The world never sleeps.

Today's Tids Issue 3,112

Opening Stuff:

 

 

Wall Street doesn’t like the new Iraq problem. Israel certainly doesn’t feel good about it. Malicki’s government is torn apart by it. Countries like North Korea will be emboldened by it. If you color a map in Islamic red you would see it spreading, oozing east from the waves on the Syrian shore to the borders of Iran. From the deep black jungles of Africa to the Mediterranean southern shores. People will say my imagination is whacky. But they are the same people who said everything is cool and nice in Iraq. The Islamic enemy never sleeps.

 

Charles Krautheimer writes: “President Obama acts as if he came to the White House on a tour and discovered he was President”.

 

The most significant aspect of the Brat win over Cantor was that “piles of money” lost!

 

Brookins and McNelley suggest the best gift for your psychiatrist are a pair of Freudian slippers.

 

Life is generally pretty perfect. It becomes a problem when people start comparing themselves to others, or others are comparing them to arbitrary norms.

 

The Question:

Ruby Dee was a helluvan actress from the forties and fifties way before she won her Oscar in 2007. Name five of her movies and for which one did she win the Oscar. Bonus: Name the NBA players who have played the most career minutes in NBA Playoffs.

 

The Headlines:

--Iran Sends Iraq Two Units Of Revolutionary Guards To Fight Rebel Groups; Shiite Imams Call For Followers To Unite Against Aggressor Sunnis; Obama White House “Mulling”.

--Hillary Clinton’s Popularity Has fallen From 70% High At Retirement From SoS To 52% Today.

--Market Opens Lower But Futures Bode Well.

--EU Leaders Say “Socialist Hollande Is Deflated Currency”, That France has Lost Stature In Euro-Economy.

--Ukraine Federal Forces Inflict High casualties On Separatist Groups; Kiev Says Three Tanks Have Crossed Into Ukraine From Russia.

--Kevin McCarthy (Cal-R) Looks Like Sure Replacement For Cantor At Majority Post.

--Opening Of Brazil World Cup Looks Like Skirmishes In Mosel.

--“O’s” Popularity ratings Fall below 50% For First Time; Approval Ratings Still Remain Low Althoygh Rise Slightly In Past Month.

 

At first glance it appears that athletics has taken over the world. And I’m not just talking about the frenzy in Brazil. In high school I hear girls saying they are only picking colleges mainly for the opportunity to continue their favorite HS sports. In a small local school like East Greenwich, they fielded girls championship or just below championship teams in tennis, Softball, Lacrosse, Field Hockey, soccer and volleyball… and actually were competitive in several others. Many of those sports run simultaneously, meaning that the talent pool has to be very deep. When I was a kid in HS, one day your loafing and drinking beer with your friends and the next you walk on a field  and start playing. Today there are club teams, traveling teams; summer and  winter leagues outside of school. And, I’m talking little places in the Northeast and not the factory type operations in the Midwest and South.

 

But then, I went to a band, orchestra and choral recital at a Junior High School where it seemed that nearly half the school was enthusiastically involved…and they all were very, very good. So while we worry about the current generation, the vast majority are out there doing a  lot more than following the Kadashians. Now if we can only get their teachers to educate them about the goodness of Republicans and the badness of Government overreach.

 

Think about the fact that ISIS (Islamic State Of Iraq and Syria) has raided the Mosel banks for about a half billion dollars, adding to their treasury which underwrites their lower cost guerilla warfare. They are not going away.

 

Speaking of waiting out, Kabul will begin looking promising for a quick Taliban return to domination now that the US pull-out is already killing the region’s economy. There is not better entry point for disruptive politics than a population in need.

 

More and more lately, giant seagulls sit nearby, on the roof above or the railing – three or four feet from where I am grilling the nightly meal. In the summer and the winter, beady eyes follow my every move, looking for an opportunity to swoop in and snag a piece of chicken, beef or pork. So I’m thinking these flying rats could be my friends, I could feed them nightly. I could be…a seagull whisperer.

 

There are two political parties in America – Enlightenment and Entitlement.

 

I’m sad to admit that I have to agree with Rom Emmanuel – Donald Trump Buildings are ugly.

 

There are home towns and “Hockey Towns”. The National ratings for the NHL playoffs show that LA and NY are naturally on top, and just behind are hockey hotbed cities of Buffalo Boston, Providence and Philadelphia. If it’s in your blood it’s in your blood, and it’s the game that draws and not the hype.

 

Sometimes you can be too smart for your own good. As the S&P has risen 5.% % over the past years the big hitter hedge fund gurus are reporting declines of 4 to 6% Sometimes it’s just better to stop playing and let it come to you.

 

Just for the record, in 2008 Hillary and Barack both opposed same sex marriage.

 

Beware of loan requirement easing. Or as I call it. the road to recession.

 

Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:

--22 Jump Street is a juvenile comedy about two undercover cops trying to get the dope on a new drug used by college students. It is said to be very funny, and should have an opening of $50 Mil!. It doesn’t seem to be high on my list. But I could be surprised by the good performances of Jonah Hill and Tatum Channing as college life influences their understanding of a life that includes maturity.

--In another potential box office block buster sequel, Hickcup and Toothless bring us back to the world of dragons. This time in “How to Train Your Dragon 2”  they discover a hidden ice cave full of dragons forcing them to stand up for what they believe, and maybe realizing that together they can change the future of both men and dragons.

 

The Answer:

Dee’s first film was That Man Of Mine in 1946. She gained some fame In The original Jackie Robinson Story in 1950 and became a big winner performing with her friend Sidney Poitier in Raisin in the sun.Her Oscar was for American Gangster. She made over 40 films including No Way Out, Go Man Go, St. Louis Blues, Take A Giant step, The Balcony, The Incident and Buck and the Preacher.  Bonus: The leaders in NBA playoff minutes are Tim Duncan of the current San Antonio team, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Scotties Pippen and Shaquille O’Neil. Now here is the real question: How come Scotty Pippen is on it and teammate all-time great Michael Jordan isn’t? Weird, huh? (Note: Tim Duncan also has the most “Double-Doubles” surpassing Magic Johnson. The silent man just does the job, night in  and night out.)

 

Next week I will reestablish the Tids promised new series of stories about US cities, mainly those cities often misrepresented by a national press which often overlooks the power of the true core culture. The next one will be Cleveland.

 

So I hope as you sit with bated breath awaiting the next big Tids, that your weekend will be everything the perfect weekend should be. And that the US Open will be worth all of the time I will be spending in front of the TV.