Humpday Happenings...
I've been through some COLD weather in my life, but this morning has to rank in the top FIVE (imho).
It's one of those mornings where you breathe through your MOUTH, instead of your nose, because nasal breathing stings. You could get a quicker case of "brain-freeze" from the cold air than from a pint of Ben & Jerry's (and a large spoon)...trust me!
Not a fit day for man nor beast, which breaks my heart to think that some folks have left their pets OUTSIDE in such weather, without the proper precautions and resources to keep the animal from freezing to death.
If there is any good news to be had from such temperatures, it's that a lot of my "locals" will be hard-pressed to get their vehicles started.
(that does NOT break my heart, except in a sarcastic way)
These mooks leave their POS cars outside, and probably wouldn't know the correct ratio of anti-freeze to water that goes in the radiator to keep it from turning it into a Slurpee, which will ruin a water pump REAL fast, and we all know where THAT trail leads, don't we?
So, if you hear a vehicle going by, and it's making that high-pitched "squealing" noise...probably a bad water pump (or a loose fan belt).
Now, without any further ado, let's get cracking at what's making news, shall we?
*** This story got me laughing, and NOT because of the man featured in the video at this link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/pedestrians-forced-into-the-streets?ref=scroller&categoryId=20000&status=true
Here's the accompanying story:
(( Pedestrians forced into the streets - Sidewalks still covered in snow in many places -Don Austin
Updated: Tuesday, 08 Feb 2011, 5:26 PM EST
Published : Tuesday, 08 Feb 2011, 4:35 PM EST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Snow and ice-covered sidewalks in the area are forcing people to walk in the streets.
And Fort Wayne city leaders are reminding people of their responsibility to keep those sidewalks clear.
Rick Orr, Director of Transportation Administration for Fort Wayne said, "Be a good neighbor. Understand that other people need those public sidewalks and try to take care of it. Be proactive."
Fort Wayne's city code requires residents to have their sidewalks cleared by 9:00 a.m. when it snows. And those walkways are to remain clear.
The Right of Way Department handles these types of complaints and normally sends a letter to the homeowner or occupant requesting that the walkway be made passable.
"We do try to follow up to see if people are complying with the request, and almost always people are complying," Orr said. If a resident fails to comply, he or she could face a misdemeanor citation with a maximum fine of $2,500.
But city leaders admit they’ve never had to take anyone to court for refusing to clear snow from their sidewalks.
As of February 08, the city has received less than 40 complaints about snow-covered sidewalks. ))
(*ahem*)
It's funny that NOW we hear about stories like this...when someone's life may be in danger.
Weird thing is, I've been pitching a fit over ALL the people that walk down the MIDDLE OF THE STREETS around here FOR YEARS...and that's when the sidewalks are PERFECTLY CLEAN and FREE FROM ANYTHING.
Around my part of the ghettohood, these mooks do this ALL YEAR LONG (must be a "cultural thang").
Here's a little "adventure in pictures" to illustrate what I mean:
And nothing is EVER done about THAT.
People walk in the street, confront one another in the street, push their infants in strollers in the street, kids play with discarded tires in the street, teens hang out and swap spit in the street, kids sit in the street, half-dressed males talk on their cell phones in the street...it's pretty much a utilitarian item to have when you already have those unused SIDEWALKS a mere several feet away, isn't it?
And this is not a "dead-end" street in the traditional sense (only in the morally and ethical ways is it a DEAD END). There IS traffic going up and down all the time (and often speeding...a situation that I've been informing the FWPD about for YEARS...still waiting to see some results).
I can understand how the man in the video is frustrated, but too many folks don't give a damn.
That's also why you will see ME out clearing MY sidewalks before the crack of dawn...I DO give a damn.
But, I clean MINE off to no avail, apparently, other than a sense of civic pride and compliance with the ordinance, which is never really enforced to the degree it needs to be, otherwise we'd see a lot LESS snow-covered pavements, right?
I guess these sidewalks will never be cleared unless the government steps in and does it FOR these "people"...or they get socked in the old "hip-national bank" a few times to wise them the hell up.
Used to be a time when ALL our sidewalks in our block were always CLEAR from snow. Of course, that was when we had real neighbors, who happened to be white...AND working...AND owned the houses they lived in...AND gave a damn.
Since they're all gone now, I'm all that's left...the Lone Wolf of the bunch, and I still do what is required because it's the RIGHT thing to do (for everyone concerned). And I'm not getting any rewards for doing it (now do I want any)...it's just WHO I am, and HOW I was brought up.
I guess the day I stop caring is the day I stop breathing
(I'm sure the locals will celebrate that day)
In the meantime, I want nothing more than to "rub their noses in it" as it were.
I want everything I do here to reflect my sense of integrity...or pride, and of civic duty, and I want to be that burr under their saddle each and every day.
I want to make them feel ashamed every time they look at me or our house, because we're NOT doing anything OUT of the ordinary...
We're just doing what is NORMAL (under extraordinary conditions) for ANY American.
*** This is more information regarding an ongoing case.
(( Tenant heist string hits 8 as north-side man mugged - Dominic Adams The Journal Gazette
FORT WAYNE – Police believe an attempted armed robbery at a north-side apartment complex Monday night is connected to seven other robberies at nearby complexes.
