Friday Follies...
Another week closer to SPRING, and another week closer to NATURE'S "global warming" aka SUMMER.
We've got a full plate of things to blog about today, so without any further ado...let the pigeons loose.
First, an update to a story posted here Wednesday:
*** (( 6th homicide of year; suspect still at large - Michael Zennie / The Journal Gazette
Brandon Portee’s family says he died needlessly.
The 23-year-old father of an infant girl was shot to death after an argument over makeup on the city’s south side Tuesday, his cousin said.
Portee showed up at 4002 Avondale Drive about 7 p.m. to pick up a friend after the fight inside heated up, said Bryant Williams, his cousin. Williams, 21, said he witnessed the shooting.
Before Portee arrived, two women in the house started fighting when one said the other’s makeup looked ugly. The fight escalated, and the men inside became involved, Williams said.
When Portee got to the house, Williams said, the argument had spilled outside and a man grabbed a shotgun. He pointed it at several people before chasing Portee down the block.
When Portee got stuck between two cars, the gunman fired and fled before police arrived, Williams said.
Detectives said David Alexander Johnson, 37, is the sole suspect in the case. They believe
he was headed to Gary, where he was born. Johnson had not been arrested in either Allen or Lake counties Thursday. Police consider him armed and dangerous. He has not been charged in the slaying.
Portee had never met the man who shot him, Williams said.
Portee was taken n to a hospital, where he later died. The coroner’s office ruled his death Allen County’s sixth homicide this year. All the killings have occurred on Fort Wayne’s south side.
"That’s one of the most important people in my life," said Portee’s 16-year-old brother, Andre.
"And he’s gone for no reason."
Brandon Portee’s friends and family knew they could count on him, Andre Portee said.
He was the kind of guy whose word was his bond, his brother said. If he said he was going to be somewhere at a specific time, he’d be there – usually an hour early.
Brandon Portee loved sports and hanging out with friends. He was also an aspiring rapper who performed as far away as Atlanta, according to Andre Portee.
But lately he had a new focus – his 4-month-old daughter, Jaylee.
"You could just seem him when he picked her up. They both always had the biggest smiles on their faces," his brother said. "I’ve never seen him so happy before in my life." ))
Now, of course there is little really ABOUT the victim, other than the obligatory "nice guy, good father, aspiring rapper"...yada, yada, yada...
Nothing about where he WORKED...where he GRADUATED from...IF he was going to attend COLLEGE, or IF he was even MARRIED...you know, the things that tend to separate men from boys, and success (often) from failure.
Not one word. Amazing.
Guess Mr. Portee was going to opt for the "easy way out" in life...
At least we know he knew his way around the female anatomy...and he was punctual, depending on how one defines the word.
And we also know he "loved to hang out with friends"...well, doesn't the vast majority of people do that anyway?
I mean, who really HATES to hang out with friends? I thought that was what "friends" were for...(silly me).
And that explains why only ONE shot was heard...a shotgun at (apparently) close range tends to "end a conversation" really well.
But Brandon is typical of the type of urban "youth" we see today, especially in the minority communities.
Even when they appear to steer clear of trouble (nothing about prior run-ins with the police), trouble seeks THEM out and finishes off a person's life. It's little wonder many gravitate to a clique or a gang.
At least THERE, they "might" survive a bit longer, before they wind up in jail...or dead.
It's much like the aboriginal locals we have around here...the ones that don't know what it is to EARN a real living at a job, but rather "hang out" in the middle of the street with their newest clothing and "athletic shoes" on, passing a bottle of Bacardi around while standing alongside a freshly-washed big-ass SUV, before they're off for another drug deal...or worse.
Don't have time to work a job, but ALWAYS have time for liquor...or to get the Suburban washed and "tire-shined", don't we?
Wow, that kinda sounds a lot like THESE guys, doesn't it?
Well, all I can say is that if the FWPD patrolled a LOT more around HERE, they'd see what I see, but unfortunately, they're much too busy chasing the radio for all the OTHER locals busy beating their "insignificant others", making false *911* calls, breaking into someone's house, or otherwise causing some sort of trouble somewhere on the south side of Fort Wayne. If it were MY police department, I'd not run it in this manner, would I, Rusty?
