All About Moderation:

Today's Tids Issue 4,696

The meat is in the middle:

 

“Extremes to the right and to the left of any political dispute are always wrong.” --D.D. Eisenhower. Yes, and today those who jump on to support through digital windows more often than not don’t understand exactly what they are supporting

 

When you look at a CV hotspot map of mainly states along our southern borders you realize how wrong many people got it when they said it will all clear up when warmer weather comes along.

 

You won’t want to miss the upcoming national Origami Championships on Paperview.

 

There appears to be a systemic trend towards overusing the word systemic.

 

The Question:

On Friday I wrote a little piece about Men’s clothing store owner Briggs Cunningham, except in fact the genial haberdasher was Briggs Doherty! Yikes! Sorry folks. Sorry Briggs Doherty. Yes, when my mind thought “Briggs”, if dredged up another quite famous Briggs named Cunningham. Why was he famous? Bonus: For what is the 1961 movie, “By Love Possessed” best known?

 

The Headlines:

--Markets Mixed In Early Trading.

--US Mourns Civil Rights Icon John Lewis.

--Jack Ma’s IPO For Alibaba Payment Arm “Ant Group” Could Be Biggest To Date For 2020; Alibaba Owns 33%.

--NJ Judge’s Home Attacked By Gunman Posing As FedEx Person.; Son Killed, Husband Shot Multiple Times.

--$600 Unemployment Payment Benefits Due To End; Congress Fighting over Versions Of New Bill Proposals.

--105,000 In Zimbabwe Arrested Since March For Violating Covid Safety Rules.

--Israel’s Netanyahu Graft Trial Resumes.

--Bahamas Joins Canada And Mexico Barring US Tourists.

--Several Key NFL Players Concerned Over NFL Rules For Covid Safety.

 

A lot of national demagogues say that if you are a moderate you don’t stand for anything. That always boiled me. I stand for peace and understanding. For coming together to solve problems.

 

Did you know they won’t be making yardsticks any longer?

 

Want serenity? Check out the new pic just posted on The Tids Blog site – www.worldviewetc,blogspot.com/  It is of serene lake way up in the Adirondacks. Yes, calm still exists in the USA.

 

I watch the riots, the takeover of downtowns, the total disregard for laws, general all-around rudeness and the basic inconsideration of other peoples’ lives and I can only think that we have become a third world country.

 

Did you hear about the produce farmer who took life kumquat may?

 

I just read that the NCAA Basketball coaches have voted unanimously last week to call for the end of SAT tests. They say it’s because they abhor the systemic racism of the tests. (There’s that word again) But I say this reasoning is an insult to all blacks to assume one race cannot test better than another. No, it’s about coaches who make millions for winning not having any impediments recruiting “Student” Athletes who may escape their grasp and go directly to the NBA where there are no tests. (Note: I have read reports from several sides of the argument, and there is no agreement, not because of ideological differences, but because of too many varied factors that may affect scores. One agreement seems to be that innate ability isn’t one reason, and that it may be more environmental than anything else. While black scores have been improving, they are still in the range of about 75-80% of whites. But many studies show blacks raised in similar environments as whites score equal to whites).  

 

Disparate levels of ability can be overcome by hard work.

 

Now’s not the right time to surround yourself with positive people.

 

Nice to see baseball starting this week. Finally! Hey, wait a dam minute. Isn’t this the week I always start writing about the beginning of NFL Football practice? Yes, this is the global adjustment Era.

 

Late last night a group of black clad terrorists walked up to Providence City council members home spray painted the house, spiked the car ties and painted “Defund the Police” the driveway. Cost damages are estimated at $80K. Now here is the rest of te story. This councilman has always been open to defunding  the police. Yikes! Think what they will do to somebody who may be against defunding the police? Do I still live in America?

 

The new list of most watched Netflix shows is juts out: Dark, Warrior Nun, Stateless, The Sinner, Unsolved Mysteries, The Order, Lenox Hill, The Baby-Sitters Club, Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.

 

There is a lot going on out there to write about But I am tired of most of it.

 

The Answer:

Briggs Cunningham was what used to be called in America, a sportsman. That’s what they called wealthy guys who did daring things like car racing and risky sail boat racing. He had money: His dad, among other things, financed Procter and Gambol and his wife was the daughter of the founder of Standard Oil. He is best known for skippering the yacht Columbia to the 1958 America’s Cup Victory and for his auto racing accomplishments at LeMans. He was a brakeman on the USA Olympic Bobsled Team. During WWII he paid for his own aircraft to fly for the Civil Air Patrol Looking for Submarines off the East Coast. Cunningham built his own cars and boats, and his racing machines were the first, it is said, to be painted with racing strikes. Bonus: “By Love Possessed was the first ever movie shown on an airplane, by TWA in 1961. The movie starred Lana Turner, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Jason Robards, George Hambleton, Susan Koerner and Barbara Bel Geddes. It was known as the “Ivy League Peyton Place”, described as a “Small community of New England lawyers and families involved with cheating, lying and adultery.”

 

What’s worse than raining cats and dogs? Hailing taxis.

 

Don’t get caught up in extremes. It’s not good for our health. But, don’t give up on America either. Fighting for the goodness we have been is worth it.