Thoughts For Thursday...

Did you notice that the temperature outside this morning was NOT in negative numbers?
Yes, it's true. We're at 4 degrees ABOVE zero right now (0715 hrs).
And, believe it or else, we're headed to a high of (hope you're sitting down)...TWENTY-EIGHT   DEGREES  ...still on the "above" side.
A slight warm ip in the Hoosierland today...how WILL we stand the strain?
That should allow whatever salt mixture residue on the major streets to work well enough to clear more of the icy crap off of them.
So, warm of that cup of your morning beverage, sit back and let's proceed into this day...
*** First out of the icehouse today is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"You can't get mad at weather, because weather is not about you. Apply that lesson to most other aspects of life."
This was spoken by Douglas Coupland (who?), a Canadian novelist (born 30 December 1961) and here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Coupland
Most notable among his writings is the novel Generation X - Tales of an Accelerated Culture, from which came the terms GEN-X and McJOB.
He also wrote Shampoo Planet (focusing on the generation AFTER Gen-X), as well as Life After God (a series of short stories focusing on spirituality).
Doug became a writer for the magazine WIRED in 1994, producing a short story about the employees at Microsoft, which was the basis for his next novel entitled Microserfs.
He wrote a non-fiction piece in 1996 titled Polaroids From the Dead, which covered a diverse number of topics.
His next novel, called All Families Are Psychotic, deals with a dysfunctional family from Vancouver that comes together to watch their daughter Sarah, an astronaut, launch into space.
His list of writings might include something you've read, since he is considered by many to be one of the BEST satirists of consumerism.
It's a really interesting read about his life and his charity works and venture into films and television.
I guess he might be as close  to a Will Rogers as we're going to get these days.
Moving on...
*** The two victims of the Decatur Rd shooting DO have criminal records (big surprise there, hmm?)
And because YOU never asked for it...here they are:
DEANDREW J. MOORE male black -

A "screencap" is better than nothing, right?

 209 W. Dewald St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 

2616 TRENTMAN AVE Fort Wayne, IN 46806 

1308 GREENE ST APT 4A Fort Wayne, IN 46803 

2501 Stardale Dr Fort Wayne, IN 46816 

2425 New Haven Street Fort Wayne, IN 46803 

912 Hamilton Ave Fort Wayne, IN 46806 

======RAP SHEET=====

 02D04-0801-CM-000326 Moore, Deandrew J 01/16/2008 Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided NEVER RECEIVE LICENSE IMPROPER HEADLIGHT 02D04-0804-CM-002441 Moore, Deandrew J 04/21/2008 Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided RESISTING LAW ENFORCEMENT 02D04-0811-CM-007656 Moore, Deandrew J 11/20/2008 Allen Superior Court 4 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided CARRYING HANDGUN W/O LICENSE NEVER RECEIVE LICENSE INADEQUATE EXHAUST SYSTEM 02D04-0903-MC-000528 Moore, Deandrew J 03/16/2009 Allen Superior Court 6 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal Decided P.C BURGLARY 02D04-0903-FC-000067 Moore, Deandrew J 03/19/2009 Allen Superior Court 5 FC - Class C Felony Decided BURGLARY 02D04-0905-FC-000103 Moore, Deandrew J 05/15/2009 Allen Superior Court 5 FC - Class C Felony Decided DEALING IN A LOOK-A-LIKE SUBSTANCE 02D04-1003-CM-001411 567665 567665 Moore, Deandrew J 03/08/2010 Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided FAIL TO REPORT ACCIDENT NEVER RECEIVE LICENSE 02D04-1003-CM-001787 Moore, Deandrew J 03/29/2010 Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided FALSE INFORMING (B) 02D04-1111-IF-017762 149345 MOORE, DEANDREW J 11/01/2011 Allen Superior Court 4 IF - Infraction Decided 35-48-4-8.3(a)(1)/IFA: Possession of Paraphernalia 02D06-1309-IF-008690 711013 MOORE, DEANDREW J 09/13/2013 Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction Decided 9-21-3-7/IFC: Disregard Lighted Signal - Signals Exhibiting Colored Lights 02D04-1312-MC-003165 000054536625 000054536625 MOORE, DEANDREW J 12/23/2013 Allen Superior Court 4 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation) Decided 35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/FD: Resisting Law Enforcement/Use of Vehicle to Commit Offense 9-25-8-2(a)(1)/IFA: Operating a Motor Vehicle Without Financial Responsibility 9-18-2-7/IFC: Expired Plates 9-21-5-4/IFC: Reduction of Speed: Conditions where Required 9-24-7-4/IFC: Learners Permit Violation 02D06-1312-FD-001429 Moore, Deandrew J 12/30/2013 Allen Superior Court 6 FD - Class D Felony Pending 35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/FD: Resisting Law Enforcement/Use of Vehicle to Commit Offense
 =======================

