It's Never Quite Over, Folks...
Welcome to a little something I like to call "Car-Repair Tuesdays", which is NOT to be confused with "Computer-Repair Mondays".
(at least that's what's occurring around OUR little parcel of the 7th layer of Hades).
As you might know, we're operating on our #2 computer system, as our #1 system is busy with corrupted Win XP. Add to that the #2 monitor on/off switch took the big "dirt nap" as well, so I did what any good "tech" would do...I swapped the monitors. We once again have a viable desktop system, but we did purchase a new monitor for the #1 system, should we somehow manage to get it set to rights.
*** Enter the wonderful world of online I/M troubleshooting...
We contacted emachines (the new system is STILL under warranty) and the missus was busy with the online "tech" (actually some guy in India reading from a manual, most likely) trying to get the system to boot normally. I was riding shotgun on the new system, trying everything wifey was relating from "Faizel".
And, naturally, nothing worked.
So...what THEY are gonna do, is send along a "restore disk/ CD" to us (in about 7 business days), and that "should" solve the problem (seeing IS still believing to me).
In the meantime, we HOPE this will in fact solve the issue of bad software.
If not, we have to send the entire CPU back to emachines for a replacement.
In either case, we lose all data stored on the drive (like my damn DAZ3D...for the THIRD TIME...this is getting a little boring, don'cha think?) when it gets reformatted.
Lucky us.
But we still have our "notebook" computer...as a backup FOR the backup...just n case.
Anyway, today is the day we "help our economy" by taking the wife's car into the shop for some A/C system work.
And again, we HOPE it STAYS fixed, but the way things are managed TODAY, it's a real crap shoot. Now the wife is contemplating getting a "newer" car...like her parents' 2005 Impala, but it IS a FWD car, and that comes with a whole other set of "repair baggage", as opposed to a RWD vehicle.
In other words...it costs a LOT more to fix a FWD vehicle..'cause all the crap is UP FRONT, like the suspension, engine, transmission...yeah, those things.
Seems the "gods" of commerce and auto making have pre-determined that we ALL "need" FWD, because it's "better". And after all, THEY know what is best for US, due to the fact that we're all dumber than a bump on a damn log, right?
WRONG.
I know ALL of you readers here are about as far from DUMB as EAST if from WEST, otherwise you wouldn't be frequenting this blog...LOL!
We know what WE need more than anyone else, and we know US better than anyone else (and that's because WE spend the most time with US, right?), so I get perturbed when some jackhole comes along and TELLS me what I "need".
And so should YOU.
The ONLY thing I really NEED is to be left the hell alone BY these buttwpies, to make my OWN, informed decisions.
But, I digress...
My car also needs some A/C repair, and it hasn't worked in over 5 years, but it's not as high on the old priority list as the more immediate stuff. After all, I drove cars LONG before having air conditioning was "standard" equipment.
We "suffered" along with the windows down, the "vents" open (car makers did AWAY with those, mechanically-speaking), and the collar unbuttoned. THAT was A/C for the masses back in the day.
When you stop and think about what we DO have today, versus what we did NOT have about 40-50 years ago, we seem to be doing pretty damn well.
Or are we?
Have we sacrificed creature comforts and other "amenities" because we just can't be bothered with paying attention to what's going on on our streets, our schools, and our governments?
Has all this technological posturing become the mainstay in our lives, diverting out attention fro the REAL issues?
I think it has, but now we're beginning to see all those trees in the forest once again.
"ANY technological advancement is ONLY AS GOOD as the level of responsibility of the individual applying it."
(and yes, you may quote me on that)
Doesn't matter if it's a damn computer or an automobile...or anything ELSE in between.
We are consumers...we can't help that.
That's what drives capitalism.
But there is a downside to all of it.
And that occurs when planned obsolescence reaches new heights, and we can no longer "repair" things, but rather REPLACE THEM.
In my opinion, that DEVALUES whatever is being replaced, simply because no one wants to be bothered with repairing whatever it is that needs repair.
And if we can carry such an analogy over to something more important...like PEOPLE. we see that much of the "socialized medicine" does the EXACT SAME THING...with living beings.
Treatment is deferred, or even ignored, only we can't just "replace" those people dying off, can we, at least NOT with the same TYPE of person. We CAN treat them, and treat them WELL...in essence, "repair" them properly, so they don't become "obsolete" in the process.
