Collateral damage.

Today's Tids Issue 3,788

For Football:

Forget about congress, and the Trumpster

We’re putting Atlanta into the dumpster.

God, Do I feel great! I pretty much managed to get through the week without significant agita over the theatrics and antics in Washington DC. In fact, I have only been worried about two things: 1. Has it been cold enough to make snow at the local ski area. 2. When is the God damn game going to start. Trump hasn’t cancelled it, has he?

The RI State legislature is passing a law that would allow kids to use “Sunscreen” on school field trips without a note from the School Nurse. Has our country gone nuts!

I just hope receivers and “O”-Line are ready,

Cause I don’t want no Falcons gettin’ to Brady.

You should always carry your cell phone with you at all times in case the building you are in collapses.

The Question:

I think an Emmy this year should go to Constance Wu. Who is she? Bonus: Guess how many videos are watched on Snapchat each day?

The Headlines:

--Dow Surging At Week’s End; First Trump New Jobs Report Beats 180K Estimate By 40K; Unemployment Number Rises; Average Wage Increase Disappointing.

--Trump Reviewing Banking Regs; Could Order Rollback Starting With Dodd-Frank.

--Machete Wielding Attacker Shouting “Allahu Akbar” Goes After Police Goading Louvre Gift Store.

--Japan Says It Is Planning To Create 700,000 Jobs in the United States.

--EU Leaders Attack (Verbally) Trump At Their Malta Summit.

--Investors Drooling As Snap Unveils Stats Prior To March IPO.

--Pence Could Be Deciding Vote On Education Secretary After Two GOP Defections.

--Super QB Drew Brees Says Politics May Be His Next Career.

--Back Spasms Force Tiger Woods Withdrawal From Dubai Tourney; Where Does Former Super Golfer Go next.

Lady Ga Ga has a great opportunity with her SB performance to blend the opinions of all Americans. She could be a healing agent, especially in this arena where it is about playing a game and not assessing blame. She seems smart enough to rise above her name-calling brethren.

Well I have all kinds of orange cheezie snacks and plenty of diet Pepsi. Now, the only question remaining is what to eat for dinner during the game. Right now, Kentucky Fried Chicken is leading the way. KFC, MPot and Gravy will be a good tonic if the Pats are down, and entirely glorious if we are substantially ahead.

Got my corn ready to pop, for good healthia

And plenty of soda pop to snub Philadelphia.

Waddaya expect, Keats? This is The Tids, after all.

Every year local newspapers, TV and radio stations send lots of reporters and on air personalities to the Super Bowl. I think most of the time they end up interviewing each other about where they ate the night before.

Apparently the new Admin is stepping on the toes of long time civil servants in the white house and other departments. According to knowledgeable observers the result seems to be growing number of leaks. So, American is now getting the transparency it always demanded – trump blurting and the drip, drip, drip of the dissatisfied.

You have to wonder if the movie “Fences” did anything for The Walpole Woodworking Company sales.

I have become oblivious to the airhead celebs speaking out on most anything, and especially when their hypocrisy rises to new heights as it did with their diatribes citing freedom of speech in support of marauding thugs at Berkeley protesting free speech. But this one got my notice because one of the mindless glitterati was Debra Messing, a high school classmate of one of my daughters. She had always come across as a reasonable, sensible person from a small town. But now she just appears to be another thoughtless child. Maybe her ratings are down.

While close championship games are very exciting,

I prefer a runaway without tension and nail biting!

Was Donald Trump inane, or what! As one Senator said when leaving the Prayer Breakfast and the befuddling comments about the Apprentice, “I never know what to expect from the new president, and he just proved me right again.’” He, a Republican, was smiling, maybe laughing a bit, but not with the President.

My guess is that the anti Trump forces tucked away that confusing moment as perhaps evidence of conflict of interest – hyping a TV show he owns.

Betsy DeVos may or may not be a questionable choice for Ed Secretary, but the immense power of the teacher’s unions is making her look like the devil incarnate. Her situation is a good of example of how in this new world of power groups, intense lobbyist payouts and lightning fast, massive communications, you have to look beyond the obvious.

