Minor happenings

 

Today's Tids Issue 5,097

A wary world watches:

 

I have never been tempted to wear a wetsuit and jump into a forty-degree winter Atlantic Ocean. I think that proves my sanity regardless of what you think about the Tids.

 

Today is National Missing Persons Day. So, if you are missing, let somebody know.

 

I have found over the years that situations that may seem insurmountable at times find a way of working out pretty nicely, if truth is in there.

 

Interesting correlation: As legalized pot becomes more widespread, wouldn’t the need for Uber drivers grow to accommodate those who might not feel alert enough to drive? Buy Uber stock which should grow jointly with each positive legislature vote. But, the big question is, who drives the Uber drivers home?

 

Did I actually say “grow jointly!”

 

The Question:

What was going on a mere century ago in 1922? What was the life expectancy for men? What percentage of homes had bathtubs? What was the tallest structure in the world? How may stars were on the American flag? What was the population of Las Vegas, Nevada? 100 years ago, what percentage of all Americans had graduated from High School?

 

The Headlines:

--Big Disappointment From Meta (Facebook) Has Company Shares Tumbling And Wall Street Indices Negative.

--US Forces Attack Turkey Border Town In Syria; Took Out Key Isis Leader; Civilians Said To Be Among 13 Killed During Incursion.

--Latest Winter Storm Cancels 4,000 Flights.

--Turkey Says It I Will Aid In Russia/Ukraine Negotiation.

--Ongoing Fire At Winston-Salem Ammonium-Nitrate Plant Could Still Trigger Largest Explosion In US History.

 

If it is now proper to call actresses, actors, why do they still have a female and male actor category distinction for awards.

 

One of the biggest concerns over the Russia UN confrontation over Ukraine is the close friendship between Putin and Xi.

 

The Commanders? So, after all of these months following the cancellation of “The Skins”, that’s the best they could do? How dull. They say they picked it because it represented the seat of our federal government. Hmmm. How about “The Hypocrites”. The Hypes.

 

Meta’s bad performance is a bit deeper than it appears by the numbers. They are facing Government antitrust movements, IOS privacy restrictions (Big), huge losses by Key acquisitions (reality labs), generational moves to competitor, and the slow costly transition to the Meta promise.  Running a business is different than riding the wave of a startup.

 

The drumbeat is beginning for Movie awards season. Here are the voting numbers for films in the nomination process for British Bafta film Awards, which might have been a precursor for the Hollywood version: Dune – 11, The Power of the Dog – 8, Belfast – 6, Licorice Pizza – 5, No Time to Die – 5, West Side Story -5, After Love – 4, Boiling Point -4, Cyrano – 4, Don't Look Up – 4, Passion – 4, King Richard – 4, CODA – 3, Drive My Car – 3, The French Dispatch – 3, House of Gucci – 3, Nightmare Alley – 3. Also, Lady Gaga is looking like the favorite in the club house for best actress. Or should I say best actor of a not so male proclivity.

 

The Answer:

In 1922, 47 was the life expectancy for men. Only 14% of homes had bathtubs. The tallest structure in the world was Eiffel Tower. Tre were 48 stars were on the American flag. Only 30 people lived in Las Vegas, Nevada (They each had a slot machine). 100 years ago, a mere 6% of all Americans had graduated from High School. Yikes! The really big question: How different will 2027 be from 2022? As for 2032, God help us.

 

My mind is clogged with news. It is really hard to sort out the big stuff from the small stuff because thy report way too much overall stuff. So when a report that sounds somewhat significant comes along, my first thought now, is what will happen tomorrow.  Maybe I’m really not that sane after all. Does anybody have a wetsuit?

 

I was in Russia listening to a stand-up comedian making fun of Putin. The jokes weren’t that good, but I liked the execution.

 

 

On being Alert.

 

 

 

Today's Tids Issue 5,096

Happy 2's day:  

It's really too bad that today wasn't yesterday.

 

Punxsutawney Phil saw a typo this morning which means you have at least six more weeks of Tids.

 

It appears that one thing all people can believe in and feel confident in for the future, is the steady growth and perfection of internet scamming techniques. Has there ever been a better medium for the amoral in which to exercise their evil deeds attacking the innocent. The acceleration and resultant cost of scamming rally grew since 2027. Across all ages, scams last year translated into a collective loss of $4.2 billion. But what was really surprising was that the growth was not among trusting oldsters getting snookered. The younger tech savvy under-21 crowd, according to the FBI, reached about 23,200 last year, up from 9,000 in 2017 – with total losses in 2020 of roughly $71 million, compared with $8.3 million in 2017.  Numbers for the over 60 crowd are still enormous, but fouled by covid opportunist, the under 21 group is the fastest growing. See what happens when you stay home from school!

