What we miss.

 

Today's Tids Issue 4,822

The day before the new national mystery:

 

It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. –HD Thoreau (Or is it?)

 

You don’t think that Covid is having an effect on you until you come to a convenience store or fast-food place with a sign on the door saying, “Restrooms not for public use.”

 

Have you noticed that all of the most advanced scientific instruments searching for intelligent life are pointed away from earth?

 

Donald Trump still thinks that class comes from putting gold leaf on a building.

 

Because of the availability of Google and other quick find data resources, we probably only need 3 years of college going forward.

 

Decaffeinated: A cow that just gave birth;

 

The Question:

The Equator runs through 13 countries. What are they?

 

The Headlines:

---Mounting Support For New Stimulus Has Stocks Rising; Goldman Earnings Easily Beat Expectations; All Bank Stocks Rise; Rapid Sock Price Rise Of Risky Assets Still Has Many Investors Nervous.

--Trump Expected To Issue Dozens Of Pardons Before Exiting To His Military Celebration Of Himself.

--Biden Expected To Block Trump’s Last Day Decree Lifting Covid Travel Bans For Visitors From Brazil And Europe.  

--Kohls, Bed Bath Beyond And More Dropping Products of Conservative My Pillow Guy Mike Lindell.; His Comments About Voter Fraud Scaring Commercial Establishments.

--Canada Scrambling Go Save Keystone XL Pipeline.

 

The idea pervasive in America is to move on peacefully after the battle is over, regardless. To wish good luck to those who move in. And then move on yourself. That the USA is stable and weathers the stormiest seas. That’s the idea, anyway.

 

But, now we live in a get-even world. And revenge will always thwart the possibilities for progress.

 

Did you happen to notice what QB’s Brady and Brees did after their fierce battle for all the marbles was over. They met and enjoyed each other. And wished each other good luck on their next ventures.

 

The Elmer Glue Stick works really well, that is if you are into gluing.

 

Looking at the stock market through an historic lens may not be as effective any longer as the looming presence of rapidly advancing technology can boost earnings even in the face of traditional economy-busting obstacles.

 

In the Nightly News last night, the commentator said, “and also tomorrow we will see Kamal Harris the first Black, first Asian Vice President. Hmmm! Silly me. I thought it was big news she was the first woman VP. Has this identity nonsense gone way too far when everything reported about people’s achievements is based on color gender or ethnicity instead of what MLK hoped, “Judge a man not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.” That entire Biden cabinet diversity reveal was absurd.

 

Oh, and Martin, you should have replaced “Man” with “Person”,  you know – just you could be relevant today.

 

I prefer raining buckets over hailing taxis.

 

I believe in that Tids opening Henry David Thoreau quote. We can miss so much it if our eyes aren’t open. But it appears that many quotes about nature and looking at life peacefully that have been attributed to Thoreau at Walden aren’t is at all. The actual Thoreau quote was, “The question is not what you look at, but what you see.” A Walden Biographer Robert D. E Richardson changed Thoreau’s so that the quote often repeated is actual Richardson’s!

 

"Alas for those that never sing,

But die with all their music in them."

The above is another quote that has been chopped up and attributed to Thoreau, but the words above are from Oliver Wendell Holmes. Taking words out of context is not new, just in case you are interested.

 

I like that Holmes quote too.

 

This week for the first time since my mind can remember Duke University Basketball is not in the 25. In fact several traditional power programs have faded. The great coaches with reputations are losing supes stars to smaller colleges, stars who would rather so play than sit with glitzy peers cheering for glitzier players from the bench. Which is good for basketball. It’s always better when anybody can win.

 

The Answer:

If you like heat, these are places to go. Phonetically, it makes senses to start an equator question with Ecuador and then go on to Columbia, Brazil, Sao Tome & Principe, Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Maldives, Indonesia and Kiribati. So, that’s nice to know, isn’t it.

 

Covid gives you time to discover things that were always there but you never knew it because you were always too busy.

 

Periodically, I like a good joke about Chemistry.