Friday Follies...

End of the week, almost the end of the month, and the start of spring break just around the corner...can we stand the strain?
The Hoosierland weather won't be as accommodating as we would prefer, what with off and on rain showers today throughout most of the early weekend, plenty of cloud cover turning to partly cloudy skies later, and some gusty winds tossed in for good measure.
Today's high will be right around where yesterday's high was - in the 45 degree range, so plan and dress accordingly.
Feel free to grab a cup of your preferred morning beverage as we see what's been on my mind.
*** First out of the confession box today is the preposterous photo-op of our fearless leader with Pope Francis yesterday.
Now, I'm not catholic (nor do I play on online or on television), but I really did not see the reason for this papal junket, other than for the 'O' to hang with a COOL person.

Hangin' with a COOL guy makes ME cool (I hope).

And the logic behind that is simple - Barry's NOT that cool these days, and he just wants to GET some of that (mojo) back by shmoozing with someone who IS pretty cool, and Popes tend to be that way with a lot of people.
If you heard Barry's "speech" at the Vatican, it was full of stuttering (no teleprompter I'm guessing) and "fill" words like the infamous "UH".
The single person applauding at the Hague was priceless, too.
Now, da prez is off to Saudi Arabia (to mend a fence or two)...another apology tour? God, let's hope not.
When it comes to world leaders, I have to admit that Barry IS a pretty sorry person, considering all the crap he's tossed at Americans in these last several years...enough already.
Moving on (briskly)...
*** Next up, you know your day is going to be a "lulu" when your fire up the one computer and hear this groan from the cooling fan.
So, you do what I normally do - perform the "Han Solo Repair Procedure Number One" - you THUMP it!

I'm...gonna need a BIGGER hammer.

Amazingly, the noise went away...for the time being, but as I gaze into my Crystal Skull, I foresee yet another trip to Stone Computer for either a fix or a replacement system in the not-so-distant-future.
It's not clairvoyance...just a keen knowledge over the years of how PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE works, my friends...

Whatever happened to GOOD engineers?

I sure miss the days when you had something SO long, and got rid of it ONLY because it was outdated, and NOT because it failed or was costing you more money than the original price.
*** There is this story in the News-Sentinel about  this "My City Summit" which is supposed to teach how to"connect and thrive".

It all starts with YOURSELF.

Here's the story link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140327/NEWS/140329687/1005/SPORTS
What I find curious, is WHY we even NEED this?
Don't people of this area already KNOW how to connect...or even thrive?
I would think that with ALL the technology available, connecting to anything or with anyone would be one of the EASIEST situations to find oneself .

As to thriving, that also comes down to the individual...usually through persistence, dedication, some hard work now and then, and yes, being educated enough to know HOW to thrive in whatever venue you choose.
But, no...we need a "summit", like some grandiose plan that will ENSURE success, rather than ensure the OPPORTUNITY for such success.
And, rather than be FREE, it costs $55 to attend, but hey, FWPD chief Garry Hamilton will be there.
(finally found something for him to do)
Naturally, hizzoner, King Henry will attend.
In today's world, people connect on levels they never imagined a mere thirty years ago, so why this gig?
City need money THAT bad?
*** And speaking of city money, the city WILL be spending around $20 MIL to fix and improve streets and roads about town, and this is an aside from all the pothole work being done from our harsh winter.
BUT, think on this...

The LEGACY money, which has been  frittered away with abandon on nonsense projects recently will NOT figure into the $20 million being spent on the roads...instead, the city is looking at jacking up the income tax to cover the freight.
The first story on this can be found HERE (6 March):
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140306/LOCAL/140309580/-1/LOCAL11

More taxes - more government.

But recent coverage doesn't MENTION that fact about tax INCREASES...wonder why that is?
The WANE story has nothing as seen here:
http://wane.com/news/big-repairs-coming-to-some-neighborhoods-in-need/
Sure makes you want to ask the question WHY, doesn't it?
*** Last back to the hangar today, as mentioned previously, our culture (as we define it today) is certainly a LOT more complex than in times past.

And, rather than amend what our former culture used to be, we have added on so many other "cultures" along the way.
What we used to mean by AMERICAN culture was the whole "mom, apple pie" kinda thing. We waved the flag proudly for no reason other than what it represented to US...the "we the people" folks, because there used to be a lot more of us.
Today's culture is based more on tangibles than intangibles...the "stuff" we have or can acquire.
And it gets confusing here, because (as I have also stated many times) it's becoming a gray area where NEEDS and WANTS are concerned.
Our definition of "poverty" is a prime example.
Too many people have supplanted WANTS for NEEDS, and that creates a totally new facet to modern culture...
(cue doom music)
...a CONSUMER culture.
And marketing gurus flock to the calling.
From a capitalistic standpoint, that's a good thing, but when the government gets involved with over-regulations and unions seeking to overpay people for the same work, forcing manufacturing OVERSEAS, eventually LOSING more jobs than we can create...but we still have the need to be consumers.

Life is DEFINITELY more than just THIS!

We cannot stop consuming, that much is obvious, but we also need to stop government intervention into our culture for political gain and power.
Sadly we find another problem connected with that; does our government define our culture, or does our culture define our government?
I say, it should be the PEOPLE that define both...if they CHOOSE to.
Like I have said before, this gets complicated very easily...if we're not careful.
But, it's not insurmountable, and that is the glimmer of hope we should hold onto.
Have yourselves a great weekend.
See 'ya on the flip-side.

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