World View: etc!: Seven Swans just swam by.

Today's Tids Issue 5,405

Where is Christmas:

This is the week where there are last-minute shoppers or first-minute shoppers, but when it finally slows, and the collected release of breath in satisfaction envelops the world. There is peace at last. Families come together. Many families go out there to help other families, perhaps less fortunate. Somebody finds a way to be there for somebody left alone. Somebody caught in between. That's how the spirit of Christmas rises above the gifts. Looking out and seeing, feeling love.

People love corny, predictable movies that make them feel good when they are over.

The Tupperware thief had an airtight alibi.

I was at a restaurant yesterday around noon and their Brunch Menu started with, “Classics”. The first dish under it was “Avocado Toast.” They're kidding, right? A classic is traditional eggs benedict or corned beef hash. Avocado toast is for short-attention-span nation.

BTW, I love that commercial about the high cost of everything where the guy orders avocado toast but says, forget the avocado. I smile every time.

The Question:

What was the name of the man in a wheelchair who was pushed off the Achille Lauro into the Mediterranean Sea? Bonus: A popular national highway over 2,700 miles long, built in 1926, was abolished from the face of America. What was it.

The Headlines:

--Fed Tries to Dampen Enthusiasm, But Markets Forge Ahead in Last Trading Weeks; Markets Holding, Heading for another Gain.

--Pope Says Ok for Blessings of Sane Sex Couples but Does Not Condone it as Sacrament of Marriage.

--Homebuilders Liking Sinking Mortgage Rates.

--Haley Dramatically Narrows Trump NH Poll Gap.

--Motorist Slams into Biden Motorcade; Prez is OK.

--Somebody is Killing Drill Sergeants at Fort Jackson.

The way I understand it is that the TV Networks ante up most of the cash to make players and owners wealthy. This past Saturday, the three games of the day were on the NFL Network which I have ot assume pays no TV rights at all to the NFL. I guess they are trying to coerce me into paying for yet another piece of my TV viewing. Never going to happen.

Have I told you lately that streaming does nothing for me.

I have been a big fan of Annika Sorenstam since she first started opening eyes in the LPGA. She is surely a great player, pleasant and a gracious sports person in victory and defeat. Nice to see her back in competition, and especially with her kids.

Do angry vegetarians ever have a beef with someone?

I am already tired of NCAA college basketball overwhelming TV. Talk about sameness. And where is the fun of rooting for a team and watching players grow when you know it will all dissipate into the Transfer portal.

And while I'm being negative about societal trends … tattoos are not pretty.

A lot of people may have liked Mayim Bialik because she meant something to them, but Ken Jennings was just a better host, better at the job of hosting that show. And besides, a show like Jeopardy needs continuity. BTW, I was never a big fan of Alex.

!985 was a good year to be out there making a living. As long as you had a warm jacket in the east. It was the coldest east coast winter in history. But now t as cold as the Coca Cola boardroom where the utter failure of the “New Coke” was blizzard of negativity. My second daughter graduated from college, but in three months my third daughter would start the process again. The Unabomber began hos reign of terror, and terrorists became very active with hijacking of TWA Flight 847 and the Taking of teh Achille Lauro. People’s of the world began looking over their shoulders a lot more. But Michail Gorbachev became Prez of Russia and there was a little hope there. Potatoes were $1/pound, ground Beef $1/38 per, and Bacon $1.654. Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organized the “Live Aid concerts which raised $125 Million in relief money. What also was interesting about that is that through the use of Satellite linkups, over One Billion viewers saw the concerts live. The Color Purple became the film to see, Michael Jordan was Rookie if the Year, and at 17, Boris Becker was the youngest ever winner at Wimbledon. My favorite movie was Witness, followed by Fletch and Beverly Hills Cop. A lot of people Liked Cocoon, but I was much too young for old people movies. The number one move was Back to the Future followed by Rambo II. The Breakfast Club introduced a lot of younger set favorites. Madonna was a power, but love was also strong in Musicland with Hugh Lewis and his “Power of Love” and my favorite for the year and even today, “I want to know what Love is” by Foreigner. In 1985 I learned a lot new. I bought a little cottage by the sea and proceeded to learn from a knowledgeable neighbor how to rebuild everything possible from top to bottom and inside out. I loved being exhausted at the end of each day.

The Answer:

It was a tragic, terrible day and showed the evil ruthlessness of terrorists when they pushed wheelchair bound Leon Klinghoffer off off the side of the ship. Bonus: Remember the adventures of Martin Milner and George Maharis as they traveled in their Corvette through 116 episodes along Route 66. The roster of guest stars, 106 of them, was a who’s who of Hollywood at the time and to come. Yes in 1985, the Interstate system had finally pushed trusty old Route 66 into decay, and the government sent "White-out" experts to the map room. Say it isn’t so, George Hamilton.