Monday Musings...

Welcome to the last and rather snowy week of the first month of 2015.
We sure seem to be sending it off in grand style too, but...it can ALWAYS be worse.
Like those on the east coast, who are getting a "double-whammy" from not only the storm that whacked us yesterday evening, but also another storm off the coast.
Talk about a meteorological "head-butt"...!

They predicted that Philly would get close to 18-24 inches...!
New England...perhaps more.
Schools HERE are all on a 2-hour delay, so at least the kids will be able to SEE the vehicles being driven by those who don't know how to drive in this weather. And speaking of that...
Our Hoosierland weather for today will see us with cold temps,  topping out around 23 degrees (well, that should help in NO way to clear the streets) , with no appreciable wind and partly cloudy skies. It's in single digits now, so dress accordingly.
A good day to get out and shovel the sidewalk (as I already did before 0600 hrs), if you're able enough to.
If not, then a good day to have someone do it FOR you, and reward them with a cup of hot chocolate.
And speaking of that, let's all get our OWN cup of hot coffee, tea or cocoa, and let's see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the toboggan run we have our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
January 26 - 
---Today is NATIONAL SPOUSES DAY...

I suppose that everyone should have the best one they can find, too.
---It's also NATIONAL PEANUT BRITTLE DAY...

We seem to be on some peanut kick this month...perhaps the squirrels have something to do with this?
--- And, it's NATIONAL ELLEN DEGENERIS DAY...(???)
((...record-scratch...))
WTH? 

Well, this link clears it up...sorta:
http://nationaldaycalendar.com/tag/national-ellen-degeneres-day/
And now we know more than we probably should...OY!
Moving on...
*** On the "up" side, at least no one was shot and killed in Fort Wayne over the weekend (that we KNOW of...lol).
But, there is plenty of other good "stuff" to rile the soul and make one rant and rave.
Take this story for example (please):
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/us/Feds-plan-to-protect-more-land-in-Alaska-4670815

The LAST AMERICAN frontier.

It seems that Obummer is sticking his finger in another pie (does this socialist ever let up?) with this new act aimed squarely at the OIL producers in THIS country.
The FEDS will section off about 1.5 MILLION ACRES of Alaskan preserve to accommodate a refuge as wilderness.

"Yo...got any PEANUT BRITTLE?"

Now, where is the LEAST amount of crude coming from in AMERICA?
If you said "From government land, Bob", then give yourself a gold star.
So, the vast majority of crude comes from PRIVATE LANDS, and the government seeks to make those areas smaller, by "claiming" them.
Yeah, that will REALLY reduce our foreign dependency on oil...NOT.

"Drill away...I got beer"

I mean, it's not like the bears up there are bitching a fit over drilling for oil.
Hell, some of the drilling would have taken place offshore anyway.

"For my NEXT trick..."

But you know our whining hegemonic"leader" hates fossil fuels and their production, and since the economy here has rebounded a bit due to LOWER oil prices, he's taking credit for that, but still has to stick a finger in the eye of oil companies, because he was wrong.
This guy can't fail fast enough or often enough for me...
*** Next, we have another LIE perpetrated upon the driving public.
And here's the PROOF:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/Fake-engine-noise-riles-enthusiasts-4598369

Did you know that the sound of YOUR vehicle's engine MAY be "acoustically-enhanced" just to make you FEEL good about the sound of it?
Yep, we're being bamboozled once again, and it has many car enthusiasts up-in-arms...(deservedly so, too).
The article is a great read and tells how "modified engine noise" is being pumped into the cabin via your speakers...
Sorry, I like OUR car speakers to pump out Ted Nugent..or Boston...or AC/DC...when they're not pumping out some classical favorite.

Absolutely NO deception here...!

I like MY engine sound to come ONLY from...(you guessed it)...THE ENGINE.
Actually, the muffler has something to do with it, and when you have a BAD muffler, they can hear you coming blocks away...like many of the idiots down here will testify via their vehicular antics.
Many trucks have straight pipes (no muffler or converter), so not only are theypolluting the air more than everyone else...BUT, their damn noisy for no good reason.
And no one EVER seems to ticket them or consider it a noise violation (which it really is).
Still, WE, the consumer get hosed with DECEPTION...AGAIN, and we weren't even aware of it.
We're being "told" the reasoning is because cars are so efficient and QUIET, that people "need" to hear the engine.
I like my car quiet enough, but when I stomp on the gas, THEN I hear the engine unwind and growl...that's the way it's SUPPOSED to be.
These morons tell us that ELECTRIC cars are SO quiet that they present a risk to people who can't hear them coming.

Well, if people would get their primate faces OUT of their smartphones for a few moments, they might see (and hear) the world around them and NOT walk into an electric car's path...or into a mall fountain, right?
So these car-makers produce fake noise for the benefit of all the stupid people...sounds about right for these days.
Yet blind people shouldn't have to fret - they have GUIDE DOGS to keep them from walking into the path of an electric (or any other) vehicle.

I don't want to even TRY to explain THIS one...

Sure makes me wonder HOW ELSE we're being DECEIVED these days, and not just with our preferred mode of transportation...
*** Last back to the garage...we, as Americans used to be a lot more AWARE of things...lots of things...things we summarily dismiss these days, little things, big things, things of all shapes, sizes and intent.

And, as a result of our paying attention, we were a lot more savvy people.
It would appear that there are fewer if us like that today...much easier to let someone (or something) else do the paying attention for us.
And that's a shame...that takes away from who we used to be as a people.
If it were not for those who DID pay attention before the founding of this nation, we'd still be under the thumb of a monarchy...just another colony to the crown, instead of a FREE people who fought for that freedom and the liberty it ensured.
Nowadays, we're SO "free", we feel the need to let others tell us everything...how to dress, what to drive, where to live, and so on...
It's more about what is marketed to US, and how often and how intensely it's marketed...JUST so we can be "in the know".
Well, the BEST way to be in the know is NOT to blindly follow everyone else, but rather LEARN FOR YOURSELF...DO for yourself, RELY on yourself, and to be as knowledgeable about what it is that you wish to know.That requires some WORK on our part, but the benefits we reap are immense.
And they are long-lasting for us and those who follow.
Again, THIS is what makes this nation great, and it's something for all of us to want to adhere to...as REAL citizens of this country.
Therein lies the lesson for today.

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