Tuesday's Tundra Tidbits...

Hey Frank, How do ya like your penguin?

And, it's another day in the Klondike known as Fort Wayne.
But, never fear...soon we'll be pissing and moaning about the summer HEAT, and there will be no need to be shoveling snow THEN, will there?
Today's Hoosierland weather...COLD (what, again?) with temps struggling to climb into double digits  And whatever sun we get will in no way manage to melt one single solitary icicle, and believe me, here at the "Fortress", almost ALL the gutters have marvelous examples of dripping water that has frozen into those icicles.
And no amount of breaking them off makes them go away...not with the ice dams along those gutters.
Other houses have people that don't bother to do anything, and THOSE places have icicles several FEET in length, covering windows and damn near reaching the ground.
Must be nice to not give a damn for a living.

We're not THIS bad yet. Looks like a neighbor's house.

We are going to break the 20 degree mark tomorrow,so in the meantime,break out that steaming hot cup of whatever beverage is YOUR choice this morning and let's get busy with what is happening in other places.
*** First out of the freezer today -famous child star Shirley Temple has passed away from natural causes at the age of 85.

Americas Sweetheart.

Here's her WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Temple
I must have seen all her flicks several times growing up, and I must say that she has to be one of THE most successful child actresses to come out of her era.

A looker in 1946, too.

Few have been as fortunate as she has been over both her career and life.
Her life is a good read, and should serve both as a great tribute, as well as a great example on how to not only be a good role model, but how to persevere in life, no matter what comes your way.

Now the angels have animal crackers in THEIR soup.

She will be missed by many.
Moving on...
*** A letter to the (J/G) editor today sums up a lot of people's feelings about the FWPD radio encryption gig.

Nice to know many people DO think it's wrong.

Here's the letter in it's entirety:
(( Scanners silenced needlessly
I have been a police scanner listener since 1967.
My first scanner was very small and needed to be secured with a rubber band on the back of 
a Sony transistor radio and tuned to a specific station. Later my uncle, a retired Allen County sheriff’s lieutenant, brought me a better scanner. I then got a Bearcat scanner.
I am saddened at the news of scanner traffic being silenced to the general public due to encrypted frequencies. Dispatchers have always silenced radio traffic if it was known that targeted individuals had scanners or were listening to a police radio. Very few “bad guys” listen to police calls, understand police signals or can afford police scanners. When police departments use this as reasons for going to encrypted frequencies, it is without merit. Whether I am in front of my easel or on the computer, my scanner is on. I alert many people when I hear road reports by officers, fires, traffic tie-ups or any danger in a specific neighborhood. During our bad winter weather, I have been able to give Facebook friends road reports before the media do.
I firmly believe that taxpaying citizens should be able to hear and see day-to-day duties 
of police agencies.
TERRY E. HAFFNER Fort Wayne ))
GOD BLESS YOU, Terry...YOU GET IT...!!!

Clueless AND socially-secure.

The main point in his letter is that dispatch CAN (and does) take a run "off the air", so as NOT to alert those "bad guys"...the  one's that our recently-installed (like a toilet?) Director of Public Safety, Rusty York is scared sh*tless about.
(yet the city blows over $200K on this salary that could better aid in infrastructure and produce a MUCH better "return for the investment".
He ought to have tried NOT making the department walk on so many eggshells, but you "get what you pay for" as it were.
The fact that we had a record year of homicides bears that out, and no amount of "two-stepping" will change that...or should.
*** We FINALLY got a plow down the street, and this time, it was done RIGHT...as in a wider path was cut.
Only took about a WEEK...nice to know we're still held in such HIGH regard down there.

Wow...impressed the crap outta me...for once.

That should make it easier for the criminals down here to get back to conducting "bid'ness" soon enough.
The SPOT-CRIME website has had all the crime "dots" SO close to  our house for many days, and it will be nice to see them spread OUT again.
Naturally, the guy that hangs several houses down the block decided to park in front of OUR house, to which I called into FWPD as a "suspicious vehicle".

Funny, I didn't ORDER a Mercedes?

WHY anyone would park SO damn far from where they live/visit/crib is beyond me. I also saw this same car parked in the 4800 block of Hanna.
What is up with this guy, anyway? Sure SEEMS to be acting suspicious...