What’s really scary to me is how fast these anarchist protestors can be mobilized across all cities of the country. Lie there must be some central controller who is pushing the buttons. That’s what they used to do in third world or dictator led countries, It’s one big reason so many people want to immigrate to the USA. The Libs love the idea of an “Arab Spring”, but to the USA. Ask a long list of Middle East countries how that’s working out for them.

NFL commish Roger Goodell is one of those Stereotypical corporate “Suits”, who always looks the part on the surface.

After wading through the dubious deflate-gate,

This chance for rehabilitation is worth the wait.

The Parking Lot: Chapter 74 continues…

   Now feeling moderately hidden, Nancy watched the goon move cautiously towards the car and taking a pistol out of his pocket. She knows that she isn’t the target for this assassin’s bullet because they still need her seal. But, Alex is certainly now on their list of unnecessary annoyances.

   Nancy’s favorite foe’s head ducked down as he seemed to be peering through the rear window. He stood up obviously seeing nobody inside. He looked around, his eyes monetarily looking right at the twosome. They froze like wading birds thinking stillness produced invisibility.

   His head continued to turn past them. He bent down and opened the door and sat on the edge of the front seat.

    Nancy looked up at the grey shingled shed just 15 feet away from them and between them and the car. He would come there next, Nancy was sure. They had to gamble. Alex didn’t realize how adept she had become avoiding interlopers and killers. So, he appeared reluctant when she grabbed his arm and nodded in the direction she wanted them to go. She felt his resistance, so she squeezed his arm and yanked. He winced and wanted to say something intelligent, like ouch, but he resisted.

   With their eye s squarely the adversary they walked backwards, kind of hunched over.  Always looking backwards, she now sprinted to the other side of the road, yanking Alex with her.

   It seemed like forever in the open, but it was only seconds until they found the hedge row behind the houses. She saw the man look around, perhaps thinking he heard something. But he quickly went back to working on the car.

   “I don’t think you should drive that car” Alex. Let’s go. Now fully hidden by a series of fences and hedges, and the occasional bayberry bush. They both ran quietly to they reached the rocky beach.

   “Almost home,” Nancy murmured. Alex looked at her with that what-the-hell-did-I-get-into look.

Reading Between the Lines Movie reviews:

--Critics hate The Space Between Us, but audiences don’t seem to mind this tale of the first child born on mars. We watch him age, look for his dad and meet an earth girl online. On a trip back to earth to meet the girl and find his roots, it is discovered that his lungs and body cannot abide the earth’s atmosphere. He and the girl are now on a mission with little time. Get it?

--On the other hand, critics adore I Am Not Your Negro, a film about how James Baldwin wanted to look at race relations in America though his book never finished on the assassination of friends Evers, King and Malcom X. Playing off that Baldwin idea this is a look at the 60’s activities through todays BLM. It seems to question just about everything. Audiences give the documentary an Ok.

--The Comedian has a super cast, but you will have trouble finding a storyline. It‘s about an aging comic who wants to reinvent himself, but the audience wants to remember him as the popular sitcom character that gave him stardom. While performing community service as a sentence to for confronting an unruly fan, he meets a woman who is a daughter of a sleazy real estate operator, and it leads o a surprising ending. 

--War in Everyone is a Black Comedy about two detectives who frame and extort criminals all over town. Their scheme becomes a problem when they try to extort a strip club owner and find themselves caught in a bigger darker secret.

The Answer:

Constance Wu just cracks me up as the mother Jessica Huang in the TV sitcom “Fresh off he Boat”. Also deserving are dad Louis Huang played Randall Park and youngest son Evan played by Ian Chen. Bonus: 158,000,000 daily Snapchat users watch 10 B-B-Billion videos each day! Just in case you are wondering why your kids bump into walls while heads are buried in smartphones.

Well, no more Tids until the last whistle blows.

I just hope my best Patriots team shows.

Cause already today my nerves are on edge,

So, to you, my delightful friends, I will pledge:

No matter how this war twixt Fave and Foe turns out,

I will never gloat, nor will I ever scream, cry or pout!

(Much!)

Enjoy the weekend, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y

On liver spots and sex.

