Hump Day Happenings...


If there is one certainty in today's ever-changing world, it's the fact that people will STILL do the damnedest stuff...for no apparent reason, other than that they CAN.

And with that, let us waltz (or is that mambo?) through the goings on in the world, and thank the Maker we're not THAT screwed up.

"Rap Wars"?
Seems that Kanye West is outselling his competitor 50 Cent as far as their latest albums are concerned.
BIG FAT F$CKING DEAL!!!
First off, NEITHER of them sells "albums" - they sell CDs. Albums are reserved for the former realm of VINYL platters (the ORIGINAL compact disc). You remember those, right? Cardboard covers with great art work and lyrics in the liner you could actually READ without the aid of a magnifying glass were the "final word" back in the day.
Next, NEITHER of them is anything close to being called an "artist". All they do is talk some jive rhymes over a lame-ass 4-4 bass beat with some random digitally-enhanced synthesizer making more noise over that.
I wouldn't give you 2 cents for 50 Cent, and as for Kanye, well, he's nothing short of being a treasonous, anti-American with his comments over Katrina and Bush. Nuff said there. Both of them can go in the "role model" Hall of Shame, (IMHO).
Treat yourselves to some REAL music...get a PAVAROTTI CD instead.

"Another Role Model"?
Indiana is becoming a haven for dysfunctional athletes...I mean basketball players. The 2006 1st round draft choice was busted for what he was caught WITH, namely marijuana. What he was NOT caught with was a DRIVER'S LICENSE. He also was "caught" with an expired tag on his new ESCALADE, AND he failed to signal a lane change. Nice to know that law-enforcement officers still pull people over for that.
Larry Bird, Pacers' president was not sympathetic toward the team's forward, Shawne Williams, and was extremely disappointed with the conduct (as well he should be).
Williams came to Indiana from Memphis last year, and this latest arrest for a Pacer marks the THIRD time in a year that a player from the team has made the police blotter. So much for social skills being taught in the Tennessee school system. Better add a DECISION-MAKING course to that curriculum, cause this boy sure needs one (idiot).

"City Council Comedy Hour"
Last night's meeting of the mind(less)s had even ME scratching my head. They spend all this time enacting ENFORCEMENT of a sign ordinance that has BEEN on the books for however long.
And they're doing this....WHY?
Laws are enacted and placed on the books TO BE ENFORCED in the first damn place. Why have a stupid-ass meeting JUST to overstate the obvious? Oh, hold on a minute...it's Fort Wayne City Council....I forgot.
Silly me!
Of course the realtors are bothered by this, as they rely on signage along streets and roads to sell their houses. Well, that's just too darn bad now, ain't it?
Let's take a look at this and crunch some "numbers".
1) - Don't we have technology (like a TELEPHONE...or a COMPUTER) that allows people to search ONLINE (or call) for homes that are for sale, making it easier to get in touch with realtors and view the property?
2) - We still teach READING in the schools, so WHY can't people pick up a copy of the "Realty Times" or just buy a stinking NEWSPAPER and check the classified under HOMES?
3) - We still have plenty of REALTY OFFICES, so WHY can't people just walk in, take a look at the listings, and then have a realtor SHOW them the property?
(novel ideas...all)
I don't know about YOU, but that adds up just FINE to me, no matter how you try to rearrange the figures.
Sorry, but nothing says "we don't give a damn about our neighborhood" MORE than signs all along the right-of-way and on utility poles for "cash for junk cars", "garage sales", "lost pets", etc. You have to advertise in that manner...find the PROPER venue, like the local papers, or online, or even at the "bulletin boards" most every larger store has near the entrance/exit. Don't be a bunch of freaking a$$holes...(you a$$holes).
Same goes for you politicians....place your signs on PRIVATE property (with permission) and stop being SO damn presumptive with the placement of your signage.
Now...IF ONLY City Council could do SOMETHING about putting a few "teeth" into the NOISE ordinance (I'd even settle for DENTURES at this juncture).

"A Roob-Goldberg Assessment?"
A recent audit shows that Indiana should refund $88 MILLION bucks in federal money used to operate three state mental health facilities. The audit cites Logansport State Hospital for under staffing, inadequate record-keeping, and not enough therapy for it's 360 patients. Although human services chief Mitch Roob states that they're not at a crisis point, they're getting close. And again, we hear that word - PRIVATIZATION.
Roob states they are providing adequate care, but not excellent care. Gee, I thought all these mentally-disabled people lived on our STREETS, not in hospitals. It's called "mainstreaming" them back into society, and could be considered an adjunct to those we call "special ed". We seemed to have blurred that line sufficiently so as not to disseminate the real from the perceived in this instance.
Would a private company provide better care? Should they be the caregivers for those with severe mental disabilities? Are we shuffling off this problem for the quick fix? And what about all the George Romero "extras" we have walking along our streets daily (talking to themselves quite well, I might add)? Who speaks for them, and should we consider wider ranges of institutionalization instead of all this "mainstreaming"?
Time will tell.

Now if all that doesn't make you shake your head, or at least reach for a barf bag (or another cup of coffee)...better check your pulse.

Remember, it's all downhill from here on (or uphill, depending on YOUR POV).