Ask Me Another...

That used to be the name of a rather tedious "game" when I was growing up when Mom or Dad would take those times when all I could say was "WHY?" and counter with: "Do I look like I want to play ask me another?", and it sort of fits the bill today because we're going to be asking questions and looking for answers.

And we might even come to know things a little better in the process. Nothing wrong with THAT, eh?

So, let's get our refreshing beverages at hand, grab a piece of real estate to park our keesters on, and cosy up to the computer screens on this very nice Springtime morning.

*** First up - the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote was General Dwight D. Eisenhower...(on the eve of D-Day), and I know you ALL knew that, right?

Moving onward...

*** How do you honor a WW2 veteran and hero properly?

Well, there are many ways, but the most pronounced manner to accomplish this is with some type of permanent MEMORIAL...like a STATUE.

You take a stroll through Gettysburg, and you will see statues of generals and specific regiments all over the place...and rightly so.

And I can probably STILL tell you who is who if we were to go there together...it's that moving an experience.

But what about veterans who served long after that war?

Sure, we have the IWO JIMA monument out near D.C., and that's a tribute not just to those men who raised the flag there, but to ALL who serve in the USMC.

So how about a MAJOR who served in the 101st airborne dropped into France before D-Day, that was raised in Pennsylvania with a Quaker upbringing?

How do you memorialize such a man?

With a bronze statue, unveiled yesterday in Normandy, France.

Here's the WIKI on Major Dick Winters, who died 8 January 2011:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Winters

Those of you who saw Band of Brothers know who he was, and he was someone I would have loved to have met.

He richly deserves this tribute, but I would have liked to see a similar statue in his hometown in PA.

It's only fitting that we do so to remember the price of victory...and freedom...and liberty.

*** What happens when you tie fireworks to a kitten's tail?

You IMMEDIATELY PISS ME THE F$CK OFF...!!!

And I'm sure many of you will be similarly PO'ed...

Well, continuing in the "tradition" of aberrant behavior we can easily find in Fort Wayne these days, we have THIS story:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120607/LOCAL07/306079943

Belinda Lewis is someone I place a great deal of trust in and have high regard for, even though we have never met personally.

She's the person in charge of Animal Control in Ft. Wayne, and does a remarkable job with the resources she has available.

This is one of the BEST run departments in the entire city.

SO, it greatly disturbs me to see some poor kitten basically tortured in such a manner, especially up on the NORTHWEST SIDE of town.

Guess criminal activity and perversions have spread to ALL parts of Ft. Wayne now.

It sickens me to see people care so damn little about a cutie like this.

I can't even call them people...they're f$cking animals...worse than animals, in fact. I don't know what to call them.

Whoever did this ranks right UP there with the rock-tosser I mentioned the other day...

And I hope to Christ they get caught, someone dimes on them, and they get the book tossed at them...several times.

Better still, turn 'em over to me...for an hour...no questions asked. I guarantee they'll never bother another defenseless animal again

This is beyond reprehensible...and needs to be dealt with...severely.

I think a fitting name for this kitten would be "PHOENIX" ...after all, she damn near had to rise from the "ashes"...

And I KNOW she'll get a good home, too.
*** How about a car that gets 118 MPG?

Well, Bob...what's the catch?

(I'm glad you asked)

The catch is that it would take 11 years for you to see an offset for the PRICE you'd have to pay for the car.

Don't believe me?

Here's the story:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120607/NEWS03/306079966/0/SEARCH

With the 240V charging system, the car gets 82 miles on a charge, and that means a commute would cost NOTHING...

Or would it?

That electricity comes from COAL-FIRED utility plants, so it costs SOMETHING (especially if you're the homeowner that plugs it the hell in every night), right? Well, there's ONE lie.

How about the fact that driving this car would LOWER our dependence on FOREIGN oil?

Well, if we drilled more HERE...and opened a few NEW refineries (haven't had a new one open in over THIRTY years), THAT would take care of the foreign oil problem. Another lie?

