07 March 2013

What a Difference a Day Makes...
And what a feeling it is to wake up feeling about as torn up as a construction site!
Okay, so sometimes, even the best advice means nothing...as you age (and when you don't pay attention...to YOU)...LOL..
So, forgive the brevity of today's post, until I return to my curmudgeonly and irascible self!
I will instead make this post more like an "adventure in pictures" as it were...like a PLAYBOY magazine...without the women...and the cover...and the sexy cartoons...and the letters to the editor section...
(cripes, ain't much LEFT then, is there, Bob?)
Well, I'll still give it the old "college" try (when colleges were a lot LESS liberal in both curriculum AND tenured instructors).
*** First out today is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"If you take all the experience and judgment of men over fifty out of the world, there wouldn’t be enough left to run it."
This was spoken by Henry Ford and you should be able to find his WIKI easy enough, by now, right?
As a sidebar to this, I am referring to a time when men and women OVER 50 were a lot more revered than today.
And with a generation or several growing up with a skewed value system, morality, and a truckload of bad principles, we're hard-pressed to fid such people of yesteryear...so there.
*** Next up, there just HAD to be a snowmobile death during this storm...you just KNEW it...thing is, WHERE was it going to occur?
Wonder no longer...here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130307/LOCAL07/303079948
THIS is the result of riding TOO FAST, trespassing on PRIVATE PROPERTY and NOT KNOWING the terrain you're trespassing UPON.
You get "clotheslined" by a heavy wire fence (meant to keep cattle inside for example)...blunt force trauma to the NECK.
Fate stacked the deck against this young adult, and all too often the "house" wins.
Let this be a lesson to others...
*** Now, about that (really decent) snowfall and the total amounts we received down here in the "Ghettohood"...
(All right, WHO the hell started playing that title track by ADELE...???)
Wiseguys...
I can honestly say that we damn near got ELEVEN INCHES, at least on our patio table, which resembles one of the Hostess "Snowballs" - cakes with cream filling and shredded coconut on top...
(I miss those).
Google them up if you want a "comparison" shot...they DO look alike..,.seriously!
But our patio table in NOWEHRE as tasty...that's the way it goes.
On the ground, we got TEN, but it was a more "protected area".
Wifey helped with the driveway (thank God), so we got HER side cleared...UNTIL the plows rolled through ("It's a MIRACLE, I tell you") around 2230 hrs.
They first went over our cross-street, and then down past our front "gate" to the "Fortress".

At least they didn't "rooster-tail" the snow back onto the sidewalks, but the driveway had a nice "wall" at the base...had to first shovel THAT this morning...yeah, feeling this lousy.
But, we do what we do, right?
I didn't bother to shovel off the entire patio...just enough to create our newest attraction:
SPARROW CANYON...LOL.
And the birds obviously found it to their liking...
They even like pizza crust !
(buncha Italian avians...must be)
One squirrel came by, jumped off the fence into the snow...and promptly DISAPPEARED...until his head poked up.
I was laughing too hard to get the camera and snap a shot, but it would have been funny as hell.
And so, our snow "event" comes to it's timely end for now...all that's left will be the big MELTDOWN this weekend.
Sure to help the farmers out...and raise the rivers to near flood level...(hope not, people live near 'em).
You fine folks continue to take it easy out there on the roads, and ESPECIALLY when shoveling....believe me, I KNOW I'm not 35 any longer...
Hell, I don't even feel as young as FIFTY-FIVE today...(hurts to laugh, too)
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

06 March 2013

Humpday Happenings...
And this IS one helluva humpday for us here in the Midwest.
Might be a "snow-delay" getting all this posted...lol.
Schools are closed, streets are barely passable for standard vehicles, and the police will no doubt be chasing a TON of signal "25's" today (accidents).
We'll be covering the snow storm we got last night in just a wee bit, but before that, we've some other things to get out of the way.
So top off that hot coffee, tea or cocoa, sit back, and enjoy the day...we ain't going anywhere for a while.