 Devonte L. Jones male black 

3433 CASSELWOOD DR Fort Wayne, IN 46816 

5001 SMITH ST FORT WAYNE, IN 46806

 =====RAP SHEET=====

 02D04-0912-CM-007416 Jones, Devonte M 12/02/2009 Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided CRIMINAL CONVERSION 02D04-1004-CM-002084 Jones, Devonte M 04/09/2010 Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided CRIMINAL CONVERSION 02D04-1008-CM-005387 Jones, Devonte M 08/31/2010 Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided CRIMINAL CONVERSION 02D06-1009-CM-005711 NA Jones, Devonte M 09/16/2010 Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided 35-43-4-3(a)/MA: Conversion 02D05-1011-CM-007046 NA Jones, Devonte M 11/16/2010 Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided 35-44-2-2(d)(1)/MB: False Informing 02D06-1103-IF-002173 620214 JONES, DEVONTE L 03/08/2011 Allen Superior Court 6 IF - Infraction Decided 9-21-17-12/IFC: Sidewalk Available; Prohibition on Walking Along or Upon Roadway 02D04-1303-CM-001103 NA JONES, DEVONTE L 03/11/2013 Allen Superior Court 4 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided 35-43-2-2(a)(1)/MA: Criminal Trespass 02D05-1304-CM-001928 NA JONES, DEVONTE L 04/25/2013 Allen Superior Court 5 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided 35-43-2-2(a)(1)/MA: Criminal Trespass 02D05-1305-MC-001303 NA JONES, DEVONTE L 05/24/2013 Allen Superior Court 5 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation) Decided 35-43-2-2(a)(1)/FD: Criminal Trespass 02D06-1305-FD-000604 Jones, Devonte L. 05/30/2013 Allen Superior Court 4 FD - Class D Felony Decided 35-43-2-2(a)(1)/FD: Criminal Trespass NA JONES, DEVONTE L 10/07/2013 Allen Superior Court 5 MC - Miscellaneous Criminal (Citation) Decided 35-43-4-2.5(c)/FD: Receiving Stolen Auto Parts 35-48-4-11/MA: Possession Marijuana/Hash Oil/Hashish/Salvia/Synthetic Cannabinoid 02D06-1310-CM-004561 NA JONES, DEVONTE L 10/10/2013 Allen Superior Court 6 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided 35-48-4-11/MA: Possession Marijuana/Hash Oil/Hashish/Salvia/Synthetic Cannabinoid 02D04-1311-CM-005261 NA JONES, DEVONTE L 11/25/2013 Allen Superior Court 4 CM - Criminal Misdemeanor Decided 35-44.1-3-1(a)(3)/MA: Resisting Law Enforcement   
Guess they're NOT some of those "good boys" we always hear about, hmm?
=======================
*** King Henry's "State of the Realm" address yesterday was a bit on the TEDIOUS side - lots of fluff about past accomplishments, the downtown...yada,yada,yada...heard it all before.

