Slow movin’

Today's Tids Issue 4,445

Debate free, at last:

Happy August, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y! Congress has gone home and there are no debates. Life is lazy and uncomplicated again. The days are shorter and the weeds are longer. We are in the slowdown summer routine. I’ve been introducing the month of August in The Tids for a decade or two now, and have always led saying it’s the month about nothing. But now I’m discovering that nothing is about as good as gets in this cockamamie, conflicting world. Yet it is also the month when some of us still celebrate the day when the fighting stopped; when soldiers trudged home to welcoming arms. When an entire nation rushed to the streets shouting Hallelujah! It’s over! At last its over. Victory in Japan has been accomplished! So, maybe August isn’t so bad after all.

One thing that a city person knows better than others is that parks are a great refuge.

I’m numb. That’s about all I can say about last night’s debate. Biden was attacks. Harris was attacked. de Blasio said, “We’re going to tax the hell out of the wealthy”. Booker struggled; Castro sang the same old open borders tune. Buttigieg Played it cool, statesman-like. Protestors shouted. Kamala became the attorney for her own defense and Tulsi the prosecutor, backing her into a corner. Dems seemed somewhat unified over impeachment. And also on Climate, a topic that was led by Inslee, who in fact was applauded by others on stage. Now as they all leave, they wonder, did I do anything. Will I be here for the September foray?  Ironically, to get at Biden, Obama was portrayed as the biggest Departed of them all, including the Trumpster.

In the heat of battle, the ostrich was Unflappable.

The Question:

The great Broadway impresario Harold Prince Died Last night. Name five of his Broadway Musicals that he directed or produced. Bonus: Name five birds that can’t fly. Extra Bonus: The word “Jeans” (As in blue Denim) has as its origin the name of a European city. What is it?

The Headlines:

--Wall Street Sees Fed Rate Cut As Indicator Of Slowing Economy; Stocks Could Rebound Today.; Jobs Report Strong.

--Dems Go At It In Detroit; Police Picket Against de Blasio; Immigration Protestors Shout Down Biden Inside Arena.

--One Million Pages Of Evidence Against Epstein Has His Lawyers Requesting Trial Delay Til Next Summer.

--US/China Talks Deemed Productive.

--Dem Analysts Say Moderates Didn’t Do Enough In Debates To Unseat Progressives Bernie, Liz, and Kamala At The Top: Biden Expected To Have Done Enough To Be Conservative Dem Tagholder.

--Cap 1 Hacker Paige Thompson Threatened To “Shoot Up” Califiria Social Media Company

Maybe, after all, the penguin is the missing link.

Alexa has been showing signs of dementia this morning. And, it is irritating as hell.

Why do people give up so much of their daily lives because of political irritation? Why do family members feud because of political difference? Why do people develop seething hatred because one candidate wins over another? I just don’t feel that politics and politicians deserve that kind of emotion, emotions that seems to sap energy, and kindness and civility.

Inflation has had a significant effect on the cost of air at service stations.

Since as far back as I can remember, I have been a rabid fan of Thomas English muffins. Ballyhooed pretenders have come and gone, but Thomas always hung in there. But now, I have discovered Bay’s English Muffins, and they are special. You find them in the refrigerated dairy section. But, not to worry Thomas’s, I still love you.

In the Can of worms department, it may be Elijah Cummings who has the can opener. After all of the insult trafficking between Trump and the Congressman, it has been found that Cummings himself had condemned the drug ravaged neighbor in harsh terms.  On the other hand, some of the real significant problems in the city are bad unresponsive landlords. With Trump’s son-in-Law Kushner’s company being one of them  Beware of the wars your start.

Wall Street is crazy at times. They get their interest cut, but it isn’t right kind of interest cut. They read into it, negativity, even tough they they have been waiting for it for a year. So, that’s why being in the market can drive you to drink or commit to other irrational compulsive addictions, like writing the Tids.

In the facts you don’t hear department, only 8% of all student loans are held by private lenders, and those loans are 98% repaid. The problems we hear about defaults and slow payments are mostly with Government owned Debt. Good idea, letting the Gov run everything.

So, did you hear about the ballerina who was late for an audition because her costume got caught in an escalator? She arrived ar\t a quarter tu-tu. Shoot me. You have to have guts to write that!

The Answer:

Harold Prince won 21 Tony Awards for such iconic shows as West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, (His first ever) Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Cabaret, Evita, Company, A Little Night Music, A Funny Thing Happened… , and Fiddler on the Roof. And, many more. Bonus: the five birds are Emu, Ostrich, Cassowary, Rhea Kiwi and Penguin. Extra Bonus: American as apple pie blue jeans are named after the Italian city of Genoa. Mid 15^th century French twilled cloth, geayne (Short for Gene fustian) a cloth originally from genoa Italy.

Lolling is fun, and August offers many opportunities. Tuck away the angst of political insanity, and look around at all the good people you may have missed along the away.