What if the music never began.

Today's Tids Issue 4,140

For soft, understated melodies:

As a lone piano plays romantically in the background, my mind wanders into the clouds above the seas. Each note is throbbing, oozing with feeling. My heart beats warmly to the soothing, yet intense rhythm.  My mind drifts into reveries, and then abruptly, as the last note vibrates into nothingness, everything’s stops and I sit in emptiness, staring at the blank screen before me –what in hell am I going to write today! Yikes.

Are people who eat sashimi hoping that someday they will be transformed into kindly, frolicking dolphins.

In case you missed it, Hillary Clinton has tossed her hat into the ring for a new job – CEO of Facebook. How would you like to go through life with Hillary looking over your shoulder? Arrrrrghhhh!

Unskilled jobs of today now require a lot of basic skills, including how to fill out an on-line application.

The new sushi bar that caters solely to lawyers is called, “Sosume”. I just threw in that pun for the halibut.

The Question:

What is the difference between Sashimi and Sushi? Bonus: Which Airlines Top the new list of best airlines?

The Headlines:

--Stocks See Red After Trump Removes Tariff Exemption For EU Canada and Mexico; Markets Appeared Set For Good Day Before Action.

--Trey Gowdy Says He Sees No Spy In “Spygate”.

--Trump Still Pushing For Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum.

--IMF Chief Says Europe Looks Good But Questions Remain About Italy And The Euro.

--Jobless Benefits Claims Fall Further Than Expected; Sears/Kmart To Close 72 More Stores; Sears Q1 Revenue Down 31%.

--Google Easing Its Way Into China; Laying Groundwork To Not Miss Being Player In Huge Phone Mart.

I think that Kim has a handle on how to transform a war based economy into a consumer megasociety He has been looking to opening a fast food hamburger joint. All American companies are welcome to bid.

Politics should not enter in on Trump’s signing of “The Right to Try” legislation. It allows terminally ill patients the use experimental drugs not yet approved by the FDA. I call it a common sense bill.

But of course, Politics will rear its ugly head once more.

Fill a pot with gold and they will come. That is, the lawyers and scam artists. The NFL allocated $2 billion to help those with the effects of concussion symptoms. Almost immediately, as you might expect, there were many claims for a piece of the shimmering pot. But, 440 claims for $2 Billion clams were quickly determined to be total frauds, the brainchild of lawyers and their collaborating doctors who saw easy pickings from a panicked football league. The victims there are now those with serious concussion problems who now have to wait longer for assistance while wading through new protections against fraudulent applications. I put these scammers on my Tids Capriati Punishment list.

People say they hate the rich, but they love to walk through their mansions. This past rainy weekend, 23,000 plus came to this town of ours to gawk at the wonders of the golden age of the rich and famous. By the end of the season well over a million will have traipsed the marble halls once enjoyed as mere summer cottages by the Astors, Belmonts, Wideners, Taylors and the most famous ancestors of Anderson Cooper (Vanderbilts). Thank God for the rich, because money making mansions are the only remnant of RI’s past glorious industrial economy.

I read a lot of these so-celled secret internal memos from the FBI and assorted government agencies about the state of the accusations in a America, and I generally come away with next to nothing of substance. I guess he art of being a lawyer is making something out of nothing.

Tech executives look out over the broad, magnificent plains of middle America, and their minds say -- sprawling data centers.

Could you call Sears/K-Mart a non-profit company?

Conservatives had to feel a large degree of satisfaction when it was learned that the NY Times editor who had attempted to demean Trump with a picture of child immigrants in cages was actually using a picture of children in cages taken at US borders during the Obama admin. Gadzooks, how could that be! BTW, how come the media wasn’t outraged about children in cages back in 0-Man days.

Did you read where Obama said he and his WH gang may have made a misjudgment that contributed the Hillary loss, He said that he guessed his thinking was twenty years ahead of where the American public is today. Let’s, hope his liberal, globalist principles are light years ahead of what has made and will keep America great. According to his favorite biographer, Ben Rhodes, “When he last met with Angela Merkel, Obama noted that ‘She’s all alone to defend my liberal principles’.”

The ex-President will be a like a personal injury lawyer using Netflix as an element for a class action suit against contented Americans.

The Answer:

Sashimi is thinly sliced raw meat – usually fish like salmon and tuna – served without rice. Sushi is not raw fish but rather vinegared rice that is mixed with other ingredients, which may or may not include raw fish. Bonus: For the 11^th year in a row, Alaska Airlines is number 1 among traditional airlines. Delta was second while United dropped all the way to number Five on the five-airline list of the bigs. Number 3 was Air Canada and 4 was American. In the low-cost airline category, Southwest nudged aside jet Blue for Number One, After Jet Blue, we found WestJet followed by Allegiant and Frontier.