Still, it IS nice to know locals like THIS are so damn predictable, isn't it?
Elsewhere...
*** Indiana lost out on the first phase of "gub-ment" moolah in this dumb-ass "Race to the Top" (of the money pile) funding...JUST when they could USE it.
It's like I told the missus (a high school teacher herself...and a damn good one, but I'm biased...I like education), too many people have come to DEPEND on whatever moneys the government decides to toss about, and that is a very dangerous position to take.
The school systems (today) rarely depend on THEMSELVES, but rather defer their dependence upon the state OR the feds to "help" them, and when expectations aren't quite met, there is the usual fallout, leading to some pretty huge holes in finances.
That's like if I go out and blow a lot of money (incurring a nice debt) for something I might need, and then playing the lottery, because I expect to WIN...(and pay that debt off)...and we all know how that typically pans out.
The school corporations have this "expectation" that SOMEONE will come riding to their rescue, should they get into financial straits.
Got news for them...the Lone Ranger ain't gonna be a'comin', folks...sorry about that.
And that is why every one of US learns to BALANCE OUR OWN BUDGETS.
We have learned (sometimes through trial and error) to distinguish our NEEDS from our WANTS.
We have come to understand that "money doesn't grow on trees" as our parents used to remind us often enough.
(although with the amount of taxes WE pay out, versus the services we receive, someone in government must think it DOES)
"Sure...lemme go pluck a few Franklins off of my MONEY tree...that reminds me, I've got to get those GRANT and HAMILTON trees in the ground before the end of April"
Yeah, that happens ALL over the USA in everyone's back yard, right?
I wish it did, then again, knowing my wonderful (and so misunderstood and oppressed) African-American "neighbors", they'd have torn my trees up LONG ago...for more drugs, booze, bling, and such.
*** Willow Crack...I mean CREEK ...that's Creek Crossing Apartments had a fire in the same building WE used to live in...imagine that.
It's not like these apartments are housing the "cream of society", shall we say.
That's another example of nice housing going DOWNHILL faster than Lindsey Vonn (or Obama's approval rating).
When you see people toking joints poolside, or kicking in your door when you're AT WORK, robbing your place and smearing feces on the carpet...you somehow don't get the impression it's one of Fort Wayne's more "stellar" apartment complexes.
But I must say I do have a knack for being able to jump from the frying pan into the fire.
That would be our Little House in the Ghetto (with apologies to Laura Ingalls Wilder).
Walnut Grove would appear to be HEAVEN, compared to THIS neighborhood, that's for sure.
*** Lastly, I want to take a minute to thank all of you readers out there.
I'm rapidly approaching my 1000th post (less than 40 to go now), and I know it takes a few minutes out of your day to come on by and read the stuff I often rant and rave about...time which could be better spent by you doing things you'd much rather prefer getting done.
But, I trust (in some small way) that I'm able to touch a part of you that remembers what things USED to be like, and allows you to rekindle those thoughts of a better time for us all.
Some days you might wonder "what the hell am I doing here?", and that's a valid question for us all.
Lord knows I start many a day with such contemplations.
Then, I get to put some of my feelings down in type...along with current events, some history, a few things to make you smile, and many other things designed to make you think.
That's how I like to start my day...along with a good strong cup of java.
I want to be encouraged...emboldened...and empowered to do what needs to be done in order to help others along the way.
I might not have the financial resources to do it, but I want to believe that, in many cases, WORDS are just as (if not more) powerful a tool than just money, or other tangibles.
Words are knowledge...and power. They carry weight. They MEAN something.
Every one of us can be LIKE those words.
Every one of US...means something...to someone...somewhere...
And above all, we should always mean something to OURSELVES.
Have yourselves a great weekend, be well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

The Saying Rings True...
"If it ain't one damn thing, it's another" was one of dad's favorite sayings. Now, I don't know WHO inventing the phrase, or how long ago it was first coined, but I will bet that it was during one of our less than stellar times, and most likely attributable to one of the "common folk"...kinda like you or I.
It's certainly not one of the most grammatically "correct" phrases to come down the pike, but it does speak volumes.