Yes, this all borders on the philosophical, but anything that requires cogent thought will do that.
Still, we are far from finished when it comes to getting things fixed.
Some things NEED fixing...others NEED replacing, but let's never mix the two into some perverse homogeneous pablum that covers "all the bases" for God's sake.
Let's set about FIXING what needs fixing...replacing what needs replacing, and that applies to computers, cars, people, and YES...even our government.
WE still are the voice that needs to be heard, whether it's to a president, a congressperson, or even an auto mechanic.
It's OUR lives that are being affected
And it's OUR lives that we all have to spend some time working with.
So, before I go see what is going to crap out in our house next...
Watch both hands carefully when it comes to those "fixer-uppers", and as always...
Stay safe out there, America.

Monday Musings...
We're starting off another week sort of right where we left off the last week regarding celebrity deaths, and although we might not think of these three people as celebs, they were in their own right, and in their own time.
** Billy Mays, famed pitchman of (at least) the last decade passed away at his home in Florida yesterday at the age of 50.
Coroner results are pending as to the cause of death.
Here's the WIKI link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Mays
He was a fellow Pennsylvanian (born In McKees Rocks, PA in 1958) and got his start hawking "as seen on TV" items on Atlantic City's famed Boardwalk (where I probably walked right past him in a time long ago).
Maybe getting that Oxi-Clean wouldn't have been such a bad idea, in retrospect.
I actually bought a few of the products he pitched over the years, and they weren't all that bad...they worked as advertised.
It would have been nice if he could have "pitched" a better solution to the economic crisis in America...seeing him in Congress, or even the Oval Office would have been worth the price of admission!
Now...he's "God's Pitchman".
That ought to be very interesting.
** Gale Storm, noted TV star of the 1950s passed away at the age of 87.
She starred in shows like My Little Margie, and The Gale Storm show.
And she wasn't bad on Dad's eyes...(or mine).
Not bad for a little girl from Texas, hmm?
Here's the WIKI link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gale_Storm
** Lastly, the father of screen and Broadway actor Tony Roberts, Ken Roberts has passed away at the age of 99.
If you're as old as I am, you probably heard him as the announcer on grandma's soap opera shows (when they used to air in fifteen-minute segments, instead of half hour shows).
And here's a link to the story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/27/AR2009062702344.html
Think of him like you would Gary Owens (Laugh-in), or a Don LaFontaine (did all those movie trailers and a Geico commercial).
** Now, with ALL this stuff out of the way, let's take a look in your GAS TANK, shall we?
(WTF did he just say?)
That's right...I said GAS TANK, as in the receptacle that holds the fuel for whatever you are driving these days.
(Source article):
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090628/BIZ/306289953
Betcha didn't know that whatever you are putting in there (as far as gasoline goes) is TEN PERCENT ETHANOL...didja?
The oil companies aren't stopping THERE, either. They PLAN to add another FIVE PERCENT, basically making what we call "gasoline" something more akin (read exactly) like the "E-85" pumps we're beginning to see. E-15 will be the new pump at the station.
Some states (other than Indiana) have a "custom-blend it yourself" mish-mosh of gas/ethanol...so you can "pick your poison", as it were.
Now before you go and start proclaiming to the world that you've been driving a "hybrid" vehicle (for years) and want a "rebate" from someone in Washington, D.C., put the car in PARK, catch your breath, and calm down.
Most NON-hybrid cars will "run" on "E-15"..but not as well as they were designed to run (oops, someone didn't tell us THAT, did they?) simply because the engine is set up (and computer-controlled) to run on GASOLINE.
And with a higher "E", the situation only gets worse.
Now that damn onboard computer will "try" to accommodate by attempting to run "normally" on E-15, and maybe you won't feel much of a difference...(now).
The problem will come when you turn the vehicle OFF...and it wants to KEEP RUNNING, shaking all over (like the song used to say). That's a little something we called PRE-IGNITION. It happens when the combustion chamber has a "hot spot", or a piece of carbon that re-ignites the fuel/air mixture even without a spark.
You car might also "knock" under acceleration, like someone is taking a piston and whacking it against the firewall.
You can thank ETHANOL for those issues, folks!
Ethanol burns HOTTER, ergo, it causes a whole new set of problems with COMPUTER-CONTROLLED vehicles. Now back in the OLD days, all YOU had to do was tinker with the carburetor by adjusting the fuel mixture, the air mixture, and the idle speeds, and you were pretty much good to go.