Then the po-po came...and left.

Anyway, the officer rolls up, does an "in-car" lookup (for tags) and then after a few minutes...drives off.
Betcha his tag comes back as him NOT being a resident of THIS area, too.
Well, after that, about 45 minutes later, the guy moves his car to in front of that house, double parks, holds up a FWCS bus, and then proceeds to block traffic while he JOGS into the house to grab an infant and another passenger before leaving for the evening...talk about "weird".
 It's like he KNEW something was "up".
Anyway, he's gone back to parking in front of a vacant house NEXT door.
What a douchebag!
If it's THIS COLD out, park CLOSER to "YOUR" damn house, especially if you're carrying an INFANT, you f$cking moron!
*** Next out of the "rabbit hole" is a story that really burns my biscuits...
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140211/LOCAL04/302119977/1002/LOCAL
This goes to show you how STUPID some board members can be...and without even TRYING.

This is all about teaching educators (and others including staff) about the best practices in SPECIAL EDUCATION, and will go live (from an online venue) during the 2014-2015 school year.
Now, I fully AGREE that SPECIAL EDUCATION does have it's place, and that spec-ed students NEED to receive the best education possible...provisionally-speaking.
And THAT is why we USED to have SPECIAL EDUCATION FACILITIES when I went to school.
All these spec-ed kids were NOT "mainstreamed" with everyone else, simply BECAUSE of their individual needs.

Very FEW in this mix CAN be mainstreamed.

And the educators at THOSE facilities were the BEST trained to address such issues...they weren't John or Jane Everyteacher.
They had SPECIAL credentials and were trained SPECIFICALLY for the spec-ed students' needs...and THAT worked damn well.

But NO, we have to tip over THIS apple cart now, and get everyone on "the same page"...level the playing field...everyone's a winner...God, I'm SO sick to death of this bullsh*t, and the educational system has ENOUGH bugs in it now to open up a damn national CHAIN of BAIT SHOPS, so let's not further screw things up here.
Let's get the spec-ed students into spec-ed SCHOOLS with spec-ed TEACHERS (and staff).
It's not worth it to further stretch the capacity of our educators to become ad hoc psychologists...cripes, they're already surrogate PARENTS.
But, those completing the online course DO get a "printable certificate"...big-f$ckcing-whoop - (hold the pay raise).
*** Last back to the Matterhorn today is something that I've noticed with this whole "the squeaky wheel gets the oil" thing...
Well, that USED to be the case in times past, and whatever "wheel" was squeaking was doing so with proper intent...and also in the correct context.

That's what WE'RE told...

Nowadays, we got us squeaky wheels by the truckload, and most ALL of them don't even NEED a lick of oil.
They just squeak because they can, and usually for the most nonsensical notions.
And THEY are the ones that the people doing the "oiling" are paying attention to, which is predominantly a minuscule minority representation of the huddled masses.
One person speaks out, and 600 kids are denied a prayer at graduation...
A few cry "foul" about "stop, ask,and frisk" and it becomes a HANDS-OFF issue, in spite of the efficacy OF the program, and that hundreds of illegal GUNS are taken off city streets.
One person states that "bad guys" (most likely a very SMALL number) are listening in on police scanner traffic, and the ENTIRE populace is placed in the dark and cannot hear about traffic problems, road conditions and the like.
A few people decry the displaying of traditional Christmas decorations like a MANGER, and it's taken down.
It's like we've become this uber intolerant society, when we SHOULD be speaking to tolerance...
It seems to ONLY be tolerant when everyone agrees with those preaching the intolerance, doesn't it?
Everyone ELSE is excluded from such discussions...so WHERE is the tolerance HERE?

It's another case of "Double-Standard-Itis", and, as REAL Americans, should we should be saying we've had enough of this crap.
And if we have to fight a few people's intolerance with the majority's intolerance...so be it.
Fight fire WITH fire, as it were, but if we never speak up...they win.
If we don't promote GOOD values and principles...they win.
And, if we don't stand up for what's right...and just...and proper...they win.
We should not have to "settle" for sloppy seconds in this regard...not ever, and certainly not in THIS country

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