And naturally, ANY battery (or pack of batteries) can only be charged SO many times, before they start losing that ability...and that means swapping out the batteries for fresh ones...that's gotta cost SOMETHING, too, right?

How long does a rechargeable battery last in a SOLAR LIGHT, anyway?

Not that long...and they don't retain the charge as well over time. They, like all of us...just get tired.

Now, an electric car is a good idea...IF IT WORKS.
I'd much rather see FUEL CELL technologies pursued...much better return for the investment.
*** What happens to Science Fiction writers when they pass away?

Their books live LONG after them...and so it will be with Ray Bradbury.

He passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, and curiously enough, HIS birthday and mine were the same.

(nice to be kept in such good company)

I remember reading his books when I was in high school (mid-60s) and the visions he proposed in his works were much the portent to many of the devices we take for granted today.

Here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury

And here is the story regarding his passing:

http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120607/NEWS03/306079958/0/SEARCH

Amazing that he felt "we have too many cellphones...too many internets...we need to be rid of all the machines"...

Sounds TOO much like ME...LOL.

Guess we also have that much in common as well as birth dates.

I know that Fahrenheit 451 was a very sobering movie to watch (even today, considering it as made back in 1966) and paints that society as one much akin to "the nanny-state", with skewed priorities.

That was his ONLY science-fiction novel...as he would claim "everything else was FANTASY, because '451' was based in reality and fact".

I know that his works will live on in the libraries, book shelves and minds of the readers who dare open the pages and read.

Not too bad a legacy...
*** How much MLK becomes TOO much?

Well, considering ALL the cities that already have SOME sort of tribute to the late Dr. King, it's little wonder that Ft. Wayne would follow suit, considering he visited HERE (back in 1963), so it's befitting that we have a new BRIDGE on Clinton St. named in his honor.
But to some...that's NOT ENOUGH.
The Urban League of Ft. Wayne (Jonathan Ray and Larry Lee) want the entire 11 MILES of Clinton St. RENAMED to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard...
((...AHEM...)) 
Aren't you people PLEASED (enough) with the BRIDGE?
You still want MORE?
(sounds so typically LEFT-winged in nature)

How's about this...you come down to MY house and visit my MLK Memorial Wildlife Refuge (our patio) where you will find the MLK feeders (for the hummingbirds), and the MLK water dish (which doubles as a bath tub for the birds).

Come sit in our MLK Memorial Patio Chairs and rest under out MLK patio table UMBRELLA.
After that, you can see the new, improved MLK Memorial FENCE we recently had installed, venture past our MLK Memorial Gate out onto our front lawn, soon to be named the Dr. King Peace Garden...just ignore the "neighbors"...THEY'RE not all into this kinda stuff.
You can clearly see how FAR this can go, and how you can easily DIMINISH the man AND his teachings. We should not do that to Dr. King.
I say the BRIDGE is fine...and let's leave it at that.
After all, Fort Wayne is NOT Selma, Alabama...right?

*** Lastly today...life is an incredible journey; a place where we all will (hopefully) spend more than a few decades.

And, as journeys go, it can be one filled with wonder and awe, or it can one bound by tedium and boredom.

It all depends on what WE decide to make of it.

Again, it always comes down to the PEOPLE.

WE are the ones tasked with making this world turn in a proper manner, rather than in turmoil.

We might not always get it right, but we do have the ability to learn, and thereby try AGAIN if need be.

Life is a treasure to be cherished, not something to be trifled with, nor put upon a shelf like all the other trophies we accumulate.

It is to be LIVED, and lived to best of our capabilities.

To do less does a disservice to ourselves, and our families.

Now, I'm not saying we all try to scale El Capitan in Yosemite, or climb Mt. Everest next week...we do what we feel is right to accommodate our lives, even if it's the simple task of feeding the birds that stop by, or listening to some good music.

We have to find our OWN way when it comes to OUR journey.

That is the part of our individuality that can shine as bright as the sun itself.

As always...it is totally up to us to make that happen.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...

Stay SAFE out there, America