front row seat at Mandela's funeral.

Miscommunication in the age of technology, Department:If the "T" on your keyboard isn't working well, there is a big difference between, "I'll be there" and "I'll be here."

The NBA is weird this year as there are only two teams with winning records in the 15 team Eastern Conference and only 3 out fifteen teams with losing records in the Western Conference. And  nobody cares but the promoters.

Now scientists want me to worry about sharks getting cancer.

The Florida prosecutor in Heisman candidate Jameis Winston alleged rape case turned a serious accusation into a comedy routine for his own edification. They didn't say the football star was completely innocent, they said there may be trouble proving the case. And a woman still feels the effects of an attack, now wth salt rubbed into the wounds.

The Answer:
The most popular five in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series begins with Dale Earnhardt Jr. who has one for the 17th time! Man, he must really be nice! Next is Kasey Kahne followed by Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Danika Patrick. In the final standings won by Jimmie Johnson, with the rest of the top five being Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harik, Kyle Busch and "Mr. Popularity".  Jeff Gordon was 6, Kasey Kahne was 12, Danika Patrick was 27 and Tony Stewart 29. In case you are interested, after Gordon the rest of the Top Ten were Clint Bowyer, Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at #19 was "Rookie of the Year". Just  case you need some names to follow next year. Varooooooooooom!

I wanted to have a happy, upbeat week ending Tids, but this admin is so awkwardly ambiguous, that I just can't let it go. And, I hate myself for it. This White House is so sad, that I just can't laugh at it any more. I have an ache in my heart for America.

But a warmth in that overloaded heart for you all!

Have a sensational, serene weekend e-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y

The problems are obvious.

Today's Tids Issue 2,979
Opening Stuff:
I have never met a lawyer I didn't like, so I guess I could say the parts are greater than the sum.

President Obama seems to be starting in earnest his second term, and it appears his main objective will be getting his liberal base back on board. I can't think of better reason to elect a Republican Senate and House and keep the gridlock going. Let's be honest, we don't really need any new laws, and changing things for ideological sake is sucking the life out of the country. More than ever we need an opposition do-nothing Congress to temper a fertilizer executive branch that thinks BS makes things grow. All that is growing is the largest, most wasteful bureaucracy in the history of the world.

I admit it, I'm guilty. I don't wear light, bright clothes when walking on narrow dark roads at night. It makes me look fat. So I stay with navy blue and it puts drivers in jeopardy of a life time of anguish for accidentally killing a Tidster, and me in danger. It seems like more and more pedestrians are getting hit, and I could be one of those "killers" as could you. You just can't see people, and it has nothing to do with age, alcohol, texting or speeding. It's mostly about unlit streets and invisible walkers too close to roadsides -- A double tragedy in waiting.

The Question:

Ok, It's Grammy time. Let's see how hep you are to today's music. Name the nominees for "Record of the Year", "Best Pop Solo Performance" and "Best Rock Performance".

The Headlines:

--US GDP Grew At Annual Rate Of 3.6 % In Third Quarter; Wall Street Will Worry About Tapering.

--President Xi Jinping And The National Plagiarist Laureate Make No Progress In Discussions About China's Assumed New Air Spece.

--Notre Dame U. Joins 86 Others Suing ObamaCare On Religious Grounds; States Suing ObamaCare Now Up To 27.

--Harry Reid Exempts His Staff from ACA; Deranged Majority Leader Is Only Congress Person To exempt Staff members.

--MSNBC Martin Bashir Resigns Over Slurs Against Sarah Palin.

--Millennials Pulling Away Support for "O".

--American Teacher Killed In Benghazi.

--BCS Awaits Fate Of Florida State QB IN Sex Assault Hearing.

The phone always rings just as you settle into a soft chair, raise up your feet and open a book.

Another of my pet peeves occurs often in this season of understanding and rebirth...people in stores leaving clothing merchandise they've scanned and discarded in messy piles, often on floors. Is this some kind of power trip, where people arrogantly rise above responsibility delegating the cleanup to their perceived servants, the clerks. Or are people just innately selfish -- I've had my look, why should I bother to worry how it looks for the next customer. We really haven't progressed that far from the cave.

