Friday Follies...
With birthdays aside, I am definitely GLAD to see week's end THIS at long last.
(and that cake was delicious, as was the Chinese food for dinner)
Been one helatious event after another...and in some circles could be considered something akin to a Greek tragedy of the ancients.
Still, we are moving forward, and I'll be filling all of you in on the continuation of our SAGA anon, but first, let's take a look at the Hoosierland weather.
Today will be clear, with temps rising into the LOW 80s, and with lower humidity.
We will most likely see the sun sometime later this morning, too.
Now that we have that over with, let's proceed with...the REST of the story.
*** First out of the gate today is our tribute to this month, known as:
Bobby G's This Day in August History!
August 23 -
79BC  Mt Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of VULCAN, the Roman god (uh oh)
1904 - The automobile TIRE CHAIN is pantented.
1942 - The Battle of STALINGRAD commence.
1948 - The World Council of Churches is formed
1954 - The FIRST flight of the C-130 Hercules transport

And STILL going strong!

1970 - The Salad Bowl Strike in the U.S., led by Mexican-American labor leader, Cesar Chavez begins.
2011 - Muammar Gadaffi is overthrown during the Libyan civil war of the same year
Notable birthdays:
1785 - Oliver Hazard Perry - American naval officer (d-1819)

1912 - Gene Kelly - American dancer and actor (d-1996)
1932 - Mark Russell - American humorist and pianist
1934 - Barbara Eden - American actress (I STILL dream of Jeannie - yowzah!)

1949 - Shelley Long - American actress (Hoosier native)
1953 - Bobby G. - English singer (absolutely NO relation...LOL)
1963 - Kenny Wallace - American NASCAR driver
And...just because you asked...YES, today IS Father's Day...in NEPAL!
Now you know some really cool stuff...amaze your friends.
*** Next up today, did you know that our favorite urban slumfest, also know as DETROIT has another problem?
It is inundated with stray DOGS...to the tune of about FIFTY THOUSAND (give or take)...!

At least the dog catchers have some "job-security" there, hmm?
Here's the lowdown:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130823/NEWS/308239963/0/SEARCH
Apparently, this is a damn good example of "nature reclaiming it's own" to some degree.
The head of animal control there states "It's as though you designed a situation that causes dog problems."
With all the vacant homes and open areas, owners that can no longer afford the pets have turned them loose, to be free to bite mail carriers, attack other pets,and otherwise clog the shelters across the city, even with a 70% euthanasia rate.
(wish they had THAT rate in the PRISON SYSTEMS)
I couldn't help but think back to a sci-fi novel I read decades ago...it's called CITY (by Clifford D. Simak), and it chronicles the decline of a city and how the dogs wind up "owning" it to the degree that they evolve into a higher species and sit around discussing that decline over the ages.
Talk about being a bit on the prophetic side...if this is left alone.
The book is a really good read.
I especially like the first several chapters..sounds like where we're headed.
You cannot help but wonder how much WE affect things initially, and what the repercussions are that we leave in OUR wake.
Moving on...
*** Yes folks, ANOTHER shooting on the city's...(all together, boys and girls...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE.
And, there's a bit of a "backstory" that you WON'T find in the news article, found here:
http://www.wane.com/news/crime/police-investigating-shots-fired-on-s-anthony

It seems that a car was travelling on S. Anthony Blvd, turning onto Colonial Ave, when it was struck by gunfire from another vehicle (looked to be a silver Dodge Charger).
The driver of the car that was struck was toting his baby-mama's child in a car-seat, but neither was hit by the gunfire.
The black male driver tried to RAM the other vehicle (to get away)

Three black males were taken into custody when the suspect car was sighted and a brief pursuit followed, ending in the Twin Oaks Apartments when the vehicle struck a carport.
BTW, the apartments where a police pursuit ended is the  SAME complex that 40 A/C units were scrapped from earlier this year.
It was when the three men bailed that police caught up to them and gave them a "free ride" downtown.
When WANE attempted to contact the FWPD about the progress of the investigation, the calls were not returned.
(( Update - 1300 hrs - one arrest has been made in this shooting and here's the link:
http://www.wane.com/news/crime/police-investigating-shots-fired-on-s-anthony
I guess ONE arrest out of THREE is better than NONE, right? ))
And now, for some news you won't hear reported.
The driver of the car that was shot at (a lavender and black 80s era Caprice Classic) must not have a JOB, because I have SEEN this car travelling through OUR area at times when people are working, but he MUST have enough money (somehow) for a VERY LOUD stereo system in the trunk of that car. He's a relative "newbie" as he's only been driving through in that car for a couple months...haven't gotten a picture or tag number yet, because he doesn't even slow down at YIELD signs, but you can hear him coming.
They didn't show his face on the video, and it would NOT surprise me if this guy was "wanted" by the other three for some sort of drug dispute, and I say that because young men like HIM seem to fit a standard profile for behavior, and if you listen to the way he talks, you can tell he's not going to attend Purdue ANY time soon...he's got a nice gig with baby-mama (until he gets tossed and goes to the next female to start the game all over again).
Betcha he's EVEN got himself a rap sheet...if we only knew his name.
THESE are the people who live in the ghettohood...not poor, just lazy and willing to screw, shoot, play loud music, get drunk and/or get high smoking DOPE...because that's what THEY are.
*** Next up...where is all the outcry from those civil rights pundits over the killing of that young Aussie ball player, Chris Lane in Oklahoma by three TEENS (two of them BLACK)???