Today's Tids Issue 3,787

For Whatever:

“The reason women don’t play football is because 11 of them would never wear the same outfit in public.” Only 64.67 hours until The Big Game.

Say, did you see where the Groundhog saw his shadow and we have 6 more weeks of winter? There’s no truth to the rumor that the shadow he saw was that of Donald trump.

The telephone conversation between Trump and PM Malcom Turnbull of Australia was quite disturbing to me. It isn’t necessarily because Trump did what he does so mindlessly at times, it is that Australia has put itself in a position to survive economically very nicely because of their growing relationship with China.

The Question:

In what year do you think the first celebration of the renown Punxsutawney groundhog occur? Bonus: Throughout this edition of your morning mess, I will have funny lines from a well-known comedian. Who do you think it is?

The Headlines:

--Stock Markets Up; FaceBook Shares Up; Under-Armor Shares Decline 23%; Retail Outlet Closures Inhibit selling; Company Looking To Improve “Fashionability”; US Jobless Claims Fall To 245K.

--Target, Wal-Mart And Others Team Up Against Trump Border Policy That Would raise  Prices By 20% On Everyday Items.

--Iran Dismisses “Useless” Threats From “Inwexperienced” Person.

--French Center Right President Candidate Fighting Charges Of Financial Misdoings.

“I want my children to have all of the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.”

There is global, and then there is global. In one global, businesses of a country expand by creating worldwide markets and cost effective production sites. In the other there is a movement towards global governmental bodies where the ultimate goal is to supersede the laws, cultures and idiosyncrasies of individual countries. Sometimes the economic global imitative gets clouded by the governmental control threat and there is a misguided overreaction.

There are many kinds of headlines. There are headlines that tell the entire story, requiring no further reading like “Mary Tyler Moore is buried”. There are headlines that actually report news as in something really new. And then there are plenty of meaningless headlines reporting surveys and opinions  from PR firms for people, organizations, governments and businesses with an agenda. And then in RI is there is stupid headlines like Quotes about republicans from the four man left leaning congressional delegation.

Detroit TV stations went berserk during the Muslim Moratorium riots as they reported over and over that a local man’s mother had died because of the ban that forbad her from reaching US hospitals. The Trump action had nothing to do with her death, as she had been dead for several days before the action. And, these are professionals?

“Any time three New Yorkers get into a cab without an argument, a bank has just been robbed.”

In 1942, a LA Times columnist WH Anderson wrote, “…a Japanese -American almost always grows up to be a Japanese, not an American.” (making a case for WWII security.) Just in case you have been wondering if we have dramatically changed. The anti Irish quotes of the mid-19^th century are boundless, e.i. – “Irish are more like squalid apes than human beings…unstable as water…only efficient military despotism (Can succeed in Ireland) …the wild Irish understand only force.” James Froude, Professor of History, Oxford. Another Englishman, Edward Freeman, commenting on America: “This (America) would be a great land if only every Irishman would kill a negro and be hanged for it.” And so it goes. Controversies over immigration has been ongoing since the beginning of time. Hatred for those not of your own has been intrinsic in human relations. Yet, somehow we evolve.

The UConn women’s basketball team won their 96^th game in a row last night. I believe that more teams will be catching up with them over the years ahead. One of the problems UConn women, and their recent national champion men’s team face is that they are in a less that powerful league. It probably hurts the men more than the women, because the women still have Auriemma. What happens when he retires. Trophies and headlines only last so long. retires someday,

I worry about Trump and how he will interact with The Fed. As you know, the Federal Reserve System is the Central Banking system of the USA, and was developed after the great depression. The Congressionally authorized organization supposedly free from political encumbrances has three objectives – “Maximizing employment, stabilizing prices and moderating long term interest rates. In 2009 following the great recession the body of 12 banks also took on the charge of supervising and regulating banks, maintaining the stability of the financial system and providing financial services to Depository institutions. The board of the Fed is appointed by the President! I have certainly written my complaints about Fed actions over the past several years, but now you have to wonder what the groundhog sees today for the Fed under Trump – a financial winter? This is serious stuff.

