Never negative on Opening Day.

Today's Tids Issue 3,059

Opening Stuff:

Could there be a better day than today! The Sox are back in town, or at least opening the season in Baltimore -- the land of beautiful people -- and we up here will be glued to our TV’s to see what we have this year. Can Grady Sizemore replace Jacoby Elsbury? Will Elsbury, Beltran and Tanaka change the Ya – Ya – Ya…(WYKWIM)… and bring them back up from the depths? I don’t think their pitching is good enough, and they have an infield filled with aging injury prone former stars. No Rivera. I like Balt as a main contender, so I’m worried about opening day…and really, really excited too. Just got my old catcher’s mitt out of the basement and I’m ready to go!

Here’s a classic example of why it appears that people seem to be further away on issues than ever before. Kobe Bryant when questioned about the Travon Martin affair answered: “I won’t respond to something just because I’m supposed to, because I’m an African American.” He went on to say that if we applaud cultural, racial advances made in society, than we shouldn’t jump to somebody’s defense just because they look like me, in this case they’re African American. “You sit and listen to the facts just like you would in any situation,” he added. You would have hoped that the elected leader of the country, President Obama, may have had that kind of rational judgment in the Cambridge police and Martin situations. He, though, just contributed to the divide of which he continually eschews. I’m not a big fan of Bryant, but he was sensible…and even though he never came to or even hinted at favoring Zimmerman, he was spat upon by the liberal fanatics who are the most intolerable group in the US. Common Sense is the answer to our national division, just as it was when Thomas Payne used those words for a title of a pamphlet. But common sense often means being tolerant of simple truths you can’t understand. Or, don’t want to.

I hear often from movie critics things like, “You won’t get the full effect of it unless you see it on the big screen.” To me, that sounds like the movie doesn’t have much of a plot. Personally, I go to movies for stories, not sound or special effects.

Aren’t you glad Beethoven kept on improving after his 1st Piano Concerto?

The Question:

What are considered the ten most popular newspaper comic strips?

The Headlines:

--Market Watcher Michael Lewis Says Stock Markets Rigged Against Average Investors; Average Investor Respond: “Duh”.

--Talks Over Ukraine Going Nowhere.

--NK/SK Trade Shots Across Border; NK Tests Missiles.

--UConn, Florida, Wisconsin, Kentucky Head To Final Four.

--Government Study In Brazil Says Majority (65%) Of Brazilians Believe Womae Who Wear Revealing Clothing Deserve To be Raped; Other Aspects Of Study (On Spusel Abuse etc) Reveal messed Up Culture; many In Country Outraged.

--More Floating Debris Proves Not To Be From Missing Plane; Mystery Continues.

--Official Death toll In Osa its 21.

I’m not from West Virginia, so I could easily be wrong about this, but I have liked Democrat Joe Manchin from the day he was elected to the Senate. He said all of the right things then, and he seems to have kept his promises, and his convictions. He seems to appear capable of listening to all of his constituents rather than myopically following some national agenda. Some day we have to get to the point where all of the people count again.

I saw a page of photos of fashion models 12 inches wide by 6 feet tall, and wondered how 99.5 % of the women in the world think any of those clothes these living clothes hangers wear will look good on them. And, I have never seen a model who looks better than any women I know. It’s just another of those consumerism enigmas – bony, expressionless models are appealing because “we” say so. Not to me.

I hear that theater attendance is way down, and it is expected that prices will be going down also. I have to believe that critics push seeing certain movies on the big screen because the Movie Theater Owner Association lobbied them to. It is cheaper to watch a movie at home, and the popcorn is getting better too.

In my early working days, One of the best projects anybody in the advertising business could snag, was a Corporate Annual Report. After all, it was the CEO’S personal brochure and budgets were not inhibitive. You could use the best photographers and designers, no questions asked. And CEO’s were typically easiest to sell once you circumvented the intimidation. It was good for all, unless the CEO brought into the equation, a spouse or child…who took art in High School. But, all in all it was a project that promoted creative freedom, and typically aesthetically satisfying.. But, today, are they really necessary? Computer trading is such an advantage, that profits and a company’s future barely count any more in the grand scheme of stock pricing. Noting matter sany more if you can get there first.

The monarchy used to be the government. Now people like the monarchy as grand symbol of past accomplishments and as a means to forget the frustrations brought about by the new governments we have today.

There are many reasons that Baseball player picks one team over another, and these days it generally big bucks. (At $43,195, new Detroit signee Cabrerra makes more per bat than the national annual average personal income of $42,498.) But, former super Cleveland Indians player Grady Sizemore came to the Red Sox because he liked the doctors! Yup this great player, also known for running into walls, is trying to get a promising career back on track by staying healthy! So far it’s working well, as he knocked Sox rookie phenom Jackie Bradley jr. back to Pawtucket. He can go for the dollars after he makes it back for this year, as the replacement for Jacoby. I hope he tips the Docs well.

I feel bad for the Cubs fans who put much too much of their hearts into the arrival of Theo.

The genus of Beethoven in addition to the beauty of the music he wrote id that he moved music beyond the sameness of the past in one generation. His 9^th symphony for instance, isn’t great because people know how to hum the ending, or because the chorals are so grand, but because he created orchestral majesty unlike anything created for an orchestra before.

You would have to wonder what the great historic chef’s of France would say about today’s sauces…in little plastic cups…at KFC, BK and Macs. The only similarity is the spelling of the word.

The Answer:

This list seems to cover a lot of years. #1 is one of my  all time favorites – Calvin and Hobbs. 2^nd is one I never read and really don’t like – Garfield. 3. The Far side 4. Peanuts (Never ceases to entertain and help you think) 5. Pearls Before Swine 6. Foxtrot 7. The Phantom 8. BC  9. Dilbert  10. Zits. I believe that dilbert is the bst  of the current faves. Another list has the Top ten of all time starting with Doonesbury at 10. The rest up to #1 are Bloom County, Lio, Lil’ Abner, Fritz the Cat, Tintin, Get Fuzzy (Awful), Garfield (Still awful), Krazy Kat and Peanuts. What’s with all the cats? I guess I’m not mainstream. I’ve got to find some better answers!

I really don’t know much about music, I just know what I like. I really don’t know much about the so-called science of politics either. I just know what I don’t like. Political Science used to be something useful, but it’s all over–engineered now. The Political Scientists have commandeered the “government of the people…” We are totally getting away from the concept of citizens in control. I do know that I don’t think Big Government is the solution for anything. I know the people can be if they relearn the great precepts of the USA. I like the idea of elected officials representing the people in their areas. I like the idea of banning all levels of lobbyists. I like politicians who can turn the faces of their handlers green. The USA is over until the fat lady sings. I do know that much about music.