The world is within ourselves.

Today's Tids Issue 3,960

For Tuning Out:

If we turned off all media, I think people would find themselves smiling and comfortable again. After all everything that is good is really within our own hearts. Yet problems we never considered, have become major concerns; never has so much that is so ordinary been so magnified, so distorted as they are today -- with constant notifications on phones, 24 hour repetitive cable news. I’d say all media should be turned off, so we can look at each other honestly and see the goodness, instead of being led to one side or another; into places we would never have gone on our own; enduring normalized behavior, typically unacceptable to civilized living.  I’m for love and respect, for understanding. And frankly I think most people are.

In case you missed it, North Korea has declared war on the USA many times over the years – like say 200 times in 20 years. Yes, there is nothing new here as the first declaration was in NK newspapers in 1997. Even before that, NK has fired on US planes – the first time in 1969, killing 31 people and then in 1994 shooting down a US helicopter killing one US pilot and capturing another. The difference between now and Clinton’s time is that they now have far more advanced weapons, and something must be done…finally.

I think we are currently in a wait and see stock market.

Just eight weeks to 4,000.

Some days I’m amazed at how well my memory works. It’s actually kind of exciting.

The Question:

Who are these people? Yes, your favorite question is back: Patricia Hodge, Mark Farmer, Roger Bart, Jill Whelan, Crissy Metz, and Natasha Gregson Wagner.

The Headlines:

--Tech Stocks Push S&P To New Record; Dow   No-Man’s Land..

--5 Million Enlist In NK Army In Response To US Threats; China Closes North Korean Businesses.

--Governor Of Puerto Rico Ricardo Rossello Says US Government Has Done Everything Possible To Help, And That Trump Has Been Very Responsive; It is An Immense Job Under Trying Circumstances, He Added; Pfizer And Eli Lilly Respond To PR Drug Shortage.

--US Stops Issuing Visa To Cuba.

--Second FBI Lawyer Leaves Mueller team.

--IMF”s Legarde Says Digital Currency Is Here To Stay.

--Giant Rocks Are Falling Off Yosemite’s El Capitan; Yesterday British Climber Killed and Partner Sent To Hospital; Californians To Blame Trump?

I use to use the word diverse in many communications, but now it only seems to stand for one thing. Who is stealing my vocabulary?

I have always seen my Town as a little bit leaning left. Now I know it for sure as they have just proudly announced the plans to construct a massive lettuce factory. Yikes! It’s probably a good economic decision except for one thing, the lettuce will be in danger of wilting while crossing the constantly under construction bridge off the island.

Why do news websites I read regularly for info insist on updating their format for the good of me? I find new designs often tedious and more difficult to navigate. Even my own local newspaper site which I read frequently mainly because delivery is getting later and later is screwing with me by its ballyhooed redesign. BTW, I have found that as much as I read Projo on the web, I still find reading the paper version much easier, and faster!

Never put off until tomorrow what you can ignore entirely.

A couple of days ago I wrote about how silly and potentially dangerous this racist labeling can be. Yesterday a rather haughty sounding librarian at a grammar school in Massachusetts deemed the books by Dr. Seuss – “Racist propaganda”. Interestingly, Michelle Obama was praised by educators and the media for her reading of the Dr. Seuss books to children in grammar schools. Are we getting the picture yet?

US and Canada are tied as the world’s 11th “freest” economies. Say what? Hong Kong was rated #1 followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, Ireland, United Kingdom, Mauritius, Georgia, Australia and Estonia. Of the other large economies, Germany was 23, Japan 39, Russia 100 and China 112.

Have you realized that the media never asked if Bill Clinton was “preoccupied” with Monica while North Korea was building their nuclear capability?

I watched several new comedies premiering on TV last night and it seemed they all have one thing in common – kill conservativism and damn the presidency. And, they weren’t subtle about it. It is pretty easy to see that Hollywood is very left of center just by watching the awards ceremonies. Yet we accept these inevitable one-sided propaganda programs from these rich moguls into our homes on a nightly basis.  I think the old cellulose crowd was tired of watching Fox News become the dominant public opinion maker by producing shows with two sides of the story. The left typically only sees one side with no ability to understand or at least wanting to understand other opinions. I have crossed some of the new comedy off my list of entertainment opportunities. Maybe the only safe place on TV is Wheel of Fortune. Are you allowed to say fortune in public? I guess only if you have it, like athletes and move stars.

My opinions may mature, but never the fact that I’m right.

Actually, I get my daily chuckles watching the RI legislature at work. Yesterday a Dem House member (90+% of the RI House is Dem), Aaron Rutenburg, said about a new freebie for unions, “It not going to solve all of the problems of a rigged economy…” How funny is that…a member of the Union owned state legislature talking about fighting a rigged economy?

This Tids is much too political today. And, it was supposed to be about love. I guess I forgot to turn off the media and let the comedians into my living room.

My mother was a travel agent, for guilt trips.

Reading Between the Lines Movie Reviews:

--American Made starring t\Tom Cruise looks like a pretty good film. Based on a true story, a TWA pilot (Cruise) is recruited by the CIA to recon the communist threat in Central America, but soon finds himself in charge of the biggest CIA op in history, which just happened to have been the beginnings of the Medellin Cartel; and a venture which almost brought down the Reagan White House with the Iran-Contra Scandal. Yikes.

--The Battle of the Sexes was nothing burger when it actually happened, unless of course you were an avowed feminist. The only thing that makes this intriguing to me is the appearance of Steven Carell as Bobby Riggs, braggart and habitual gambler, who as I remember was hard to like. It is more a comedy, but the original event itself was turned into an endless national discussion by the overzealous media. My sense is that Emma Stone is too skinny to play Billy jean.

--In Flatliners, a weird little film where 5 medical students experiment with life after death by stopping each-other’s hearts. It is a dangerous occupation that gets more-so as the film drones on. I don’t know whether it is good or bad. It sounds intriguing, but from what I have seen in trailers, it looks disconcerting.

The Answer:

Patricia Hodge starred in the original Bob Fosse West End (London) production of Pippen; Mark Farmer was the lead singer and lead guitarist in the “Grand Funk Railroad” band; Roger Bart is one of those actors who is called on for many a performance, but made his name on Broadway receiving a Tony for his portrayal of “Snoopy” in “You’re a good man, Charlie Brown”. He was also nominated for a Tony for his work as Leo Bloom in the original Producers; Jill Whelan – If you liked the “Love Boat”, then you remember Jill as Vickie Stubing; Crissy Metz – Just wanted to see how alert you were. Of course Crissy is Kate Pearson on the current hit “This is Us” Actually I had no clue as I have never seen it; First, Natasha Gregson Wagner is the daughter of Natalie Wood and Richard Gregson. She and her sister after their mother’s death, were raised by Robert Wagner and Jill St. John. But, her H-Wood heritage only got her consistent, many “B” roles and she never achieved that super star status.

Natasha Gregson Wagner had a tough time in some of her most prominent films and TV efforts: She was bitten in the throat by a Vampire in Buffy; Died of a heroin overdose in Another day in Paradise; Was decapitated by an axe in Urban Legend; Hung herself to commit suicide in Stranger than Fiction; Was beaten to death by a drug dealer using a metal pipe in Wonderland; Died off stage before the picture began in Cold Case: Committed; Was shot to death in Bloodline. I guess she was always dying for a role.

Have a great weekend, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!