Henry Ford knew AS MUCH when he designed the old MODEL T.
That bugger would run on ANYTHING from kerosene to moonshine...AS WELL AS GASOLINE (when it was available due to the lack of pumps across the nation...and the lack of highways too).
But today, it's a lot different. And we're paying the price somewhere, trust me.
If you look at the ETHANOL usage versus production...BOTH have pretty much plateaued over the last few years, although overall U.S. production has increased. Some ethanol plants have even SHUT DOWN, because of market saturation (as I predicted they would).
Now this isn't to say that Ethanol will go away (unfortunately).
It won't, and that's too bad.
Ethanol just isn't AS efficient a fuel source as gasoline...sorry, folks.
Sure, it burns HOTTER, but it burns FASTER, too.
That means more fill ups at the pumps to get the same MPG you USED to get with plain old gasoline.
The overall efficiency rating of ethanol is about 75% of gasoline.
Now, hold on...we're not quite DONE yet, people.
Ethanol is ALSO a lot more CORROSIVE to certain items under the hood of your vehicle...like all those RUBBER COMPOUND "thingys" such as FUEL LINES. Ethanol is also corrosive to certain metals, plastics and nylon compounds. Alcohol and these things don't get along all that well, it seems.
Now, I don't know about YOU, but "greening up the old planet" by turning MY vehicle into some sort of (potential) poster child for Fire Prevention Week by dumping some E-15 in my tank, isn't MY idea of saving the Earth, right?
In other words..."Fuel leaks under the hood....are BAD, M'kay?"
I "suppose" retro kits can be made available for older vehicles, but that STILL doesn't address the problem of inefficiency with ethanol consumption (except to make a few folks running the show VERY wealthy).
Weird thing about ALL of this, is that the DOE (Dept. of Energy), the car makers AND the EPA haven't REALLY tested the problems I mentioned in any depth yet (but they're rolling out ethanol hand-over-fist).
They're pretty much "winging it" and crying "Havoc", while letting slip the "dogs of war", as it were.
I guess "they" want to see "if" WE buy into this BS, turning our older cars and trucks into rolling tiki torches...OR whether we'll speak the hell up and demand some real ACTION regarding all this crap.
Ethanol is another band-aid on a much more severe broken leg, and we'd best start paying attention to ALL that's being said about it, good AND bad. Ethanol might be all well and good in some INDY cars racing at 220+ MPH around a track, getting about TWO MPG along the way, but that sure as hell isn't helping the soccer moms and other regular citizens who DEPEND on their vehicles to get them from *A* to *B* one damn bit.
Time to speak up and have these companies and the politicians supporting them, to give us THE FACTS...ALL of them.
Your vehicle is going to be your SECOND-LARGEST investment (unlike you're like the wife and I who have moved our COMPUTERS to that coveted # 2 spot with all the glitches we encounter on a regular basis...but that's another post for another day) after your house, and it's up to every one of you to make your voices heard.
All we, the people, are asking for is the TRUTH.
Don't lie to us.
Don't assume we're ALL dumber than a bag of rocks.
Don't think YOU know what's best for every one of us.
Don't insult our intelligence.
After all, THEY (companies and politicians) answer to US...and not the other way around.
So, wherever you drive, and whatever station you fill up at...
Stay safe out there, America.

Weekend Roundup...
It ALWAYS seems to happen in THREES, doesn't it?
My parents often said that "Bad things come in THREES".
And that is just as true these days in the celebrity world, as it was around our home.
When ever one celebrity of not passes away, they are usually followed by TWO more.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the “Big Bopper" all died together in a plane crash in 1959.
Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendirx and Jim Morrison all died in close succession in late-1970, early-1971. In 2003, Johnny Cash, John Ritter, and Warron Zevon all died within the same week. In 2005, King Fahd, Peter Jennings, and Robin Cook died within a week of each other.
The following year brought the closely timed deaths of Don Knotts, Darren McGavin, and Dennis Weaver. Heath Ledger, Suzanne Pleshette, and Brad Renfro all died within a week of each other in January, 2008.
I've seen this time and again, and yesterday was certainly no exception to the rule.
As everyone knows by now, Michael Jackson died from cardiac arrest yesterday afternoon, right on the heels of Farrah Fawcett's passing earlier yesterday morning.