*** First up this morning is our Motto Of The Week aka WHO SAID THAT?
"If you take all the experience and judgment of men over fifty out of the world, there wouldn’t be enough left to run it."
I think this fits the bill today, and separates the MEN from the boys, and the WOMEN from the girls.
So...who said it? The answer at the top of tomorrow's post..
Moving on...
*** Venezuelan dictator and overall buttwipe Hugo Chavez died yesterday...finally.
'Nuff said about that thug...NEXT, please!
*** The snow storm that whacked us yesterday left anywhere from 4-11 inches of that wet and flaky white stuff, depending on WHERE you live.
Traffic IS moving along Coliseum Blvd (up north) where all the plows seem to wind up for some odd reason.
We got close to a FOOT down here in the ghettohood, and I have to say it's been some time since we had to WORK to just get the back door OPEN, so I could go down the steps to the garage (which I had to shovel a path to).
Thankfully, Wifey has the day off, so doing the DRIVEWAY won't be a priority at this point.
FWCS waited until 5AM today to make the call for a 2-hour delay...and then followed up with a closing.
They're gonna catch some hell for waiting SO long...I hope.
Yeah, we really need ALL those school buses wrestling with snow plows and other traffic in this mess...right?
-- I DID however clean off the front steps and sidewalk, according to the city ordinance, which states that: "sidewalks are to be clean of snow and passable by 9AM".
Hey, it's not MY rule...it's the city's. AND how FEW down here will actually FOLLOW that.
It's a HEAVY (wet) snow, too, and that means a lot of potential for those dreaded heart-attacks.
So, if you HAVE to shovel this stuff, remember to pace yourself, take a break...the snow isn't going anywhere soon, and dress appropriately.
And if you start to perspire, rest a spell, because you're putting a load on the old ticker.
You know, maybe they could make a MOVIE about this recent weather event...wonder what we could call it?
Yeah, that works for me.
-- I can honestly say that with this storm, the streets were devoid of traffic, and that meant a whole lot of QUIET...for a change.
In fact, this is the quietest it has been in THIS neighborhood for YEARS...literally...no sh*t!
I have not even seen one bird or animal track on ANY of the snow..yet.
-- What I have been smiling about (beside the peace and quiet) is the way SOME people "think" they can drive in this snow...and fail miserably in the vain attempt.
It's all about EXPERIENCE (like that motto) and also KNOWING the limitations of your vehicle and properly maintaining it.
That would mean having some GOOD rubber on those rims, and NOT some "baloney-skins" as we used to call tires with little to no tread back in Philly.
Bald tires are about as effective in this weather as feet on a damn fish.
One person tried to get someplace last night, and wound up just LEAVING their car at the intersection.
See, the low-information (and knowledge) people DO that sort of sh*t...they leave things wherever, when they SHOULD have stayed the hell home during a LEVEL ONE snow alert, which WAS issued last night, IF you were listening to the radio or watching TV.
People should KNOW that our streets get the plow only AFTER all the main and secondary roads have been somewhat cleared.
But, these mooks never seem to pay attention in that regard...big surprise there, huh?
Hell I've driven in such snow, and got caught in a storm much like we got yesterday.
I was in NJ at one of our Circuit City stores, and they CLOSED, due to the weather.
I had a 45 minute drive BACK home...which took damn near 2.5 HOURS to navigate I-295 North to Rt 73 and the bridge that would get me back across the Delaware to Philly.
That was NOT fun at all.
Max speed on the interstate was about 25 MPH, and there was hardly ANY other traffic, (including emergency vehicles and plows...even they were MIA). The wipers iced up,and the defroster couldn't keep up with the snow and sleet coming down.
And you dare not lose sight of the tail lights in front of you...that was your "guide" to the road surface (hopefully).
Yeah, this storm last night was JUST like that
-- And one the biggest problems with such a snow (when driving) is that SO many people do NOT clean off their vehicles.
They must think the increased WEIGHT will somehow keep them from getting stuck...just the opposite is true.