Most of you probably aren’t interested in the Boston Celtics, but their five foot nine inch whiz Isaiah Thomas may be the most amazing player in the league. This Celtic leprechaun darting among trees always shows up in the 4^th quarter when he is needed most. Last night he had 44 points and pulled up his team again for a win, after it had been trailing all night long. Sometimes the heart is a better measure than a ruler.

After about two weeks in office, there are many theories and fantasies about where Tropism will take us. While well-presented theories can always appear to have some sense of logic, it is the source of them that tells us most. If you write well, you can get people nodding without facts.

Hollywood-ites seem to get there opinions from movie scripts. Sara Silverman is calling on the US military to overthrow the President! What country is she from? Lame celeb opinions are getting lamer, like Whoopie yesterday saying in a convoluted attempt at logic, Trump is worse than the Taliban. Then…up stands Matthew McConaughey who thinks his fellow Actor attitudes against Trump are not “alright, alright, alright. In an interview he said, “ it’s time to embrace trump and get over it.” “We have no choice. He is our President.” Not a ringing endorsement but reality.

“You know you’re old if they have discontinued your blood type.”

Forgotten under the noise of the day is the persecution of Christians worldwide. A group called “Open Doors” has issued a report showing an increase in the killing of Christians is now across all continents. Even in Catholic Mexico, 23 Christians  were murdered and many beaten at the hands of “Hybrid” religions. Another report from “Center for Studies on New Religions” says that 90,000 Christians were killed for their faith and that 600 Million were prevented from practicing their faith through intimidation. This isn’t anecdotal evidence. You don’t hear much news about it. I guess it just doesn’t meet their criteria.

Coach Jim Harbaugh of Michigan says Tom Brady is the greatest football player of all time. That’s pretty unequivocal. I’m buyin’ it. Think there will be any arguments?

I think Mayor Elorza of wannabee sanctuary city Providence is a pretty intelligent guy on many fronts, but he has a problem of only wanting to hear what he has to say.

“A Bachelor is a guy who never made the same mistake once.”

ABC News is talking about potential executive order suggestions floating around the White House that in all likelihood will never see the light of day, but their loose lips will surely add fuel to anarchist fires.

The Parking Lot: Chapter 74 continues…

 Nancy put her finger to her lips. Alex stopped talking and looked around. He heard something too. He rose, shiny shoes, creased trousers, cashmere overcoat and all and crept up so he could see between a pile of lobster tarps and buoys. He noticed movement, but it was only one of those pickups driving slowly down the road towards their meeting room.  

   He ducked down and listened to the truck passing. About ten seconds later it stopped to screeching breaks. The motor rumbled in idle, not far from where they were concealed, and maybe near where Alex had thought he had hidden his car off he road.

  They heard a door slam, and footsteps moving across the clamshell path. Alex turned to see Nancy scrambling up the small hill nearest the sounds. What she saw wasn’t one of the two pickups from the pier, but another she remembered from that parking lot, and the hulking driver too.

  She moved quickly over to Alex still perched on the rise opposite the intruder. , looked at his formal dress, and whispered, “We got to get out of here,. Can you move quietly in that stuff?”

  “Try me.”

  “Good, follow me!” She quickly threw her leg up over the railroad tie at the surface and rolled over so that’s she was partially hidden. She wiggled her way away form the tie to make room for Alex. He was there almost simultaneously with her move, surprising her with his agility. She smiled as he landed and then tugged his lapel. Within seconds they were behind the traps where they could see and hopefully not be seen.

  

The Answer:

The winter forecasting ability of Punxsutawney Phil was first celebrated in 1887. Bonus: One of the funniest comedians I remember for LOL was Phyllis Diller. “I admit I have a tremendous sex drive. My boyfriend lives forty miles away.”

“Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing.”

Thanks to a smiling reader for Phyllis.

Love and ideals.

