Friday Follies...
Well, friends...another 24 hours in the Midwest...another INCH of snow overnight.
Now, if this were say...the POCONOS, I'd be as close to heaven on earth as I could get, but since it's Fort Wayne, Indiana, we'll just have to make do.
After shoveling the steps out back and the front sidewalk (yes, folks, I am one of THOSE few people down here that actually DOES such idiotic things...must be that whole SELF-RELIANCE gig I do), I find out that the FWCS is (finally) on a 2-hour delay.
Well, at least the skies will be a lot LIGHTER to see those lousy road conditions...I guess there is some good in that.
*** And, it looks like we "could" be staring at "number 26", depending on the coroner's inquiry.
Here's the skinny:
(( Police say dead baby taken to friend - Chris Meyers / The Journal Gazette
Authorities are investigating the death of a month-old girl whose mother sought help by bringing the infant to a friend’s home Thursday.
The infant, Alyssa Johnson, was dead when medics arrived at the house in the 5700 block of Fairfield Avenue, the Allen County Coroner’s Office said. Police said the Fairfield home offers some child-care services but is not a child-care center.
Results of an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death were not available Thursday.
Alyssa’s mother, who was not identified, left a home in the 7900 block of Serenity Drive about 8:30 a.m. and drove to the Fairfield Avenue house about three miles away, police said.
The mother went to the Fairfield Avenue home to seek help from a close friend, but police don’t know whether the friend lives there, said Raquel Foster, Fort Wayne police spokeswoman.
Foster would not say whether foul play is suspected.
When police were first called, they were told a woman arrived at the home with a dead infant, later identified as Alyssa. Medics soon arrived at the single-story home and determined that the baby was dead.
Cabinets, furniture and other items were in the small yard of the Serenity Drive apartment building. Police said they secured the Serenity Drive apartment as part of the investigation. Yellow crime-scene tape had been removed by late afternoon. ))
((Update - 1200 hrs - The coroner determined that the infant's COD was a fracture to the skull with subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and the "mother" , LaDawn Depree Johnson has been arrested and charged with battery, a class A felony and two felony counts of neglect of a dependant, class A & C.))
And it IS ruled the 26th homicide of this year.
This is too weird on several levels, isn't it?
I know the FWPD was posting "guards" from each shift coming on duty to the Serenity Drive location.
I've spoken here OFTEN about the IRONY attached to the housing along the street called SERENITY DRIVE.
The name of the place couldn't be FARTHER from the damn truth, and that's a fact.
THAT is another one of our "Badlands"...it's a mini Cabrini-Green "wannabe", and it does fairly well in that regard.
There is not a DAY that passes where you don't see AT LEAST ONE FWPD call to those apartments.
Everything from battery to domestics, drug arrests, break-ins out the ass, robberies, vandalism, rape...
Whatever can be called a "criminal activity", you WILL find it THERE.
Tell 'ya one thing, it's a great way to "break in" the rookies fresh from the Academy!
One thing that stands out MORE than other things, is that this woman took the dead infant to a friend...as if calling 911 from her OWN apartment might not be a good thing...WTF is up with that?
Must have had something to hide...something she didn't want "outsiders" to see or notice.
Given the fact that this apartment complex is totally GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED (that means YOU'RE paying for it), that in and of itself tells me a LOT about those living there...I don't need to read the police blotter.
I've been to such neighborhoods in other cities...not a pretty sight.
And it's got NOTHING to do with POVERTY.
It has EVERYTHING to do with being a RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUAL...with a sense of decency tossed in (and that doesn't costa thing except the DESIRE to do so).
When people are GIVEN damn near everything, they value it less and less...that's been proven time and again.
And THAT is why life itself becomes so damn cheap in such areas.
(after all, they can always "make more")
Think of it as the "law of the jungle"...the CONCRETE jungle.
I do know that many infants are smothered by their rather "zaftig" welfare baby-mamas, because these "parents" (God, I detest using such a word so improperly) tend to lay down on a sofa WITH the infant, and subsequently roll onto them.
Well, an infant THAT small can't shout out "Get your entitlement-driven lard ass offa me", can they?
So, they quietly succumb to the "next life".
Merry (frigging) Christmas, eh?
Well, I suppose it's better than having a (domestic) shootout at 7AM (like what has just come across the radio today). Police at least rolled up and have two women and the perp in custody...so much for getting that "mega-sale" shop (lift) ing done at Wal-Mart...awww, too bad for you.
