What you don’t know.

Today's Tids Issue 4,384

Opening eyes: 

A lot of us sit in our own version of life not really entirely cognizant of what may be happening around us. We wave to happy faces who may be bravely hiding intense fears; fears within, or fears from without; perhaps seemingly beyond control. We can’t know, but we should be aware. We aren’t just us.

Is anybody still eating Kale? Is cauliflower the next hot fad on the road to being yesterday’s must have food? And gravy; plenty of gravy.

Give me meat and potatoes and a vegetable thrown in for color.

The good news about Trump’s China tariff increase is that when the two sides reach an agreement, the stocks will soar higher than ever. It is the old slingshot strategy.

The Question:

Before the Virginia and New York and Plymouth settlements and colonies, Spanish and French explorers roamed what is now the USA. Name five.

The Headlines:

--Big China/US Trade Meeting Today May Be Biggest Event In Trump Presidency; China Vice Chairman Says They Are In DC To Make A Deal.

--Dow Turns Up At Mid-Morning, But Stocks Should Continue To Be Edgy While China Trade Talks Continue; Direct China Investment (Non-Financial Investments) Dropped By 83% Last year; Investments In Mainly Tech And TelCom Did Not Meet USA Requirements.

--Iran Leader Partially Withdraws From Nuke Deal;

--7 Injured In Denver Colorado Area School Shooting.

--Uber And Lyft Drivers Strike Ahead Of Uber IPO; Are Driverless Cars The Only Road To Ride Share Profitability?

--NYT’s Gets Hands On Trump’s 1985-1994 Tax Returns; Shows Loss Of $1 Billion; Trump Scoffs At “Hitjob”; NYT Profits Up Strongly On Surge In Digital Subscriptions.

--WH Suggesting Use Of Exec Privilege To Stop McGhan From Turning Over His Mueller Notes To Dems.

From what I have been seeing so far for the reaction to singer Maelyn, the Voice is all over except for the crowning. If she sings a country song next week, she can’t lose.

Before Meghan, the British royal gene pool has never been considered Olympic sized.

If the Dems win Texas in 2020, is it all over forever for Repubs?

The top names for baby Harry and Meghan are Alexander, Arthur, James and Phillip. Also mentioned is Spencer, the maiden name of GMum Diane. That would be my personal favorite. Some US gossip columnist suggests naming the boy Marvin, after USA singer Marvin Gay!! Say what?

Shillelagh-in-the-Mouth, Department:

Yesterday, Joe Biden said he was “the only Irishman in the race”. He must have forgotten, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, John Delaney and Kristen Gillibrand (Mother born in Ireland). Begorrah! Joe me darlin’, get it straight someday.

If beauty was the only factor in Corporate location decisions, then Rhode Island would surely be on top as a possibility.

I had a pun for today -- “Slugs are as tough as snails”. But the horrible thought of eating one had me rejecting it.

I only write about RI politics to warn the rest of the country of what could happen in your state from creeping socialism. The latest RI oddity has a state senator being brought up to the state board of ethics for conflict of interest. She is a principle force behind a bill that favors unions greatly over town and village citizens. She is a teacher and also has a paid position in the union leadership. She must face an ethics board that has woman member who is the wife of the President of the RI Firefighters union. “Only in Rhode Island” used to be funny. Now it is threatening.

The Answer:

There were many who founded locations in North America, Like Jaques Cartier who named Canada or Hernan Cortes who killed Montezuma and conquered Mexico. And many Spanish and Portuguese who opened up Central America. But in the US there was Jucas Ayllon who started a colony in South Carolina in 1526; Samuel De Champlain who sailed the Great Lakes and upper Vermont and New York; Francisco De Coronado who first explored the US Southwest in 1540-50’s; Ponce de Leon who gave us Florida but never found the Fountain of Youth; Panfilo de Narvaez claimed the West Coast of Florida for Spain; Alphonso de Pineda founded what is now Corpus Christi Texas; Hernando De Soto explored the US southeast; Giovanna de Verrazano made stops in Cape Fear NC, New York and several new England Locations in1524 as he mapped the US east coast. Around the time of early US settlements, Henry Hudson sailed up the river now named after him in1609 and Adrian Block explored Rhode Island and other eastern sea ways around 1614. Amerigo Vespucci was an explorer who convinced the royals of Europe that what was found by Columbus and others was not Asia but an entirely unknown continent. America is named after him. Some say Eric the Red and Lief Eriksson and other Norse Vikings explored coastal New England as far back as 1,000. Not Hagar the Horrible). The upper Midwest was opened later in the 1600’s by Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette.

If you travel through a Publix in Florida you realize quite quickly that Ponce de Leon didn’t find the Fountain of Youth.