The transcript can be found HERE at WANE:
http://wane.com/news/local/mayor-tom-henrys-2014-state-of-the-city-address/
And HERE is Kevin Leininger's assessment of the speech at the News-Sentinel:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140212/NEWS/140219859/0/FRONTPAGE
Now, I wonder how this flies when we have a serious enough crime problem that the city has to resurrect the Director of Public Safety position (to the tune of a SUBSTANTIAL salary, I might add) and then place someone in that position who has proven that he can;'t handle the crime we have as FWPD chief?
Add to this a new FWPD chief, who is unproven and inexperienced to handle his new position, and was "carried" along in former positions by those under him...it makes you wonder, doesn't it?
But our king DID mention two departments that are very good, and I agree - Solid Waste and Animal Control.
Aside from that, it was a shallow attempt to make this city seem SO much better than it really is.
If Henry thinks Fort Wayne is a "jewel", he must love cubic zirconia, because all I can see is a lot of costume "paste".
*** Next up, the mayor stated that the city STREET crews were doing an outstanding job....except when it comes to THIS part of the SW side of town:
http://wane.com/news/local/neighborhood-battles-icy-situation/
For THREE weeks, residents over by Foster Park have seen a growing problem...consisting of ICE, due to a water main break.

And while the city has them on the "list" of repairs, there is a problem THERE as well.
Seems the city prioritizes according to water FLOW, and the flow on Maxine Drive is small...(for now).
Still doesn't stop ICE from accumulating.
Thing is, when enough pressure builds UNDER that street, it's got to go SOMEWHERE.
Had something happen like this in Philly - people called the water dept. due to seepage from a busy street. It went ignored until it EXPLODED at 2 AM one morning, causing flooding along several blocks and a crater 30 feet deep in the middle of what was LEFT of that street.
Don't want that to happen over by Foster Park...do we?
Or, the underground leak could cause a sinkhole to develop...either way, it needs fixing BEFORE it gets a lot worse, and waiting THREE weeks just isn't acceptable to the unfortunate residents over there.
*** Another thing our king mentioned in his speech was the formation of a "new" GANG UNIT.
SO, what happened to the OLD one?
That unit was defunded and cut back until there were ONLY TWO OFFICERS assigned to it (when Rusty was running the show).

All of a sudden , the NEW chief has this brilliant idea, and we're supposed to believe HE (read Rusty) created it?
Like I said, people "propping" the new chief up, to make him look good from a professional standpoint.
Gee, we couldn't bring back the METRO SQUAD (because Sheriff Fries made  that plea and he's not a democrat), and when we USED to have a gang unit (that was more than 2 officers) It was Glynn HInes, the Urban League and Michael Latham that ALL pulled the race card out of their..."wallets", and said it was racial profiling of black youth...to which I countered that it was CRIMINAL profiling (and got to meet Kevin Leininger for the first time in an interview).
Hana Stith also got her two cents in, complaining to IA (internal affairs) about officers "unfairly" targeting black males.
Well, we can see the result when Rusty backed off and got the whole department walking on eggshells on the SE side...crime went UP!

Okay, so I don't have answers...promote me!

Imagine THAT...who'da thunk it?
A REAL gang unit should have been created back in the early 1990s, when crack first hit Ft. Wayne...
And whatever unit was created since then should have NEVER been allowed to devolve until it became all but ineffective.
'Nuff said there...
*** Lastly today...We have lost a TRUE comedic genius and someone who was one of the first and best pioneers in the early days of television.

Sid Caesar passed away yesterday at the age of 91.
And here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Caesar
Caesar's claim to fame was being a "sketch" comic...and one of the BEST ad-libbers this planet has ever seen.
Some of the writers in Sid's career were Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Mel Tolken and Woody Allen.
His parodies of films, plays, TV shows and opera are among the greatest classics ever viewed.
Carl Reiner once said of Caesar:"His ability to doubletalk every known language to man was impeccable"...and despite Sid's apparent fluency in many languages, he could ONLY speak ENGLISH...and YIDDISH.

There simply cannot be enough accolades for someone with so much talent, and creative genius.
So,do yourselves a favor and go read the WIKI...
And perhaps look up some of his classic routines and sketches...Lord knows this world will never see the likes of him again any time soon.

The laughs he provided us seemed to make our problems fall to the roadside...
Let me leave you with a quote from Sid Caesar:
"The guy that inverted the FIRST wheel was an idiot. The guy that invented the OTHER THREE...he was a GENIUS."
And so were you, Sid...rest in peace.
Let a smile be your friend today, people.

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