Maybe, we can just settle down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8w-KQdeauo

Cheeto’s Paws.

Today's Tids Issue 4,139

For Orange:

Without question, we are in the midst of one of the greatest Snack eras of our times. Amidst the cacophony of political chaos, people eat snacks, albeit some healthier than others. Of course, health depends on your own personal definition. Ones person’s healthy eating is another person’s fast track to deep depression. But as Professor Emeritus of Supermarket Snack Aisle studies, I can tell you without reservation that innovation in this new dawn of salty snacking is beyond wildest expectations. Instead of tweeting, make it treating. That’s my motto!

Roseann Barr just learned that tweeting is not like talking to a neighbor across the back fence.

Could the noticeable rise in Auto Loan delinquencies be the first signs of a crumbling Foundation? Something to watch.

I wanted to bid at the silent auction, but it was not aloud.

When you get right down to it, NK’s economy is awful, and Kim knows it. Everything that may happen will be based on that.

The Question:

Advertising Age has listed the top 15 ad campaigns of the 21^st century. See how you match -- What campaigns do you remember as best

The Headlines:

--Markets Rebound After Italy Worries easy; US Economic Growth At 2.2% Weaker Than Expected; US Employers Add 178,000 Jobs In May; Dick’s Earnings Impress; Michael Kors Outlook Stronger.

--Hamas And Israel Agree To Truce In Gaza.

--Satellites Show NK Scrubbing Nuke Site.

--Reports Arise About Israel And Russia Reaching Deal that Would Remove Iran Militants From Israel Border; Deal Called Unprecedented.

--Chick-Fil-A Raises Wages Up To $18/Hour; Company Has Plan To Raise Level of Professionalism, Create Livable Family Environment.

--Missouri Gov Eric Greitens Steps Down As Accusations Step Up.

--Feds Say They Have Garnered A Million Files From Michael Cohen’s Phones.

I’ll be back reporting and reviewing America’s Got Talent once I get beyond some of the early hard to take shows that feature sometimes uncomfortable moments from amateurs. I also need time to steel myself from the antics of the judges, and even more so, ffrom the quite unnecessary mugging by Tyra Banks. Hey Tyra, just let the performers perform. That’s why I and many are watching. Your facial expressions add nothing. Other than the fact that the Judges and Banks drive me a bit nutty, there are always some good acts including last night like, like the last mass acrobatic troupe – “Zurcaroh”. Tyra Banks, bless her soul, used her golden buzzer to get them into the live rounds. That is actually good, because, unfortunately, many of these talented troupes run out of newness as the show wears on.

Cheeto’s master minds have brought back their incredibly delicious “Paws” version of the cheezy snack. I haven’t seen it on shelves for years, but I have never forgotten the tang that drew me into that addictive temptation, greater than the proverbial apple. In fact, I would declare them dangerous to your health, because you just can’t stop eating them.

In fact, yesterday I took a bag of Paws off the shelf and replaced it three times. I knew I would be a goner if I dropped it in the basket.

One of the first Democrat commentators I heard on the Roseann Barr incident used the piling on to say that “Our comedian who disparaged Sarah Sanders wasn’t nearly as bad as Roseann.” And the beat goes on.

It was quite predictable that Valeri Jarrett would turn the Barr insult into a Trump accusation.

Well, we know that Roseanne isn’t returning next year. What other shows are biting the bullet because they are being severed. Also cancelled at ABC are Alex, Inc, The Crossing, Deceptions, Designated Survivor, Marvel’s Agents of Shield, Once Upon a Time, Quantico, Scandal, Ten Days in the Valley and The Toy Box. Designated Survivor had a chance to be  pretty good, but is was much too syrupy for a situation where the entire US government was wiped out. Kiefer was a Whimp (Sorry Gretchen.) At CBS you can say Good Bye to 9JKL, Code Black, Kevin Can Wait, Living Biblically, Scorpion, Survivor Donuts, Wisdom of the Crowd and Zoo. I like Kevin James, But the show lost a lot when they killed off his wife to bring back an old favorite Lee Remini. Gone from Fox Network are The Exorcist, LA to Vegas, The Last Man On Earth, Lucifer, The Mick and Shots Fired. X-Files Is a long shot for renewal. At NBC we will lose (Or more likely gain freedom from) The Brave, Great News, The Night Shift, Rise and Taken. NBC has several more on the fence including The Biggest Loser, Champions, Genius Junior, Law & Order: True Crime and Timeless.  What will the trend be next year?