Heavy only works with HUMVEES and armored and tracked vehicles...everything else is a crap shoot.
The worst are the ones that JUST clean off a peep-hole to see out of...lazy as the day is long.
And DANGEROUS, too.
I miss days when people cleaned the WHOLE vehicle off, or just didn't bother to go out in bad weather like this.
That's why Philly police USED to use CHAINS on patrol cars.
I still have a set...JUST in case.
Even fire engines and wreckers had them.
Plow trucks also used them.
Then again, this was before so many trucks had 4-wheel drive.
But, when you get stuck, 4-wheel (all-wheel) drive might not be able to save your ass sometimes.
Depends a lot on the driver, often as much as the vehicle.
-- It's not the Blizzard of '78, but it's a decent storm, nonetheless.
It's watching what people DO in the aftermath that becomes amusing, mainly because many of them never had to deal with it on a regular basis (like going to and from something we call WORK) , or just plain don't give a sh*t, which I what we see around our "Fortress"...
Oh, there are the "show-offs" that will try to ground loop a long bed diesel pickup to display their level of testosterone...fish-tailing all the way up the street, as they heavy-foot their way to someplace else.
THOSE people are the ones that will cause accidents or damage to someone else's property.
THOSE are the ones the FWPD should be looking for...easy citation and some easy money for the city.
-- The GOOD news is that we're due for a warmup...just not today.
The weekend will bring temps into the high 40s (maybe 50), so the snow will be going bye-bye soon enough...just not today.
Makes me wonder WHERE the melted snow WILL be going, and how HIGH the rivers will get as a result?
Could be interesting, to say the least.
In ANY event, you know the drill...
Do take it EASY out there, whether you're shoveling, walking (a preferred mode of transport in THIS crap), and especially while DRIVING.
A little caution on YOUR part will go a VERY long way outside today, trust me.
In the meantime...
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

05 March 2013

Tales From The SOUTH Side...
Yep, time once again for some of Fort Wayne's "stellar" citizens, accomplishments, and other assorted asshatteries that pervade the Summit City.
But FIRST, we have to tackle the weather (which is easier than tackling a running back)...
Here in the Heartland, we did get a dusting last night, but TODAY will be the "main event" so to speak.
We're slated to get anywhere from 1-3 inches DURING the day (and it's supposed to be a WET snow - and that means heavy to shovel), with an additional several inches during the overnight, so tomorrow morning will be the time to see the totals.
Do take it easy out there clearing the sidewalk, driveway or vehicle.
Might be some delays and/or closings tomorrow, depending upon where you live.
Temps will hover near freezing today, and if you see the sun at all, tell him I said "how's it going?".
Could always be WORSE, right?
And now, on to the other stuff...
*** An early morning fire guts two businesses at the Marketplace at Canterbury.
Here's the latest:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/crews-on-scene-of-business-fire-on-st-joe-rd
Mitchell's Sports Bar and Grill was heavuly damaged, and the Cap n Cork there was destroyed in the fire.
(all that GOOD bourbon and scotch...up in smoke...damn shame!)
The fire was believed to have spread FROM the Cap n Cork around 0500 hrs.
Unfortunately Piere's nightclub did NOT burn to the ground....(damn)!
But it DID sustain smoke damage.
Investigators are on scene to determine the CAUSE of the blaze.
*** And in a story "related" to Piere's nightclub (and the violent frivolity that often follows when some people choose to exercise extreme stupidity), there's THIS, which does have a happy ending:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130305/LOCAL03/303059979
Yes, the other half of the ambulance shooting "team" (not to become an Olympic event, thankfully) had his sentence handed to him - should have been on a silver platter, too.
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY YEARS....in JAIL!
That's what Dontay Martin is staring at...how bright is that future of yours NOW, asshole?
As was the case during the trial, Martin showed little regard for the proceedings (cock-head), even when Judge Surbeck stated: "You violated that basic tenet that applies even in a war zone" (shooting at medical personnel).
