05 December 2008

Weekend Roundup...
Another weekend awaits us (didn't think it'd GET here, didja?), and I've got a few burrs under my saddle this morning (tell us something we DON'T KNOW, Bob).
Allllllrighty then...
Our Journal Gazette (morning paper - accent on the MORNING aspect to this) has been arriving later than usual. It USED to get here by 0600hrs sharp (you could set your alarm by the paper guy), but of late, it has been GETTING late(r). Today's paper arrived at 0735 hrs.
Now I don't know what the problem is (obviously NOT the press room, or we would have heard something about that), but if the carrier has personal problems, then, by all means, give the route to someone that still does take paper delivery seriously.
With that said, let's move on to the USPS.
These people keep jacking UP the price of stamps (and mailing costs) and service remains STATIC (at best).
Seems they went and LOST one of my online purchases for Christmas. Now I've done over 600 purchases on eBay alone (over the last 8 years), and NEVER had to get "insurance", except in a few cases from items arriving from overseas (makes sense).
So, "all of a sudden" the USPS carrier has taken some "IDIOT PILLS" and forgotten WHERE the hell I live. Labels are most always pre-printed from eBay with tracking numbers on them, but apparently, SOME carriers can't READ all that well, or are TOO busy listening to their iPod glued in their ears to pay the hell attention to which ADDRESS they pulled up at.
The USPS tracking "says" the item was delivered to Fort Wayne back on 1 December at 1134 hours (damn precise), but the really funny thing is that I wait for the mail delivery, and I go out as soon as it arrives....this item DIDN'T SHOW UP AT ALL. It's M.I.A.
I certainly don't plan to peek in everyone else's mailbox* to see if MY stuff is in there (and I shouldn't HAVE to), but someone screwed up royally, and I'm out about $12. Still, it's $12 that SHOULD have gone to a Christmas gift I am to RECEIVE, and NOT to either the lost letter bin or another person's house.
And given the nature of the "people" around here, you can bet it will NEVER get returned. Hell, you can find mailboxes REGULARLY opened by passersby for no reason other than another idiot's primate curiosity.
Then again...my package COULD arrive today, and all this angst would be for naught.
NAH...not a chance...not down in THIS part of town.
*((editor's note: Well spank me rosy - the package was in the NEIGHBOR'S mailbox for the last 2 days. After talking with the carrier, she apologized for placing it in the wrong box, and added that a LOT of thefts are happening along her route this year...again, it's the PEOPLE doing it, NOT the economy. Problem solved, and my "gut instnct" served me well...the FORCE was with me once again...lol))
With that out of my system, let's move onto what ELSE is going on around here.
-- Seems the local "Three Tenors" of crime (The recently arrested trio of Britt, Britt and Grady - who obviously sing a nice tune) ARE in fact part of a robbery ring in this city (imagine that).
Police are looking for TWO other men who rotated in and out of the group.
One of the men is described as being between 6'6" to 7' tall!
Damn, that boy should be EASY to find (unless you fold him a few times).
Sgt. Carl Moore (FWPD Robbery/Homicide Div) declined to name the businesses he believes were robbed by the group, but did admit that some of the robberies had some "differences", but typically, the group cased the targets before robbing them (at least that shows some planning). The group used between 2-4 men with two being armed, one with a pistol, the other with the AK. And they usually had a getaway car waiting for them (so much for the K-9 tracking them).
Detectives knew relatively little about the suspects before they arrested Brandon and William Britt, and Julian Grady, Moore said.
(Bet there are even MORE people tied into this...better check the GANG affiliations with Indy, Chitown, and even Detroit.)
And that smacks of what I have stated right HERE...
If you want to become relatively invisible and fly under the radar for a long while...by ALL means, move the hell DOWN here!
There are plenty of cheap-ass rental places to crib at, overgrown foliage obscuring properties and "cut-throughs" (places to dodge the law), few (if any) people that will even bother to "dime" on you (except ME, that is...I LOOK for people just like that), and you have a ready-made market for illegal drugs, robbery/burglary, rape, car theft, and other illicit activities, so there's LOTS to "hone your skills" on down here, yessir!
--And speaking of honing one's skills....
To any and all teachers that might read this blog...this one's for YOU.
The ISTEP+ scores are out...and they all tanked (wow, just like the economy...blame it on Bush, right?) Nah, it's not G.W.'s fault...not by a long shot. It's just more signs of our times.
It's the PARENTS' fault, and THEN the KIDS fault.
Don't go and dump on the educators, when you know DAMN WELL, that you have to have warm bodies in those classroom chairs, paying the hell attention and seeking to become better persons than they all were the day before. Until THAT happens with damn near every kid, test scores will not live up to any expectation...get used to it.
Stop dumbing down the kids!
And don't get your drawers in a bunch over school BUILDINGS. We never had air conditioning (only a large fan), and sometimes the boiler broke down and we got cold, but overall, we had what we NEEDED (not what we wanted) to get a damn fine education.
What we chose to DO with that education in later life was up to US.
(At least THAT MUCH hasn't changed.)
It always comes back to several things that many of my readers ALSO believe:
-PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
-ACCOUNTABILITY
-ETHICS
-CIVILITY
Sorry friends, but without THOSE foundations of humanity, you're not going all that far in life...
You might BS others into thinking otherwise, but when all is said and done, the $hit remains the same (with apologies to Led Zeppelin).
--Two South Side girls were arrested in a fight that resulted in two TEACHERS being kicked, punched, and knocked down. The fracas started when a class debate became heated.
The debate focused on rich and poor, and after one girl was called "poor", she retaliated by fighting the other girl.
The teacher came in to break up the fight, separating the two "girls". Before the school resource officer could be summoned, one of the girls stood up and attacked the other girl.
One teacher was punched and knocked to the ground while trying to break the fight up, and a substitute teacher was kicked in the shins.
Officers did take the girls, who also suffered injuries for an extended "tour" of the ACJC (detention center).
Now THIS is exactly WHY test scores suck here...!
This videogame mentality...solve it with a brawl (just like on the old XBOX). Sure...where's that RESET BUTTON?
Then again, if these girls' PARENTS brought them up better (if they even HAVE TWO parents, that is, which is a whole OTHER issue endemic to this problem) there would be a lot less VIOLENT resolution to a LOT of problems.
I say take both girls to the gym, lace on some boxing gloves, give 'em both mouthpieces, and face protectors and then let them both WAIL THE SNOT out of each other until they can't hold their arms up any longer...THEN, make them apologize and shake hands!
Hey, it worked in OUR day, and damn well, too.
I'd also bring the parents in and have some gym teacher wail the snot out of them for a few rounds...just to wise them up.
And that's WHY I could NEVER be a teacher in TODAY'S classroom. I'm of the "Harry Senate School of classroom Discipline" (Boston Public reference) - I'd calm down a fight in the class by pulling out my pistol and capping 2 (blank) rounds to scare the $hit out of them and bring them back to (my) reality which would entail LEARNING the subject matter.
I've also taught my wife (a high school teacher) a few ways to defend herself (if need be in her classroom), but she doesn't want to learn how to take out someone's knee with EIGHT pounds pressure, how to bring down someone twice your size with your THUMB, or how to properly use a "sleeper hold"...wonder why not?
((Editor's Note#2 - If any of yuou ladies want some common sense self-defense training & tactics, come to the Police/Fire Training Academy at the old Southtown location TOMORROW. Cost is only $45 per person, and the first class starts at 0900 hrs. Small price to pay for possibly saving your life, OR shopping Wal-Mart, isnt it ?))
Like I say, your kids wouldn't really want me as their teacher...UNLESS they just wanted to LEARN.
This ain't GRAND THEFT AUTO, or WORLD OF WARCRAFT, people, it's LIFE...and the children many people see fit to bring into this world DO have VALUE.
The sooner a lot of folks realize this, and take steps to acknowledge it, the better off our future going to be.
And the future awaits us all.
In the meantime...
Be mindful of the weather and road conditions over the next 72 hours.
And DO have a safe weekend.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. i still will defend usps to the end. we are a good company that is alot cheeper then simlar companys. when i was in europe it almost cost a dollar to mail a letter and that was in the late 80's.