I agree. The United States of America is a nation of legal immigrants.

It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if many golf courses in the future were just maintained as open fields for the overwhelming population of… dogs!

The Answer:

At #15 we have the UNICEF: “Tap Project”. #14 is Chipotle: “Back to the Start” and that is followed by Budweiser: “Whassup”, Metro Trains: “Dumb Ways to Die”, Dos Equis: “Most Interesting Man in the World”, American Legacy: “Truth”, P&G: “Thank You, Mom”, Apple: “Get a Mac”, American Express: “Small Business Saturday”, Burger King: “Subservient Chicken”. The Top five are #5 – Red Bull: “Stratos”, #4 -- Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”, #3 -- BMW Films, #2 Nike +. Number One was Dove: “Campaign for Real Beauty. So, that’s what the experts liked. I don’ remember too many. One that makes me laugh all the time now, even having seen it quite often, is All State’s commercial about the boy trying to explain his little “fender bender” to his parents.

President Obama says he is getting involved with Netflix solely to help heal the nation. Hmm. And, he has hired all of the best liberal and progressive minds to help him do that.

I was at a checkout line in a supermarket yesterday and forgot to press one of the buttons. I quipped to the clerk, “Someday I’ll figure out this new world of ours”. A sixtyish lady behind me started smiling saying, “If you do, send me a clue. I don’t understand it at all.” Then she just laughed out loud. And the beat goes on.  

Chin up! Munch something crunchy.

History is forever.

Today's Tids Issue 4,138

For Beautiful Things:

I think of the all the beauty I’ve seen.

In the seas, hills; meadows serene.

I think of music grand; ethereal art.

None is as moving, as love in one’s heart.

When a son said his ambition was to drive an Army tank, his father said, “I won’t stand in your way.”

A lot of Celtics fans around here think their team’s march to almost the NBA championship game was pretty darn amazing. But, it doesn’t compare to what expansion team Nevada has done in the NHL. That’s just crazy sensational.

Nutritionists can be cereal killers.

The Question:

What is “The San Francisco Treat”? Bonus: Danika Patrick in her final Indy was lauded this weekend as a woman who paved the way for women to look beyond traditional roles. But, in 1977 another woman became the first to make it to Indy, paving the way for Danika. Who was she?

The Headlines:

--Kim Jong Un Right Hand Man Kim Yong Chol Heading To US For Pre-Summit Negotiations.

--European Markets Close To Turmoil After Uncertainty Political In Italy Rises; Europe Stick Woes Could Affect US Prices In Morning; Nissan To Cut US Car Production By 20%; Investors Will be Looking For May Employment Report.

--Spartanburg South Carolina News Anchor And Cameraman Killed By Falling Tree While Reporting On Storm Alberto; Anchor Mike McCormick And Photographer Aaron Smeltzer Were Recording Polk County Rainfall.

--New Fast Moving Lava Flows Call For More Evacuations On Hawaii; 10 More Homes Destroyed.

--8 killed, 30 Wounded In Shootings Across Chicago for Bloody Memorial Day Weekend.

--Israel Counters Mortar Attack With Bombardment Of Militant Site In Gaza.

--Golden State Beats Houston To Join Cavs In NBA Finals; The Inexplicable March Of Nevada Continues As Golden Knights Open Stanley Cup Series With Victory Over Washington.

Everybody is moving to Texas, or at least that’s what it looks like. Is it to get away from the coastal left? The fastest growing US cities in population are #1 San Antonio which is followed by Phoenix, Dallas, Fort Worth, LA, Seattle and Charlotte. Four more Texas cities are also in the group of the top 15 fastest growing.  I guess freedom from oppression is worth the hot days in the sun.

I am constantly amazed how little people know about what it took to get to where are in this year of 2018.

Labron James is not the prettiest basketball player I’ve ever seen, but he gets the ball in the basket when it counts, when the heat is on…maybe like no other player in history.

Motivational Speaking, Department:

From what I’ve been seeing of Hillary graduation speeches, and her other efforts around the world, is the creation of an atmosphere of bitterness. Does the world really need more negativity, especially from a so-called leader of women? Think of all the missed chances she has had to encourage strength from defeats. She’s Your Mother of Poor Attitudes, Trauma, Hatred and Yahooism. And that spells S-y-m-p-a-t-h-y. Poor me.

And, BTW, Trump’s Memorial Day tweet about all those killed in wars being happy with what he is doing for America, was way out of line.

Father’s Day is coming up and no better gift would be that of children going the extra mile, for themselves.

