Believe it...or ELSE...
First off, a "public-safety announcement" - be careful out there...we (apparently) have a blogspot HACKER that's been changing (my) stuff all over the place.
(Double check YOUR blog postings...just in case...I keep mine on a flash drive to transpose)
I know...it happened to ME today.
Some people just cannot STAND to have others achieve ANY level of contentment in life, can they?
Steps have been taken to alleviate future "problems"...
With THAT said...let's salley forth, shall we?
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Today is the FIRST morning (in a while) that I haven't had to either shovel, salt, do both, or do something else related to winter weather, so what better way to "celebrate" than to bring some of the newsworthy tidbits that have been going on around us to your screens.
Now, I have to give a H/T to the Drudge Report for most all the stories (the link is on the left under "THE PROS"), and I have to say I really admire the staff who finds all this stuff. Makes "my job" a lot easier on cold, gray mornings.
** With all this SNOW being dumped on us, don'cha just find it amazing that in places like Baltimore, crime has actually gone DOWN...if only for a short time?
Here's the link to this story:
http://www.wbaltv.com/news/22582923/detail.html
Imagine that this city went NINE DAYS without a murder, thanks to the snowfalls they received.
Then, it was "business as usual" once again.
Arrests dropped by close to 80% during the same period.
Sometimes, it really IS nice to be a LEO.
But, it wasn't all GOOD news related to the snowstorms...
** A Hazelwood (PA) man died after numerous calls into 911 over a 3 day period.
Here is the link to this story:
http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10048/1036403-53.stm
Several times, the ambulance was in sight of the house, but because of the snow, it became impossible to get TO the house.
Suffice it to say, the public safety director isn't looking all that good these days.
The cause of the man's death is pending due to toxicology reports.
The city plans to dispatch FIREFIGHTERS as first responders for calls that go unanswered after 30 minutes.
** Thinking of visiting Washington D.C. in the spring to see those cherry blossoms?
You might want to proceed with caution...check out this story:
http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1890319&nid=25
The heavy snowfall has damaged many of the trees along the tidal basin, and that means (at best) a late bloom for the tourist-attracting cherry blossoms.
Plans are being made to replace trees deemed unsalvageable, and to prune back damaged branches, but the canopies might not be as nice as last year...in case you're wondering.
The average peak bloom date is usually around 4 April.
The leaders of the festival, which runs from 27 march to 11 April, still maintain that it will be a grand event. We can but hope.
And while we're on the topic of snow-related "damage", how about THIS story from my old hometown of Philly...
** A massive snowball fight outside of City Hall became an INDOOR ruckus, when about 100 teens barged into Macy's department store (at The Galleria) at 13th and Market streets, tossing shoes and knocking over displays.
Here's the link to the story:
http://cbs3.com/local/Center.City.Macys.2.1499306.html
The videos in the story show all these blacks running rampant through the store, with many of them believed to be from Simon Gratz High School (in the Germantown section of the city...way up north by the Broad St. subway rail lines).
Now my FATHER graduated from Gratz,when it was predominantly white, and that USED to be one of the better (and older) schools in the entire district. Can't say that today, that's for sure.
This "flash mob" was also believed to have begun via the use of cellphones.
(What have I said here about having technology but lacking the wisdom and knowledge to properly utilize it, hmm?)
This incident is similar to another "event" such as this that happened down on South St. a while back.
Cripes, you're not even going to be safe SHOPPING much longer...are you?
At least FOURTEEN ARRESTS were made after the melee (good for the PPD).
** If you have children that plan to attend UNC-Wilmington, you "might" want to steer them away from education "professor" Maurice Martinez, because THIS guy is WAY out there...
Here's the link to the story:
(scroll down to Mike Adams then click on name to bring up all his recent articles):
http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeAdams/2010/02/15/wigger_please!
The article explains a class called "Teacher, School, and Society" (EDN 200) which is REQUIRED by all education majors.
Now, with all the recent flap about "negro dialect", Martinez goes and tosses a gallon of gas on the fire, as it were, with his assertion that "Black English" needs to be taught and understood by educators....(ahem).
If you thought that EBONICS (Oakland School System) was bad enough...friends, you ain't seen nothing yet!
This article is a must read if you're a parent, teacher, student, or just plain wondering WTH is going on in our society, and why is it becoming more screwed up by the day.
This will answer a lot of questions you might have.
I'm sure many of you feel we need to PROPERLY address some ethnic thug that just took your wallet or purse by saying "Come back here, you MUVAH-f$cka", in stead of the "improper" MOTHER-f$cker, right?
And you definitely need to be able to disseminate all those DEES, DATS, DIS, and DOS from the sentence you overheard as that young black person was shouting into their cellphone at the mall.
I know I sure have trouble whenever I hear VERBS being used (or was that MIS-used) by such people.
When asked if his homework was finished, a black student might reply : "Teacher, I been done did dat".
"We be goin" is actually WE ARE GOING, and "they" are not going to the LIBERRY, but actually, the LIBRARY.
And we're all painfully aware that you always EXCAPE from jail...not ESCAPE, right? This also includes that Ford hybrid SUV...the EXCAPE. Love to be a car salesman when someone walks in and asks for THAT model...LOL
(Wonder if Mike Rowe would say it correctly for THAT part of our populace in all those commercials?)
Somehow, I don't think Martinez is furthering HIGHER education, unless students are expected to be toking on a blunt while studying.
Like I say, people...it's WEIRD out there...and in some cases, getting WEIRDER by the minute.
But, I still maintain that WE, as a nation of varied people...will survive, and hopefully intact.
In order to do that, we need to adhere to the values that this nation was built upon.
The principles and rights given to each of us from our creator are the firm ground on which all of us stand.
And with such a foundation, it will be damn hard for anyone, or anything to sway us, or move us from our stance (and beliefs) AS Americans.
** Lastly, congrats to Lindsey Vonn for overcoming a shin injury and winning the downhill GOLD MEDAL at the Olympics. And a congrats to Shani Davis for defending his title as Gold medalist in the 1000 meter speed skating event. We also won a Gold in Snowboarding, and Apollo Ohno continues his rise to the top with another win in a qualifying short-track speed skating event.
Our total is FOURTEEN medals (so far).
The women's Biathlon is today...girls with skis and rifles...what's there NOT to like there, eh guys?
In the meantime, be well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.