Thursdays Are For Thunderstorms...
Well, that's what it seems like in NE Indiana this morning (and according to NOAA, some more later today...maybe).
Now, don't get me wrong here...I LOVE thunderstorms...always have growing up and always will to my dying day.
Hell, I love ANYTHING that serves to drown out those damn boomcars...lol.
(and it's WAY cheaper than capping off a magazine of .45 ACP at those moron-mobiles)
If anything, I find it VERY easy to sleep during a thunderstorm...dunno why, either.
I suppose it takes me back to when I would stay over at grandma & grandpa's place in (what seemed rural) Penndel, PA (reminds me of Portland, IN).
The rain would make this soothing sound on the porch roof out back.
And somehow, during the lightning and the thunder...you felt safe, and whatever bothered you seemed very far away.
But enough about waxing nostalgic...let's get to the "meat and potatoes" of this meal.
*** The answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"The glory of human nature lies in our seeming capacity to exercise conscious control on our own destiny."
This was said (you were probably thinking this already) by Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965) quoted by C.E.M. Joad, "Churchill the Philosopher", in Charles Eade, ed., Churchill By His Contemporaries, 1953.
To paraphrase an old cigarette commercial:
"Winston talks GOOD...like a statesman should".
(Yeah, I know...grammatically INcorrect...he talks WELL....sheesh)
Anyway, let's see what ELSE has been going since last we met.
*** There was a police standoff along Bluffton Rd in Waynedale.
Here's the story link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/barricaded-subject-surrenderes-peacefully-to-police
I knew someone must be living over Low Bob's there (we stop there from time to time), but little did I realize that it was a "problem" person.
Maybe now, they'll get a better tenant?
Damn shame it had to take THREE hours, but in situations like this, time can be both FOR you and AGAINST you.
You want to resolve the situation ASAP, but you don't want it to result in harm to the person OR any responding officer.
And whenever a weapon becomes involved, time also becomes a CRITICAL issue, because things can change in an instant, mostly for the worse.
Saw several instances where a man was barricaded and then just offed HIMSELF before SWAT managed to get inside, and it was not fault of the entry team OR the negotiator...the man just made a (bad) choice, and ended it then and there.
Sometimes you can talk them down, other times, not so much.
At least this scenario ended with EVERYONE still walking & breathing.
*** From the Department of the Insanely Ridiculous, we bring you THIS:
Thefts of Tide liquid detergent a problem for retailers. ('ya think?)
Here's the story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/tide-laundry-detergent-thefts-on-the-rise-retailers-speak-out
Now, we don't use TIDE...too damn expensive, and no better than less-costlier brands.
But what amazes me about this is HOW people can waltz into say...a Wal-Mart, load up a cart with all these 64 oz, jugs and then bolt out of the place and get AWAY with it???
Yes, this could be another "WTF???" moment...
Some cases report HUNDREDS of bottles leaving the shelves (with some OBVIOUS assists from human vermin, no doubt), and no one is noticing the FRONT DOORS when this happens?
They are being stolen and sold on the "black market" (which might tend to look a lot less GRIMIER, and much WHITER and BRIGHTER in the near future) for drug money...are you sh*tting me?
But maybe all is NOT what it seems...
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/03/13/police-deny-reports-nationwide-spike-in-tide-detergent-theft/
Have we (in AMERICA, for God's sake) devolved into this Mad Max mentality where "items" are bartered for cash or drugs like some THIRD WORLD NATION in some sub-continent overseas?
Hey, maybe I should corner the market on bottle openers, can openers and egg slicers....people will need THOSE, too.
This is getting out of hand, seriously.
People are just STEALING sh*t from major stores, getting AWAY with it (which in and of itself, from a security standpoint, just astounds the crap out of me), and then doing the "street-corner pawn job", because some urban pharmaceutical "distributor" needs to stay in business.
Do we need to escape with drugs THAT damn bad that people turn to such crimes to foster their addictions?
(apparently so, UNLESS this has all been blown out of proportion...)