Here's the WANE coverage of this:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/crime/defendant-gets-170-years-for-ambulance-shooting
The asst. prosecutor, Jason Custer, is on MY "nice" list, too when HE said: "The behavior here is beyond outrageous. The community doesn't deserve having someone like him on the streets. The defendant treated it like the O.K. Corral. He lives outside the norms of society."
Custer also added: "He provides no value to the community".
Now THIS man "gets it"...Kudos to YOU, sir.
(and now you also know a lot about the "value" of our "neighbors"...lol)
Martin maintained his innocence (don't they all?), and angrily stated: "I was raised by a single mom. That's not my M.O.".
And his mom thinks the sentence is too harsh.
Sorry, "Mom", but your boy is nothing short of "20 miles of bad road"...he got what he deserved!
Obviously, Martin's "mom" didn't know how to punish him PROPERLY when he did something WRONG, otherwise his life wouldn't have become the clusterf$ck that HE made it.
After Martin was done speaking, he said "Allahu Akbar" (not to be confused with Star Wars Admiral Ackbar - "It's a trap" ) which in Islam translates to mean "God is great".
Others in the audience answered back "Allahu Akbar".
There are lots of Muslims that use that phrase...typically right before they blow something (and themselves) the hell UP.
Martin plans to appeal (good f$cking luck with THAT, you boil on society's ass).
I would state that it would be a helluva lot cheaper in the long run to just put one in his head, and be done with it, rather than have him become a "ward of the state" until he gets (hopefully) shivved to death in jail.
Meanwhile, back in the holding cell...
*** I am always speaking to the fact that having your neighborhood turn into a ghettohood around you is one of those "never a dull moment" venues.
And yesterday kinda spelled that out SO well.
This is a story you WON'T see on the news or in the papers.
The "residents" at a house just behind our "Fortress" got involved in some sort of "domestic" - 2 young black sisters live there, along with what ever OTHER human flotsam decides to crib at the bungalow, so that ALONE should get you wondering.
Anyway, a call goes out and apparently someone there doused someone else with gas and was threatening to torch their ass.
Well, that brought out FOUR FWPD vehicles pronto (2 marked cars and 2 unmarked SUVs), along with Engine 11 from the FWFD.
And, there was a lot of "discussing" going on between the residents and the officers...didn't see anyone get the "cuff n stuff", but I'd bet SOMEbody went downtown, because one of the officers was processing and bagging items like a red GAS CAN, and taking pictures (evidence, no doubt).
One black male left (with some clothes) the scene in a maroon Grand Prix, after talking with officers (I already had the tag number from previous visits).
Didn't see anyone run from the house doing an imitation of either the Human Torch OR Michael Jackson, so I guess the "assault" didn't take place.
Gonna be a bitch getting that smell out of those clothes...and house, though.
Yeah, this is the same house that holds parties in the garage out back, smoking dope (might even be selling it, too), and has that female bouncing a basketball down the street at night (she wears saggy pants and dresses more like a male gangsta than some men around here, so I'm thinking lesbo here).
One of them is "supposed" to be attending SOME college here (yeah, right...ROFL), and I'd wager that either or both of the sisters are "government-sponsored", otherwise the males wouldn't be coming by as often.
I have seen small children there, so one of them didn't keep her legs shut.
Great role model and sterling examples of parenting...when bodily arson threats abound, yes?
Damn shame they didn't torch the house,...we could always use a larger "buffer zone" between our "Fortress" and the rest of the locals.
Yeah...never a dull moment.
*** Last back to the barn today, justice is on short supply these days, and I have to ask myself WHY?
Didn't always roll like that.
Used to be a time when justice WAS dealt out more frequently, and with larger repercussions to those committing criminal acts.
So why did our society decide to TRY and understand such people, by not chastening them as harshly, if at all?
And how well has that worked out for us during all that time?
We hardly even deal out the death penalty any longer, because we wish to be a "kinder, gentler" America.
This nation wasn't EXACTLY founded on sunshine and lollipops, folks.