I Don't Have a Clue, Department:

Ok, so we've placed the Tids Sports Department on suicide watch. This "Pick 'Em" Season has stretched even the resolve of our strongest prognosticators confidence and this weekend is no different, starting with tonight where we find one of biggest disappointments, Houston (The other is Atlanta) against the early season joke Jacksonville that has now put together a little winning streak. On the other end of the spectrum we have The Seahawks, anointed on Monday by the smug national "Experts" for a Superbowl win, traveling down to the play the talented Niners. And of course, another media Darling New Orleans is at home against the now mighty Carolina Panthers on the prowl. Ok, lets start with these three and I'm going Jax, Niners and Panthers. Two of the easier picks should be New England over The Browns and Denver over the Titans (One of my early season faves). Green Bay, another disappointment, is due for a win and should beat Atlanta at home. In squeakers, I'm going with Balt over Minn, Miami over Pitt and Cinn over Indy. KC has lost three in a row and should regain their "Mo" against the Skins. TB is looking better and will take Buff at home. Oakland is improved but I'm thinking the dreaded Jets will get one at home. San Diego needs a win and they will take the Giants, as will Arizona move forward stinging a tough SL (This could easily go either way) and Philly sneaking by Detroit in a real battle. And then there is Monday night with two mystery teams Dallas and Chicago both needing wins to stay alive in weak divisions. I'm with da Bears, mainly becasue I have more friends in Chi.. 10-6 last week brigs us to 120-74.

I shudder a bit thinking that the Providence Journal is for sale, again. It makes a claim as the Oldest Continuously Published Major City Daily Newspaper. The Hartford Courant is considered the oldest newspaper even by the Philadelphia Inquirer which at one time in the "70's" boasted the title. However the Courant didn't become a "Daily" until after the ProJo began it's run. But titles aren't the issue, it's the traditional influence a major daily contributes to a region. Newspapers have made localities stronger, ferreted out negative influences and pointed to a future asd change occurred.. Every community needs local influences lest we get sucked into nationalization of thought. I'm hoping today that we get a strong buyer for the paper and it will thrive with local news and opinion in ink -- and digitally.

There was more real news on the front page of the paper this morning than I can remember in months. One, a story about the shooting death of sixteen year old hit home. I was at the big Providence hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, around 1:00 yesterday afternoon when a red van sped up the ramp. A lifeless appearing, blood drenched body was removed, and all that remained was a single bullet hole in the windshield. A silent reminder of another senseless killing. I couldn't get my eyes off of that bullet hole. And I thought of the morass in which too many people must fight daily to survive.

Is Pepsi entering it's Obama mode -- panicky and defensive. I notice that their new bottle shape resembles Coke! If you can't sell substance, change the way you look.

Packaging that will nver sell me -- "Reduced Guilt Mac 'n Cheese." I never feel guilty eating Mac 'n Cheese. Frankly, Mn'C is another of those popular fads that has been overdone, and a lot of it juts doesn't taste that great.

The Answer:

Ok -- Record of the Year -- Somebody that I used to Know, Gotye & Kimba; Lonely Boy, The Black Keys; Stronger, Kelly Clarkson; We Are Young, Fun; Thinkin Bout You, Frank Ocean; We Are ever Ever Getting Back Together. Pop Solo Performance  -- Set Fire to the rain, Adele; Stronger, Clarkson; Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepson; Wide Awaake, Katy Perry; Where have You Been, Rihanna. Best Rock Performance -- Lonely Boys, The Black Keys; Hold ON, Alabama Shakes; Charlie Brown, Coldplay; I Will Wait, Mumford and Sons; We Take Care of Our Own, Bruce Springsteen.

To get you in the mood, here's last year's Song of the Year -- Adele, "Rolling in the deep".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fmCoUjOMXU

That's it? Jeez, that was annoying.

Have a great day!

It's just plain craziness.

Today's Tids Issue 2,978

Opening Stuff:

"After the game, the King and the Pawn go in the same box."

One of my new pet peeves is the Boston sports writers and talkers who are urging the Celtics to tank the season to get the #1 draft pick. We have a enough losers this country without promoting more. We have people who have begun to realize that unemployment is good with benefits after losing a job paying better than working. We have the just completed Global Math and Scinece Competion where the US High School team placed out of the top 20! Say it isn't so Thomas Edison. What ever happened to excellence and striving , even when the odds are against you. We need it for the transitioning Celtics who should be learning about how to win. We need to inspire kids that learning is the most important activity they can do now...not being excellent at answering the next Instagram. We need to move back from superficiality as a goal, to voraciousness forthe most treasured attribute of all, knowledge. Losing is only important when you are overweight. But, nobody seems to care anymore. Its crazy.

