Following clichés.

Today's Tids Issue 3935

For Originality:

You have seen the pictures and the fear. What more could I possibly say here than you have not already said in your hearts and your prayers.

I think we need to do more to spur creative expression. More than ever, people reiterate popular sayings and descriptions of places and events. And, it maybe some of the self-proclaimed elite like food and entertainment critics, interior or graphic designers who are the biggest culprits of relying on tired word combinations …of course always spoken most eloquently often in a quasi-accent. When you think of it, all professions create their own vocabulary to set them apart, the bigger the word, and the more confusing the sentences, the bigger the paycheck. Who says simple things with more complexity than lawyers, B-school grads or investment bankers. So, when you see something in need of expressional dignity, spend a moment to find another way to forge beyond the ordinary, the trite.

When I look at those people using their own boats to rescue Texans from flooded neighborhoods, I‘m seeing people who look a lot like regular old hunters and fishermen – Trumps “deplorables” in action. 

One moment I’m looking at the smiling kids from Japan jumping up and down after their impressive win in The Little League World Series. And then before the elation has died, I’m hearing of a warning from the Japanese government to the northern isle of Haikaido that NK Missile is on the way towards them. Isn’t it perplexing how the interaction of the international community can be so diverse in a world that keeps on getting smaller.

One of my favorite little ditties is Seagul by Gustavo Santaolalla

Which letter is silent in the word “Scent” – the “S” or the “C”?

The Question:

What do people think are the scariest animals in the world?

The Headlines:

--NK Test Missile Over Japan Has World Markets Tumbling; Trump Says Once More, “All Options On The Table”.

--Oil Companies, Auto Makers, Insurance Companies Dealing With potential Huge Losses In Texas; Market Pausing; National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Sinking Further Into Debt.

--Half Of Houston Himes And Businesses Hit By Harvey May Be Uninsured.

--Conservatives At Odds With Solutions That Would Permit raising Debt Ceiling; Munchin Reasserts Urgent Need To Raise Ceiling.

--US Police Departments Applaud Trump For Reversing Obama Ban On the Use Of Military Equipment.

Have you noticed that after years of offering just 10% off, LL Bean is now enticing us on a daily basis with 20% Are times getting tougher for that great old mail order house?  Am I about to lose my favorite haberdasher?

Well, if LL Bean goes, I feel good knowing now that I can now buy kale at lower prices at the new Whole Foods under Amazon. Maybe Bean should offer free kale with every plaid shirt.

From what I have been reading, there is little possibility that congress will reduce SS benefits in the upcoming debt limit increase vote.

Last night they reported here that another car plowed into the side of a house. That was the third vehicle into home report in the last five days. What’s with this epidemic? Are too many people now driving with all the modern gadgetry thinking that cars can actually drive by themselves? DUI has become DUIT – Driving Under the Influence of Texting. And, it is damn scary. Drivers have always operated under the premise that the other people on the road knew what they were doing. 

You probably don’t know this, but everybody is waiting for February second, two thousand twenty-two, so they can at last call it 2’s Day!

Political operatives have discovered a new loophole in the voting process and they are not only exploiting it but furthering its access with drives to expand mobile and mail voting. Forever, mail-in voting was merely a convenience for those un able to be available to vote on a given day. Now mail votes seem to be controlled by party supporters who go door to door to “help people” sign-up. In a vote here last week, of the 256 mail ballots, 253 were notarized by one woman who went door to door working off of a democrat voter list. Isn’t kind of ironic that laws states that candidates and operatives can’t be  within “X” feet of a polling place, but they can now go into homes and basically solicit votes. Going to polls takes effort. And keeping democracy alive takes continuous effort.

One of the clear and present dangers to democracy may be the recent rise in mob rule, where the limited organized mobs are made to appear bigger than the voter blocs who elected officials. That’s why the Founding Fathers gave us a Republic and not a pure democracy which can easily be dominated by the tyranny of mob rule… especially in these days of mass communication enabling instant assembling with the real possibility of  imagined virile over support.

In case you haven’t noticed the biggest push behind the scenes by activist groups is to change the rules for the electoral college voting to “Adhering to the National Popular vote .” Apparently 10 Blue states and DC have instituted that change which would have added 165 EC votes to The Hill…effectively changing the USA from and republic to a democracy.

All the doctors who told Steven Hawking he had two years to live are probably dead.

The Answer:

Number 1 is no surprise – The Great White Shark. And they say movies have no influence on people’s lives. Next is Croc/Gator followed by Cobra, Black Mamba, Grizzly bear, Black Widow Spider, Lion, Piranha, Tiger and Rattlesnake. “Man” is number 23!

Hope you enjoyed your morning trip through the No Cliché Zone