Weekend Roundup...
Been an interesting week, that's for sure.
Then again, that all depends on HOW you define "interesting", doesn't it?
I know the recent bout of warmer weather has all our "locals" doing what they do best...
Being annoying (to normal people).
The crotch-rocket (read cafe bike) brigade has taken to the streets, and although that would be nice on some winding European road, it has NO place on a small, residential block. In many cases, it's far worse than a rumbling Harley.
And the boomcars are back out, some with new paint jobs, and all with louder stereos and those funky-ass rims which say nothing but "look what de workin man gots me fo' free." Well, your tax dollars AT WORK once again, right?
Still, we've lots of other things to look at before we head off into the weekend, so let's get rolling...
*** Now THIS is not the best way to endear yourself to the police.
(( For Immediate Release: March 16, 2011*
City of Fort Wayne Police Department
Contact: Officer Raquel Foster
Office of Public Information
Impaired Driver Rear Ends Police Squad Car.
Date/Time of Incident: March 11, 2011* / 10:13 pm
Location of Incident: S. Anthony Blvd. and Pettit Ave.
A Fort Wayne Police Cruiser was rear-ended by a vehicle whose driver had a blood alcohol level of .14%.
The officer was stopped in his squad car southbound at the intersection of S. Anthony Blvd. and Pettit Ave when his vehicle was rear-ended by a 2001 Silver Cadillac Deville. The driver of the vehicle, a forty-year old male, was transported to a local hospital in fair condition, and charges are currently pending.
The officer did not require medical attention at the scene. Both vehicles were rendered disabled and were towed from the scene. ))
Yes sir, a marvelous example of "how to make friends and influence people", right?
* Oh, and WHEN was "immediate release" equal to FIVE DAYS?
(just curious)
*** Fort Wayne now has it's FIFTH homicide of the year...only took SEVENTEEN years to get here though, as evidenced by THIS article:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110318/LOCAL07/303189978
Tragic story about mistaken identity that left a man living in Fort Wayne in order to take care of his aging grandparents a quadriplegic, who finally succumbed to his injuries from 1997.
The perp can't be charged TWICE for the SAME CRIME (double jeopardy), according to the prosecutor's office.
Actually, the perp was charged with AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (and spent 15 years behind bars) and NOT murder, so a really good DA could make this stick... So, if the perp was charged with MURDER (now), that would NOT be the "same" as aggravated assault, right?
Anything seem WEIRD about that to you?
Talk about your "Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot?" moment..but it DOES come from Fort Wayne's prosecutor, so that says a lot.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
*** The Fukushima reactor situation in Japan, while not getting any worse, is not getting a whole lot better, either.
At least they are able to keep water on the spent fuel pools, with partial power hopefully restored soon.
Then, they can set about looking for LEAKS in the piping, and that could present other problems, like...who's going to mop up all that contaminated fluid and how can the pipes be fixed?
Not much good to pump in water to cool the fuel rods when ithe feed pipes might be leaking like a damn sieve, right?
And who's to say the pressure doesn't rupture the water pipes (which could already be damaged from the earthquake) when power comes back up?
You might find THIS article interesting as it pertains to OUR nuclear facilities and their longevity:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110318/NEWS03/303189950
I've seen the Oyster Creek (NJ) plant (owned by GPU Nuclear) up close...it is currently the OLDEST BWR Mk I (reactor) in America, having gone online WAY back in 1969 on the 800-acre site within Lacey township in Ocean county.
It's license was renewed past the initial decommission date of 2009 for another forty years, BUT...was then shortened to TWENTY years, due to safety issues and the age of the unit. Good call on that one.
And right after THAT, the unit leeched some radioactive TRITIUM from aging underground pipes.
The issue has been addressed.
But wait - we're not quite finished yet...
*** If you're like me, you have a fondness for books...or magazines.
Somehow the PRINTED word invokes a time when the journey of the imagination, as seen through the mind's eye was plenty when it came to fun or knowledge.
Blame it (for me, anyway) on reading the novel Fahrenheit 451, a future time which could not be THAT far off, considering the current direction we seem to be headed (unless we turn things around).
Well, the BORDERS book store up north is closing its doors this spring.
Here's the entire story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20110318/BIZ/303189936
In a city like Fort Wayne, with at least 30 percent of it's population sorely in need of reading material as well as the ability TO be ABLE to read that material, we lose ANOTHER book store.
Perfect.
We've already lost our share...PAPERBACK BOOKSMITH, B. DALTON, and those smaller stores we used to have in both Glenbrook and the old Southtown mall locations called READER'S WORLD.
Least we still have Barnes & Noble, right?
(for the time being, anyway)
*** Lastly today, I stated here several times this week how the Japanese people were dealing with this "triple-punch" at their nation.
And I have to say it's been nothing short of remarkable.
Everyone there seems to be obeying authority, helping one another, and doing what they all need to do, in order to ensure their safety.
Now, doesn't that sound a LOT like the way "WE" used to be here in America?
And when did all that change for us?
It couldn't have been THAT long ago, because I REMEMBER our society acting exactly the way the Japanese are today.
I remember when neighbors helped one another, and watched out for one another.
I remember when authority figures, such as TEACHERS...and POLICE OFFICERS...and even PARENTS were listened to and otherwise OBEYED with a lot more regularity...and we were none the worse for wear because of it.
I remember when we were more polite to each other...had a deeper level of RESPECT, and didn't necessarily want others to GIVE us stuff, when we were quite capable of WORKING FOR IT.
We had a deeper sense of PRIDE as well...pride in our work, our homes, our families.
We knew what our parents went through, as did THEIR parents, and so often we'd hear children say: "I wanna be just like daddy...(or mommy)".
Wonder how much we hear that today?
And why we got away from all that?
We have so much as an ARREST in some cities, and several BLOCKS get burned to the ground.
We have the police targeted for nothing short of assassination by common street thugs.
We have a lack of DISCIPLINE at HOME...in SCHOOL, and on our streets.
Many of our people have forgotten what it means to be CIVIL and act in like manner.
Many have tossed such important facets to our humanity like ETHICS...and INTEGRITY into the trash-heap.
And for what purpose?
Didn't we get a clue from those Watts riots...or the post-Rodney King arsons and assaults, or even the Katrina looting and rioting give us a notion as to our de-evolution?
I'd like to believe that we are better than that...I want to think that when we see the Japanese handle their troubles these days, we see a LOT of what WE USED TO BE...as a nation.
Think of Japan as a mirror to our souls these days when you watch how well they endure the hardships from the devastation.
And think about how WE, as a nation can get that back, because we are long overdue to reverse this depraved trend.
We can do this...and we must do this, if not for ourselves, then definitely for our children...and their future.
Because like the song says...that's pretty much where ALL this (current) time "keeps on slipping".
Have yourselves a fantastic weekend.
We'll see you all on the flip side.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and as always...
Stay safe out there, America.