Joan of Arc is not Noah's wife.

The recent fiasco with the development of the ObamaCare website software reminds me of a quote from John Glenn just sent in by a good reader: "As I hurtled through space, one thought kept coming to mind. Every part on this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder."

The Question:
Marisa Tomei has quietly made a lot of pretty good movies throughout her career. Name five of them. Bonus: What does "Batting average on balls-in-play" mean?

The Headlines:
--President Obama Says ACA Is Working; Insurers Warn Of Problems From Surge.
--Pope Obama To Speak Today On Disparity Between Rich And Poor.
--Karsei refusing To Sign Pact Unless US Meets His Demands.
--Uncle, Who Oabama Lived With But Said He Never Met, Is Free To Stay In US Depsite Breaking Basic Immigration Law.
--Man Survives Three Days In Air Pocket At Bottom Of the Atlantic.
--Markets Looking For Direction.

Snake lovers Unite, Department:
This week the US military dropped from helicopters 2,000 dead mice hanging from little paper parachutes. Prior to the jump they had been pumped up with the active ingredient of Tylenol in order to poison and kill brown tree snakes...and save the exotic birds of Guam! We have way too many bureaucrats with nothing to do.

The craziness continues with a new National Highway Transportation Safety Admin's test of people driving along, doing nothing, until they are pulled over and intimidated by police into "voluntarily giving up their DNA and assorted other personal information. It never feels voluntary when you are caught in the web of big law.

These Honda commercials with Michael Bolton singing are the oddest of the year. He looks like a hologram, a badly Photoshopped image totally devoid of personality, oblivious to where he is with absolute no connection to any human in the scene, or even a car. Maybe I'm missing something.

Every restaurant has to have a burger these days. it's just the way people eat, because dining out is now far from the special occasion days of yore. The recently flailing Darden Corporation has introduced burgers at their Olive Garden and Red Lobster places. The white table cloth establishments are going the gourmet burger route faster than you can say Moo. Of course, along the way they are bastardizing the basic burger as chefs go berserk creating gastronomic monsters. I won't be surprised to find a butternut squash burger some day soon. For me it's always a medium rare burger with Swiss, American or cheddar. The only difference now is that I have to pay $12.95 to remove all of the extraneous crap to form my basic.

Jacoby Elsbury was my very favorite player, until last night when he descended into hell.

RI may have been small potatoes but it was the first shot across the bow that may explode into the new US Civil war. Now with the judge approving the Detroit bankruptcy and Illinois approving a new law to dramatically cut back on public employee pensions, you can bet unions will be rallying the troops everywhere. This war is for all the popcorn, and cola too. One of the problems is that with the explosion of Federal spending there is a misconception that there are no limits of available cash. But state, city and town management brings everything back into perspective. There are credit card limits there, just like in every household. But everything is a little nutty, isn't it. How out of whack is it that the Fed is subsidizing to the tune of $85 Bil a month Wall Street behemoths who overextended their credit cards decades ago. We have all of these hypocirises which fuel a growing anger and disbelief, pitting brother and sister an aginst brother and sister, because big brother got in the way, got too big and eliminated common sense and restraint from our national vocabulary.

The Answer:
Marisa Tomei leaped upon the American entertainments scene when a little known movie became a popular favorite mainly because of her -- My Cousin Vinny. Some of her other films have been What Women Want, Anger Management, Unhook the Stars, Slums of Beverly Hills and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. She also recieved Academy Award Nominations for In the Bedroom and The Wrestler. Bonus: I'm serious, what does Batting average on ball in play mean? It 's one of those new hip baseball stats bandied around and I have no clue. Oh, you think the Tidster owes you an answer? Wait a minute, I'll look it up...Ok, first it is abreviated BABIP!  You figure it out using this:   Got it? All experts -- lawyers, Professional managers, doctors -- create their own language so they can be paid to interpret it. That's why we don't have to be competitive in science and math any longer. We just create illusions.

