18 July 2012

Humpday Happenings...

Welcome to the midweek edition of my humble blog.
And, as expected, it's the SAME forecast for the weather...HOT (with a chance of thunderstorms)...
"Summer of Swelter - 2012"...sounds like the makings for a mini-series reality show on Bravo Channel...LOL!
Or, we could rename it to The Real Housewives of Hades?
In any event, we've some interesting things to take a gander at today, so let's get rolling...
*** First up, the military quote of the week - aka- WHO SAID THAT?
"If you wish to study men, learn how far their patience can stretch."
So, WHO said that? The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
*** Next up, an update on the Standish St. shooting.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120718/LOCAL07/307189931/0/FRONTPAGE
The FWPD apparently DOES have a suspect in this latest shooting that left one man (Antonio "Tattoo" Hamlet) in serious condition this past Saturday.
Quinn Dontrail James, 28, of 1326 Ventura Lane is being charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery to Hamlet.
Now, I wonder what kind of RAP SHEET James has...let's see...
================
02D04-0208-CM-005975 James, Quinn D 08/09/2002
Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT
PUBLIC INTOXICATION
NEVER RECEIVE LICENSE
VIOL NOISE ORDINANCE (FW)
02D04-0208-MC-001469 James, Quinn D 08/28/2002
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. DEALING IN COCAINE/METH
RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT
02D04-0209-FB-000168 James, Quinn Dontrail 09/03/2002
Allen Superior Court 5 FB - Class B Felony
Decided DEALING IN COCAINE OR NARCOTIC DRUG
02D04-0302-CM-000965 James, Quinn D 02/10/2003
Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor
Decided MINOR CONSUMING ALCOHOL
02D04-0405-MC-000948 James, Quinn D 05/25/2004
Allen Superior Court 6 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. POSSESS. MARIJUANA
FALSE INFORMING (B)
02D04-0405-FD-000352 James, Quinn Dontrail 05/28/2004
Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony
Decided POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA HASH OIL OR HASHISH
FALSE REPORTING OR INFORMING
02D04-0509-IF-012808 James, Quinn D 09/13/2005
Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction
Decided DRIVING LEFT CENTER
02D04-0601-MC-000030 James, Quinn D 01/04/2006
Allen Superior Court 5 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. POSSESS. MARIJUANA
02D04-0601-FD-000020 James, Quinn Dontrail 01/09/2006
Allen Superior Court 6 FD - Class D Felony
Decided POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA HASH OIL OR HASHISH
02D04-0604-MC-000824 James, Quinn D 04/25/2006
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. POSSESS. MARIJUANA
02D04-0707-IF-010979 James, Quinn D 07/10/2007
Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction
Decided FAILURE TO SIGNAL TURN
02D04-1002-MC-000386 James, Quinn D 02/23/2010
Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal
Decided P.C. POSS CONTR SUBSTANCE
02D04-1002-FD-000188 James, Quinn Dontrail 02/26/2010
Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony
Decided POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
02D05-1207-FA-000030 James, Quinn Dontrail 07/16/2012
Allen Superior Court 5 FA - Class A Felony
Pending 35-42-1-1(1); 35-41-5-1(a)/FA: Attempt Murder
35-42-2-1.5(2)/FB: Aggravated Battery (injury causes protracted loss or impairment)
======addresses====
4511 Lillie St
Fort Wayne, IN 46806 - 2004
1326 Ventura Ln
Fort Wayne, IN 46816
=================
Mr. James bounces between the TWO addresses. (usual M.O. with such people as an attempt to confound authorities)
He's obviously a chronic offender when it comes to DRUGS (and we're not talking kaopectate here).
The car that was driven was a Grand Prix and not a Grand Am...(so close).
And the police even had a for-real WITNESS...someone who didn't "dummy-up" and say "I din see nuffin".
James has yet to be taken into custody as of this posting.
So, he's still on our streets...somewhere, maybe even left town, if he's smart, which he probably isn't...but we rest assured that "He's a good man...life of parties, always smiling...loves his kids"...(whoever they belong to this week)...the kind of BS we ALWAYS seem to hear.
