Friday Follies...
Well, another week behind us, and yes, according to AP reports, Michael Jackson is STILL dead.
Let's sneak a peek at what others are up by sifting through the "departmental files", shall we?
And never fear...I've got the required "clearance".
** From the "But Wait...There's More" Department:
Billy Mays might have gone to that big "Infomercial at the Pearly Gates", but he WILL continue to live on with products he hawked that became household names to every one of us.
His commercials for such products as Oxi-Clean, Jupiter Jack, Mighty Putty (to mention a few) will still provide us with moments of lucidity along the airwaves.
Nice to know there will be at least a FEW MINUTES of SANITY on the television every day, isn't it?
WTG, Billy.
...Go get 'em!


** From the "Police LOVE Big Busts" Department:
Seems a recent warrant sweep, dubbed OPERATION FALCON has netted some much needed jail time for some perps formerly "in flight" (pun intended). In Allen County, Indiana alone, 72 people were nabbed.
The "OP", which went from the month of June was a combined effort utilizing local law-enforcement as well as agents from the BATFE, FBI, and U.S. Marshals.
Many of these warrants were for interstate flight involving kidnapping, robbery, and grand larceny.
Operation FALCON, stands for Federal And Local Cops Organized Nationally,
Nationally, more suspects were arrested during THIS sweep, than in previous years.
Offenders were arrested for BOTH local AND federal charges.
Across the nation, NINE HUNDRED gang members were busted, 433 wanted for HOMICIDE, and 10,525 wanted for DRUG CRIMES.
Additionally, 582 firearms, $342K in cash, and over 2,200 KILOS of drugs were seized, according to U.S. Marshals reports.
Since it's inception in 2005, Operation FALCON has netted more than NINETY ONE THOUSAND arrests.
(God, I do SO love "happy endings")
** From the "WTF is that person saying?" Department:
If you're planning on getting an updated dictionary, be warned that some "new" words will be included very soon.
Words relating to our technocratic foibles such as FRENEMIES, (plural of FRENEMY - one who acts as a friend, but is an enemy...DUH), STAYCATION (a vacation at home), VLOGS (blogs w/ video content) and WEBISODES (webcasts of episodic content) will soon be coming to a dictionary near YOU.
Also add words like LOCAVORE (eating foods grown locally), FLASH-MOB (electronically summoned mass of people), and GREEN-COLLAR (involving actions that protect the environment...evolution of BLUE-COLLAR, no doubt).
And you thought the world couldn't get ANY more screwed up...shame on you!
** From the "Where's Choo-Choo Charlie?" Department:
Fort Wayne is wanting SO bad to place high-speed rail in the city, and that alone is a fantastic idea...
(okay, where is the BUT, Bob?)
BUT....
(Ah, we knew it was coming)
Passenger rail lines USED to run in and out of this city....
All it takes a look into damn near ANY railroad history book to find THAT crap out!
One of the FIRST "add-ons" to the old (and unfortunately defunct) PRR (Pennsy railroad), was a line to service FORT WAYNE (after smaller Ohio rail lines were purchased). And that smacks back to PRE-CIVIL WAR days!
SO...what happened anyway?
Well, there was less and less "need" for passenger rail, thanks to ALL those cars and turnpikes we built, so they went bye-bye.
Only rail lines coming through here NOW...are FREIGHT!
And naturally, ANY high-speed rail line will be most likely owned and operated by....AMTRAK. You remember them? They're the people who CONSISTENTLY operated IN THE RED...and have done so for the last THIRTY-PLUS years!
(Nice to know SOME things never change)
There IS a need for SOME type of inter-urban rail line, but thanks to something called PROGRESS, we tore them all up. Now people are wanting them put BACK IN...
OK, so WHAT'S it gonna COST, anyway?
(hint...a LOT)
And stop looking at ME when you're thinking about WHO is gonna pay for it.
(Contrary to popular governmental beliefs, WE DO NOT have a MONEY TREE growing out back...and neither do any of you).
Never know that by the manner the politicians keep reaching INTO our pockets, though...would you?
And with all those hands in our pockets, wouldn't that be considered some sort of "sex crime"....just wondering?
This rail line thing is happening across the nation, so don't be surprised if the issue pops up in YOUR neck of the woods.
So there you have it...
Some of the most interesting news, swiped from the headlines of TODAY...so you can place it under your pet TOMORROW!
Who says we're not on top of things, hmm?
Have a great weekend.
We'll catch you on the FLIP SIDE.
And...as always,
Stay safe out there, America!