Case in point...If it's not Obama STILL acting like some spoiled brat by further attempting to shove this uber-flawed health care bill down everyone's throat, it's the fact that our educational system is in financial disarray.
Or, if it's not another tax against something someone ELSE deems "harmful" to us, it's some scam called GLOBAL WARMING, that is proving (with every passing day) that mankind is NOT harming the planet in the way some once believed.
How about this?
If it's not a true MECHANICAL problem with these Toyotas that's causing sudden acceleration, it might be a problem with the electronics controlling that function.
If it's not your city in financial trouble, it's the whole freaking nation itself.
Like dad said...if it's not one damn thing, it's another.
If it's not Chesley Sullenberger (Hero on the Hudson) taking his final flight yesterday from Florida to North Carolina (and arriving SEVENTEEN MINUTES AHEAD of schedule - a GOOD thing) as an airline captain, it's having CHILDREN giving takeoff orders in the tower at JFK, thinking that's "cute" (and a major violation of FAA regs - a BAD thing).
We've got global problems aplenty, but if you much prefer things to go awry a bit closer to home, how about more foreclosures, school closings, budget cutbacks by states, and even some states teetering on the brink of financial insolvency? You want something even MORE closer to home...let's try a town staring bankruptcy in the face, because the ONE industry that employed most of it's citizens up and moved to MEXICO. That's right...we're again seeing a revisiting of something once called a "ghost town", and it's occurring with more frequency across this vast nation.
Then, if we move still closer to home, we'll find neighborhoods in decline (cities like Detroit and Newark come to mind), and no way on earth to pay for any REAL gentrification, not that THAT would be a real solution either.
Fortunately for many of us, the personal home situation is better than what's happening in our cities, states and country.
But temper that with the fact that many families are but a few paychecks from the brink of financial ruin.
Here in Indiana, we're seeing our educational system needing to make some drastic cuts that will affect a LOT of families, both with children in the system, as well as those without.
Yet, as in so many cases across the country, school corporations, city departments, and even state agencies had come to depend on ever-increasing taxation as the alpha-omega of problem solving...
Indiana finally instituted a property tax "cap" to prevent taxes from rising too abruptly every year.
But with most any solution a government will implement, there is always a problem following close behind, like that ever-loyal puppy following you home from school.
When you restrict the amount of tax some agency can draw from to fund their programs and departments, you're cutting off the head of the viper, so to speak.
I blogged here ages ago about how OVER THIRTY different "entities" can levy property tax increases against the homeowners of Fort Wayne. With a tax cap, that severely hinders that ability.
Good for the homeowner, bad for the city department, school corporation or other entity involved.
Now, you have to remember that all these entities (such as our airport and public transit system) had come to RELY on this "cash cow", and looked forward to seeing OUR property taxes increase (which could ONLY be accomplished with assessments that were ALSO ever-increasing).
I had an inherent issue with that, and here's why...
Our house is in a blighted section of Fort Wayne...that's a given.We didn't ask for it to be there...the area just changed AROUND us.
The house was initially assessed around $40K...about right for the age and size of the property.
That's the price we paid to buy it from Wifey's parents.
But imagine our surprise when, after just a few years (around 1999-2001) our property was suddenly RE-assessed upwards to $76.2K!
Now, to ME, that means if we sell, we're going to make a damn nice PROFIT, right?
(not so fast)
The ASSESSED "value" (based on what other houses in the area are selling for) is nowhere CLOSE to the ACTUAL value (based on the price of houses selling in the area)...WTF???
That sounded like some sort of "double-speak" to me...how can you arrive at TWO varied prices for ONE house?
Seems that a "fair market" value-based price would be much more in tune with something we call REALITY.
As a result of the almost yearly reassessing, our TAXES went up...to almost DOUBLE what we once paid when we moved in.
And we had a "homestead" deduction (one time deal) to LOWER the taxes. But after more than FIVE years, the taxes were right back UP where they once were (a difference of about $500 bucks per year).
Now excuse me for being NAIVE here, but our neighborhood was NOT (nor is not) getting any BETTER, so, if anything, the value of OUR house HAS to be going somewhere OTHER THAN UP, kapeesh?