 

Personally, I don’t open anything, reply to nothing, I think that one of the secrets to safety is being comfortable with what you have.

 

As you may have realized over the years, I have always said that white collar scammers should feel most in jeopardy for capital punishment because thy destroy the very essence of a good society – trust. And of course, right behind that unscrupulous crowd – litterbugs.

 

If you feel like you need a hug, just tell your wife to embrace her mistakes.

 

The Question:   

There ae four indoor Winter Olympic Sports. What are they? Bonus: The Olympic motto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” What does that mean in English?

 

The Headlines:

--Private Payroll Workers Decline For January Surprises; 301K Decline Biggest Drop Since December 2020; Biggest Numbers Are In Hospitality And Leisure Industry; Losses In Transportation, Trades And Utilities Also Significant; 3 Major Indices In Positive Territory In Late Morning.

--Biden To Send 2-3 Thousand Troops To Poland; Putin Spoke Yesterday Saying The US Is Trying To Push Russia Into War.

--New Yorkers Line Streets Again To Homor Fallen Police.

--Bomb Threats Against Historically Black Colleges And Universities Continue.

--ABC Suspends Whoopi Over Her Holocaust Remarks.

--CNN CEO Walks After Failing To Disclose Consensual Relationship; Media World Stunned.

--Dwayne Johnson Seems To Support Joee Roham In Spotify Rift.

--Groundhog Phil Sees Shadow; Six More Weeks Of Winter Ahead.

--NM Dem Senator Ben Ray Lujan Hospitalized With Stroke; Democratic Governor Assures Safety Of Seat.

--Google Announces 20-1 Stock Split.

 

In his retirement speech yesterday, Tom Brady thanked everybody upon this great earth art except anybody associated with the New England Patriots. How odd. He came out later and added two heart emojis for the NE fans. The fans still love him up here despite divorcee. How could they not. He gave them a generation of unbelievable happiness.

 

Speaking of QB’s, it seems there are a lot of people rooting for Matt Stafford in the SB, the skilled old guy how finally got his chance after suffering amidst mediocrity with Detroit.

 

If I listened to the Director of the FBI Christopher Wray’s words properly yesterday, it sounds like China has armies of scammer/ hackers pounding away on computer keys to get into the minds and secrets of the USA. Gus ad bombs look ugly and threatening but cyber warfare harms perhaps even more deeply

 

My girlfriend is mad at me. She said she wanted a serious relationship, so I stopped smiling.

 

Hey Music fans… Who is your choice on this list of Rock ’n Roll HoF Nominees: Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Duran Duran, Beck, Pat Benatar, Carly Simon, A Tribe Called Quest, Kate Bush, Devo, Judas Priest, Eurythmics, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, and Dionne Warwick? I liked Dionne Warwick quite a bit and it is hard to believe she won’t make it. None of the others are really my personal favorites, although I like a couple of them. I’d say that Dolly, Lionel, Em and perhaps Carly are in.

 

I don’t get that excited about the Summer Olympics, but I really like watching the winter competitions.

 

The Answer:

The 4 indoor sports are Curling, Figuring Skating, Speed Skating (including short track speed skating), and Ice Hockey. Bonus: The Olympic Motto means “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” Pierre de Coubertin, considered the father of the modern Olympic games, proposed it in 1894 after hearing the words said by Dominican priest Henri Didon years earlier.

 

Patience is good. I’ve be waiting for Google to split.

 

Love your day.

 

 

 

Colors are the smiles of nature. --Leigh Hunt

 

 

 

Today's Tids Issue 5,095

The sunny side of the street:

 

H-e-l-l-o Lovers! It is February, and yes, we are all lovers in some way. I love this month sprinkled with hearts, and googling eyes and holding hands, I like chocolate too, and rambling roses on roof tops. And also my heart swells because we honor George Washington and good ole Honest Abe too; two great Americans whose statues still stand. February is a wonderfully cold month, but it will always be warm because I believe that love will make it so.

 

The best way to keep smiling during this stock markets decline is to keep your portfolio reports closed and sealed up tight.

