Humpday Happenings...
Here we are boys and girls...middle of the week AND the middle of the month.
My, how the time flies when you're alive.
Anyway, time to figure out WHO SAID THAT?
You might find today's quote interesting, so here goes:
"Don't ever, ever second-guess what you are doing. You are doing a wonderful job. Get your heads up, and it will turn out just fine."
This hits a might "closer to home", as it were.
The answer - tomorrow at the top of the post.
Meanwhile, back at the barracks...
*** I'm sure you heard about those 13 cases (so far) of measles down around the INDY area...and that hearkens me back to my youth (back in the Pleistocene Age...lol) when I had the measles...SEVEN frigging times (only had the "german" measles twice, though...lucky me).
Now, it was pretty much a given that every child would somehow contract it...like some "rite-of-passage" after leaving "toddlerdom" (Bob's lexicon, page 392). And Mom kept you home during your bout, but curiously, the schoolwork kept arriving, so there really was no let up.
We had nothing to immunize you from measles (German or otherwise), like they do today with the MMR vaccines, so the ONLY thing was to keep the child out of school.
Now, here's the WIKI on this wonderful childhood ailment:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles
That is one nasty looking little cuss, isn't it?
But, it's a part of life, and back then, parents (in concert with the schools) took the proper steps to ensure that everyone didn't come down with it...and whatever they did must have worked, because you never heard of any epidemic.
Now, we hear of an "outbreak" that started in the Super Bowl village, and that means that a LOT of folks came into contact with whoever was "patient zero". Couple that with an incubation period of about 8-12 days, so we're still barely within the window.
It's spread very easily, too, and can affect damn near every part of the body, with a possible mortality rate of 10%, but that's only in 3rd world countries.
When complications arise, that is when the prognosis becomes dire, like with pneumonia, or encephalitis.
Naturally, with parents that don't even bother to immunize their children HERE, things can get a bit dicey, and with the amount of people from all over that went to the Super Bowl village, adding the travel factor in, something as basic as this COULD get out of hand.
There is no real "cure"...just practicing common sense, and getting to a doctor when warranted will alleviate the symptoms and make getting over this a lot easier. Word to the wise, hmm?
*** Fort Wayne water rate hike "redux"?
Well, the city THOUGHT they could shove a 2-year, FORTY PERCENT hike at the citizens....they may have thought wrong.
Here's the story link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120215/NEWS/120219737/1005
Okay, so the city agreed to a THREE-YEAR hike "plan" instead...
((...rolls eyes...))
Councilman Tom Smith mentioned that the citizens (who obviously DO pay taxes and DO NOT suck on the government's teat daily, like the locals living around US) already have a LOT "on their plate", with an FWCS building repair referendum due this year. God, how I wish he was OUR councilman, instead of Glynn (hurray for my people, and screw the rest of y'all) Hines.
Yeah, it does become burdensome, having to "carry" all those lazy-asses in our city around through their pitiful (and government-sponsored) lives....doesn't it?
*** But, what if our own Allen County stood to LOSE say...$155 MILLION DOLLARS?
Well, don't take MY word for it...here's the story that backs that up:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120215/LOCAL12/302159925
In Fort Wayne alone, I know we have several companies that supply the military, not the least of which is BAE and RAYTHEON (which recently just laid off a bunch of workers across the nation...AGAIN).
The article cites a report that mentions that OVER 170 products and services are contracted out to our military...in Fort Wayne ALONE.
That's some serious impact upon OUR local economy, isn't it?
And since we're already taking care of way too many generationally-dependent "welfare queens", that could shoot a major hole in our eroding tax base here.
Something we REALLY don't need to happen.
If there's ONE THING this administration in D.C. will not do, it's cut anything regarding ENTITLEMENTS.
(that wouldn't be liberal, would it?)
We might have NO military, and NO infrastructure, and probably NO economy...BUT, by God, we certainly WILL have free sh*t out the ass...
Only thing is...WHO (exactly) will be PAYING for this anyway ('cause we won't have anyone around who CAN pay for it any longer).
This is what DEMOCRACY looks like???
I don't think so.
*** So what is the Prez doing about it?
Glad you asked.
And yes, it does raise a few RED flags, as evidenced by THIS story:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-14/obama-meeting-with-xi-may-set-tone-for-ties.html
The current Chinese VEEP (Xi Jinping - who names these folks?) was here to meet with the Obamameister yesterday, and they must have had a great time, considering that CHINA holds the MOST debt of OUR nation (for a foreign country)
I'm thinking a LOT of ass-kissing from Barry.
China wants to see our nations work together...well, the way Obama wants to go, we could all be wearing that quilted shirt and pants with a nice RED STAR on it within a damn decade.
The Chinese VP (and soon-to-be president there) mentioned his country's "quiet rise" as a world power...through HOW MANY MILLION DEATHS that happened IN CHINA?
Now don't get me wrong here...I love the food, AND the culture, AND the people. Nothing wrong with ANY of those.
It's the damn POLITICS (isn't it ALWAYS?) of that nation that makes me shudder, because in many ways, it's destroying the very heart OF that nation.
*** Lastly today, I've always been a person of common means, and I suppose a lot of you are pretty much the same.
We like simple things, quiet times, family, friends, and such.
And yet, the harder we try to avoid all the crap that happens around us, we simply cannot.
We HAVE to get involved to some degree, if only for our own peace of mind and sanity.
Unfortunately, that detracts from what we call LIVING ONE'S LIFE.
Now, no one ever said that life would be something you could just "set the cruise-control" on, and then sit back and watch it all unfold.
That's not how it works, and it's not how WE, as Americans work.
We actually prefer a bit of intervention when required, in order to be ABLE to live our lives.
And sometimes, that means we get our hands a bit dirtier than we might have wanted to, but that's fine.
THAT is what helped make THIS nation.
And THAT is what can get this nation back from those who want something "else".
All of us need to do something, no matter how insignificant it might seem, because it's like a swarm of gnats or mosquitoes...
They might be small in stature, but toss enough of them around, biting and buzzing, and they DO tend to get one's attention real fast.
So, even if it's an email, a phone call, a blog, or a comment...every bit DOES help.
You just have to KNOW that it does, that's all.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and... Stay safe out there, America.

((Tomorrow - Do YOU have what it takes to be suspicious?))