Add those to Ed McMahon's passing just 2 days earlier, and there you go...another threesome.
Tell you one thing, my wife sure didn't expect THAT kind of birthday, that's for sure.
(and neither did I)
Now, as you recall, Farrah started out on commercials before landing the role of "Jill" on Charlie's Angels.
And what self-respecting young male did NOT have one of her posters (in that red swimsuit) in HIS room, hmm?
(yeah, I did...right alongside my SERPICO poster)
And you can say what you want about Michael Jackson, but he DID do it "his way" as far as life goes.
I will go on record as being a fan of his earlier work, such as THRILLER and MOONWALKER.
But, like many creative geniuses, as he got older, he got more eccentric, just like Howard Hughes.
With all the constant media attention, who could blame him?
As to his involvement with children, I personally believe it was nothing more than trumped up charges by some money-seeking gold-digger, nothing more.
And yes, as with any eccentric person, his personal life was a train wreck. He definitely suffered from a BAD case of "Peter-Pan Syndrome".
Those personal demons just never seem to go away, and you don't have to be an American icon with millions of fans and a multi-millionaire to realize that. We ALL have some...somewhere...lurking about.
Now we say goodbye to Ed...and Farrah...and Michael, but let's NOT remember their last days, dwelling on the manner in which they met their maker. Rather, let us recall their achievements, their victories, and their successes in life, taking time to reflect on the impact they've all had on OUR lives. Let history act as it should.
The icons we see leaving us ARE unique, and displayed that uniqueness in their careers. Like many that have passed before, they are special in the craft they chose to pursue, and we shall never, I repeat, NEVER see their likes again.
Given the current crop of "talent" these days, I doubt if people will be able to say or feel likewise. The people passing away these days have broken new ground. They have conquered the mountain, and have made an indelible mark on our society, if not the world by being WHO THEY WERE. And they affected our lives on many levels.
Sounds a bit like a cherished member of our OWN family, doesn't it?
I will say that one of the worst things about growing older, is seeing many of the special people in your life take their leave of you way too soon. There is never enough time to say ALL that you wanted to say.
And the grief one can feel at such losses can be overwhelming, causing some people to simply "shut down", or even refuse to acknowledge it. I know...Ive been down that street too many times for my own good.
I've lost too many loved ones over the years. Doesn't matter whether they were dear friends, parents, relatives, co-workers, acquaintances, or even beloved pets. It all becomes similar after a time.
Every loss will diminish us...that's a certainty, but we decide to deal with that "can" make us stronger.
We can never have them back, but we CAN remember them as long as WE are alive, and make our lives something they could admire and be proud of. We can be a testament to THEIR life, as we knew it.
I'd like to think that THIS life is but a "proving ground" for eternity, and although that sounds a bit on the sappy side, it works for me. Everyone has to find their particular manner in working through such times of grief, and that's just another way of showing how UNIQUE each of us is.
So, we turn another page in our life, and bid farewell to some fellow sojourners, as they close the book on their lives here.
Like I said...sounds sappy, but each of us needs an anchor to root us to the here and now.
It will be interesting to see who will be the NEXT three celebs to move on.
One thing's for sure...the missus will not soon forget THIS birthday!
To all of you out there in "blogosphereland"...Have a good weekend.
And, as always...
Stay safe out here, America.

Whatever Happened To...?
I left out the object of that query with good reason.
I want to toss out there certain "things" that I've noticed have been MIA of late.
Used to be a time when we had a better undertsanding of one another.
And we also had a better respect of same.
Today...not so much.
Now, I've never been one of those people who raises their little finger when sipping a cup of tea, nor am I the one that sits at dinner tables replete with more hardware than the 3rd Infantry Division.
I'm just your average guy with honest concerns about the path much of society seems to be travelling on these days.
We, as a society seem to be missing something, and you can look no farther than to the next generation to understand this.
We seem to be lacking MANNERS, or, perhaps to put it more succinctly, "Etiquette".
I was talking with the missus the other day about proper MOVIE PROTOCOL...
You know...when you go to a real THEATER, and you take OFF your hat, so the person behind you can see the screen (Afro hairstyles of the 70s played HELL with that, believe me).
And you didn't really take the infant to a movie that had a sound system that could make one's ears bleed, because that infant "might" want to cry throughout the WHOLE picture, right?
