Poor Carrie.

Today's Tids Issue 4,116

For flowers in bloom:

Happy May Day to communist marchers. At least the advocates of history’s most depressing economic experiment look like they are having fun this one day. But for the rest of us, it is the first day of loverly May, the month of Moms, and Roses and Brickyards. It’s a month when flowers bloom everywhere almost at once; when grass grows thick and vivid green, and uncuttable. We eat tacos on the Fifth (Well, you may), and veggie gardens are planted (around here) for a summer’s green harvest. Yes, May is a pretty damn good month; the month of Mary, of purity, and good one for love. There is just something that feels good about May.

I read in a newly released report that Americans are becoming lonelier, and that teens are the loneliest. How can that be with all of today’s instant, anywhere communications tools? Maybe that is the problem. How do teens make friends when potential friends have their heads buried in phones chatting with acquaintances who may not be in the same school, or even the same town? Don’t networks make it easier to exclude and form cliques? How can a teen overcome devastating criticism broadcast widely on the web? The internet and the ability to communicate fast has its merits, but personally I think it can be also be destructive to a “kind” an orderly society. It can be overwhelming to the senses of young people.

Geology rocks, but geography is where it’s at.

Nutty Professor, Department:

“Penn State forbids (98 Year Old) Outing Club from going outside. Let me repeat that -- Outing club forbidden by hovering hysterical honchos from going outside, but fully allowed “to do anything they want inside”. From what I’ve been reading about college inside activities, they are generally far more dangerous than hiking on trails, enjoying God’s beauty and finding special places in nature’s vast ocean of untouched mountain forests.

If you are me, you are a little depressed this morning knowing that you have just seen the last episode of this season’s “Homeland”. In the final scene we saw it end with close-up of a shell of out favorite tormented heroine, bewildered, unaware. Before that painful scene, we listened to a speech by the President resigning, saying, “Bringing harmony back to the US is far more important than this woman staying in the presidency, just because one party wants me.” But the good news is, we will learn the fate of the beloved, resourceful Carrie again next year, as the start date of Season 8 has already been announced. Is there a better actress/actor duo than Clair Danes and Mandy Patinkin? Not for me. Now what?

My favorite punster sends us this groaner: “Mothers of boys work from son up to son down.” Love it!

The Question:

In 1707 England merged with Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. As you may know, the Kingdom kept on spreading into a global empire. How large was the British Empire at its peak?

The Headlines:

--Trump Delays Implementation Of Tariffs; US Allies relieved; Walls Street Reacts By Moving Stocks Lower; Big Pharma Merck And Pfizer Post Strong Earnings.

--Mueller Sends Trump Lawyers List Of Questions; Trump Blasts Mueller for Leaking Questions Q’s To NY Times; CoS Kelly Says He Never Called Trump an “Idiot”.

--Russia Jet Buzzes US Military Spy Plane Over Baltic Sea.

--Australia’s High Ranking Cardinal Pell To Go To Trial On Sex-Offense Charges.

--East Coast To Warm Up; Midwest Weather To Go Violent.

--Gibson Guitar Maker Files For Bankruptcy; Maker Of Baldwin Pianos, Wurlitzer And Other Key Musical Instrument Brands Expected To Survive After Creditors Seem To Sa y Deals Can Be Made.

We don’t need a wall, we need more honest people who respect the laws of civilization.

All I’m hoping is that Netanyahu didn’t build his case against Iran from Colon Powell fact gathering.

Speaking of the electronic guidance we don’t need department, I just received a notice from a bell symbol that popped-up and said -- Activate me and I will tell you that it is raining. Yikes, and I thought windows were doing just fine. I must be a dinosaur.

I see they are looking at Kim-Trump meeting sites just across the NK Border in SK. Figures, Kim probably doesn’t have much of a travel budget after heavy costs for mountain destroying nuke tests.

The US Lawmakers are still looking at the A&T Times/Warner merger. Now that T-Mobile and Sprint are looking to form a strong company out of to also-rans with challenging financial statements, I expect that the eagle eyes in congress will harass them too. Competition is always good but thse days, the competition comes from everywhere in the world. We are in a transformational economic era which continue will make mega mergers like those above essential to domestic survival in a not so far-flung business world. No, I see these as not forming unwieldy monopolies, but as creating stronger competition. Teddy Roosevelt probably had a good idea, back in 1910.