*** EACS has a problem on their hands...AGAIN.
I never recall any school system having such issues in decades past...do you?
Anyway, here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120718/LOCAL04/307189959
What seems to be at issue HERE, is that BLACK students ISTEP+ test scores declined from last year's results...
And the local NAACP is up-in-arms over this.
(why?)
Have we not already DUMBED DOWN the tests sufficiently to meet YOUR agenda?
America has lost it's edge when it comes to education on the global market...didn't used to be that way.
I get damn sick and tired of hearing this "cry wolf" mentality from such people whenever THEY don't get THEIR way...
ALL the students get the SAME TEST.
ALL the students get the SAME LEVEL of education.
ALL students are given the SAME OPPORTUNITY to achieve.
So, WTF is going wrong here?
Maybe, it's that the black students today choose not to hold THEMSELVES to the same standards as the other students?
Maybe education is perceived as too much of a "white thing"?
The students today SURE as hell are not the black students I befriended back in MY high school days...those friends were JUST as accountable as I was...and THEY managed to pass the same classes as well, and graduate right along with everyone else.
Maybe, it's the decades-long DECLINE of the black family unit that's part of the problem?
Maybe some folks aren't as "entitled" as they like?
Perhaps it's ALL of the above...period.
We've levelled this playing field SO many times, we're actually BELOW SEA LEVEL at this point...all we need are tulips, windmills and wooden shoes to complete the venue. Is this what we REALLY want?
Aren't we, as a nation BETTER than this, and can't we hold ourselves to a higher set of standards?
Is that TOO much to ask...of anyone?
Why settle for last place and then demand we be "promoted to FIRST"...how the hell does THAT help the kids when they don't want to help themselves?
It should the BLACK COMMUNITY'S mission to make THAT possible...not anyone else, and certainly not the educational system. They're in the business of making the acquisition of KNOWLEDGE available to all equally.
Some folks just want to be MORE EQUAL than other, I suppose.
Take care of your OWN...for a change. You might just learn to like it.
*** Lastly today, we had that branch that came down upon our garage roof during that last severe storm removed Monday, as well as had that catalpa tree we had growing right alongside the garage cut down.
I couldn't see having a tree grow up to 50 ft that close to the garage...the roots would crack the slab...I just know it would.
Shelton Tree Service did a bang-up job, cutting everything down, tossing it all into the chipper, and then cleaning up as if they were never there in a most expeditious manner. It was well worth waiting a couple weeks to get it done and it was money well spent.
Suffice it to say the driveway looks a lot more "open", but that's fine by me. We won't have to deal with a huge tree that volunteered to grow that close to the garage and house to deal with.
Then again, we're the type of people that KNOW when things need doing, and get it done, unlike SO many others around here that are so damn lazy they stink, and will never lift a finger to do anything...(that's everyone else's job, dawg).
We don't go hog-wild with "fixups" around here...just do things as they require it.
And we must be doing something right, because we recently got that tax assessment for our property and is looks to be going UP...(OMG)!
Now, before we all panic, it's an adjustment from the county and not anything directly attributable to anything "we" might have done (much as I would like to think so), and we''ll probably see our yearly property tax RISE...by about a DOLLAR (or less)...LOL.
Tell 'ya...you can get a helluva deal down here with real estate...if you want to put up with the human flotsam we have around the area.
Then again, if MORE people like us took to home OWNERSHIP down here, this trend of rental cribs would be reversed and the actual value of houses here WOULD go up, along with that QUALITY-OF-LIFE we hear rumors about elsewhere throughout the city.
Turning the ghettohood BACK into a NEIGHBORHOOD...whatta concept, hmm?
Take it easy outside today...
We're not out of the woods yet with the heat and humidity.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