With an increase of RENTALS, rising crime, transience out the ass, boarded up and vacant houses popping up like weeds all around, how could the REAL MARKET VALUE go anywhere BUT down?
Well, eventually, with the advent of the "tax caps", we were reassessed (yet again, as were many other houses across the city) and lo, and behold, the taxes went DOWN. We're close to what the house USED to be worth over a decade ago, not that this is a good thing. Selling it would be easy enough, considering all the deadbeat landlords going Pavlovian over this place should they have a chance to get it, but WE would take a hit in the Hip-National Bank, as a result.
Other neighbors that moved away took some major losses when selling their houses.
It's the AREA that's the issue here, plain and simple.
Now, would it be that these were much better economic times all around, we might consider moving away to greener pastures (with less criminal-minded people), but the house is free and clear, so that extra money coming in is good, and aside from things we need to fix around here, it's (for right now) a better investment in living, than taking on a mortgage with a lot of money we don't have, spinning the roulette wheel of lending, hoping we don't "lose the wad" in the process when a lender goes chapter 11, because of bad business practices.
Better to stay put for now...
Better to make some kind of difference HERE.
When the timing is right...we'll know it.
That doesn't solve the financial woes of the city, or schools, or anyone else that came to DEPEND on all this (free) money.
But, like my Dad also used to say:
"You can''t have CHAMPAGNE taste with a BEER budget"...and he was right there, too.
Maybe, if our country, states and cities had learned early on to at least ATTEMPT to adopt some sort of FRUGALITY, all of them wouldn't be in the situation they now find themselves.
Sadly, whatever "woes" THEY acquire will inevitably be passed on in some fashion down the food chain to US, the taxpayer...it always seems to work out that way.
It's like THEY can't be responsible, so WE have to pay...and pay...and pay some more.
Well, it's like this...you got yourself into whatever mess you;re in...and only YOU can get yourself the hell out of it.
It works in families across America..rich OR poor.
Always has...always will.
Each of us must travel our OWN path in life. Sure, we can "walk a mile in your brother's shoes", but the greater journey lies with US.
We are the best custodians of what WE are permitted to have.
We don't live beyond our means.
We don't NOT worry about tomorrow, because it gets here sooner than we think. And we don't shirk whatever responsibility comes our way.
Call it more of that "pioneer spirit" our forefathers used to have.
We succeed or fail (and then get back up and try again anyway) because it's what Americans do.
And anything we set our minds to do...we can excel at.
Be well, make a difference today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Humpday Happenings...
And what happenings we're seeing in Fort Wayne on this Humpday, friends...
Makes me wonder WHERE to begin, really.
It's CRIME TIME, people, so turn on the scanners, keep the OC handy, and switch your safety to the OFF position.
*** Here's a story that once again conveys the problems we (along with other like-minded, law-abiding people) have to endure:
(( 1 shot to death in fracas at house -
Holly Abrams The Journal Gazette
A man died after an apparent shooting on the city’s south side Tuesday night, the result of a disturbance inside a house, police said.
Officers were called to Avondale Drive and Richardsville Avenue, just south of Rudisill Boulevard, about 7 p.m.

When police arrived, they found a man in the road suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, said officer Liza Thomas, police spokeswoman.
The man, in his early 20s, was taken to a hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, Thomas said.
Thomas said it was unclear whether he fled on foot or in a vehicle or whether he lives at that home.
A description of the gunman was not available.
A four-door white Chevrolet Cavalier was parked on Avondale Drive across from the home where the disturbance occurred.
Police examined the inside of the vehicle before towing it. Thomas said investigators don’t know whether it was the victim’s car.
Neighbors reported hearing one gunshot and said the Cavalier is frequently seen in the neighborhood.
Police don’t have a motive for the shooting or the disturbance, Thomas said.
habrams@jg.net ))
This comes the day AFTER another shooting occurred in the same vicinity, but went unreported by the media.
Here is the call for that shooting:
10F025696 18:37:08 58 SHOOTING 42XX MONROE ST S
The really WEIRD thing about this police call, is that just PRIOR to the shooting, my wife drove right PAST the area on her way to a sorority meeting uptown (where a lot more decent folks live).
