World View: etc!: Velcro: What a rip-off.

Today's Tids Issue 5,380

What me worry?

This coming Sunday is truly Culmination Day. There is something for everybody including a day of rest for overindulgent Irish celebrators at the Parade here Saturday. For golfers we have the final round of the great Players Tournament. For gamblers and those who just love excitement we have the final games of the Men's basketball conference tournaments. And following that, the big one-- the March Madness selections for Men's and Women's brackets. For those with stars in your eyes there are the Oscars at night. And before you go to sleep, you get to look forward and dream of waking up to a longer day of sunshine by setting your clocks ahead. And of course, for those who just want a little peace there is church on Sunday morning.

Today is National “Slam the Scam Day” That means don’t open any weird suspicious email except the Tids. Yes, it is a day of learning caution, not talking to strangers on the phone and totally avoiding emails. Don’t get ripped-off.

I'll tell you that is culminating in on my “I hate this” list this morning -- The rise of drug dealers. There is no pass for drug dealers big or small. Destroying minds and bodies is no laughing matter, not something to be brushed off as an innocent period in a young person's development. Addiction is a terrible, terrible thing. And lately death has become the more usual result. You just can’t imagine how heartbroken I feel for the victims of drug dealers.

The Question:

Okay, the tuxedos are pressed, and the lavish gowns fitted, and the odds for the favorites at the Oscars up on the boards. What do you think the odds makers are saying about best Pic, Director. Actor Actress, and the two supporting acting awards?

The Headlines:

--Dow Up Strongly at Opening, Stay Higher in Late Morning; Jobless Claims Rise More Than Expected; WS awaits Tomorrow's Job Creation Report.

--80 Russian Missiles Launched Against all Parts of Ukraine; Attack is Largest on Months; Ukraine Officials Concerned Over Power Outage at Nuke Plant.

--Biden Presents Budget; Expected to Propose New taxes and Spending while Promising to Knock $3 Trillion off the Debt.

--Norfolk Southern CEO Appearing Before Congress.

Today is “National Get Over It Day”! It is just as it sounds, Spilt milk doesn’t count. Don’t sit around and fume over miner concerns. Worry can be a killer. Lose it. In other words, get over it. Tomorrow is another day. Think about it, how many of those consuming worries amounted to nothing.

Did you see where the pilot's union just got their wide body airplane pilots a $176,000 raise to about $540K. Narrow body pilots will be in the $460K range. That will be good for inflation control. School bus drivers in this state just voted to approve a contract raising their wages to $37.5/Hour. And job shortages across the country are spurring higher and higher wages. According to the Wage Growth Tracker, wage growth for those who switched jobs was 7.7% and 5.5% for those who stayed. But here are the big numbers: There were 10.8 million unfulfilled jobs at the end of January. And the latest jobs report shows that 3.88 million peel “quit” their jobs. And nearly half were in the lowest wage groups in Hospitality and Retail. And the data shows that almost half of those quitting or being laid off, are not affecting a slowdown in the economy but finding new jobs almost always at higher wages. As the wall Street Journal says, “The job market may appear to be cooling, but that’s like saying 93% degrees is cooler than 98." I would have to say that the inflation fight as a way to go. Hang on.

Of course, all I wrote above could change with the jobs report tomorrow.

That Jan 6 attack on the Capital didn't look peaceful to me.

My friend liked the way his dictionary app looked on high-definition smart TV.

Today is also World Kidney Day. I could go for one of those.

A couple of ex-athletes from Brown U are suing the Ivy League because they do not offer scholarships. The Ivies still have this idea that college athletics are better when closer to amateur. Here’s a solution: Pick another good college that offers scholarships. That’s what free choice is all about.

Could our national psyche be more in need of anything more important than, National Get Over it Day?

The odds for the Players Golf Tournament has it Rory, Scott Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay and Justin Thomas.

The Answer:

The top pic is Everything, Everywhere all at Once. Next are Banshees, Alls Quiet on the Western Front, Top Gun Maverick, The Fablemans and Tar. Best director is Danel Kahn and Daniel Scheinert for Everything, Spielberg, Todd Field for T ar, Martin McDonough for Banshees, and Rubin Ostland for Triangle of Sadness. The best actor odds got to Brendan Fraser, Autin Butler, Colin Farrell, Paul Mescal and Bil Nighy. For the Actress it is Michelle Yeoh, Cate Blanchette, Andrea Risborough, Michelle Williams and Anna De Armas. For supporting actor we have Ke Huy Quan, Barry Keoghan, Brendan Gleeson, Judd Hirsh and Bryan Tyree Henry. For BS Actress it is Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kerry Condon, Stephanie Hsu and Hong Chau. Ladies and gentlemen, Place your bets. I am only familiar with three or four of those names. I would really do badly in Jeopardy’s Celebrity category these days.