Cycles.

Today's Tids Issue 4,043

For waiting things out:

I have always liked the Iggles, and now I have to hope they flounder against my beloveds in the Super Bowl. Maybe it’s a historical thing with me. I have always held dear those cities where the Revolution caught fire, where the foundations of a great America were built for all. But, regardless of romantic sentiment, I’m hoping for a big Pats win. Sorry rest of country, but that’s who I am. A provincial homer. Yes, I do have bias in my heart.

Do you know why old people are generally more apathetic to supposed ground breaking news? It’s because they have seen so many trends come and go over so may years.

I thought the Sunday comic strip “Pearls Before Swine” about the six stages of marriage was pretty good. Google it.

Anti-Smoking activists will always iterate phrases like: “Big Tobacco has a history of manipulating public opinion.” All companies manipulate public opinions to attract customers…as do politicians and agenda driven activists.

It is not just average passengers who are becoming annoyed at the growing number of pets in airline passenger cabins. It has become a major concern for all of those who can’t function without pet assistance. People like the blind are very concerned that problems with pets in aisles will encourage airlines, or worse hysterical government legislators, into banning all pets. Now, I realize that everybody thinks their pet is just perfect. But the only pets trained to be calm and obedient in public places are those of the handicapped, who rely on them to exist in public places themselves. Regular pets are animals who see passenger’s legs as fire hydrants…or worse.

Opportunities Wasted Department:

Government shut-downs come, and government shut-downs go. I only wish the Government would come back each time with fewer employees.

Worst Pun of the day: “My horse was on the small side, so I decided to make him larger. I used a bronchodilator.” I think it’s time to ride off into the sunset.

The Question:

One thing that isn’t getting better with time is Spell-Check. I’m always amazed that when I start a word with P-e-o…and mess up the final letters, S-P never considers “people” as one of the correct words. How many basic words start with Peo? Bonus: How many Government shut-downs has there been since 1976, the year of the first shut-down. When was the longest shutdown?

The Headlines:

--Senate to Vote On Budget at Noon.

--Dow Opens Slightly Down; Other Stock Markets Up; Shutdown No Factor On Markets.

--Super Bowl Set: Philadelphia To Play new England Patriots.

--Everybody Blaming Everybody Else For The Shutdown; Red States With Meager Fed Jobs Base Least Affected By Budget Shutdown.

--United Airlines Saved 170,000 Gallons Of Fuel By Printing Inflight Magazine On Lighter paper.

--New Interagency FBI Texts Indicate Fix Was In For Exoneration Of The Hill In Email Probe.

--Over 10% Of Funds Raised In “Initial Coin Offerings”, $3.8 Billion, Lost Or Stolen By Hackers.

--Billboards Continues Winning Streak At SAG Women Rule.

--Navy’s Newest $440 Million, Rapid Response Ship Stuck In Ice Since Christmas;

And if older people have managed to be around for 5000 or so years, they have seen ice ages transform to desert droughts and back again.

The big question of successive eras: Which is more addictive – smoking or smart phones?

The Super Bowl could be called the Founding Fathers Game. Oh yeah, including Betsy Ross and Abigail Adams. Don’t want Hollywood slamming me.

I saw a photo of a 9 yo holding a big sign at Saturday’s Women’s march. It read, “I march for my future.” Unfortunately, her future has been usurped by her parents who apparently have taken away her ability to see the other side, and make her own choices.

NBC Weekend News Anchor Jose Diaz Balart has just got to temper down the hysteria. I was ready to a call an ambulance for him. Jose, take a breath – you are supposed to be knowledgeable. We have had shutdowns before. Get over it. 

I’d like to see that pendulum swing back to the times when people looked up to civility as a paragon.

Nothing ever really changes where people are involved. It’s just the costumes.

If you don’t think the “New California” separation away from the increasingly socialist mother state is rational, consider that a bill has been introduced in the State Legislature to mandate that corporations give the state half of their savings under the new US Tax bill. Communists would demand to take it all, so, California is only half way there…so far.   

With weather people naming snow storms, I would be surprised if horticulturalists try to get into the act naming the return of waves of flower types as seasons change and grow. Like its’s Jennifer for Jocular Jonquils, or Cathy for cheery Chrysanthemums or Susan for the pretty black-eyed flower.

I have always been one who appreciates the ability to be flexible as times and technologies change. But for too many these days, adapting to change, means lowering the bar.

Governments are good for one thing – through over-hiring they keep down the unemployment rolls, which is generally good for the stock market, and the country at large.

One thing I had always learned is that if you can ride out the bumps, it tends to be incredibly smooth on the other side. And often, when you look back, the bumps don’t generally seem to have been that rough.

The big “One-and-Done” basketball U’s tend to get better this time of year after the super recruits begin to understand and gain experience in the college game… and realize that one and done doesn’t mean one on one.

The Answer:

There are more than 3 “peo” words, but they are all extensions of but three -- People, Peon or Peony. Why can’t Spell-Check find them? Bonus: There have been 18 government shut-downs. The longest, 21 days, was in 1995. The last shut-down was in 2013. Hey, wait a minute, those were in the admins of Clinton and Obama. How can that be? Does Jose Diaz Balart know this?

Adapting to change shouldn’t mean giving up basic moral principles.