I called her cell phone, advising her to avoid the area, as I knew she was going to be driving past.
In THAT shooting, the vic was tagged in the butt, and was taken to Parkview in B+ condition (he just won't be sitting down for a spell).
And no suspects are in custody along with no motive for the shooting (again). But I WILL add any updates to this post when they become available.
Last night's shooting was something you just KNEW would end up with the vic being DEAD. I heard the medic on the radio saying "most of the back of his brain was out" (sorry if I bothered your breakfast, but these are the facts), and the BEST that would come out of such an injury would be a vegetative state, so this was all cut-and dried as soon as his vitals were taken and he was in transport to hospital.
And no, you still can't effectively place a tourniquet on a major head wound!
Now in LAST night's homicide (this WILL be number SIX for those keeping score with betting pools), there WERE witnesses out the ass, and YET...not ONE of these throwbacks could ID the shooter.
(who came from the damn house where all the people were)...
C'mon now, WTF is wrong with that picture, people?
Nobody could describe a person who had JUST been in your f$cking rental crib and went out front to shoot a man???
Back in the day, they'd ALL get a ride "downtown", just because the PD could DO it. Must be a "cultural thang" with these people.
At least it's nice to know that all these ILLEGAL guns are "finding a home" on the SE side of town.
One would have to wager that the pistols used were NOT bought at a GUN SHOP, but are being brought INTO this part of town, either from someone outside the city, or even (dare I say it?)...outside the damn STATE.
Could this be a turf war? Perhaps.
Is it going to be a "fun" summer down here? Time will tell, but I'd say yes.
(and not the Midwest county fair let's take a ride on the tilt-a-whirl kinda FUN, either)
((** Editor's Update - As of 1600 hrs, FWPD is looking for one David Alexander Johnson, 37, believed to be headed to Gary, Indiana.

He is black, 5'9", weight is 190, medium complexion, has a tattoo on one arm that says NOT, and on the other arm one that says GUILTY.

He is believed to be driving a 90's era white Lexus.

He is considered to be armed & dangerous.))
I also find it "odd" that many tips I send along to the FWPD go relatively unchecked, as certain "situations" in my area remain unchanged (that would be drug houses operating month after month, along with the curbside drive-ups).
I mean do THESE "gentlemen" look like they're discussing what HYMNS are going to be sung at church this Sunday?
Actually, they finally got into the Suburban, and drove off after two of them spent several minutes sitting inside the truck. That Suburban driver sees more than his share of "stop-bys" that ONLY take a mere 2 minutes to complete.
Makes one wonder when you have NO job, how you can afford to have such a nice (new) BIG truck (plus gas & insurance to keep it on the road), doesn't it? And you have an infant mouth to feed as well (he is procreating, damn it)
Some of these houses around here are rented by older black folks who must turn the other cheek, and front the antics of these young buck drug dealers...there's no other way to put it. These young men don't "live" at the house, but it's always damn convenient to just "show up", pay mom's rent and then conduct "bidness" as usual out front, in the driveway, or by taking a spin around the block (as is often done to divert suspicion).
But hey, it's not ALL blacks who are causing problems...on, no.
Here's a story about a lowlife WHITE guy (up north, where more white people live or have fled to):
(( Marijuana plants found at business
The Journal Gazette
A Fort Wayne man was arrested Tuesday after police said they discovered he was growing marijuana inside his business.
Michael Turner, 45, of the 4200 block of Derome Drive, is charged with dealing marijuana.
He was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Fort Wayne police said they received two tips that Turner was growing marijuana inside his business, Trinity Stone Ltd., at 3511 Eleanor Ave., just south of Glenbrook Square.
When detectives went to the business Tuesday morning and interviewed Turner, he admitted to growing the plants, police said.
During a search, detectives found 75 live marijuana plants, several dead plants and several harvested plants.
In addition, they found an AR-15 rifle, Beretta 92 9 mm pistol, a .40-caliber handgun and a 12-gauge shotgun, police said. ))
I'll say one thing for this piece of crap....he HAD a nice business, and found a way to "help" that business through tough economic times...he just needed to find a LEGAL way to pursue it, don'cha think?