We had to FIGHT to create this nation, and we had to KILL to do so.
And we had to kill our OWN people...our OWN family members.
Anyone remember something called the CIVIL WAR?
Even before that and more, we still had JUSTICE...to the victims...to those who were WRONGED.
Today, it's not about that as much.
We tend to gravitate to that which is duplicitous in nature.
Our society doesn't wish to kill a few criminals via the death penalty...BUT we CAN go ahead and kill 55 MILLION (innocent) souls through abortion...
Something inherently wrong with that picture?
Where is the JUSTICE THERE, hmm?
Sometimes, the system gets it right, such as in the case of ambulance shooters like Jackson and Martin.
Or, in the case of Alianna Lemon.
Still, if we can kill the unborn, why do we have such issues with killing ADULT criminals?
Perhaps it would befit us to remember where justice TRULY lies.
Therein lies the lesson for today.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

04 March 2013

Monday Musings...
Welcome back to another week in the adventure called LIFE.
And we've got some "nice" weather coming our way early this week, IF you like snow.
Today, will be increasingly cloudy into tonight when sometime after midnight, we'll start to see that snow we're being promised. Several inches are predicted.
Temps will hover around freezing, and that's about it, kids.
Tomorrow will be the fun stuff.
In the meanwhile, let's get busy with "the rest of the story"...
*** Teen dies after gun-cleaning mishap.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130304/LOCAL07/303049942/0/FRONTPAGE
Now, I could go on and on about gun SAFETY, and how EVERY weapon should be treated AS IF it were LOADED, but apparently, some folks just ain't getting the message, or think it will never happen to them.
Well happen it does, and a .45 ACP round doesn't make ANY distinction when it goes off. It doesn't care WHO shot it, or WHERE it's going.
And THAT can often lead to fatal consequences.
I wish I could feel sympathy for the person shot and killed, but when common sense and safety practices are tossed out the window, I simply can't.
That size round to the head is deadly considering just the muzzle energy alone...period.
Hell, ANY round to the head can be considered serious...even a .22 (because of the way they fragment).
The FIRST thing one does whenever cleaning a weapon is to CLEAR the weapon safely, by dumping the magazine, and then racking the slide (usually locking it back in the process) to eject any chambered round. It's THAT simple.
And simple SHOULD have been followed to the letter. Sadly, it was not.
Some people have to learn lessons the HARD way...
Moving on...
*** If you get the Journal Gazette on Sunday (probably the only day it's worthwhile), then you get to see where crime is happening sector-by-sector in the METRO section.
What is interesting is the pattern that's developing...
For the last 6-8 months, I'm noticing more and more crime being posted that occurs closer to center city and near SW and NW. This is in addition to the CONSTANT crime we "enjoy" on the SOUTH and EAST sides of this city.
The SPOT-CRIME website backs this up as well.
The sector Wifey and I live in (45) is no longer the weekly "winner" of the J-G postings. It's now become sector 21 (near downtown SW), and that proves my "theory" that crimes DOES in fact, spreads like the disease it is...when left "unattended".
Failure to corral the crime in the SE part of Ft. Wayne will invariably lead (as it has) to a migration into other parts of the city, because the "local" venues have all been pretty much "tapped out" as it were. Case in point were all those apartment robberies and home-invasions. The perps lived DOWN here, but they went "uptown" for their crime sprees...
Yet, this doesn't mean that SE crime goes away....not a chance in hell of THAT occurring.
It means that so many smaller crimes will (and do) happen...every day with such regularity, due t the fact that they are left UNCHECKED (or unnoticed), thanks to rampant apathy on the part of what passes for the citizenry down here.
*** And that brings me to our next story.
This is something I mentioned way back on 7 November 2011 (check the archives here).
It deals with the ever-increasing COST of all those damn BUTT-DIALS on cell phones and 9-1-1 HANGUPS.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130303/LOCAL07/303039944/0/SEARCH
Julie Crothers does a decent job reporting the problem, but she did miss a couple points (that I'll send along to her in an upcoming email).