Nor did people have the "need" to describe the whole movie to the person sitting next to them, like they were incapable of reasoning the plotline and character involvement. Those that did such things were asked to LEAVE the theater, or just didn't bother to come, which made watching a movie in a real MOVIE HOUSE a treat for everyone.
Can't say that today, can we?
And there used to be a certain "etiquette" on the highways.
You didn't SHOOT PEOPLE because they cut you off. That was on THEM, and all you did was blow it off, hoping their stupidity and haste would somehow find them married to a tree further down the road, or pulled over by the State Police (as was more often the case...score one for OUR side).
You respected your PARENTS, your RELATIVES, and basically anyone OLDER than you. You respected your TEACHERS, the crossing guard, store owners, and the POLICE.
You even respected other people who wanted to just be LEFT THE HELL ALONE. And you respected their property, so no tossing that football through Mrs. Smith's window or bouncing it off her car, right?
Yeah, there USED to be a time when that was pretty much SOP.
I can still recall a time when you would go over to someone else's house, and you walked your ass up TO THE DOOR...and KNOCKED (or rang the bell) to see if they were home and/or coming outside, instead of sitting at the curb, and blowing your damn car horn, disturbing the rest of the block in the process.
And there WAS a time when you needed to contact someone, you went to their house, wrote them a letter (we still do that, right?), or CALL THEM on the phone (the one on the wall...with a cord). And for some strange reason, back then, we didn't feel all this "immediacy" bullsh*t when to came to talking to people. If it was THAT important...it would wait a few minutes. At least, that's what my folks used to say.
Today, it's a whole other ballgame.
We simply NEED to use that cellphone to let others know that: "I'm callin' you from the deep end of the pool at the Hyatt, dude"!
Now...is it just ME, or do most of us appear to be overly distracted by all this hyped technology these days?
And if we ARE distracted (which seems to be the case), WHAT (exactly) are we being distracted FROM?
Now, I'm no real conspiracy theorist, but there DOES seem to be something (or someone) at work here, keeping our "eyes from the prize", as it were. Our attention is constantly being "diverted" with some new item, technology, or media story we just HAVE to watch.
And, in many ways, we're being diverted on too consistant a basis.
So WTH is going on while we're all busy with forcing ourselves into the next level of ADHD, anyway?
Well, all one has to do is pick up a paper or turn on the TV news to find out.
Oops...welcome to REALITY.
Guess we didn't "see" that coming, did we?
Must have been to busy with too many other trivial things.
That mindset has become our new "etiquette".
Our LACK of etiquette and manners has become our "new" eitquette and manners.
Helluva trade-off, isn't it?
I'm thinking we, as a nation, have to back off the throttle on this one, lest we succumb TO all this technology.
Sure, it's nice to have, but when dependency on all this crap becomes our new "savior", we are all made lesser, as human beings, because of it. Not that pretty a picture, is it?
Technology is good, but the irresponsible USE and application of it IS NOT.
We just need to all get back to basics here, and start practicing some manners, etiquette and restraint where all this is concerned.
Put DOWN the iPod, turn OFF the Blackberry, STOP tweeting for a few minutes, and look long and hard at yourself, and then think about how your parents made out without all this tripe, and how much better they "behaved" themselves in the process. They had better manners.
There IS a time and place for all this technology...we just have to RE-LEARN when that time IS...and when it IS NOT. Simple, huh?
Manners, etiquette, protocol..call it what you will.
We have it within ourselves to practice it, as our forefathers did...as our parents and grandparents did.
Just use a bit more COMMON SENSE instead of the cell phone.
You just might sneak a peek at the world as it's going by (and actually like and appreciate it)...AND become a bit more mannerly along the way. Please and thank you still go a long way for such short words. Consideration for others is pretty decent too.
Overall, not such a bad thing, is it?
(Had a feeling you'd say that...lol)
And to my loving wife...Happy Birthday, Sweetie!
(Even Fido has his party hat on)
You ain't getting older...you're getting BETTER!
(and time for cake...mmmmm)
Everyone else have a great day, and...
Stay safe out there, America.
(woof)

Humpday Happenings...
Another hot day in Fort Wayne, which means the A/C will be doing the "sweating", and not us.
(which would mean it's operating normally)
It must be true what they say about getting older and dealing with temperatures.
I know I find it hard to remain outside in 90 degree weather NOW, as opposed to when I was 12 years old, and wanted to play outside ALL DAMN DAY in this heat.