Get ready for this: There is serious discussion in the White House for an ObamaEd (Ucation) similar to ObamaCare... in other words another transfer of wealth only this time for education. Oops, we still have the basic problem. People have to want to learn.
I think this quote from David Letterman pretty much sums up the state of our nation mere inches away from a padded cell, 238 years after the shot heard round the world: "America is the only country where a significant proportion of the country thinks that professional wrestling is real and the landing on the moon was fake."

Social media makes everything look too big.

Today's Tids Issue 2,977

Opening Stuff:

Liberalism is getting louder, and ironically it may be because their resident liberal President is way too centrist..for them. The picture of the future became clearer when near communist liberal Senator (Ma) Ellen Warren intimated that she is the darling of the pure unadulterated liberals who are fed up with "O" and will find The Hill too kind to, in bed with Wall Street. Add Warren's confidence for her future to the just announced ACLU suit of Catholic Hospitals and comments by talk show hosts on Pope Francis marxist pronouncements, and you are beiginning to see a world for 2016 that nobody could have imagined ever for America.

You watch all of this political harrangue and immediately wonder if the USA is here to stay. All you have to do though, is tune into Wheel Of Fortune each night to realize that America is still made up of bright, above average, nice hard working people of many colors and ethnic backgrounds. America is not the criminals you see on the 11:00 news or the blowhards in the political trenches. Or protestors in the streets. Houses aren't burning down every night at 11:00, or being raided for drugs. Nope, 99% of them are filled with people doing what people always have done, where something unusual may be the need to paint the house.

The Question:
Today marks the 80th anniversary of demise of a Governemnt Law that just didn't work. What is it.

The Headlines:
--"Taper" Worries Have Stocks Declining In Early Trading.
-- Judge To Rule In Landmark Detroit Bankruptcy case.
--Liberal Democrat Seeking To End Two Term Limit For President.
--Egypt Military Widens Crackdown On Protesting Collge Students And Supports Of Islam Sate.
--Ukraine In Turmoil Over Leadership Reneging On EU Participation; President Vistis China As Streets Boil.

There are some butt ugly Mercedes Benz and other so-called elite cars, and you have to wonder how many would be sold if they weren't wearing their world famous logos.

Well, last night on The Voice I was entertained most by James Wolpert, Jacquie Lee and Tissane Chin. The other three were also talented for sure, and it was hard to find fault other than some of the songs...which just may be my genrational bias creeping in. The only singer who I could pick out as being behind the others was Matthew Schuler, in paticular his first song where seemed lost in the noise of the band. Tissane may be the best of them all, with a geat overall musician  Will Champlin technically right behind. 16 yo Jacquie night in and night has become the most anticipated and always delivers, though last night a bit screechy at times.. Volsbury is very good, but he can become monotonous. If I had to vote one off after last night it would be Schuler, and I'm sad about that becasue in the beginning this really nice guy looked like an overall winner. If the voters don't get Schuler it could be Vosbury.

A new York Lawsuit seeks to give legal "Personhood" to chimpanzees. Maybe it's because they are the group who created the ObamaCare website. Who knows. If you listen to NPR, you regularly get some person talkng in behalf of dogs being able to feel emotion and may need psychiatric care, or better understanding from humans. And of course ObamaCare. Everybody wants a hand out, or in our new society, a paw-out.

Flipper Department:
The ten metro areas with surging home prices are all in California and Nevada with Bend-Redmond Oregon chipping in as the outsider. This could be a window for the new  forty-niners with good checkbooks or credit cards with high limits.

The Answer:
For all of those Dems who keep on repeating about ObamaCare that, "It's the Law of the Land", remember that 80 years ago today we repealed Prohibition! I'll drink to that. Nothing is law if the people want to get rid of it.

Ellen Warren plans to campaign on increasing Social Security payment and cutting the legs off of Wall Street mega billionaires. Do you think any voters will buy that? Watch out. She'll either get the vote of a growing sector that wants everything for nothing or awaken the rest of America to rise and finally put a stop to smothering government.

I'm not against you, I'm for what I believe.

Today's Tids Issue 2,975

Opening Stuff:

Aides for our enigmatic Governor Chafee-Lite says he has fixed the problem that created the controversy last year when he called the State Christmas Tree a "Holiday" tree -- (BTW, for all of the same mealy mouth reasons that cowards typically use to eliminate the word Christmas from the description of the day Jesus was born.) Yes, our courageous leader has decided to call the tree, "Blue Spruce". Happy Blue Spruce Day, everybody!

