Weekend Roundup...
It's the weekend here in the Heartland of America, as well as everywhere else...at least I sure HOPE it is.
And we've got an interesting weather report for the next few days.
After today, and an expected high of the low 80s (not to be confused with the ghettohood "high" which is expected as soon as most of the locals roll off of that mattress on the floor of their rental crib), and then the bottom will be dropping out, with weekday highs in the mid SIXTIES, with lows in the mid FORTIES!
(yowzah)
Now THAT is looking a bit more "fall-like".
And to me, I've come to embrace the Autumn time of year.
Sure, we all love the fall foliage and the brilliant hues from the trees, but it's a lot more than that.
I just wish it lasted a bit longer.
You have mums on sale, pumpkin pies, hay rides, and you start drinking warmer beverages with a bit more regularity.
The air smells cleaner (even in MY neighborhood), and the wee chill in that air imbues you with a slight spring in your step.
Still, it's all over way too soon.
The best thing for us to do is to enjoy it while we can.
In the meantime, here are some personal thoughts on happenings elsewhere...
-- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the U.N. again, and claims the USA was responsible for the 9/11 attacks...?!?
I wish to hell this guy would stop playing with fissionable material in Iran...it's definitely affecting his BRAIN cells (both of them).
-- Britain is NOW a "wind-power superstar"...
I wonder how that will work out when some really BAD weather hits the area offshore where this "wind-farm" is.
-- A Utah school charges kids $5 for lateness or gives them a half-hour detention, and tardiness falls off markedly. Wow, I guess you CAN still "hit 'em where it hurts"...namely the WALLET!
Sadly, here in Fort Wayne, the schools are NOT permitted to do such things...BUT the taxpayers CAN be fleeced to pay for ALL those freebie programs that have certainly NOT raised achievement scores of said students...amazing.
-- Indiana is one of THOSE states that BANS cell phone use WHILE driving, but has YET to enact "anti-texting" laws. Go figure.
Here is a link to a really GOOD story concerning distracted drivers:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/distracted-driving%2C-nothing-to-lol-about
MY Dad always told me that DRIVING was your "second" job, and you treat it AS such. That means no screwing the hell around, and doing little else BUT driving. And he honestly DID enjoy driving when I was growing up.
He did come to detest driving when "so many assholes" as he put it decided to share the road at the SAME TIME he was driving.
Doesn't that seem all too familiar?
I'm perfectly fine with MY ability to drive, and I will NEVER take any chance with a vehicle that I know I can't get out of, but I can't tell OTHERS what to do behind the wheel (unfortunately), and I can't control their actions, which often result in innocent people being placed at risk by the inept actions of these automotive morons.
It's like ANY piece of technology...it's ONLY AS GOOD as the WORSE ABUSE OF IT, because people are only human, and many DO revel in being STUPID.
Some have even turned it into an "art form".
Always nice to know that there ARE people out there that love to spoil things for everyone else, isn't it?
And then there are always the POLICE REPORTS:
-- A burglary suspect was arrested Tuesday after a man saw four to five males carrying a television through his backyard and called police. The suspects ran when an officer arrived. A suspect was taken into custody near French and Webster streets, according to a Fort Wayne Police report.
Officers were able to locate the house where the burglary occurred and notified the owners. The owners of the home at the 300 block of French Street reported missing three TVs, a Sony Playstation, Nintendo Wii, a DVD player, Blu-ray player, and various CDs and DVDs, according to the police report.
So remember...if YOU see someone carrying a TV through YOUR backyard...it might just be a crime in progress (especially if that TV looks a bit too familiar).
-- A man forced another man Tuesday to give him money, take him out to dinner and buy him smoking products, according to a Fort Wayne Police report. The victim called police to report that a man had showed up at his apartment and, showing him black gloves, said, "If you don't get me some money, I am going to use these to hide my fingerprints when I beat you."
The victim feared the man would harm him, so the two rode the victim's moped to an ATM. The victim withdrew $200 and was allowed to keep $80, according to the report.
The victim then took the man to Subway in an effort to "calm (him) down," but the man threatened to beat the victim again if he didn't buy him what he wanted at a tobacco store, according to the report. The man told the victim he would "get him" if he told police.
I'm sorry, but if you want to "force" me to do anything, you'd best be able to:
1) Be able to move faster than a speeding bullet.
2) Be able to jump tall buildings in a single bound.
3) Be more powerful than a locomotive.
And I WILL ask to see your RED *S*...!
I know I answer MY door with heat on MY hip (don't need a CCW permit on YOUR OWN PROPERTY), and will diffuse any potentially harmful situation with one in the center body mass...period.
You know, you really hate to have to live this way, but considering the sheer number of criminals out there these days, hopped up on God knows what, it's always best to "err" on the side of caution.
Just be sure NOT to shoot those Jehovah's Witnesses when they come calling....just pull out YOUR Bible and talk with THEM instead.
I guarantee they will NEVER return...LOL.
THIS story definitely fits into the whole "WTF?" scenario nicely:
http://www.indianasnewscenter.com/news/local/Builders-Say-There-is-Still-Demand-for-New-Homes-103668504.html
It's about a DEMAND for new homes in NE Indiana...
Umm, forgive me for being a but SLOW on the uptake, but what about ALL these older VACANT homes that sit for YEARS and eventually become HUD hovels?
How's about renovating THESE (for a LOT LESS), get some DECENT WORKING PEOPLE into them, and chase the CRIMINAL ELEMENT the hell "out of Dodge"?
I've only shouted this for YEARS, and it's a damn viable option, especially if you place disabled and/or VETERANS into such homes.
Excellent starter homes for the folks, too.
This part of town is a HUGE treasure-trove of opportunity...for the RIGHT PEOPLE, and by that I mean those who aren't AFRAID to have a REAL job, pay REAL taxes, and take a bit of PRIDE in what they have, as well as knowing what the hell the word RESPECT is defined as.
People still want LUXURIES in these NEW homes, but like everything else...it comes with a PRICE.
Not too great to get a NEW house with all those amenities, ONLY to be foreclosed on and LOSE that "dream" of yours, is it?
Better to start out "small", and work your way UP to that "palatial homestead"...think of it as something to shoot for.
Makes you a lot more appreciative when YOU manage to achieve what you have worked towards.
So maybe these houses down here ONLY have 1.5 bathrooms, and ONLY a one car garage, but the prices are a LOT more affordable, and you'd get to have ME as a neighbor...a REAL win-win...LOL.
I only know how I live, and that's NOT beyond MY means. I don't involve myself in other people's problems, don't interfere with the natural order of things, but will take to task anything or anyone that disrupts that "natural flow".
I always try to do the Golden Rule gig, because it's a LOT easier (and more rewarding) than being a RPIA to everyone else.
(wish others thought that way, don't you?)
I can be as kind as St. Francis, or as tenacious as a bloodhound.
And I'm sure we ALL have a bit of those traits in us.
Call it a love of life...or the American Spirit...or even one of God's "warriors".
But whatever YOU call it, it is sure to make your life interesting.
Notice I didn't say EASY...just interesting.
So embrace and enjoy those interesting things in YOUR life this weekend.
You won't be disappointed...just enlightened.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and, as always....
Stay safe out there, America.