WTF was I thinking then?
Anyway, let's talk a stroll (inside where it's cooler) and see what's shaking today, shall we?
** Fort Wayne police are investigating a shooting on (where else?) the SE side of the city. The story follows:
Driver wounded in spray of bullets-Victim, 20, serious, denies knowing shooter Holly Abrams The Journal Gazette
Cathie Rowand The Journal Gazette
((A passenger-side window was shattered on a Buick driven by the victim of a drive-by shooting on Lafayette Street near Dalman Avenue.
A 20-year-old Fort Wayne man was seriously wounded Tuesday when a pickup truck driver pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire.
The shooting was reported just before 5:30 p.m. near Lafayette Street and Dalman Avenue, said Officer Scott Tegtmeyer, city police spokesman.
Multiple shots were fired from a white pickup truck heading north as it weaved in and out of traffic on Lafayette.
Some of the shots struck a northbound Buick Century and its driver, Tegtmeyer said.
The shooting victim then headed west, stopping in the driveway of a home at 3116 S. Calhoun St., Tegtmeyer said.
The victim was taken inside, where he sat on a couch until paramedics arrived. He was then rushed to a hospital, where his condition was listed as serious Tuesday night, Tegtmeyer said.
The man’s name has not been released pending family notification. It’s unclear what prompted the shooting, Tegtmeyer said.
Police were able to briefly speak to the victim before he was taken to the hospital, and he denied knowing the shooter. Detectives plan to interview the victim after his condition improves, Tegtmeyer said.
Police interviewed a woman occupying the South Calhoun Street home, just south of Wildwood Avenue, but had no details on her relationship, if any, to the victim.
In the driveway of that home, the Buick sat riddled with at least five bullet holes and a shattered passenger-side window.
Gang activity has not been ruled out as a factor in the shooting, Tegtmeyer said.
"It certainly doesn’t appear to be a random act of violence," he said. "There is no proof or evidence that anybody in this vehicle (the Buick) fired back."
Police had not found the shooter as of Tuesday night, Tegtmeyer said.
habrams@jg.net))
That must have been one helluva "grudge" that pickup driver had with the driver of the that Buick...but drug dealing WILL cause that to occur , not that I'm saying that drugs WERE involved...I just know the (lack of) "quality" of the locals around here, that's all. But "if" this was some "random act of violence", then we're in for one LONG-ASS summer in the "badlands" here.
** The City Council was presented with the "plan" for moving the FWPD to some new "digs" (the old Wolf & Dessauer building) downtown. The council did not discuss it last night, but concerns are already surfacing, such as the COST to the taxpayers (gee, what was I saying YESTERDAY?), and what will happen to the neighborhood when police move from the CURRENT building at 1320 Creighton (wow...it's like deja-vu...all over again).
Some resident are expressing valid concerns, as well they should. Crime in the area near the current police HQ has NOT up and left town. There is STILL persistent criminal activity, especially at the EDEN GREEN apartments nearby. Other residents don't feel any less safe, should the police move from the building on Creighton (guess they got an "in" with the local thugs and won't be bothered).
Now, I firmly believe that the police in ANY city have the best resources at their disposal for fighting crime, and even doing the mundane tasks (like paperwork, for which there are reams of damn near daily).
I mentioned yesterday how Philly has their "roundhouse", and I think having the FWPD in some new digs would be in keeping with the times, but it SHOULD have occurred a lot sooner than this.
And yes, having the facility close to downtown (or in downtown proper) IS the way to go. Lots less hassle with prisoner transport, police access to courts (and we know officers just LOVE going to court for cases they're working...NOT), and efficiency when it comes to city-police interactions.
Curiously enough, the FWPD is exploring the possibility of having a "sub-station" in the Creighton area, to allay residents concerns about a potential rise in crime after the FWPD moves. And that's a damn fine idea.
Trouble with that line of thinking is...the FWPD USED to have substations around town.
We USED to have one over at Southgate Plaza.
Now, what we're seeing is a "revisiting" of that venue.
The FWPD recently opened an "outpost" up on E. State Street (to address rising crime along that retail corridor).
I think the FWPD should close down the Senate bar, and open an OUTPOST THERE...!
I know MY neighborhood would become a lot more "livable" real fast under such auspices.
Then again, I love to dream...the price is always right!