But all good things MUST come to an end, right?
Here's the website for the business:
http://www.trinitystone.net/
I wouldn't count on them to be available to come out and refinish your bathroom...not right way, anyway.
At least they advertised QUALITY PRODUCTS...didn't say anything about being able to SMOKE them, however.
Nice collar, people!
NOW...if only MY "tips" would be as staunchly pursued...we could perhaps clean up a VERY LARGE chunk of this part of town.
Sure, we live in tough times, but taking some "easy" way out is certainly anything BUT easy.
Just ask these people.
Life is not really MEANT to be all that "easy".
Life is there to CHALLENGE you.
It's there to TEACH you.
And it's there to allow you the opportunity to succeed or fail, based on YOUR merits, YOUR choices, and YOUR ability to learn, pay attention, and remain within the confines of the laws we have in this land.
Doesn't sound all that complicated, does it?
To some, it's hell.
To the rest of us, it's a chance to become better people.
Therein lies the lesson for the day.
Be well, make a difference somewhere, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Confessions of a Quasi-Technophobe...
Before I get started, I have to give a REAL shout-out to Cindy Joyner , head of our city's Neighborhood Code Enforcement.
As a postscript to yesterday's post about that house across the street that 2 guys TRIED to get into...well, she dispatched an officer to the address and within an hour or so, the NCE officer was on scene and the window was boarded up (professionally, I might add) and the rest of the accesses were secured.









Nice job, people...wish the city LEADERS were as adept and efficient as YOU folks are.
And now (as Paul Harvey would say)...the REST...of the story...
Anyone who really knows me (or has been following this blog over the last 3 years) has come to know that I have a "love-hate" relationship whenever it comes down to TECHNOLOGY.
I love what it can DO (when it operates correctly in the right hands) and yet detest what people wind up doing WITH it (when they do NOT know how to properly utilize it, or exploit it to some perverse degree).
Now, much of what we have at our disposal is driven not such much by making our lives BETTER...or EASIER, but by a simple thing called MARKETING. And from a capitalist standpoint, it works damn well.
The trouble comes when SO MUCH of this tech is thrust at us SO fast, we barely get used to the "old" new tech before the "new" new tech is in our stores.
Many of us wind up in some techno-limbo suffering from sensory overload.
I STILL have a (well-working) BETA VCR, as well as TWO VHS models (one has a DVD player), and I can RECORD something on tape ANY damn time I want to. Then there is all the AUDIO media I still have (except 8-tracks)...loads of VINYL and cassettes with fully-functioning players for both.
Our TV sets are STILL both CRT driven...none of the plasma, LCD, LED ones (yet), and I will strive to keep these old beasts operating as long as I can.
We ALL know the potential problems when computers run our automobiles for us, don't we...I mean even GM has joined the fray when it comes to recent recalls, so we won't even get into that right now.
Personally, I'm really holding out for those personal JET PACKS like the one in THE ROCKETEER or COMMANDO CODY!!!
When it comes to our (ahem) computers...we're unfortunately held hostage by whatever is coming down the pike, because the SUPPORT technology keeps being evolved damn near every other week. (I swear they're watching me...LOL)
More clock speed, more memory, more peripherals...AND more money (many of us could better spend elsewhere) being shelled out.
Makes 'ya wonder WHERE it will all end, doesn't it?
(personal implants...linked to the web - all data, all the time. Now THAT 'S scary sh*t)
Considering all we can DO with computers, we're pretty much shanghaied into "needing" one (or in our case...neeeding about THREE...just in case something takes a dirt nap...lol).
Hell, I even still have a PLAYSTATION...that's right, the ORIGINAL model.
And I have some games I haven't reached the end of yet...no biggie. Gives me reason to live another 30 years...!
There are a few games I have "mastered" to some degree, and I still get a kick out of revisiting them from time to time.
But I do not, nor will not spend every waking hour stupefied in front of the television, playing hour after hour like some automaton (as many of our kids wind up doing).
It's a game...and ONLY a game.