Chris Lane - shot to death for no reason.

All I can hear are crickets from these buttwipes, and with the 50th anniversary of the MLK "I have a dream" speech, too. Their silence speaks VOLUMES!

Three bored thugs charged with murder.

Sure was a lot WORSE than the Martin/Zimmerman situation...that was self-defense, while the Aussie was MURDERED outright...and all because the teems "were bored"...
Bill O'Reilly used a word this past week, that put a smile on my face...it was SUBCULTURE.
He talked about a violent subculture in America, and he's RIGHT, but, it's nothing new, and I can prove it.

I started this blog back on 25 August 2006 (7th anniversary this Sunday, BTW...more CAKE), and it was only TWO DAYS into the blog that I used the word SUBCULTURE to describe much of what was going on down HERE, far from Oklahoma, and years BEFORE Bill used it.
I'm so glad others are finally catching on...and saying something about it.
*** While we're on this subject, what about Delbet Belton?
(who???)
He's the 88-year old WW2 vet who was wounded but survived the battle of Okinawa, was full of life and liked to work on cars.

Delbert Belton - R.I.P.

He was also senselessly beaten in a parking lot of the Eagle Lodge, and later died at the hands of two young male BLACKS, who are still at-large in Spokane, Washington.
Here's the story link:
http://www.khq.com/story/23225525/88-year-old-man-assaulted-at-eagles-ice-arena-has-died
Wonder if THOSE boys were BORED, also...or of they just wanted to beat up a white man, much like the one that killed Chris Lane who posted online about offing some peckerwood (slang for whites).
Sure the HIGHEST crime rates occur with black-on-black, and that's not mentioned much, as is the black-on-WHITE crimes...but don't EVER allow a white-on-black crime like these to occur...the drive-by media will run with it for WEEKS.
This is NOT the way humanity evolves and certainly NO way for a vet to check out of this life after all he's been through.
The authorities should punish ALL these thugs to the greatest extent allowed by law...or better yet, toss the book and execute them straight away. Don't waste time, money, and resources TRYING to figure such vermin out and attempt to "rehab" them...not gonna work at this point.
*** And now, we come to the NEXT chapter of the SAGA of our "Fortress", which I have decided to name....(...wait for it...)...
BEOWROOF...!

Nice book cover

(that's because The Oddity didn't quite roll off the tongue as well...lol)
When last we left our intrepid homeowner...I was waiting for someone to call me back to rid us of the bees.
I called ARAB pest control - .left message - no call back until after 1700 hrs...wasted day.
I called ARROW pest control - they called back and stopped by. Told me the cost was around $200 and they could do it TUESDAY...
Not good enough...we have TIME issues - lose the bees, patch the roof, catch the raccoons and then  we get the NEW roof put on.
I then called BUG FREE pest control (the ads were getting smaller by this time), and THEY said they could be out within TEN MINUTES!
((WTF???...that's in a GOOD way, mind you))
The fellow arrives as planned (name of Billy Roark...fantastic gentleman AND technician), quotes me a price of $145 and says he can get to work...like IMMEDIATELY.

Nice truck - fast service.

Okay, now I am getting VERY impressed.
Since Wifey left me "Mr Checkbook", I told Billy to "have at it", and he donned his protective gear, set up the ladder, and proceeded to dust out the bees...(they didn't like that one damn bit...too bad)

Go get 'em, Billy!

The bees swarmed over his suit, but he kept at it, and put so much dust on them and in the area they got into, that the dust was coming out of the raccoon "hole"...suh-weet!
After a brief chat and a check being written, I have to say nothing but GREAT things about this company.
A FIVE-STAR OP all the way around...service, courtesy, experience...you name it.
And the really cool thing...Billy's birthday was the 21st...no sh*t!
I asked if he wanted a slice of my b'day cake...he had a ROACH job in Kendalville to go to after us...so he passed, and I can understand why.
We have a 6-month warranty of the job, and we got rid of the damn yellow-jackets...PHASE ONE complete.
Now, onto PHASE TWO...Billy put us wise to a guy named Rick that does trapping and removal of raccoons, so he might be by TOMORROW, rather than sometime next week, like the other place mentioned..
Hey, the sooner, the better to get the roof patched and the furry buggers outta here.
We do have to remove some branches the raccoons use to get ONTO the roof, but Bill said that Rick might even be able to do THAT as well...still better.
I have some left over shingles from a neighbors roof that he gave to me years ago, and they might work until the NEW roof goes on (and the plywood repaired). If Rick can't nail those on, I might run up the ladder and give that a go this weekend.
And THAT concludes this chapter of the SAGA of BEOWROOF.
Stay tuned for the next installment, coming to a blogosphere near you...in HD
*** Lastly today, again we see both sides of society.
The extremely BAD, thanks to a disintegration of what we know as THE FAMILY, and the GOOD, in which we see that having a REAL family does produce people of value...of substance...of integrity.
It always comes down to the people anyway, right?

Whether it's the guy robbing a liquor store, or shooting up some car, or if it's the guy that holds a REAL job down, enjoys what he does, and does the best job he can every day because of the values that were taught to him...it's about the CHOICES we make.
We make both choices and mistakes in life.
A bad choice leads to that mistake, while that mistake often leads to making a better choice.
One hand washes the other in that regard.
It's not hard to figure out...for most people.
They just have to choose to figure it out, don't they?
DO have yourselves a great weekend.

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