Gimme another one of them there Coca Colas. Yes, Coke will rise again, and it may be due to a new alcoholic Coca Cola product just introduced in Japan. It is a lemon-flavored drink in cans – a version of the popular Japanese drink Chu Hai, which has become very trendy among the knowledgeable. Let’s hope US nutritionists like it. I’m waiting for the diet, non-alcoholic version, you know, just so I can appear to be fashionable.

Has football season started yet?

Happy Anti-Bias Starbuck Training Day…everybody!

I have rules about what I insult. I know that what I may like or dislike should never cast doubt on another’s satisfaction. But, I have to say, that so-called “Mid-Century Modern” architecture is overrated, and I totally don’t understand the current craze over it.

The Answer:

The San Fran treat is on my personal Top Ten all time gourmet food lists – Rice-a-Roni! Yes, that product is a charter member of the Tids Food Hall of Fame. Bonus: Danika has graced so many covers, been viewed so many items across TV and the Internet, that many may have forgotten that in 1977 Janet Guthrie strapped herself into an Indy car for the brickyard 500, just after being the first woman in the Daytona 500. She was the top rookie in that huge 1977 NASCAR race. Helping her to break the barrier was AJ Foyt who when angered over fellow male comments about her gender inadequacies, gave her his backup car for the 1977 Indy. She suffered an engine failure pretty early in the race but raced in two more 500’s with a best finish of 9^th. She was in 33 NASCAR races with a best finish of 6^th, the best for a woman until Danika nipped it in 2004. Janet graduated form the U Of Michigan as an aeronautical engineer. She had a great smile.

Sometimes the mask of time erases he feats of pioneers. Yet what is newly accomplished is always built upon a foundation of the past.

Where there’s a will there’s a way.

Today's Tids Issue 4,136

For courage, for resilience, for love of country:

The cannons in the town square roar. The Navy band plays a patriotic tune. And we remember. The soldiers fallen; those left behind living with the loss; the children who will never know their parents. Amen.

If you are a little down, feeling a bit gloomy, take a walk among arrays of colorful flowers and think about the beauty of life.

Stevie Nicks is a septuagenarian. Yikes!

Every time activists push the government to pass a law banning something for the public good, irresponsible citizens are given a free pass.

I have always been a big believer in will power. And, I am really glad to see he won the Indy 500.

There is talk about “Smart Roads”. That would probably be technology buried within roads that not only reports on traffic patterns, but also helps cars steer the straight and narrow. I immediately thought of my state and wondered how they would ever keep up with repairs on that, after taking nearly 20 years to catch up on neglect to regular old roads of the past. It could be the RI Nightmare of the future. But, good for legislature Bother-in-Law body shops.

The day you wake up with the feeling that you just don’t have enough energy to think, is the day you should work harder to stretch the limits of your mind.

The Question:

Who are these people: Margaret Colin, Alice Young, Doug Hutchinson, Genie Francis, Zola Budd, Elizabeth Harnois and Matt Stone

The Headlines:

--Kim Jung Un And Moon Jae-In Hug.

--Trump Says We Are Ready To Meet In As Planned Earlier; US Delegation to Singapore Hopes NK Shows Up This Time.

--Guilianai Tells Sunday Morning Audiences That Mueller Investigation Is Rigged With Focus On Events That Never Happened.

--US Navy Ships Sail Close To Chinese Fortified South China Sea Islands.

--Wild Floods Surge Through Ellicott City MD Destroying Businesses, Killing One.

--LaBron Power, Experience Takes Down Celtics In Fourth Quarter For NBA East Championship; Houston Plays Golden State For West Title Tonight.

--GHW Bush Hospitalized In Maine.

--French Far Left Protesting Macron Reforms; President Says Victory Is Close In Fight Against Unions.

--US Left Running Amok: CNN’s April Ryan Tweets to 33K That Trump Is Running Child Sex Trafficking Ring.

--Spam Alert: Metal Fragments Found In 1940’s Favorite Wartime Meal; Hormel Product Removed Form Shelves.

--Markets Will Do No Harm To Savings Today.

It seems that the safest stock buy right now will be in companies with the least reliance Global activities.

It’s getting real tough to be a secret agent these days.

Every six or seven months I put on a Charles Ives symphony CD, and always wonder why I bought it in the first place.

The retail industry loses $49 Billion to theft each year, mostly to rather ingenious shoplifters. Just think what people could do if they transferred all of that illicit ingenuity it something positive.

Actually, if you keep on trying to give music a chance, over time you may find that your tastes have changed.