Today's Tids Issue 3,786

For Shoveling in the Cold:

 

Happy February, Everybody! The month of great presidents….and love. As a kid, I always looked forward to celebrating Washington and Lincoln’s birthday because they were such ideals to which a little guy could aspire. Their stories whether true or imagined were good for the soul; made you want to be better. But maybe even better than consorting with heroes, was getting the Valentine’s Day card you thought about the night before, not one as the result of school board demands. You know that card, the one you hurriedly opened to find a signature, and then looked around to see if anybody was smiling with you. Some youthful Lotharios in the class were in race for quantity, but just one that was special could have you waling on the ceiling. So, we start tomorrow with a woodchuck and end with tree days missing, but never forgotten by this kid at heart are Heroes and love. That’s what I remember about February. And, I never get tired of it.

 

 

Alert! Alert! The USA is running low on bacon. Stock up before the prices soar. Yes, there are a lot of things more important than Washington DC.

 

 

Hey did I say, great Presidents and love. What a great entry into today’s muddled civic environment. The Red States, of which the coastal media knows little, are probably quite happy with their elected Prez. It is highly unlikely the majority of the press, one dimensional Dems and certainly liberals will ever see anything good even if he surprises everybody and all aspects of America thrive. And love, the most beautiful human trait of all, has turned into unrelenting hate; hate it seems without knowledge. A lot of it all is about getting credit or finding blame. Posturing for political advantages, instead of moving forward. No longer is it appreciating the good work of others even if at times you don’t agree. There are always good points to consider from all sides, merging ideas that are good for all and not just one side. The wise bodies of government have been clouded by anger. There is no February in the USA and it is sad.

There are few things that make me feel as invigorated as shoveling snow in 20 something degrees.

 

The Question:

In what year did the US Supreme Court first convene?

 

The Headlines:

--Apple Goes Nuts With Great Earnings, Surprising IPhone Sales; Up Over $6.00 In Early Trading; Short Sellers take A Big Hit.

--Trump Names Well Qualified Highly Regarded Neil Gorsuch To Supreme Court.

--Predictably, Dems Scorch Trump SCOTUS Choice.

--Sources Say It Was Apparent That Yemen Fighters Knew Ahead Of Time That US Seal Raid Was Coming.

--First Trump Admin Trip Has Mattis Off To Asia.

--VW Will Pay $1.5 Billion To Settle US Claims.

 

I see where the big university endowments were down in this past year when the S&P was decently up. The word is that it was because they were heavy into hedge funds and investments in overseas stocks. It would be sad if their ineptitude was because of their dislike for Trump and his go America campaign. Emotions have never been good for investing.

 

A lot of restaurants trying to outdo each other in the new classy hamburger biz, are turning to brioche rolls. I have found in many instances that the brioche roll often does not match the culinary implications of the French name. In some cases, they crumble and detract from the burger.

 

I think over time a growing percentage of USA people will become tired of protestors, and if they continue, it will only serve to unite Americans for America.

 

Obama and Marchers? Some reports are emerging saying that the 0-man will challenge Trump more often. This less that genuine ex-Prez was challenging Trump with a series of well positioned land mines before he was inaugurated, and I see no reason for him to change. He thinks he should still be president. The only possible good new about 0-Man returning to the stage is that the fights between He and Warren and Bernie for Czar of the Progressive party will provide lots of fodder for the Tids.

 

I hear there is a new government program that would enable in school paddling of unruly kids, “Leave no child’s behind.”

 

I know completely that the way I think is often 180 degrees away from others. Take vegetarians for instance, this food collective that is pretty much foreign to me. One of their new ideas is making Pizza crusts out of riced cauliflower! Yikes! Now I could sit for years at my Tids typewriter and that thought would never be within a light year of my mind. See, I appreciate the creativity of their idea. I’m just not interested. But, it is always good to learn.

 

Maybe the main reason Trump won is that despite his personality a lot of people voted for his slate of Supreme Court candidates and against the prospects of Hillary’s. Pure and simple.

 

Johnny Depp seems a little odd to me. You may have heard that he is suing his financial management company for fraud for $25 Mill because he is running out of money and is selling off properties to pay bills. The Management company TMG has countersued saying he spends like drunken sailor, about $2mill a month which he cannot afford. He has spent $75 Mill on 14 residences including a chain of Bahama islands, $30K a month on Wine, $300K per month on a personal staff of 40 (Not including the $150K on Security guards) and $3 Million to blast the ashes of Hunter S. Thompson out of a custom-made cannon in Aspen. Ooh, this snow seems funny. And that’s just a sampling of his spending because he has it. And these are the stars who promote socialism in the country.