Personally, I'll stick with the detergent WE use (which is whatever is selling for cheap this week).
We have a couple jugs always on-hand, anyway.
And a word of savvy when it comes to laundry...add either some Borax or baking soda to the wash...works damn well, trust me.
(amazing the things you learn growing up and as a bachelor in another life...lol)
And NEVER do RED clothing with your WHITES...unless you LIKE the color PINK.
(guys, take note on that one)
*** You might have noticed the really NICE weather we're enjoying (seems like MID-JUNE already - talk about rushing things), and we've already some posies coming up and blooming (not to be confused with the local loudass IDIOTS, who are ALWAYS "blooming", if you catch my drift).
Damn shame you can't ENJOY all that you have on or around your property with such "people" nearby.
Case in point, yesterday, I see this little girl (from the newbies that moved into my former GOOD neighbor's house...rotating welfare queens now) ON our lawn going after a squirrel (who was doing a great job of evasion, thankfully).
I opened the door and said nicely: "Please don't bother the squirrels...they can bite".
I know what you're thinking...I fibbed...well, kinda.
They CAN bite (if you can catch the little buggers), but I wanted to make a point that you just don't go and run all over someone else's property for stupid crap like this.
I feel if you need to see animals, you can either ask "baby-mama" to take you to the Children's Zoo here, OR...(and you're gonna like this one)...she can take you to a FAMILY GATHERING...either way fills the bill, right?
'Nuff said there, hmm?
*** Lastly today, I know I'm always pitching a fit over these damn loud boomcars...but I've got FACTS on MY side, regarding the nuisance they create.
Everything from learning problems for children (study done years ago in a Chicago school with just TRAFFIC noise), to heart conditions and hearing problems for everyone concerned...it's all there to look up, if you so wish.
But what I find most curious, if that while the NUMBER ONE REASON people tend to relocate is due to NOISE, and that the NUMBER ONE URBAN PROBLEM is also...NOISE, little gets done to actually turn it all down.
Mayor Bloomberg (of ALL people) has made real progress with noise abatement in NYC, and Lord knows they NEED it there.
Here in Fort Wayne, the mayor (read King Henry and his predecessors to the throne) are ALWAYS hawking this whole "quality-of-life" gig in town...and YET, the FWPD has assigned NOISE violations such a LOW priority, it's actually nonsensical to even call them in, because the response time becomes an issue. This means when a boomcar is sitting in front of some hovel, it will usually take a responding officer UP TO FORTY MINUTES to arrive, and I know this from experience. By then, the car has most likely moved on (they rarely hang around most times anyway, but the annoyance is STILL there).
And much of the call is predicated on whether or not the OFFICER can hear it (the stereo may have been turned down JUST prior to the officer's arrival).
Now, while it can be proven that around 500 noise violations ARE written a year, this in NO way reflects ALL the instances of said violations.
When I have several THOUSAND violations rolling past MY house in any given year, and NONE of them are cited, that says we have a serious problem with enforcement of this ordinance.
Suppose we looked at this from the Broken Window Theory aspect?
When such noise violations are "allowed" (not cited), it usually means the person making the noise wants some kind of attention (like announcing the drugs are in the area). And such attention SHOULD warrant the attention of the local po-po, right?
Face it, when you're not doing ANYTHING suspicious and NOT making yourself stand out in the crowd, the police have NO reason to even give you a second look, right?
Now, if you were dealing drugs, the BEST way to avoid detection would be to act as nondescript as possible, and NOT make yourself stand out or be heard blocks away...simple, hmm?
People will always say it's just a "cultural thang", and to them I counter with it WASN'T ALWAYS LIKE THIS, WAS IT?
Used to be a time when you kept your OWN business (and music)...TO YOURSELF. (that's what concerts and public events were for anyway)
As long as ignorance on both sides of the law prevails, nothing will change, because nothing is being done.
When someone decides to make life better for EVERYONE, and steps up to make it happen, we ALL win.
Accountability respect, and personal responsibility for ALL, and not for some...just like justice.
It should work...it CAN work.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.