Being an early adopter of Smart Driving AI technology may come back to haunt Volvo. Sometimes pioneers are remembered for the mistakes and not how they battled through them.

“Safe”, a new series on Netflix, is a pretty good whodunnit, which holds your attention as it goes from surprise to another.

NASCAR is fun but Indy car racing is crazy amazing.

Save energy. Be yourself.

The Answer:

Margaret Colin Is best known as Margo Hughes on As The World Turns – in fact marrying happily her opposing actor on the series. She is a face you have seen often, acting in 43 films and Many TV shows and is best known for work in Chicago Hope, Now and Again, The Butchers Wife and Independence Day among others. She is a Pro Life activist.  Alice Young was the first recorded woman hung as a Witch – that being in 1640 in Hartford. Actor Doug Hutchinson probably had his most memorable publicity when he married 16-year-old actress Courtney Stoddard. He was in many films and TV programs, another familiar face. Genie Francis was Laura Spencer in the soap General Hospital. Her TV marriage to Luke was seen by 30 million (Cry your heart out Meghan). The barefoot runner Zola Budd ran the 3000-meter event in the 1984 Olympics for Great Britain and in 1992 for South Africa. In 1985 she broke the world record for 5,000 meters. Elizabeth Harnois starred in CSI Las Vegas as the character Morgan Brody. She was a very successful Child actor receiving best Young Artist Award nominations for One Magic Christmas and for work in the TV Show Highway to Heaven. Matt Stone is an actor, writer, director, producer, singer and songwriter who with his creative partner Trey Parker was the Co-Creator of South Park and Co-writer of The Book of Norman. He has won 5 prime Time Emmys, 3 Tony’s and One Grammy.

You can always find an extra ounce of courage deep inside to battle just about anything.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zF7a0wB-Lg

My eyes have seen the glory.

Today's Tids Issue 4,135

For the day the soldiers died:

My mind has known the anguish. My lips have said the prayers. My heart has leapt to the spirit of the brave who stand tall. My ears have heard the rumble of bombs bursting and the screams of the maimed. My tears run down and I feel the sadness in my belly. My logic tells me to stop the killing, but the tyrants must be stopped. All my senses praise the courage of all who fought and won. I am but a human, who continually wonders why. My hands come together in prayer, for all who have come to the Lord; all who still have battles bitter, and many yet to fight. My eyes close, My head bows.

I recall Memorial days of yore when I would turn on my radio in the backyard to listen to The Indy 500 while cutting down forsythia. The snipping of shears, the roar of engines, and a few birds tweeting. And I would always stop to remember why this day is so quiet, with memories so deep.

Having passed his recruitment physical, the boy John was asked by the doctor why he wanted to join the Navy. “Because,” said the boy, “my father said it was a good idea’. “And what does your father do,” asked the doc. The Recruit responded, “He’s in the Army, sir.”

The Question:

Name the Ten National cemeteries that Americans should try to visit at least once.

The Headlines:

--Oil Prices Dropping Bode Stormy Day for Stocks; Real Estate Mortgages Creep Up To New 7 Year High.

--Trump Praises Positive NK Statement Expressing Willingness To Re-Enter Talks; Says Dems Hoping talks Wil Fail.

--Weinstein Arrested On Charges Of Rape And Sex Playing.

--John McCain And Othrs Parse Trump’s Pardon of Jack Johnson; McCain Improving.

--Explosion At Canadian India Restaurant Wounds 15, 3 Critical; Two Masked People Dropped Off Home-Made Bomb And Fled; Armed Customer At Oklahoma Restaurant Shoots Potential Mass Killer Who Opened Fire At Patrons.

The cows in the meadow just love Moomorial day.

The Trump NK cancellation is just part of this ongoing one-upmanship game. Peacocks spreading their colorful tailfeathers. In addition to the President saying -- You can’t insult out Vice-President and not feel repercussions.

ESPN is another of those former comfortable get-aways that has lost its direction, trading a place for mindless distraction to just one more annoying political battlefront. And I have to say I feel sorry for some of the execs who may have let their baby stray. It has become a biased political entity and has lost not just this listener, but thousands. Many of their sports guys have become pompous “Journalists”, mush too precious for these everyman ears.  One female star Anchor named Jemele Hill has put CEO Skipper (Great name for a CEO) in a real box, she called Trump “A white Supremist”. Skipper says that if he punishes her he is branded a racist with sure to come associated public protests. If he doesn’t his networks suffers the wrath of regular Americans who just love sports without the soap boxes. Actually, I became disenchanted with ESPN many years ago, way before their rush to politics, even before they started dissing Tom Brady and the NE Pats. I just don’t like the pretense of their announcers.