 

Everybody knows that the eight countries covered by the Trump EO were picked by the Obama admin. But don’t expect the media to clear it up, and don’t expect the protestors to listen of they do.

 

In case you don’t remember, Socialist candidate Jill Stein started the voter fraud concept. Trump must have liked it and jumped aboard. But the Dems, never willing to let the other side beat them in irrelevancy, have decided that voter fraud against Hilarity is a good idea too. Save us from the mentally deficient.

 

Within hours of the weekend immigrant situation, I received a lengthy email from the president of my college indicating a degree of horror over the situation. At the same time I saw similar pleas from other college presidents on TV and in cell phone news alerts. Hole Paul Revere, Batman.  As my letter said, the presidents of colleges got together upon the first indication of the EO and mounted a campaign, which was obvious better organized than the government action. The real reason isn’t necessarily about humanity, but possibly losing good paying undergraduates. See endowment problems above.

 

The Parking Lot: Chapter 74 continues…

   Alex and Nancy quickly moved down into a boat launch ramp where they wouldn’t be seen. A couple of colorful dories lay upside down on the pebbly shore, but there was nothing there or on the entire point of land, except those fishermen pickups.

   “So, you are the Nancy I remember.”

   “And you are the Alex,” She countered. Then they both laughed at how inane they must have sounded to each other. Nancy sat on an old discarded piling, and Alex pulled up and sat on a salt covered milk crate.

    Nancy’s eyes narrowed. “Were those pickups here when you arrived. What do you think happened to McGuire? I mean why was he shot? What do you know…” Alex raised his hands as if to say slow down, we’ll get there.

   “Tell me about what you know, Nancy, then maybe I can fill in details”. Now she retracted.

   “You asked me to come to you. I don’t even know if you are with me or against me. Why would I tell you anything? You have to prove yourself to me.”

    Now it was Alex’s turn to stare, wondering how much he should say. But, he knew that she was right. He gave her the promise of something to come. She hadn’t moved.

   “First those pickups were here when I arrived about twenty minutes before you.” Nancy seemed to relax. “I actually roamed around and saw three guys working on nets.” He smiled, but he wasn’t sure about what Nancy did.

   “About three or four years ago,” Alex now serious leaning into her, “a group of some of the most well connected, influential and wealthiest Rhode islanders were lured to form a group for the sole purpose of gaining control of most of the farm land in Sakonett. The idea, as It was presented to us, was that with the probably arrival of the casino, the land values would increase significantly. They could sell to developers and run off with wads of money. My friend McQuire was one of the leaders fo the movement, and he asked me to help with real estate law.”

    Nancy moved forward, and her eyes softened a little.

    “The two people who seemed to be heading everything were Claudia Howland and her son who I have never liked, our illustrious Lieutenant Governor.” She frowned. Then smiled in agreement with Alex. So, it has been the Howlands, she thought.

    “Claudia said that she was well on her way to  making a deal with the heir to all of the Hicks holdings, and other farmers.”

    “Interesting”. Nancy finally said something.

    “Here’s what’s really interesting,” Alex continued. “Claudia pulled me aside after the last meeting and asked me to arrange a meeting  with you. So, I’m thinking that if she is dealing with you, why doesn’t she call you herself.” He paused, “I have to say that almost all of the potential investors in the group were shaken with the murder of Gerry McGuire, and the majority wanted out. .

   Nancy stiffened. Did she hear a noise or was she just too tense , too apprehensive. Did Claudia or he son or one of those thugs follow the naive Alex?

  

The Answer:

The Supreme Court of the USA first convened in 1790. I have to believe that over those 227 years there have been screams of angst over the choice of new justices. But, somehow the pendulum keeps swinging and the court goes on. And America is still America. It’s just that sometimes there is a hiatus from your America.

 

I’m taking a hiatus from February politics. It is becoming too predictable, and much too uncooperative. So, I won’t be reporting much of the real American tragedy -- supposedly intelligent people not speaking to each other.