So, we're into a Friday named Black,
At times resembling A day at the track.
Where the odds for a bad heart attack
Are better than for a cheap hatchback.

The Question:
32 years ago today, a very popular actress "fell(?)" off a boat off Catalina island and drown. Name five of her best known films. Bonus: What is a Code Talker?

The Headlines:
--Thousands Of Shoppers Infiltrate Stores At Start of Thanksgiving Day Shopper Season.
--RI Calm, Meaningful And Pleasant As State Still Holds Favorite Family Holiday Sacrosanct
--New CNN/ORC Poll On Economy: 24% Say Economy Declining; 39% Improving; 36% Stagnant; 59% Pessimistic About Future.
--Karsei Irate After US Drone Kills Child, Injures Two Women In South Afghan.
--China Rasies Stakes To Korea, Japan And US In China Sea After Scranbling Jets In  Reaction To US, Japan Incursions.
--Pope Ramps Up Charity Office To Get Closer To Needs Of Poor.
--Thai Protestors Get More Aggressive.
--Ukrain President Viktor Yanukovoch Walks Away from EU Deal To Cheers OF People.
--Former Navajo Code Talker Says That "Redskins" Name Is A Symbol Of Loyalty And Courage, Not A Slur As Described By Critics.
--Retailers Expect Christmas Sales To Bump Up 4%; Number Up Over 2012 But Less Than 6% Of Pre-Recession Days.

Is a "Dog Person" really a werewolf?

What's wrong with this picture: Hispanic Mayor of Providence and Dem candidate for Gov, Angel Travaris said, "I don't agree with giving drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants (Illegal Aliens)." He was immediately jumped upon by his main Rival, national anti-pension icon Gina Raimondo, and assorted enablers in the Hispanic community. Where's the outcry of support for a courageous man saying what is right. This is a classic example of politics over reason. It is a good example of probably why we have little chance of solving the big problems. To make matters worse, Angel himself went back on his statement of truth and acquiesced to pressure. Every time you think you see a sliver of light, politcal cowardliness pulls down the shade

The early responders to the trumpeting of the Black Friday deals were a little disappointed, saying that the magnitude of savings were noticeably less than in years past. Many savvy shoppers have come to realize that there are always plenty of impressive steals, I mean deals, in that waning weeks of the selling season. And, even better in the days after Christmas. People have become so accustomed to discounts in general, that full price is basically a CEO pipe dream with no substance. Full price today is 10-20% off. And people will wait until they get that or better. In fact some say, it isn't a discount until it reaches 25%. me, I don't even go into a store for less than 50%.

If you think back, today's talent is more programmed then some of the performers of old, when entertainer's own personalities shown through on stage, instead of flashing lights, over the top costumes and general all-around disregard for human civility.

I hesitate some times to attack icons in American entertainment, but last night on a tribute show for Carol Burnett, US comedic fave Tina Fey waded through a morass of very unfunny jokes, which had to be an embarrassment to her...if in fact she was aware of what she was doing. Stars like Fey become so popular that people fail to see the defects and through programmed responses enable continued mediocrity. In Afghanistan they want to stone women for adultery. In the US you can get stoned for criticizing cultural icons. How dare you, that's Tina fey. Personally I have liked TF, but I know suck when I see it.

I could easily become a vegetarian if there was lots of pork, turkey, chicken and beef gravy on tap in the refrigerator.

Reading between the Lines Movie Reviews:
Today we begin the Oscar race with films that hit the voter hot buttons - Holocaust, Aides and unwed Mothers.
--Dallas Buyers Club is about R on Woodward, a homosexual, drug using, hard drinking, over sexed reprobate loser, who is discovered to have contracted AIDs because of unprotected sex (This in the early days of the killer disease) and then proceeds fights the government and FDA while smuggling AZT into the US. Of course along the way there is the requisite homophobic lawman and a host of characters who don't understand the efforts of the Dying ex-oilfield worker. A good effort, and more importantly the right topic to send star Matthew McConaughey and his Director to the top of the Oscar list
--In Philomena, Judy Dench plays an Irish woman looking for her child, who in her earlier days as a pregnant unwed mother was forced by mean uncaring nuns to give way. It is a comedy, and we follow Judy and a reporter interested in her case as they track down the son she barely knew. Probably pretty good. Dench is great as usual.
--The Book Thief is a holocaust tale about a girl who becomes addicted to words as she discovers the beauty of the descriptive phrase. A charming yet illiterate and somewhat outcast foster child member of a German family, a young girl is taught to read when a Jewish man moves into the basement to escape the persecution by Nazis. In his passion to feel the beauty of the out side world, he educates the girl in reading and writing so she can bring him scenes of the outside world. The girl become enamored with language and it dominates her life, so much so that she, now a voracious reader, begins snitching books from her benefactor's library.