The world is getting much too complex for me. I just received something from the European Union telling me I am now required to give EU visitors information about my cookies. Ok, I like butterscotch chocolate chip. How’s that! Actually, I have to add a notice about cookies to my blog worldviewetc.blogspot.com. I hope they do it for me, because I a haven’t a clue. Ok. I just checked and found the Cookie monster doesn’t appear on USA versions, but I entered a couple of EU country codes in place of .com, and there it was. Whatever happened to dial-up?

And, to top it off, I am having trouble finds a good pun of the day to keep you laughing over the weekend.

This is the May we have been waiting for, clear skies and no humidity. But it is still delightfully cool as oceans breezes off cold waters still dominate the climate. Life is good until the waters get warm.

Talking about getting caught in the middle, activist groups want major companies like Anheiser and Ford and Nike to boycott the NFL, and in reality, condone desecration of the flag and the nation. Mine yes have seen the glory…

I must be a stagnant, grumpy old son of a bitch, because I just get the excitement over Corden and Levine’s Carpool Karaoke.

Today. I just throw out the forsythia brought inside the first days of Spring to force blooms, fall asleep in front of the Indy TV cast, while millions of birds in the cybersphere go on tweeting about nothing. That’s birds as in turkeys.

Kilauea Lava makes for great TV news pics, but how broad is its effect on the entire state? Will it eventually suck in Hawaii, Oregon and California? That’s the big question, and I don’t think Armageddon is near.

Leader in the Clubhouse, Department:

While all eyes have been on Amazon, it appears that Durham North Carolina could be HQ2 for Apple! There are rumblings saying that this Carolina College town and thriving city will be the new 2^nd headquarters for Tim Cook’s place. The south will rise again. All it needed was little air conditional.

Reading between the lines Movie Reviews:

--Solo; A Star Wars Story will do well because of the second part of the story. Fans will go to see it but should have their sights lowered as this one about Solo and Chew is just not as good as the rest. But, who anm I dot dissuade SW fands form going.

--The Critics are all in love with the coming of age pic Summer 1993, about a young girl n Barcelona who must adjust to a new life with relatives after her mother dies. It’s a visual treat with moving yet controlled episodes in ten days of a little girl find herself and the love form a new family in a countryside opposite her earlier city life.

The European Union is messin’ with my Tids. God help us.

The Answer:

Maybe a few NFL players should take the tour and kneel at some of these cemeteries, to feel the pain, the horror that brave soldiers face to let them play the game. The ten Cemeteries on the list beyond the broad Fields of crosses at Normandy are National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii, with graves of 33,230 soldiers who perished across the Pacific. Fort Rosecrans Cemetery in San Diego overlooks the broad Pacific and honors ships lost at the battle of Samar off the Philippines. Santa Fe[RH1]  National Cemetery was the national cemetery of the Western pioneers and the soldiers who manned all of those frontier forts. San Francisco National Cemetery honors those soldiers and citizens of recent tragedies like 911, Iraq and Afghanistan (Will the SF Town fathers close it down?). The big one, you probably all know -- Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Gettysburg National Began 150 years ago today when Lincoln dedicated it with his Gettysburg Address, just 6 months after the battle, before all of the bodies had been found. Andersonville National Cemetery contains remains of 13,000 Union soldiers who perished at the Southern Andersonville Prison, and is dedicated to all American prisoners of war. Fort Leavenworth National is at the Fort that was the Crossroads of Western Expansion and contains remains of all who were found dead in the Western Theater. Just North of Paris is Oise-Aisne American Cemetery and Memorial for WWI victims.  So, bow your heads for a moment or two.

My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQhyWv-PeVE

---

 [RH1]

I kneel to pray, to thank, to revere.

Today's Tids Issue 4,134

For standing, proudly:

What should never had become a political football is that favorite game of millions played on Sundays. Kneeling is for church on that morning and not to create angst in a game that is mainly a chance for regular people to release tensions, forget contentions and just have a good time. To root for plays, but not actors. I have zero sympathy for kneelers. Period.

I was surprised to read that Saudis are expanding their crackdown on activists for women’s rights. I thought with the latest billionaire Prince in charge, all was hunky dory. I feel for the woman there, and once even wrote a pretty good short story about the plight of a brave woman who risked her freedom for the future of young girls. You know, regardless of bow some might accuse me and others of stereotyping, the Middle East is different, and mainly because of the laws of man that have infected the hearts of good people.

There are great truths that should never be denied. Unless they get the way of your adulterated view of life. That’s about the way it is today, isn’t it?