Nice graph in the article, too.
You just KNOW this was coming, given human nature THESE days.
Aside from the $19K a year it costs the department, it costs something a lot more "valuable"...dispatchers and officer's TIME.
Now, it's been often said that "TIME IS MONEY", but in this case, TIME CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.
And you can't put a price on THAT, can you?
*** Frank Gray also had a good story on guns...or more precisely the SERIAL NUMBERS on them.
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20130303/LOCAL0201/303039942/0/SEARCH
Frank starts out with the robbery at the CVS on E. State Blvd this past 20 February, which led to that police action shooting.
He ends with a story from Rusty York (FWPD chief) concerning a firearm traced to him (York) LONG after it was traded back to the dealer for another weapon (back in 1975).
The weapon used in the CVS gig had been reported STOLEN in a burglary back in June 2011, thanks to the serial numbers on the piece.
 ( A Romanian Draco 7.62mm "pistol" - an AK variant)
I have always kept records regarding not only the firearms in my possession, BUT the ammo as well (yes, you can track them by BATCH NUMBER).
And I don't have that information in ONE location only...but several, just in case.
You'd be surprised how MANY people don't keep that information available, for their firearms, let alone the other "items of value" in their abode, such as electronics, jewelry, etc.
When it comes to thugs being able to GET weapons, what's their FIRST CHOICE?
Right...burglary or robbery.
(which negates the need for more gun LAWS, except as punishment in the commission of gun-related CRIMES)
Crims don't FOLLOW the law...doesn't get any easier than that, and anyone with half a brain cell functioning can figure THAT out.
Yet fewer than TEN PERCENT of gun owners keep records of the serial numbers OF those weapons...makes tracking them a helluva lot HARDER if they should wind up stolen. That's one sobering statistic.
Hell, I've even got serial numbers on certain BB guns...and they get recorded just as well...just in case.
It would amaze you how many hands that a stolen firearm might pass through before it winds up in some police property locker.
(and that's when you CAN track it)
*** The HISTORY CHANNEL had the first part of a 6-episode series on THE BIBLE (produced by Roma Downey and Mark Burnett), and I have to say it was VERY well done, and followed the text brilliantly.
I found it more intriguing than the series that followed (The Vikings), but maybe THAT series will pick up later.
The acting was very good, and location shots seemed right out of the Good Book.
Sure, this series will probably drive the atheists and the politically correct totally BAT-SH*T CRAZY, but so what?
They deserve it...LOL.
I feel it's high time that someone produced something that backs up our beliefs in the Almighty for a change.
I'm getting too tired of hearing all the ANTI-Judeo-Christian rhetoric from people who can't tell the difference between their ass and a hole in the ground.
Kudos to Roma and Mark for being SPIRITUALLY correct and bringing us a presentation fit for everyone.
*** Lastly today, this aging thing is highly overrated..seriously.
While the mind might be as sharp as it was at say...35 years of age, many times, the body becomes a bit more "unwilling" to follow along.
I know I'm NOT going to be running the "100" at 10.4 sec anymore, for one thing.
And I wonder what's worse...gray hair or less hair?
(not even thinking about gray AND less at this point)
The joints ache, the muscles ache, and no amount of activity chases that away...it just makes the aches more "specific" in nature.
Still, through it all, you move forward, all the time looking back to what you once had...like an "indestructible body" (as a teenager and young adult).
We ALL believed were were "Superman" at some point...but sooner or later we all succumb to our own version of "Kryptonite", namely aging.
Yet, while we are still able to function, we can do things.
Perhaps not as fast as we used to, but to do nothing can become worse than a death sentence.
Often, we find "new" ways to do old things, because of alack of mobility, or sight, or even mental acuity.
We ADAPT to the situation as best we can, and can rely on science to aid us in that endeavor.
But what we should never forget, is that we ARE still alive...LIFE is that precious a commodity.
It's to be cherished, enjoyed, and above all...LIVED.
Have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.