8 comments:

Slamdunk said...

Yeah, there does seem to be a disconnect with education and expectations. There is a second grade teacher in the kids' school that is considered mean and old--she has been teaching for 40+ years.

When older boy took her, we weren't sure what to expect. Well, she is old (so am I) and strict, but man did she push those kids. They had home work all the time and the spelling words were some that I had to peek to see if I was getting right (like poinsettia).

In the end, the students learned a lot and were pushed. I wish he had that teacher every year.

Glad you got your trees trimmed--we have some neighbors who need to get their trees done so we can see the firework shows from the town park better. Haha.

CWMartin said...

HAH! I got one right!!!

The EACS thing shouldn't be all that surprising, and it has little to do with race as such- you take any group of students and transplant them across a district (as they did by closing Harding and dispersing the nearly all-black student body) and you are going to see scores take a short term dip as the students get accustomed (or don't) to their new environs. If education could lift its nose out of politics and "poor me" complaints, they'd have been able to have predicted this drop.

BTW Bob, don't forgetto check out my Zoo pictures from yesterday. The last one is especially for you.

Honest to God, the captcha word today is oatsnot 25. Oat Snot?

Bob G. said...

SLamdunk:
As far back as I can remember, we ALWAYS had "strict" teachers...didn't give an inch, watched all of us like HAWKS...BUT motivated US into pushing OURSELVES to do what she (or he) KNEW we were capable of...and then some.
Can't fault ANY of them, god rest their souls.
They succeeded far beyond their expectations with so many of us of ALL races.

I feel the answer to today's educational "problem" has been there all the time...it never really went away.
It's just that the wrong people always keep asking the wrong questions, I suppose.

And it sure is nice to get those limbs gone (one was larger around than ME...lol).

Thanks for stopping by and commenting today.

Stay safe (and stay cool) out there.

Bob G. said...

CWM:
OATSNOT???

That's a new one with me...considering I DID have oatmeal for breakfast today...LOL!
(how did THEY know???)

Amazing how the NAACP wants to ALWAYS make it about "race"...while we, with a modicum of COMMON SENSE can see the TRUTH to the matter, and it's far from being about race.

The whole moving kids all over the place (and doing away with many of the neighborhood schools) hasn't panned out all that well in general.
Test scores and achievement were MUCH better in all black schools in black communities with black teachers...AND a real family to speak of.

Womder WHY that all changed...and why it was allowed to become the societal and cultural "norm" for such people?

We ALL are capable of much more...
And maybe they'll do AWAY with the Dept. of Education and ALL kids will do a bit better when ALL are held accountable to similar standards and values...it's not a "white" thing, but it IS a HUMAN thing.

And I will definitely stop over and check out the ZOO PICS...looking forward to it, in fact!

Thanks much for dropping on by today and commenting.

You all stay safe (and keep cool) up there.

Momma Fargo said...

It would be nice if the school system got back to basics and worked the students so they would learn more. I can't tell you how many times I was frustrated with them. Seems math, English, history, and science have given way to concept learning and other new fangled methods. Yes, there is a huge gap in the education system. I don't know that I would say it is race specific. Out here it is not. We have a high drop out rate, parents don't care, kids run amuck. That's where I see the problem. If parents don't push their kids to get educated or even PARENT their kids...that's where the problem starts.

PS. You can keep the heat out there.LOL

Bob G. said...

Momma Fargo:
We think a LOT alike here...(maybe 'cause WE were both students who paid attention and did well?)

All these programs that do nothing except work with kids' self-esteem are wort6h less than the time wasted implementing them...besides, isn't that where SELF-AWARENESS (and family nurturing)came into play?

It's really NOT about race ANYWHERE...but agencies like the NAACP keep TRYING to make it such...and that only fosters race-baited societal DIVISION...which isn't helping the kids one damn bit.

It IS about families giving a damn...PARENTS caring and willing to do whatever is needed to ensure good grades BY their kids.
That's what used to work in MY day (and that was less than 50 years ago).

Hey, thanks a lot for rolling up today and sharing your thoughts and comments.

Stay safe out there.
(as for the heat, I was gonna say the SAME about you out there...YOU can keep it...LOL)

John DuMond said...

"Maybe, it's the decades-long DECLINE of the black family unit that's part of the problem?"

Patrick Moynihan predicted this in the early 1960s. Nobody listened. Here we are 5 decades later, and history has shown him to be right. And the powers-that-be still aren't listening.

Bob G. said...

John D.:
I know when Moynihan spoke such things, *I* was too busy trying to get my learning ass OUT of high school...LOL.

But by God, he WAS right...and the proof is in the stats:
Crime rates...
Family deterioration...
Low achievement scores...
Entitlement mindset...
Big government running wild...

So much fallout in such a short time...and it came about SO slowly...imperceptable at first...but it HAS been a cumulative effect, has it not?

Great grab from history (which is usually our BEST teacehr).

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Much appreciated.

You roll safe out thre.