 

Now star athletes have to worry about the strength of their “Brand” after he or she stops playing? That’s probably something Tom Brady thought about, or at least his financial advisors thought about. Look for him to take a high profile job in football to stay relevant.

 

“A guy‘s wife sent him a heartwarming text that read, “If you’re sleeping, send me your dreams. If you’re laughing, send me your smile. If you’re eating, send me a bite. If you’re drinking, send me a sip. If you’re crying, send me your tears. I love you!” The guy replied, “I’m on the toilet, please advise…” Ahh, the complexities of love.

 

The Question:

What is the origin of the word ‘Boycott”? Bonus: Who wrote the words, “Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened.”?

 

The Headlines:

--Markets Drafting In Negative Territory; Awaiting Google (Alphabet) Earnings; Manufacturing Activity Index Drips to Lowest Point In 14 Months; Number of Job Openings Historically Higher.

--Tom Brady, One Of The All Time Greats In Football Officially Announces Retirement.
--6,000 Urged To Evacuate NC Fertilizer Plant As Massive Fire Threatens To Cause Ammonium Nitrate Explosion.

--New Revelations Show Trump Involvement In Seizing, Impounding Voting Machines.

--Judge Rejects Plea Agreement In Arbery Case.

--Trump War Funds Campaign Chest Continues To Grow.

--Detroit Expecting Biggest Snow Storm In 7 Years.

-- Tesla To recall nearly 54,000 vehicles that may disobey stop signs.

 

Some Daily Facts, Department:

Poll #1 – ABC News/Ipsos: Over three-quarters of Americans (76%) want Biden to consider "all possible nominees." Just 23% want him to automatically follow through on his history-making commitment.

Poll #2: Yahoo News/YouGov poll: Nearly seven in 10 Americans (69 percent) say the pandemic is not “over in the U.S.,” and just a third (34 percent) say it’s “over as it pertains to their own life,” regardless of whether it’s “over for others.” Th good news: A broader embrace of pre-pandemic normalcy could be right around the corner. 37 percent of Americans now say that COVID is “more of an inconvenience” than a “health concern” for them. Fewer than half (49 percent) say the opposite.

 

Reports about major or ongoing USA issues often leave out, or elide over the full picture. So, from time to time will try to look beyond the headlines to present a broader picture. Especially headlines that come out of Washington DC.

 

For instance, one imagination opinion says that people who are vaccinated are more liberal. I tend not to agree with that sweeping indictment as I see vaccinations as a way of possibly avoiding death for a while. Somehow, death is a problem for me.

 

“Tesla to recall nearly 54,000 vehicles that may disobey stop signs.” These cars would sell well I Rhode Island.

 

Maybe Tom Brady will become General Mangar of the New England Patriots. Bob Kraft loves him. But, would Gizelle want to move back to cold Boston again.

 

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” --Leo Buscaglia

 

The Answer:

Boycott: “The word boycott entered the English language during the Irish "Land War" and derives from Captain Charles Boycott, the land agent of an absentee landlord, Lord Erne, who lived in Lough Mask House, near Ballinrobe in County Mayo, Ireland, who was subject to social ostracism organized by the Irish Land League in 1880.” As harvests had been poor that year, Lord Erne offered his tenants a ten percent reduction in their rents. In September of that year, protesting tenants demanded a twenty-five percent reduction, which Lord Erne refused. Boycott then attempted to evict eleven tenants from the land. Charles Stewart Parnell, in a speech in Ennis prior to the events in Lough Mask, proposed that when dealing with tenants who take farms where another tenant was evicted, rather than resorting to violence, everyone in the locality should shun them. While Parnell's speech did not refer to land agents or landlords, the tactic was first applied to Boycott when the alarm was raised about the evictions. Despite the short-term economic hardship to those undertaking this action, Boycott soon found himself isolated – his workers stopped work in the fields and stables, as well as in his house. Local businessmen stopped trading with him, and the local postman refused to deliver mail. Charles Boycott should have smiled.

Bonus: The quote about smiling because it happened was from Doctor Seuss. He had a knack.

 

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” --Lord Byron

 

I just believe in smiles. I just believe at working a little harder to force a smile over a grimace. It’s easy to go along with negativity, but everybody will notice and be happier seeing a smile that says, maybe it isn’t so bad after all. Ok, now you know. I am the schmaltz king and I’m proud of it.

 

Enjoy a most appropriate oldie:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snK2OvS3lAY