Sure, we have DOOM II (always good for a laugh when you have INVINCIBILITY turned on), as well as QUAKE II (got stuck on one level and decided to use the disc and case as a coaster, for which it serves admirably).
But aside from that, we're not "needing" to get anything more up-to-date...not just yet, anyway.
We have other things like house maintenance, car maintenance...you know, "dumb" stuff like that, along with paying utility bills and feeling the want to feed ourselves from time to time that tends to pull us away from doing nothing but sitting in front of the TV playing a video game.
In many ways, I view much of my neighborhood as life's "video game"...and we have all the "bad guys" to prove it.
My only complaint is that there is no BFG to look for...!
(BFG means Big F$cking Gun in case you were wondering)
Plus, I don't get ANY "points" for offing these hoards of creatures...(damn shame...would go a LONG way towards "urban renewal").
And the worst part of all...NO CHEAT CODES...LOL!
The missus and I have been contemplating the "need" for a LAND LINE PHONE...do we REALLY need one?
To date, I still don't even have a cell phone for myself.
I suppose it would be an OK "Plan B"...just in case.
Well, all things considered, it IS nice to have something that doesn't rely on some invisible technology (like the nearest cellphone tower) to operate. It's great to be able to communicate with "the outside world" in this manner. You can't say that with cells when they go bad.
Then, there's the BATTERY issue.
Can't recharge a cell phone all that well when the POWER craps out...can you?
BUT, I can still use a land line phone if we lose power...separate circuits, you see. Remarkable, yes?
Sometimes, that "low-tech" stuff comes in pretty damn handy, don'cha think?
Yeah, all this technocrap is a mixed bag for me...
I mean, I'm certainly not doing what that Fort Wayne man did in Indy when he rigged himself with a "boot camera" to take UPSKIRT PICS of women in a mall...
And the current "law" states that this is OK...that will quickly change with a nicely written AMENDMENT to that law.
This is a perfect example of technology being exploited for personal self-indulgence, not to mention infringing on other peoples' right to PRIVACY.
If there is a new technology out there, there will ALWAYS be some fringe element that will find SOME way to bastardize it into something hedonistic and totally off pace with what the original intent of that tech was designed for.
And therein lies a problem...finding people who are capable of thinking LIKE these people who will pervert a technological item in order to prevent such things from happening in the first place.
We always believed that in order to CATCH a criminal, one must begin to THINK like a criminal.
You want to dump some new tech on people...you best first figure out HOW it will be perverted BEFORE you release it to the unwashed masses. Look for flaws in the usage of it...then figure how you can defeat it, then think even beyond that, in order to have everyone know ahead of time that using such devices will be a lot more beneficial to them, and a lot less angst-ridden.
Come to think of it, that's kind how AUTOMOBILE INSURANCE got started...all it took was one idiot not paying attention and crashing his car way back when...and PRESTO, the car insurance industry was created.
Someone had the foresight to see into our future, as ti were...to see beyond the here and now.
Perhaps, with whatever technology looms on our horizon, someone will be paying attention.
And hopefully, we can educate ourselves along the way.
Because we all know that the best person capable of looking out for ourselves is NOT the government, nor a marketing or sale guru.
The best person is OURSELVES.
Knowledge is power, and every one of us has the same opportunity to avail ourselves OF that knowledge.
Or...we could just hit the "RESET" button and start the whole game over.
It's still OUR choice...always has been...always will be.
Make a difference somewhere today, and...
Stay safe out there, America.

Monday Musings...
The Vancouver Olympics were nothing short of fantastic.
And yesterday's USA vs CANADA hockey game was a REAL "edge-of-the-seat" event. (felt like the good old days back in Philly with the Flyers in the 70s...OR the Olympic Gold Medal team from 1980)
All in all, those Canucks got it RIGHT...and even though the games started with the loss of a luger, the spirit of the games prevailed, uniting the world for an all-too-brief 16 days.
The closing ceremonies were marvelous and paid homage to a beautiful country with some great people.
Here is the link to the FINAL medal result for ALL participating countries:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/medals/2010-standings/index.html
This was a case where you CAN have "all winners", because what it takes to even GET to the Olympics is monumental in scope , money, and intestinal fortitude.
