We’re where.

 

 

Today's Tids Issue 6,016 

Missing link: 

 

Well, here we are again in a day with a date that nobody wants to talk about. We’ll get through it. Trust me. We did twenty-Eight days ago. 

 

“I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.”  --Steven Wright 

 

Over in the Middle East the war is now seems more about oil than anything else. The strategy is now to keep Wall Street happy. Even down in Israel Netanyahu is saying we may never see regime change there. But he adds, Israel is safer, that is for sure.  

 

If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?  

 

The Question: 

Who were the past five men's and women's Mad Madness champs? 

 

The Headlines: 

--Markets Futures Opened Happier as Oil Fell Back Following Waiver of Russia Oil Sanctions; Choppy Morning News Sends Indices Down; Q4 GDP Revised Downward to Anemic 0.7 Annual Growth rate; Fed’s Favorite Inflation Gage Comes in at 2.8% Hotter than Expected and Not related to Oil Cost Explosion;  

--Six Americans Dead as Result of Refueling Plane Crash in Iraq. 

--Killings at Odd Dominion U and at Michigan Synagogue Has Gove Officials warning about Middle East War related Retaliation in US. 

 

Despite all the nits and gnats of political bickering I have felt for a while now that the country's biggest problem was the intensity of the political divide. I listen to people of all ages and of many disciplines and I hear the same thing... we should be able to work together. Now comes along study by Vanderbilt University that says 89% of Americans want Dems and Repubs to stop fighting. 73% believe the “Founding Fathers” wouldn't be proud of the nation today. Respondents were mostly unified in their desire for collaborative democratic solutions as opposed to authoritarianism. Making America great again isn't about being able to fight wars like we did in WWII. Its be able to gain respect from the rest of the world because we are a country based on fairness, freedom and opportunity, That is not to say that defense isn't important because there will always be rascals in the rest of the world.  

 

“Ethics if knowing the difference between what you have the right to do and what is right.” --Potter Stewart (Former Justice of Supreme Court.) 

 

A few weeks ago a father walked into a hockey arena in RI when his son was playing in a high school game. He went into the stands and shot and killed the boy's mother, brother, Grandfather and himself. Yesterday in the semifinals of a State hockey championship game boy Colin Dorgan scored hr game winnign goal in the final seconds for hi Blackstone Valley team. Words may never explain the chills runnnig through your body. 

 

The resiliency of Americans to bounce back is our greatest resource. I have always found through life that you can always find within you an ounce of something extra when you need it to over come difficult situations. 

 

Sinners looks poised to take home a lot of hardware at theh Oscars. But Zootopia2 is taking home the green having earned $1.2 Billion. Emma Stone is now at 37 the youngest actress to have been nominated seven times beating out Merryl Streep who was 38. I've only seen one of those movies and it wasn't a winner to em. As matter of fact I find myself avoid  Oscar winners because I have been disappointed too often, Anyhow, Oscar season is rolling now so get prepared for a lot of gossip and banter. 

 

I’ll be busy over the weekend making my NCAA Picks. I'll have them ready for you Monday. I know, like wow. 

 

Also this weekend I'll be getting out my Kelley Green Fleece and shirts for Saint Patrick's Day. I have always loved going the Newport Parade each year, but now that I don't live there anymore the parking has become impossible. It has become one of those Yogi Berra things, “People don't go there anymore. It’s too crowded. But I will remember all the smiles and friendships seen upon the parade path of years gone by. Yes, there is something magical there when people get together. And the bagpipes ain’t bad either. 

 

Hey, did you see where Bobby Hurley was fired as coach of Arizona State. Maybe he’ll take the open Providence College job which would put him in the same league and only about a half hour away from his Bro Danny coaching at UConn. BTW, Bobby is still the all-time assists leader In history from the days when he played at Duke. 

 

A collateral damage issue from the Iran war is revolving around the US redeploying the THAAD missile defense system from South Korea to the Middle East. Yes, there was controversy in SK when the US rolled into a small village to set up a complex defense system. But the shouts are louder now as it pulls it out. The liberal SK Prez says we can protect ourselves from NK, but the people  aren't so sure. Will NK launch a test? The people are Nervous. There's always something. Where will we get our refrigerators? Where will we get our TVs? 

 

And, in North Korea there a has been noticeable increased military activity including testing missile launches from a new NK ship. But NK is always threatening something. But is it different now.  

 

When asked about how life is in North Korea and NK’er said, “I cant complain.” 

 

Think about it...we have glorious fun Pat's day coming up, the always exciting March Madness and the Oscars for movie lovers. And there is a war going on in the heritage lands of many Americans. And most of us just stare at the price in the gas pump.  

 

The Answer: 

For the men it was Baylor, Kansas, UConn, UConn  and Florida.  For the women it was Stanford, South Carolina, LSU, South Carolina and UConn. Are you ready for some excitement even without hope for a lot of Cinderella action 

 

Have a great weekend, E-v-e-r-y-b-o-d-y!!