Today's Tids Issue 3,436
Opening Stuff:
So…I
guess everything will eventually boil down to Apple versus Google.
Music
drives me. Chopin is walking on air with the woman you love.
Grieg’s A minor is laying together in soft grass near a rippling mountain stream
that soothes. Wagner is a warm embrace with fires deep. Brahms 2nd
of the 4th is a heart pounding as soft eyes look into your soul.
Pucini’s la Boheme; love that brings tears and rips your heart; love that never
ends – “Your tiny hand is frozen”.
I’ve
decided to launch a new venture aimed at protecting
Krill and Plankton. Part of my strategy will be attacking “Save the Whale”
ships.
A
college degree is nice but carrying a bag for a golf pro
isn’t so bad either. Jordan Spieth’s caddy Michael Greller made $2,000,000 last
year.
The
Question:
Double
“Q+” Day: 1. 98% of the Tids readership knows that
Chubby Checker is best known for his songs about “The Twist”. He named himself
after what famous fifties singer? 2.
Who was the first black manager in major League baseball? Bonus: Which five composers are considered the best of the
classical romantic period?
The
Headlines:
--World Stock Markets Begin Week With Healthy
Upticks.
--Apple, Tesla And Fitbit Losing Luster In Eyes Of
Investors. Apple Oct 27 reveal Will be Key.
--South Carolina Governor Haley Says This Is 1,000
Year Flood; Joaquin Skirts Out To sea Missing US Coast.
--Hillary Continues To Push her Campaign Towards Reactionary
Issues And Minority Groups; Misses Needs Of Rest Of America.
--US Scurrying To Find To Calm Anger After Bombing
Of afghan Hospital.
--Wingsuit Daredevil Johnny Strange Dies In Crash
In Alps.
Jeb
Bush had a pretty funny line when he closed out his
appearance on the Bill O’Reilly show: “Please don’t write a book about my Dad!”
O’Reilly
has a more annoying ego than Trump. But his “Killing”
books are very good.
Biden
is looking more like a candidate these days. If so,
he certainly won’t be raising the level of discussion if his first salvo is any
indication. He called Repubs “Homophobes.” Well, your mother wears army boots!
Hey wait a minute, women want to wear army boots now.
We
live in a world of reactions out of context.
Everything is relative and rarely absolute. 50 degrees in October is cold. 50
degrees in March is a warm spell. There are generally two sides, one often
disregarded.
Our
congressman Langevin may have proposed the firsts sensible
suggestion for bringing back jobs to once Mighty RI. He will to hold conference
to discuss implementing the German/Swiss concepts of apprenticeships and
internships, which is based on a very productive education/employer
partnership. Of course the big problem will be controlling union bosses who
want a piece of everything. I wrote a story on this plan for a national
manufacturing magazine 15-20 years ago. It was based on an attempt by the President
of a Swiss company here in RI to bring an apprenticeship/internship program to
RI and the USA. The RI teachers and their union were on board, as was URI in a
collaborative agreement. After a trip by the principals of each group to
Switzerland observing the factories there, it looked like the concept was
moving forward to reality. A few internships flourished, by wide spread
implementation dried up. I just have to figure that somebody in the legislature
watered it down. I still believe it is an answer to the malaise and slow wage
growth. I’m clapping for Langevin.
Do
realize how low the cost of shrimp might be if there
were no more whales?
Billy
Ray Cyrus’s daughter is talking about 2020
Presidential ticket of Kanye West and Miley Cyrus. Has America become a big fat
joke?
If
in 20 years or so everything is bought from and delivered
by Amazon, Main Street will be only coffee shops an ice cream parlors. Malls
will be homes for refugees. And there will be only 37 jobs on average per state.
In
case you haven’t looked lately, we have hit a new
low in the percentage of the population which is considered the work force.
Only 62.4% are working or looking for jobs.
Did
you know that George Washington way back in 1789
proclaimed November 26th as “A day of Thanksgiving for the Creation of
the United States of America?” Lincoln made it what it is about 74 years later.
Things
I don’t Understand, Department
An Irish playwright named Brain Friel died
yesterday He won a Tony and was acclaimed by critics especially for his play
Dancing with Lughnasa”. Personally I thought the play was a good substitute for
Ambien. NY critics live in a funny little cacoon.
A
reader asks the Question: “When sign makers go on strike,
do they write anything on their signs?
Homeland
came back on the scene last night, and I’m Hooked on
Carrie, Saul, Quinn and the rest. I always hate when it ends after 13 weeks,
and tis year it appears it will be no different. It looks like Showtime will be
following Homeland with new thriller in January, Follow the Money, starring
Paul Giamati and the original mystery man of Homeland, Damian Lewis.
The
Parking Lot: Chapter 19.
Joseph
kept his word and met with Richard Hicks at the small secluded cove at the
southern end of what is now Sawdy Pond. Jeremiah and Elizabeth were in the shadows
as they watched their two powerful fathers talk, neither man displaying emotion.
Jeremiah knew though that his father was intense as he made a case for his family
and his loyalty to the Wampanoag’s.
Jeremiah
felt the warmth of Elizabeth as she shifted her body closer to him. He turned his
head to look at her face, but her gaze was firmly affixed on the two older men.
She had greeted him warmly when they arrived, but she still seemed to be taking
her cues from Joseph. Jeremiah understood the importance of the meeting, but
his adolescent urges wanted a good result for another reason. He reached to
touch her hand, but she brushed it away.
After two hours, the men stood and shook hands
warmly. Finally, a small smile broke out on the beautiful face of Elizabeth.
She turned to Jeremiah and looked at him for the first time like she had so
many times before. She reached up and touched his face like she wanted to see
if it was real, like what she remembered. Jeremiah thought she was about to
kiss him, when he saw he big arms of her father wrap around her tiny shoulder. His
dad came up to pat him on the back. He turned to look up and saw his father
admiring him.
The
Answer:
1.
Chubby Checker named himself after “Fats Domino”. Get it – Fats = Chubby;
Domino = Checker. 2. The great
hitter Frank Robinson became the first black manager, and it was for the AL Cleveland
Indians. He was also the first black player to win the Triple Crown and the
first player of any color to win the MVP in both leagues. Bonus: After Bach and Mozart, the best known of all classical
composers probably come from the “Romantic Period”. Beethoven is often
considered number one, but others say Chopin may be the era’s paragon. The
usual group includes Mendelssohn, Wagner, Schuman, Schubert, maybe Berlioz and
opera greats Puccini and Verdi. Some musicologists say that Franz Liszt,
comprehensive musician, composer, conductor and promoter is arguably the most influential
figure of the 19th century. But not a great composer. And then there
is Brahms who continued the Beethoven majesty after the master, and
Tchaikovsky, immensely popular today, but often mocked by intellectuals in his
times (Who’s progeny went on to become NYC Theater critics).
I
like the word Romantic. It’s so expansive, makes love so
much more delightful; I always play romantic period composers on Saturday
morning. It just seems to stamp delight upon the weekend. The tones and
emotions lift you and send your mind to scenic vistas.
Vaughn
Williams wrote some pretty moving music. The 3rd
movement of his 5th Symphony, “Romanza” is one of them. It’s amazing
what you can find if you listen deep enough.
Rachmaninoff
was a little past the romantic period but his music could
chill your spine. Here’s his 2nd movement of his 2nd piano
concerto, which feels like love. Let a little romantic music brighten your
rainy day.
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