Monday Musings...
Welcome to a new month. We've but 54 shopping days until Christmas.
There, I just know THAT got a lot of you groaning in upcoming financial angst.
Ohmigod...gotta get the shopping done...never fear, the retailers have ALREADY gotten on board with SALES galore. We've even a pre-Black Friday "Black Friday" if you've seen yesterday's adverts in the Sunday paper.
Last night's Halloween was beyond boring to us.
I mean, we DID watch Garfield's Halloween adventure (popcorn included) and that STILL makes the missus and I laugh.
But, when it came to (any) kids coming around...not ONE, SINGLE child was anywhere to be seen.
Now, I suppose last week's "rolling gun battle" in our area MIGHT have had something to do with that, but people are resilient creatures, and when it comes to free candy, things like shooting get shoved aside...at least one would think, given the nature of the "people".
Last night was the first time that I can recall where I did not see ANYONE trick or treating...and that's sad, because we DO have a lot of future welfare recipients (read kids) living with their adult counterparts around here.
I don't give out candy, and not because I'm an old fart...there IS a reason.
I don't believe in rewarding bad behavior, and if these kids spend the OTHER 364 days of the rolling year disrespecting us and our property, I can't with a good conscience go and tell them that "It's OK...here's some candy for free...now, go disrespect us for another year".
There was a time when we DID give out stuff, but that was when we had a LOT more decent people in the area...and a lot less criminal activity.
These days, all we have around us are the WALKING DEAD, after a fashion.
*** Which reminds me, last night on AMC was the premiere of the mini-series THE WALKING DEAD...and I must say, it was pretty decent.
This series is based on graphic novels, and depicts a time after a biological disaster that renders a large part of the populace prone to a viral attack, leaving them worse than dead.
I mean, for all intents and purposes, they ARE dead, but not in the "He looks just like himself, lying in that coffin, and now he's at peace" kinda dead.
This is more of the "Ok, they were dead, but now they are walking about, rotting away, and wanting to eat MY flesh 24/7" kinda dead...
The main character is a deputy sheriff, who was recuperating from a gunshot wound in a hospital when all this sh*t hits the fan, as it were.
And he has to adjust...or become one of these roaming creatures.
Pockets of living (and talking) humans still exist, but not much is known about the amount of devastation across America...or for that matter, the world.
Good premise...lots of firepower...gallons of fake blood and cool makeup.
It's worth watching...sort of like "Justified meets Zombieville".
Works for me.
And I have to say, with all the living dead and zombie movies on the TV this weekend (and a whole day of ROCKY HORROR - Let's do the TIME WARP...again), they MUST have planned it this way for more than ONE reason, because today is none other than:
DIOS DE LA MUERTOS!
(Day of the dead)
And although today is a day of remembrance of those family members and friends who have died, it's really got nothing to do with those George Romero extras stumbling about.
For the skinny on this day, here's the link to WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead
It may interest you to know that a LOT of movies and TV shows have references to this day.
MY question is why aren't there any CANDY SKULLS at the local Wal-Mart?
Granted, all Halloween candy IS 50% off (and the dentists will be loving this one).
So, here we are now...in the middle of an early Christmas rush, at least from the retailer's POV.
And, right after today comes ELECTION DAY, where we attempt to wrest back OUR nation from those trying to run it into the crapper.
Oddly enough, there was an article in today's paper that I found really interesting.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101101/BIZ/311019942/1031/BIZ
Apparently, the USA is slipping farther down a list that tracks financial regulatory oversight (since 1995), and that we USED to be at #19, but have dropped to #22. The list rates CORRUPTION, with a score of 7.1 (out of ten).
SINGAPORE tops the list on the GOOD side with a score of 9.3, while places like Somalia, Myanmar (Burma), and Afghanistan rate a score as low as 1.1 on the chart. Amazing stuff, hmm?
This comes courtesy of a group called Transparency International.
And this story is worth the read, because it affects ALL of us.
But wait, we're not quite finished yet, kids...
THIS story is one of those that you've probably seen in YOUR city as well, and you could have seen this coming a mile off, right?
Here's the link to this article:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20101101/LOCAL/311019981
The article tells about a crumbling INFRASTRUCTURE in Fort Wayne (which you can easily replace with the name of YOUR city or town).
What I find amusing about this, is that in the OLDER sections of town (or any other city for that matter), this is a constant problem.
And what really cracks me up, is when the city leaders go and say HOW MUCH they've "improved" the SOUTH part of town (bullsh*t!), when in fact, all they're doing is trying to MAINTAIN the already overtaxed and ancient infrastructure.
And they cry about how it's to be FUNDED...("ahem"...and rolls eyes)
It USED to be funded by TAXES from people who OWNED HOMES...and were EMPLOYED.
I have yet to see ANYthing in this city funded by the lazy-ass welfare queens (except the drug trade and the prostitution rings).
Sorry, but neither one of those is ensuring I have clean water to drink...or proper storm drainage and sewage removal, are they?
Hey, I'm not the one dumping my stash down the crapper every time a FWPD cruiser rolls through the area, or someone comes to MY door.
And with a rather DRY summer, one would have THOUGHT that repair work would have been scheduled.
Nah, they're just going around fixing whatever busts...nothing about ANY type of proactive approach.
Ditto for crime PREVENTION, like I've maintained here for some time.
I swear that word (proactive) must be worse than the *N* word in this city.
And with Winter getting ready to make it's appearance, it's a given that a lot of these water lines WILL be breaking, and that is something one has to see to believe. Hopefully, it will not become as catastrophic a situation as one I saw back in Philly in the early 1990s.
I noticed water bubbling up through a crack along Robbins Ave (on my way to work) and thought it really "odd".
People in the neighborhood called the utility company to get someone to check it out...no one came.
Early the next morning, around 0230 hours, the street literally ERUPTED.
Seems a 4 ft diameter water main had given up the ghost, and took enough street with it make it appear as if someone dropped a 500 lb BOMB on the damn street.
The "crater" was about 20 feet across and close to 30 feet DEEP!
And several blocks were immediately flooded out, with one man's boat and trailer being washed a half block away.
Took close to THREE MONTHS to get it all squared away, and the residents had insurance claims out the ass (basements were flooded and appliances were trashed). Nice, huh?
Hey, it could happen here...or in your city.
Nothing better than a nice deep sinkhole from a ruptured water main to shake things up, eh?
Well, we pretty much did it to ourselves, and by that I mean this nation allowed so many jobs to be outsourced, and then allowed too many people to become generationally-dependant upon public assistance, so that ANY hope of having a decent and viable TAX BASE from which to draw funds for common maintenance and repair of the city's infrastructure went bye-bye.
The average citizen had NO say in this, whatsoever.
They just "reap the benefits" from such actions by others in control...as is always the case.
We can but place our faith in a higher power, or at least in one another to make all this right again.
And we can start tomorrow...at the polling places.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step".
No one ever said how LARGE that first step had to be...just that we had to take that step.
But you have to WANT to take it to arrive at your destination.
So, watch out for zombies, remember those that have passed, and get out and buy up that cheap candy leftover from Halloween...oh, and get some Christmas shopping done, too. You'll be glad you did.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America