The more the disadvantaged see the enormous almost inexplicable wealth of CEO's, Financiers athletes and entertainers, the more the chance that our future will be clouded by angry marching in the streets. It will be like the times of Les Miz without the music.

And then, we have Bitcoins, where yesterday the price of this imaginary money was pushed over $1,200! It reminds me of that favorites song of youth, The Big Rock Candy Mountain. It sounded great, but as you aged you knew it was only in your imagination.

The Answer:
Natalie Wood's death is still a mystery to many, and some are still pointing the finger at ex-Hubby Robert Wagner. Natalie first captured America at age 8 in Miracle on 34th Street. She captivated teen boys in Rebel Without Cause and received Best Actress Oscar nominations for Splendor in the Grass and Love with the Proper Stranger.. She was the beautiful Maria in West Side Story and Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy. She matured in Bob And Ted And Carol and Alice. Her last film, Brainstorm, was released after her death. Spme of her other films were Marjorie Morningstar, All the Fine Young Canibals and Inside Daisy Clover. The Harvard Lampoon named her "Worst Actress of the Year" and she showed up to accept it, winning her praise from that college community. Bonus: Originated by the Choctaw Indians in WWI, and continued by many tribes through WWII including Navajos and Cherokees, these Code Talkers transmitted secret messages over phones and radio in their obscure native tongues. They have been honored and praised throughout the years, including just recently when the Navajos received the Congressional Gold Medal.

For some reason, I just don't feel like eating today.

Only 26 more shopping days til "Blue Spruce" day!

Happy Weekend E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!

74 Days 'Til Pitchers & Catchers.

Today's Tids Issue 2,976

Opening Stuff:

Hark the Herald Angels Sing...it's December! We creep into this last month measuring retail sales activity. Then, without warning, we are at December 7 remembering the Japanese cowardly attack on Pearl Harbor. Alerting our senses to what we don't know. Almost immediately thereafter, slithering from under rocks, rising through the cracks in our foundations are the people who want to keep Christ out of Christmas -- selfish hoards who refuse to understand, or feel guilty understanding the love of God by a vast majority of people. Yet, all will be well after the foolishness and court actions when that star shines once again high in the heavens and the people rejoice in an annual rebirth of of hope and peace. Gather together with love for all, forgiving even those who can't see the love in others hearts. Welcome December, where the days become longer.

I noticed in a store the other day that they are selling organic candy. I never realized that there were candy trees. Hey, maybe there is chance for organic money after all.

Hey, maybe bitcoins grow on trees!

Well, I guess Black Friday is better than wanton looting.

I see where the first big retail weekend is down 2.2% from the previous year. It's probably because the cost of the "12 Days of Christmas" is up 7.7% to $27,393. It seems we could get this economy back on track if everybody would just take one less Turtle Dove. Good for America, bad for Turtle Dove farmers.

The Question:
Name surprising deaths of principal characters in this season's TV shows.

The Headlines:
--NYC Train Crash Under Investigation.
--Government Says ObamaCare Computers Working And 90% Of Enrollees Completing Apps; Insurance Companies Say They Aren't Receiving Applications, Have No Record Of Enrollees; States Continue To Seek Ways To Bypass Feds.
--Countries World Wide Joining US In Cyber Monday Sales.
--Crude Prices Plummet.
--Underemployment Has 27 Million Americans Needing More.
--Climate Change Fails To Produce Atlantic  Hurricane For First Time In 31 Years.
--Actor Paul Walker Killed As He Worked; Fiery Crash Takes Star Of "Fast And Furious".
--Gays In Many States Now Fighting For Right To Divorce; Gives Activists Something To Do.