When the Senator’s aids called in sick it was considered a staff infection. (Thanks to Shoe)

The Question:

What was the name of eh Legendary, feared German WWII Battleship? Bonus: What is the US historical significance of the phrase, “What hath God Wrought”?

The Headlines:

--Wall Street Once Again Slowing To Get Grasps On World Trade Talks; Latest DC Murmurs Indicate Tariff On Autos; Fed Minutes Indicate Possibility Of June Rate Hike.

--NK Calls Pence Comments About NK Facing Libyan Fate, “Stupid”; Kim Says Discussions May Come Down To A Nuclear Showdown.

--Kroger Buys Meal Kit Company, “Home Chef”; Duetche Bank Laying off 7 Thousand To Bring Back Balance Sheet.

--Journalists Brought To NK Nuke Site To View Dismantling.

--Probe Finds That Ukraine Airplane Was brought Down By Russian Missile.

--NFL Announces New Rules ON Kneeling; Stay In Clubhouse To Kneel.; If Kneeling On Field, Fines, Penalties Will be Applied To Player And Teams.

I’m not liking these Tariff games. They are like a bad chemical reaction. They are like lava pouring into the sea emitting toxic fumes.

Now that the Great KG is dating DT Jr., I am now listening to Kimberly’s comments with a suspicious mind.

Taking a knee is a way to wind down the clock. That’s about the only thing it has to do with football.

My new favorite food is grilled lobster.

Freedom Of Speech and Freedom of Choice are often in conflict.

Removing the blue tarps off of summer outdoor furniture is the final step in the winter liberation process.

A defense lawyer actually stood up tall in public yesterday and apologized to the police department. His client had accused policeman of molesting, groping, penetration and generally sexually abusing her after she was stopped for the appearance of drunken driving. A 2-hour long dash cam video of the scene proved that absolutely nothing happened to the woman.

A friend reminded me that the “upstart” Atlanta Braves are coming to Boston tomorrow for a series with the Red Sox. I was thinking, maybe they should play one game at Nickerson Field at BU. That was the site of Braves Field, the home of the original Boston Braves. I remember clearly the day when the Braves were moved out of town here to Milwaukee. I always had an affinity for that team of Spahn and Sain and pray for rain. Yet they were rivals of my own beloved team. So, maybe, it was the kids who were Braves fans I met and played with on Cape Cod during the summer. Good kids, I remember, so the team must not be that bad, I thought, even as we argued the day long.

The Answer:

The Great German battleship was the Bismark. Bonus: Samuel B Morse sent that message when he first opened the US telegram system. When you think about it, todays’ kids with their agile smartphone fingers may have been great telegraph operators.

The kneelers and supporters will cry in anguish, “but we have Freedom of speech”; then they insult the flag that represents that.

Who do you trust, baby?

Today's Tids Issue 4,133

For Trusting and Not Looking Back:

Trust is a belief in the reliability, truth, ability, integrity or strength of someone or something; the reliance upon it. Pure, unadulterated trust. That’s what I would prefer to see in the world, instead of a preoccupation by too many attempting to create ways look trustful while finding techniques to avoid it.

The Tids favorite resourceful, rapscallion reader informs us of new research that says, “Vegetarians live up to nine years longer than meat-eaters. Nine, horrible baconless years.”

From what have been reading in recent court decisions, Celebrities would be better served by avoiding their favorite ploy, “Don’t you know who I am,” in favor of “I am an Illegal Immigrant trying to avoid ICE.”

When I see continuous reports about the Wells-Fargo addiction to fraud and foolery, I’m not feeling real happy about Congress making it easier on Too Big To Fail Banks. Now if all bankers were fair, caring and honest, and sinless, then you could remove all banking rules...as along as they were also competent. That is asking a lot, isn’t it?

“Snowmen fall from heaven, unassembled.”

The Question:

Thinking back to Hollywood criminal antics brushed over in the past, which headlines of yore do you think would be 24/7 news today?

The Headlines:

--Trade Concerns Return, Stocks Expected to Dip; House Approves Bill Rolling Back Dodd-Frank.

--Kim Jung Un Possibly Worried About Military Overthrow While Visiting Trump In Singapore; Trump Implies Xi May be Pulling Kim’s Strings.

--Trump Comes Out Strongly For “Pro-Life” In Major Speech Last Night; President Rales Against “Deep State” and Spies Within Campaign Organization..

--Merkel Visiting Xi After US/Chana Deal Squeezes Out Germany.

--Pompeo Says Iran Carrying Out Assassinations In Europe.