Okay, so maybe only a select few ever get to win a medal, but the games are about a LOT more than that.
It's about overcoming obstacles, advancing through adversity, going forward when you'd much rather sit and rest, and it's about PEOPLE.
Ordinary people...doing extraordinary things...that's what I come away from the Olympics with every time I watch them.
And in there is a message for every one of us, don'cha think?
In my part of fort Wayne, it's about as far removed as one can get from that mindset.
Here, we have less than ordinary people around me doing...well, not that much if anything worthwhile.
I still maintain that if it wasn't for the missus and me, this neighborhood would never have anything noteworthy to speak of. We're the ONLY reason this neighborhood's collective I.Q. has NOT dropped into double digits...LOL.
Take last night for example...
A dark colored 4 door pulls up in front of a house that has a CONDEMNED sign on the front door (typical house adornment in this part of the ghettohood, aside from the ICICLE LIGHTS in JULY), and two black males get out.
No big deal, right?
Read on...
They attempt to gain entry via the back door (closed and locked apparently), and when that fails, they attempt to get in through a SIDE WINDOW of the house by climbing on top of a trashbin (cleverly placed directly UNDER the window).
Now, I suppose I could have called the police, and MAY-BE they might have gotten caught, but instead, I pulled out my trusty green laser and bounced it of the ass of the perp in the window.
That definitely got their "attention", as they quickly left in the car, and have not returned since.
And since I contacted Neighborhood code Enforcement, that house should be a LOT more "secure" by day's end.
Sorry to rain on your parade, boys....ROFLMAO!
I guess you'll have to find another place to smoke your crack.
Like I say...NEVER a dull moment down here.
It's a wonder I'm not suffering some sort of PTSD...or something similar.
Living down here is like being "on call" 24/7/365...with NO paycheck or vacation.
But since this neighborhood (among so many others in this part of town) is, by design, destined to become THE slum area, it's little wonder we're not seeing more city "intervention" to halt or even reverse this blight that has taken hold.
In a related vein...check out this excellent story by Stacey Stumpf in yesterday's local paper:
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100228/EDIT10/302289970
This is EXACTLY what I see around here...daily.
At the present time, our house has not one, not two, but THREE (count 'em...3) VACANT houses directly adjacent to our property.
We have two on the south side, one on the north side, and one directly west of us, across the alley.
Not to mention, there is another house (one block over) that has sat VACANT for well over FIVE YEARS...no tenants, no improvement...no nothing being done to it. It just sits at that corner, staring bleakly at the passing traffic, year after year.
This is "prime territory" for the scrapping contingent in the S/E.
To take an analogy from the Olympics...it's an ORDINARY neighborhood going through some EXTRAORDINARY times.

(and not the "good" extraordinary, mind you)
Forget about most of the "people" here. They're worth even LESS than the hovels passing for houses.
But that's the way the city's "planned" it. ONE area for all the refuse, kind of like a societal "landfill" of crappy people.
And yet, here WE are...an island of reason amidst a sea of apathy.
John Donne once said that "No man is an island"...and I used to believe that...I've since come to amend that belief.
I may not BE an island...I just happen to inhabit one, metaphorically-speaking.
No gold, silver, or bronze medals to be given out HERE, that's for sure.
No cheering throngs, no celebration...just a few sighs of relief when a house gets boarded up or is vacated.
You just push on...try to be the best "you" you can be.
Can't ask for more than that from any person, can you?
"Things are always darkest just before dawn", as the saying goes.
I guess no one took into consideration the daylight saving time gig, eh?
Oh, well...it may "never rains in southern California", or it might be "always sunny in Philly", but around here...well, it's more a study in aberrant societal mores and behavior above anything else.
Be nice to see a bunch of anthropologists or sociologists set up shop down here, study the indigenous species, and perhaps write a few papers on what I get to see for free every single day.
I mean, it's GOT to be worth at least a few footnotes in someone's journal, right?
...And it's ONLY Monday on top of all that.
Gotta love it, right?
Have yourselves a great week, and...
Stay safe out there, America.