** Lastly, It is said that we lose close to 1100 WW2 veterans PER DAY (worldwide), and given the time that has passed since that war, it doesn't surprise me. Dad served in the CBI during WW2, and I lost him in 1978, so time makes no amends to anyone.
We still lose those vets daily, regardless of circumstances.
I want to talk about one of those veterans who died recently.
He was a WW2 Marine aviator (he flew F4U Corsairs), who also served in Korea (where he flew the OE-1 observation plane, which was unarmed and slower than molasses in January), and was personally decorated six times for his accomplishments.
Now at first glance, many would think that's not all THAT remarkable, as many vets were awarded citations and medals for their service in WW2 and Korea.
But our Marine was someone a bit more extraordinary that most.
He became an American icon.
He was a sidekick and dear friend of another television icon.
And, he was a mainstay in American homes for DECADES, thanks to the marvel we refer to as...television.
Ed McMahon has passed from us at the age of 86, and, like everyone that grows old, we know that sooner or later, the inevitable will occur.
So it was with Ed.
Here is the WIKI link for his life history, and it's a very good read:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_McMahon
And here is a link to his military career:
http://www.militarymuseum.org/McMahon.html
Ed McMahon will always be best known as the "straight-man" for TV legend Johnny Carson, but he was ALSO a very important part of the yearly Jerry Lewis Telethon for MD. And he co-hosted TV's Funniest Bloopers with Dick Clark.
And yes, Ed even used to do ALPO commercials.
Ed McMahon seemed to never be at a loss for being able to find a job...chalk that up to marine training.
To me, he was always like the uncle you wish you had (if you didn't already).
You just knew he could be counted on whenever you needed him.
Can we say as much about ourselves these days?
Ah, but he was from a different era....a time when values meant a lot more than they apparently do today. And principles for living, born of a era when times WERE truly rough, were instilled in youngsters by their parents.
Like many personalities we grew up with, we like to believe that they will be with us forever, and yet, that will never be the case.
One by one, they pass from us, and with every passing, the world we ONCE knew becomes a bit more colder and distant.
It's like we feel that sooner or later, we'll wind up being totally alone.
...Until WE pass away.
I'd like to believe that death is but the beginning of a new journey for us all, and that we but turn another page in our existence.
And that somewhere much better, Ed and Johnny ARE together once again.
Stay safe out there, America.

Odds and Ends...
There are some days when blogging is a chore...no kidding. And, it certainly isn't for the LACK of things to blog about.
Quite the contrary.
It's usually about WHICH things (out of the ever-growing pile of "stuff") to select, while hoping you've gotten whatever point you were trying to make across to your readership.
Now, I could do a "snippets" thing, where I just toss a headline out there, and let YOU go play "seek and find", but I prefer to make it a study in OBSERVATIONS (with a "side" of editorializing)...what I see, what I feel, and what I conclude, after gleaning as many FACTS as possible, unlike much of the political world, which wallows in self denial, and self-effacing lunacy.
And that's on a good day.
So here we go friends...off on another "Journey through Oz".
Please observe the NO SPIN sign, and do remain seated until the blog has come to a complete stop.
** Our very own Fort Wayne Police Department has decided to MOVE it's headquarters to a DOWNTOWN building (Renaissance Square), and I've got some mixed feelings about this.
The current location (Creighton Ave) is pretty much near the "badlands", and that's good for law-enforcement - bad for crime..
The current building is being RENTED (yearly basis), costing less than a MIL, and it's a rather aging structure.
The "new" facility can (and probably will) be purchased for $7.3 MIL (renovation, etc), and will be a lot closer to the courthouse. And it has the capacity to also become a new CITY office building, leaving the former City-County building ALL to the COUNTY.
The neighborhood where the current FWPD HQ is located will no doubt suffer from the move. The downtown area will no doubt prosper to some degree.
Will more "outposts" for the FWPD be in the offing after the move to cover problem areas (like East State Street)?
Will taxpayers have to fund any or all of this move?
You see...there are a lot of things to consider.










Coming from a city where the police had a FORMAL HQ to begin with (called the ROUNDHOUSE as seen here, and located at 4th and Race Sts), I find it difficult to wrap my mind around why the city RENTED any building for the police here.
And given the city's location, in relation to OTHER, more heavily crime-ridden cities, it would have made SENSE to have a more "proper" facility for the growing number of officers you would eventually HAVE to hire.
Better late than never, I suppose.