The really SAD part to all of this is that people JUST like these are pretty much ALLOWED to dwell damn near anywhere, and they could even be coming to a neighborhood near YOU (soon enough).
I'm sorry, but some folks aren't MEANT to live among normal people...simple as that.
They require constant attention, much like a severely challenged individual with mental issues...or physical impairments.
For THOSE people we have full-time facilities or at least care-givers that justify them being able to enjoy that whole QUALITY-OF-LIFE venue that is very important to all of us. For we ARE social creatures.
You don't take a teenager with the mental capacity of a 3 year old and "mainstream" them into HARVARD, do you?
You don't take an wild animal from it's natural habitat and make it a family pet, do you?
Anyone with a few synapses firing can see the folly of such a situation.
But yet, we permit (and even encourage) the most DYSFUNCTIONAL among us to be integrated into normal society, and expect everything to REMAIN THE SAME...sorry, that dog just won't hunt, friends.
The pathetic and sad part to all of this, is that little one month-old Alyssa Johnson NEVER had a say in ANY of this...did she?
She never even got to see her FIRST CHRISTMAS...all because her "mother" didn't know to BE a mother in the traditional sense.
Just because you have all the "plumbing", and you can bump a nasty now and then does NOT qualify you to instantly become a parent.
(ask any parent)
There is a WHOLE LOT MORE involved, not the least of which is:
--Do you know WTF it MEANS to be responsible ENOUGH to become a parent?
--Are you willing to make the sacrifices required to be a parent?
--Can you AFFORD to become a parent?
--Can you PROPERLY care for an infant? A toddler? A preteen?
These are questions that obviously are never asked of people like this, otherwise we wouldn't see stories like this.
But, if there is ONE THING you can take from all of this...it's that you might want to be a little more self-appreciative if you are a parent...and have done things "by the book" in order to raise a child with the virtues and values you're familiar with.
When you see your children...give yourself a pat on the back...you earned it.
Moving on...
*** Last night I got to watch one of my (new) favorite Christmas shows. It's only a half hour long, but it's great.
I spoke about it last year when it premiered, and said back then it was going to be a hit.
Well, it won an EMMY, so that's gotta mean something.
The show is "Disney's Prep & Landing", and the animation is so fantastic.
The story is wonderful AND funny at the same time, and the characters are marvelous. They were supposed to have the DVD of the show out this year, but nothing yet...(damn).
And if YOU want to see if you "qualify" for the team, you can partake in some really cool games that test your skills.
Here's the link:
http://disney.go.com/partners/prepandlanding/kringleacademy/index.html
The "Kringle Academy" is where you learn all the nuances that go into making Christmas Eve special for everyone, especially good little boys and girls.
And you can even print out a copy of YOUR certificate of qualification (with YOUR score)...how cool is that?
I managed to grab an ornament of the main characters last year, and after checking all over, I can't find the ornament anywhere, so I got lucky when I got us one (and it was only EIGHT BUCKS...at the Disney store-way cheaper than those Hallmark collectibles).
*** Finally today, we're going to be "enjoying" even more SEASONAL weather, with off-and-on snow for the next several days...
The TEMPS are gonna be the big-ticket item, though.
They're going to be down into SINGLE DIGITS...!
Daytime highs early next week will barely climb into the TEENS.
(Yeah, feeling like a summer at Mc Murdo AFB already...break out the shorts and suntan oil)
Now, I know I'm going to sound like your MOM here, but if you have to go out (in such cold weather), be sure to BUNDLE UP.
A few (thin) LAYERS of clothing is better than one thick one...trust me on this.
And for God's sake, wear PROPER footwear for COLD weather, kapeesh?
I see SO many kids (and adults) with nothing on but "athletic shoes" (that's sneakers for old fogies like moi), and they're NOT made for SNOW.
They're made for GYM CLASS, or at best fair weather that's a lot warmer.
No wonder all the kids get the damn flu...chalk it up to being young AND dumb.
Brace yourself against any WINDS out there..scarves work well, and be sure to cover your HEAD and hands.
Remember I said that you lose 25% of your core body heat THROUGH THE SCALP.
This is one case where "keeping a cool head" is NOT advised.
I mean, it's always nice to come in from the cold with all the body parts you left with...AND in good working order, right?
And, if you have to do ANY physical work like shoveling or cleaning off the car...PACE YOURSELF.
More heart attacks occur in WINTER than at any other time of the rolling year.
Take is EASY out there...none of us are getting ANY younger (dammit).
So, with that said...have yourselves a fantastic weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and always...
Stay safe out there, America.