--Latest Dem Primaries Signs Of “Civil War”; In Four Tuesday Primaries Progressives Overwhelmed Moderate Sector Favored By Leadership.

--Comcast Preparing All-Cash Deal To Snake Fox Away From Disney.

--Stormy Daniels’ Lawyer Ordered To Pay Former Firm Lawyer $10,000,000; Avenetti Failed To Live Up To Payment Promise After His Firm Went Bankrupt.

--15 Year Old Brynn Cartelli Wins The Voice In Below Average Singing Season.

--Reviewers Call New HTC U12 Phone A “Beast”.

The Rise of progressive Democrats, Department:

Look around you. What do you see?  You see lots of Dems wondering where their party went. All of a sudden, newbies with giveaway programs combined extreme government domination plans are making progress, and not this season in just the coastal states. Their messages are aimed at people who came here with nothing looking for something for nothing hopefully electing progressives who promise more of something for doing less of nothing, and getting off charges for doing nothing legal to get here. Being nice to law breaking immigrants is all about creating a large voter block that barely understands English, much less Politic-Speak or the US constitution.

I was sitting the Dentist chair having a tooth pulled and getting an implant while the nurses and surgeon doc talked about Cheeto-dust and whether or not it is real cheese. But it wasn’t all whimsy – the nurses asserted strongly that Spicy Crunchy Cheetos are probably the most egregious temptation of all sins known to man. That means they taste real good and once you start, you will never stop. Oh yeah, and the Doc said I definitely had to switch to puffy and lay off crunchy. Cheetos is real life.

I said in the Headlines Department that Season Fourteen of The Voice was below average. Well, to me it was not terribly entertaining. Maybe The Voice is going the way of mush of life that has passed me by; all the music that doesn’t grab these days.

I have yet to have a fingerling potato that lived up to the exclamations of foodies and chefs. To me, its is just a barely average potato with a clever name.

“If life deals you lemons make lemonade. If life deals you tomatoes, make Bloody Mary’s.”

All is not loverly in Amazon. Let’s face it people over do it, and Amazon is getting real tired of serial goods returners taking advantage of their good will. It is another example of a company placing mistrust in consumers. Now what happens is what happens in all areas where trust is broken -- New rules and less, much less of a good thing. Amazon is banning serial returners from even buying on Amazon.  

In case you may have missed it, Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts may be the best player in baseball as we speak.

I read two articles this morning on tourism. One in the WSJ repeated what we have written here before – Tourist host nations cities and towns reconsidering the idea that tourism is a great fast money industry. The litter and crowds have citizens of these destinations the world over saying, we have sold our soul for the almighty buck. And, it isn’t worth it. On the other hand, I read also that 24% of Americans will not go on a vacation this year because they can’t afford it. (Gas prices; rising rental costs?) Only 36% of Americans say they will use all of their allotted vacation time.

i.e. – I live in beautiful town with great history and probably more classic 18^th century buildings than any other city in the USA. But, now I read that 60% of homes are rentals, and as nice as renters and part-timers can be, they are always prone to be more rambunctious and less considerate. Outsiders are snapping up houses at higher than value prices and using them as businesses instead of homes. One day you have a neighbor clipping his or her bushes and the day you have a wedding party.

The left is getting towns to ban the convenience of plastic bags, and the reason is mainly because you can’t trust enough people to throw away bags in the trash.

Littering, America’s greatest insult to an orderly civilization.

“Why is it that our children can’ read a bible in school, but they can in prison?”

A guy I knew once said to me, If a person you are dealing with has to say to you, “Trust me”, you probably shouldn’t it. But then he said to me, you should never have to say “I love you” to your wife. I don’t think I trust him. In fact, I could never figure him out.

The Answer:

#1 is the Tragic Death of Child Superstar Judith Barsi. (In 1988, She and her mother were Murdered by alcoholic dad who was known to many to have abused them both for years). #2 – Jerry Lee Lewis Marries his 13-Year-Old Cousin. #3 – Showgirl Dies Mysteriously after Partying with Fatty Arbuckle. #4 Lana Turner’s Daughter Accused of Stabbing Mother’s Lover to Death. #5 John Lennon Beat His Wives (And constantly verbally abused son Julian) #6 Joan Crawford Outed as Child Abuser. #7 President Kennedy’s Affair with Marilyn Monroe. #8 Mysterious Accidental Death of Thomas Ince. # 9 Judy Garland’s Pill Addiction.  #10 Jackie Coogan’s Parents Unapologetically Screw Him out of his Own Money.

Never trust an atom. They make up everything.