When time doesn’t matter.

Today's Tids Issue 3,766

For Meaningful Vacuums:

At the end of the Tids yesterday I left you with the word Kairos. Maybe some of you googled it. Kairos is one of two types of time. Many are inflicted with Chronos or sequential time, meaning that people can be shackled by binding times, always looking at their watch, or now, phones. But, with Kairos time doesn’t matter because the event is so much more important than the measurement. Time stands still. The bride doesn’t look at her watch because there are no restrictions on her moment (Even as people in pews look at their watches when the bride is late.). We don’t measure in minutes how long we feel the missing of a loved one. Kairos in Greek mythology refers to opportunity, an undefined period in which there is recognized a window for an advantage to be taken. Honestly, Kairos can be redefined to support many aspects of life that are not simply chronological. One good one is, Stopping to smell the roses.

A woman writing to a local newspaper makes a compelling case for extending Christmas day to three days. Consider that even before the day of peace was over, hoards were thronging to malls, pushing and shoving for deals and to return gifts given with love; whiles others were there just to beat the crap out of each other. Somehow the message of Christmas is being buried in all consuming commercialism and social media antics. Take a breath. Enjoy the love.

Next year I’m going to try to do more than read emails and texts. Maybe I’ll get into books again, you know those artifacts with paper pages.

My guess is that the newest rage will be people trying to outdo each other in smartening up their homes! The race will be cutthroat as one family tries to get its thermostats under voice control before those down the block. America will be hysterical trying to outdo each other getting stuff they don’t need. Count me out, but don’t tell Siri, Alexa or Al. I may need them some day to start my walker.

The Question:

Presidents doing things: What President started the “March of Dimes” and what President signed the documents that made Alaska a state? Bonus: What number state was Alaska?

The Headlines:

--Dems, Repubs Ready To Do Battle In Congress; Dems Plan To Stretch Out Approval Process From Days To Months For 8 Of Trump’s Cabinet Picks.

--String Of Severe Storms Sweeping Across South Leave At least Five Dead.

--Bombing In Baghdad Kills 29 Innocents.

--56 Killed In Brazil Prison Riot Over Drug Turf.

--Bitcoin Breaks Through $1000 Barrier.

--Amazon’s “Alexa” Leading Way Spurring Development Of New Smart Products For Homes; Apple’s Home Kit with Siri and Google’s Echo with “Al” Coming On Strong For Spot In Smart Home Domination.

--Four Children Die In Texas From Fumes After Water Activates Pesticide.

--Lenova Surprises With New Gaming Laptops; Galaxy Updates Now Imminent.

--Assange Says Russia Not Source of Email Info.

I see that the Geico Gecko has orange hands from you-know-what! Cheetos are big, it now seems, in many parts of society, and you had the opportunity to be on board first here in the daily morning mess – from cheesy snacks to cheesy politics and everything cheesy in-between.

Hi tech gizmo packaging designers must also practice Origami! I am truly amazed at the design and coolness of packages coming from the software wizards of contemporary monopolies.

Many of the people who as young idealists protested the dominance in society of ugly big corporations like auto, steel and energy, have now gone on to developing and owning even bigger corporations where it seems to me their main objective is to control peoples time, society and minds.

Interestingly, the heads of the new corporate world are as wealthy as the old corporate prodigies and are mostly Democrats. And, oddly, none of these companies are plagued by the increasing Union demands that brought old the manufacturing superstructure to its knees. Weird, huh?

There’s only three hundred and fifty-six more shopping days to Christmas.

Rhode Island needs to do whatever is possible to attract good businesses with well-paying jobs for the future of its bright young kids. The first news out of the legislative box this year was that RI should be happy knowing that “Shark Fin sales are Prohibited” as are the “use of bull hooks on Elephants.” You can’t make this stuff up.

False rumors will abound as the Congress delves into the background of selective Trump cabinet picks, and it won’t arise from Internet mavens making it up. It will be the product of political operatives, well trained in dirty politics.

BTW, the Washington Post is up in arms against Internet fake news, claiming that it steps on their turf. Who supports made-up news better than real journalists, like those touting a video as the cause of deaths in Benghazi, or that Repubs hate all immigrant; or “Hands up don’t shoot” or promoting Duke Lacrosse players as guilty before innocent. The beat goes on in the higher echelons of media cliques, where ideological altered news is the new standard, not just the purview of kids in mother’s basements.

One of the reasons Unions have no made inroads into information technology companies is because employees there don’t want “guaranteed job protection”, but more flexibility to leave for more money.“ They don’t want to be paid on seniority but on effort.

I have had a cell phone for so long that I still have many friends whose cell phone numbers are designated “Car”. You know, Joe car, Sam Car, Cath car, etc. Works for me.

Trump says he may swoop into Chicago neighborhoods with Federal authorities to stop the killing. I don’t like the idea of anything Federal swooping into any neighborhoods.

The new Dem Governor of NC says his state is not a democracy after so many GOP wins over the years. I guess he never heard of the USSRI, the most one party state in the union!  Hey, wait a minute, you’re a Democrat and you’re elected! Politicians are inane.

I believe that Trump is going to have a lot of problems moving forward with his isolationist business policies. Too many companies just have too much of their future invested in overseas markets and production. American consumption isn’t big enough for US companies to meet Wall Street growth objectives. And competitive production will only work here if automation replaces people.

The Answer:

Not surprisingly, the president bound to a wheel chair because of Polio – FDR -- led the fight to Implement the March of Dimes”, a charity designed to raise money to fight polio. Ike signed the papers that made Alaska our 49^th state.

I don’t set time limits for the end of The Tids. I just stop when my mind stops.