I only hope the city doesn't wind up dismissing the SOUTHEAST side of town (as was the case over the last 30 or so years). Some of us have a vested interest in our neighborhoods, STILL pay taxes, OWN our homes, are PRODUCTIVE members of this city's population, and we get damn tired of being handed the shit end of the stick time after time. We get miffed when the city dumps it's lazy, welfare-sucking NO-INCOME human refuse in OUR part of Fort Wayne (as has been the case for decades). Time to "share the wealth" with the rest of the city...spread these morons out a bit more, and allow our neighborhood to spring back from the precipice of urban blight.
Maybe this new FWPD HQ will help to make that happen...maybe not.
Time will tell.
** Would someone PUH-LEASE keep those damn pens OUT of the hands of our current President?
Once again, he signs something, and the hairs on the back of my neck are "at attention"!
Obama has signed "sweeping" legislation regarding the FDA's new power to regulate the TOBACCO INDUSTRY.
Don't we have a "Tobacco Czar" by now? What the hell is taking so long?
(and I hear Obama still smokes...and I'll bet HE gets his Newports for FREE)
Now, it would be nice to quit smoking...save a lot of money for us...money we could use to speed our departure from this "blighted area", back into a NORMAL neighborhood once again (or buy a lot more ammo to off the morons, "if" the city opens the proper hunting season).
But there is ONE THING all these D.C. dipshits haven't considered...
What is the government going to do with ALL THE MONEY they USED to get from the tobacco industry, but will no longer receive after all this legislative crap hits the fan, hmm?
Big Tobacco pays a hefty sum into the governmental coffers, so "if" more people quit using tobacco products, and the cost for such items becomes prohibitive to even more, that source of revenue WILL dry the hell up faster than a puddle in the Mojave at noontime.
Another case of the government's LACK of "common sense", and a damn fine way to shoot oneself in the foot (more like blowing off the foot at the ankle).
Guess taxes WILL be rising, as many surmise...
** Fort Wayne has, for the THIRD time won the ALL-AMERICAN CITY award (last 2 times were 1982 and 1998).
Helluva "threepeat".
But, considering the "criteria" for such an award, it shouldn't mean all that much.
I mean PHOENIX, AZ won the same award, and THAT city is the Kidnapping Capitol of the USA (second only to Mexico City...#1 in the WORLD), so you can see that being an "All-American" city ain't all what it's cracked up to be any longer.
One facet for judging was based on the ability of the community to work with the city...yeah, right. Doesn't happen all that much in MY part of town, that's for sure. I'm a damn "army of one" when it comes to getting "help" from the city, and I'm not even on ANY payroll.
I do it because I and my wife (unlike the local welfare-sucking rabble) do NOT prefer to lie in squalor, and expect city agencies to maintain the SAME level of service as they provide to all those "nice" neighborhoods...
Not too much to ask, and whenever WE have an issue, most city departments respond very well.
I have those in Waste Management, Animal Control, and the Street Department who I would consider buying a beer for, if I ever met any of them...I've got that much respect for them and their work.
Same goes for the FWFD.
And as far as the FWPD goes, I have people with whom I regularly am in contact with, so no problem there, either.
Others ignore the hell out of you...like the FWIA...and the "neighborhood liaisons" and district councilmen.
You wanna piss me off...ignore me when I bring real issues and concerns before you.
THAT will cheese me off to no end, and others WILL hear about it from me, as a result.
So much for the ALL-AMERICAN spirit, right?
Still, I feel this city has a long way to go before it becomes a TRUE "All-American" city, but that's based on MY belief that a city helps EVERYONE in EVERY neighborhood equally, short-changes no one, and is answerable to the populace that elected it's officials.
Because, as we all know...ANY city is ONLY AS GOOD as it's WORST problem or neighborhood.
Again...that's just more COMMON SENSE.
Funny thing is, if MORE people practiced common sense, they might find out it's not going to shorten their lives. It's not going to make their hair fall out, and it certainly won't cause erectile dysfunction, glaucoma, high blood pressure, or even diabetes.
There is one "side-effect" though. It might just cause people to THINK...and a lot more clearly. And somewhere along that way, they might wind up making better decisions, causing better results, and maybe even....making the nation STRONGER.
And that is a change you CAN believe in, my friends.
(You can now return your flight attendant to his/her upright position...LOL!)
And, by all means...
Stay safe out here, America.