2. not putting down 2 parent familys but a one parent family can be a good family too. its all in the follow threw just like in tennis. if you let them get away with it when they are toddlers it will keep on till the day you or they die. my mom pretty much raised me by herself becouse my father would live at work or live somewhere else. it just wasnt spoken about at my house till i was like 17/18.......perhaps if just one of the moms told her child if i have to go to that school and pick you up for some bs then i will be beating your azz right in front of everyone. you'll think i am the devil.

oh well just my view.

Bob G. said...

USPS has it's good workers, but having seen many carriers in my day, I'm not that impressed that much anymore.

I mean it's NOT THAT hard to differentiate between a number *2* and a number *1*.
But then again many carrier)s don't EVEN walk the streets these days (like in MY part of the city - too prone to theft.
And we ONLY have TEN houses on the blocks around here...easy route.!

There are many ONE parent families that I know if, and those are some pretty GOOD ones.

We've just WAY too many of them with bad people bringing up bad kids.
No accountability for the "alpha males" who "seed and leave" the woman to fend for herself.
That's just criminal...to not take responsibility for one's actions...or offspring.

Sadly, many women go from bad relationship to bad relationship.
Seen that happen all too often.
That also explains all the domestic calls police are called out on.
No one wants to TALK things out...either beat each other senseless (and let the kids watch) or walk the hell out.

That's got to change.

B.G.

Anonymous said...

i did that bad relationship thing to another bad relationship thing until i got pregnate with my daughter. then i pretty much stopped. i had a few more but, by the time she reached 6 i pretty much stopped. then just a few years ago (going for a longgggg time alone and bymyself except for God) i happened upon someone i already knew but i started to see him with the same eyes he had for me. i even changed my way of thinking about petty stuff. and it has been a glorous friendship. i am completley in love with him and i wonder why i ever used the word love with anyone else. its a blessing to be his friend.

Bob G. said...

As someone who's been on BOTH sides of the pulpit, I can say that you are NEVER alone.
HE is always with you.

Happy to hear things are doing well.

Keep the faith.
(sometimes, it's all we have)

B.G.

Phil Marx said...

It is correct to use the term "paper" when referring to the Journal Gazette. Just remember to leave of the "news" prefix and you'll be okay.

Bob G. said...

I was going to use the term "rag", but I didn't want to confuse the J/G with honest-to-God GOOD coverage from tabloids like the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS and the ENQUIRER...LOL!
And if I ever lapse and DO use the word "NEWS" when referring to our paper, please feel free to correct me, OK?

Thanks, Phil...glad someone's looking out for ME!

B.G.