It’s easier to be left out now-a-days now that everybody is talking to so many all over the place.

In another of my favorite international intrigue series which is winding down, The Americans, I’m wondering if they are setting up Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) as a ruthless cold-hearted killer so viewers won’t be as upset when she meets a bad fate at the end of this season, the final season. I hope she finds her way back in the next three final episodes. This show has the possibility of giving us one of the best endings ever. I hope it makes me happy, but I’m worried about Elizabeth.

And Now, The Voice. My favorite of last night was Rayshun LaMarr. He just makes me happy, He is energetic, and really puts over a tune. Critics may say his Voice isn’t the best, but I don’t see it, and when he‘s on the sta ge I’m watching. Another who coolly controls his space on the stage is Prior Baird. Again, as I have said before, he is to me a Johnny One Note, but he will most likely get a lot more votes than Rayshun. One of my favorites to date, Brynn Cartelli, was in a little over her head last night. And, it showed. But another sock-it-to-you-between-the-eyes entertainer, Kyla Jade, got the whole place jumpin’ outta their seats. I liked country singer Jackie Verna, and Britton Buchanan proved once again that he is a contender for keeps. Spensha Baker, was a little below her normal self, but will probably hang on. I think she has voter appeal, which really is most important of all. Kaleb Lee who was a very cool country singer last week tried to rock it out a bit more last night, but his voice was dwarfed by the band. Now, in a mini poll I saw, Jackie Foster was #!  And I agree she can really sing, but I doze a bit during her performance. I didn’t mind Sharane Callister, but I have a feeling she will be on the bottom, maybe with Christiana Danielle who I thought was the worst of the night. Bottom Three: Christiana, Sharane and Caleb or Spensha, with the country voters saving Caleb for another week. Unlike years in the past, there are no run-away favorites, despite what the judges say.

One of the best ways to look at who’s making it with the fans is ITunes sales chart for the day . Pryor Baird was tops coming at #4, a very high mark for this stage of the completion; he was closely followed by Buchanan at #6. After those two Top 10 singers we had Spensha at #24, Rayshun #34, Jackie Foster #36, Brynn #37, Kyla #40,  Jackie Verna $54, Kaleb #84, Christiana #89 and Sharanne way down at #186.

Philadelphia Eagles fans teamed up on social media asking new draftee “Dallas” Goedert to change his first name. Even your name isn’t sacred in this new era of nasty mass communication.

The Sunday NYT is the New York Tomes.

At this point many of you probably scratch your heads wondering why I spend so much ink writing about The Voice. Simple. I like the investigation process, and the ability to write about something light, not about politics.

The two best cities in which to start a business are Oklahoma City and Austin Texas. The worst large city in which to start a business is Warwick RI. The rest of the “Best Top 10” after Austin are Sioux Falls SD, Missoula Mt, Durham NC, Bismarck ND, Cheyenne WY, Billings MT, Charlotte NC and Raleigh NC. The Bottom 10 after Warwick at #181, are Nashua NH, Columbia MD, Manchester NH, Pearl City HI, Chesapeake VA, Wilmington DE, Philadelphia PA, Vancouver WA and Providence RI. Just Above Providence in the bad column are other old Industrial behemoths -- Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New Haven and Akron. At # 40, Boston the top large old Eastern city. Just because it’s May Day, I won’t talk about the negative impact big labor has had on the ability of old industrial cities to be competitive. I’m kind that way.

The Answer:

In 1922, the British Empire was the largest Empire in history controlling 33,700,000 kilometers squared (1/4 of earths land area) and 458 million people (1/4 of earth’s populations). The empire was at its strongest between 1890 and 1922. The biggest land masses were Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and Sudan. It is written that the first defeat for the empire didn’t occur until the Boer Wars of 1890 which resulted in the loss of South Africa. This is because the Empire was officially established in 1815; the United Colonies of America defeated England in 1783.

Happy May Day, everybody:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q65KZIqay4E