There are plenty of smiles in Union and Liberal organization hierarchies, and the reason is the "Nuke Option". Like Iranian's after their nuke deal, the left of center orgs see significant new freedoms and powers that have them pushing Obama to nominate the leftest of the left for exec branch jobs. Progressives are particularly interested in getting in place in agencies like Commodities Futures Trading Commission people not particularly friendly to Wall Street. Or the DC Circuit Court which would be dominated by liberals without any means of opposition. Unions have jumped at the new opportunity so much so that the fed Government could look like the RI State Legislature. We know the kind of stagnation that would create. The picture is not bright.

I think one of the most beautiful songs ever written is Silent Night. Let's just hope they don't play that when the USA closes it's doors and shuts off the light of freedom.

Whoever decided that .81 mg's was the right aspirin for babies, and for adults trying to prevent heart attacks? I mean, how many infants did they test? Why isn't .83 or, 79? Sounds like an adman made it up. Like, "How can I sell more of this baby aspirin?"

News Alert: It has been revealed that a white House scandal is looming. Insiders say that Michelle Obama in opposition to her husband and liberal pals has been for years waging a subtle campaign for the right to bare arms.

Amazon is intending to compete with Netflix with the offering of their new Streaming TV series, "Alpha House." It's written by Gary Trudeau and it's about three Republican senators. Oh great, Gary Trudeau...he'll will be fair to Repubs. Sure he will. Doya think the series will appear just before the key 2014 congressional elections? It looks like billionaire Jeff Besos is getting around the election laws with his own biased TV show undermining Repubs and promoting Dems. Gary Trudeau for crissake. I'm boycotting Amazon and shopping locally. Hey, shopping locally is a good idea. It keeps Main street looking great and drones off my doorstep.

One of our more erudite readers, in response to Friday's movie review, just wrote to say the the book, "The Book Thief" was one of the best she ever read. The history of WWII and evils that befell good honest people like you and I is just one of many reasons to pick up the book. Oh yeah, this woman knows a lot about a lot of stuff, and particularity the pain and emotions of war. She teaches the children of the deployed soldiers at Fort Bragg.

Ohio State has the runners, but Michigan has the best fight song. And. the biggest heart. What a great game in the Big House Saturday, as was the amazing ending of the Auburn-Alabama slugfest. South Carolina-Clemson, Mizzou-Texas A&M and Notre Dame Stanford were all close and meaningful. The sports experts elite have to be really feeling left out now that they can't tout an Alabama-Florida State game. Think about how the mess will deepen for the BCS  if next week Mizzou beats Auburn and Michigan State beats The Ohio State. Yikes! The experts love to annoint, but reality is always much better as they play it out on the field.

While we're on the College scene, a lot of people would like to see the halftime bands instead of a lot of people sitting around a desk trying to outshout each other. Hey, let's keep a little of College football student body traditions going.

I have to say I liked the old NHL subdivisions much better. It's nice to have Detroit in the same division as the Bruins, but Detroit in the "Eastern" league when Philly, Washington and the three NYC area teams aren't? Besides, the old divisions maintained some of the historic character of the NHL -- the Norris, Adams, Patrick and Smythe. And the main conferences were Campbell and Prince of Wales. Just another move away from the heart into secularism.

I just learned that in our state with no jobs because companies run away from oppressive regulations, that there is someone called the Director of the Environmental Justice League! Environmental Justice League! Sounds threatening, doesn't it. Like Orwellian, with eyes everywhere ready to pounce. Well, the first thing they should attempt is to get people to pick up their Dunkin' Donut cups. I wonder if the director wears a cape?

The big "B's", Brahms and Beethoven have written beautiful violin concertos, but the "B" who may stand for the "Best" is Bruch with his 1st in G minor.

I measure classical music by the chill factor. I measure rock music by the innate craving for sin factor.

Just to see how I'm doing, I occasionally average out the average age of people on the obit page. Yesterday the 22 deceased had an average age of 80.54. The median age was 85.

The Answer:
The most surprising death of a leading character to me was Joss Carter getting mowed down on Person Of Interest. She was a big deal there and getting better all of the time. I also think the death of Brian on Family guy was a huge shocker. The others are Clay Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, Andrea in Walking dead, Steve Newlin in True Blood, Richard Harrow in boardwalk Empire and Robb and Catelyn Stark in Game Of Thrones. Nothing gives credibility faster to a TV series than the death of a favorite character.

I measure blue grass music by the intensity of the image of beautiful West Virginians nestled in their green hills near rushing streams.

When I want to doze off, I put on a ballad.