Fort Wayne police responded to Woodbridge Apartments off St. Joe Center Road just before 8 p.m. Monday and found a man at 1878 River Run Trail bleeding from the right side of his face and head.
The victim told police a man approached him with a black semiautomatic handgun and demanded money.
The gunman told the victim, "Give me your wallet. If you don’t hurry, (I’m) going to shoot you in the leg," according to a police report.
The victim told police he thought he was about to be shot and started to fight the robber. The gunman
pistol-whipped the victim before fleeing northeast around the apartment building. Police said the man left the gun at the scene.
Throughout the scuffle, the victim screamed for help, but no one came to his aid until after the gunman fled, the police report said.
The ordeal unfolded in the front row of parking spaces just a few feet from the apartment units.
Monday’s attempted robbery is the latest in a string now totaling eight holdups at apartment complexes near Clinton Street and St. Joe Center Roads, including Woodbridge, Stone Pointe Apartments and West Wind Apartments.
Police said the gunman fits the same description in all the robberies, which started at the end of December.
He is a thin black man wearing a black baseball cap, black jacket and black pants.
"It appears the suspect is sitting – or waiting – for his potential victim," officer Raquel Foster, Fort Wayne police spokeswoman, told The Journal Gazette in an e-mail. "The victims have all been approached in the parking lot, and most have been alone when they arrive or depart their home."
Police believe the gunman parks in another location, commits the robbery and runs to his car.
He also has attacked from a blocked view, such as from behind a trash bin.
Fort Wayne police and the Apartment Association of Fort Wayne-NE Indiana are asking residents to be vigilant
and aware of their surroundings at all times, and if a person or vehicle appears suspicious, to call police at 427-1222.
The apartment association issued a written statement last month addressing the robberies.
Anyone with information on the rash of robberies is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 436-7867.
The management of Woodbridge delivered a letter to all tenants Tuesday.
The letter said Sgt. Chad Thurston and officer Michael Joyner of the Fort Wayne Police Department will attend a crime watch meeting for residents Thursday.
Residents will receive any additional information police have on the robber and discuss crime prevention and safety tips, according to the letter.
For resident Dan Bickerstaff, the previously scheduled crime watch meeting is too little, too late.
He lives right next door to where Monday’s attempted armed robbery occurred. Bickerstaff said he heard a man yelling for help and he looked out his window to see the assault taking place.
Bickerstaff, who has lived in the complex for four months with his wife, later called police.
"As soon as the lease is up, I’m gone," he said. ))
Now here we FINALLY have a description of the perp. (big surprise THERE, hmm?)
This thug could be any number of people in and around MY area...they all dress the hell alike.
Good news is that the GUN was retrieved and prints may be able to be lifted from it (amateur thugs don't use gloves with guns...at least not the PROPER shooting gloves that LEOs have) Wonder if it was even a REAL gun (remember the look-alikes the media mentioned a while back, and the YEARS I mentioned it before that?) or a BB pistol, which, even if they're made of "white metal" (zinc alloy) WILL leave a mark when used to bludgeon someone.
It'd be some REAL justice if a resident at the complex shot this thug ass DEAD in his snowy tracks when he decides to pick the WRONG person to rob.
We can but hope.
*** Lastly today, got some "must-see" TV beaming our way this week.
Last night on History channel was the premiere of Larry the Cable Guy show: ONLY IN AMERICA on the History Channel.
He went to Dawsonville, GA to visit the roots of moonshining and NASCAR, and then got a course in "etiquette" with the grandson of Emily Post, and finally wound up in Calaveras County to participate in the jumping frog competition. It was a hoot to watch, and educational at the same time.
With Larry, who knew?
Also, the History Channel had their 2nd season opener for TOP SHOT, hosted by Survivor's Colby Donaldson...kinda like Survivor...with guns, only a lot less filthy and no starving people...just things to shoot at, like billiard balls (progressively farther away). You vote someone out by shooting at their name on a target, then the two with the most "hits" go head-to-head and the winner of THAT competition gets to stay on for another week.
Here's the link to see the marksmen this season:
http://www.history.com/shows/top-shot/bios/
And YES, guys, there are TWO ladies this time around.
Got to see the 1911 Colt .45 ACP and the S&W model 29 .44 magnum in action...God, I love the smell of cordite in the (foggy) morning!
Tonight, we have the 2nd season opener for the FX channel show: JUSTIFIED.
(Hence the phrase..."die trying")
A federal marshal with a hair trigger in a small Kentucky town with plenty of crime to deal with, as well as a lady or two along the way...
And, we also have another new episode of my favorite police drama: BLUE BLOODS (starring Tom Selleck and Donny Wahlberg). Excellent portrayal of the NYPD from the trenches on up to the top brass. The dinner scenes are especially true-to-life.
Tomorrow night...another "double-tap" of POLICE WOMEN OF CINCINNATI. Two new hours of the ladies behind the shield, keeping it real and keeping the streets safe. Guns, women, and flashing lightbars...what's NOT to like about that?
Looks like we still have a reason to keep cable TV around our place for a while longer...LOL!
Better to stay INSIDE today anyway...it's TOO damn cold out there.
Dress appropriately "if" you must be outside, and don't stay out for long without coming in...hearing a tad too many cardiac calls on the radio. One man was found outside by his wife. He was transported and doing OK at last report.
This weaher WILL kill...if you allow it.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe (and warm) out there, America.