Thoughts For Thursday...
Okay, my FIRST thought...it's EFFIN COLD OUTSIDE.
(accent on the effin...lol)

BIGGER on the inside -
COLDER on the outside!

If you have to venture outside, you've got to decide what's better - to breathe through your MOUTH (and freeze your spit), or through your NOSE (and freeze your lungs).
Hard to choose...with combined temps and wind chills into DOUBLE digits.
The Hoosierland weather will be (you guessed it)...COLD, with a wind-chill advisory in effect until TOMORROW (1100 hrs).
When we do see the sun, it too will probably feel cooler than normal.
The chance of a snow shower is possible all day with lake-effects coming down to say "hi".
ALL schools are on a 2-hour delay (Jay County does 3), like waiting until it's light outside will fool everyone into feeling warm enough to make the trek to school.
And then there's the issue with the DIESEL buses all over...when the fuel turns to jello in the damn tanks.
(you're welcome).
You also have to take into consideration what if a school loses it's heat?
---Whoops, just found out...schools are now CLOSED...(smart move...for a change)
Cripes, MOSCOW is warmer than we are (30 degrees, feels like 24).

It's bloody BALMY there!

In any event, let's hunker down and get things done, like grabbing ourselves a nice LARGE piping hot cup of whatever is your drink of choice this morning, and get this (hard-to start) show on the road...
*** First out of the deep-freeze today is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"Many human beings say that they enjoy the winter, but what they really enjoy is feeling proof against it."

This is attributed to one Richard George Adams (born 9 May 1920) who is an English novelist, best known for being the author of WATERSHIP DOWN.
And here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Adams

It's not that long a read, but worth it, if you ever have befriended a rabbit.
Now, in case you want a CLIFFS NOTES version of Watership Down, here's that WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down

We're working on the "sequel" this morning...

There you go...good reading for a very wintry day.
*** Next up is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
February 19 -
---Today is CHINESE NEW YEAR....

It's the year of the RAM 
(not to be confused with any Dodge pickup)
---It's also NATIONAL CHOCOLATE MINT DAY...

Now to me, that means Girl Scout cookies...OR (better still)...JUNIOR MINTS!
(and lots of 'em).
There are many ways to enjoy both flavors, but this is the best mix...melt in your mouth good.

Watched many a Saturday matinee as a youth downing THESE buggers...!
*** Next up, first we had an oil carrying train derail in West Virginia, and now we hear of a refinery explosion in California...
If I didn't know better, I'd think there was some sort of conspiracy to raise our gas prices back UP.

Helluva coincidence if you ask me. One event comes on the heels of the other?
And with fuel prices already low...how "convenient".
Guess we can expect prices to start rising...but I'm sure it's got nothing to do with these two things happening so close together.
*** Next, back on Valentine's Day, Kevin Leininger had a REALLY good article about urban blight (that would be where our "FORTRESS" rests), and how Fort Wayne has received funding to raze the worst of the properties that are unable to be refurbished.
Here's the story link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150214/NEWS/150219817/1041/LEININGER
I think...no wait, I KNOW this is long past due down here.
Drive through any neighborhood, and spot the board-ups, or condemnation signage on front doors.
We've WAY too many, and the funding the city received will help to get rid of the eyesores.
But, does that take care of the REASON WHY the properties fell into such disrepair in the first place?
Not enough is mentioned in the story to put a finger on it, but, having lived here for over 15 years, I can tell you it was (and still is) the "quality" of the people being placed INTO those houses that helps to greatly contribute to the blight.
And yes, many of them are minorities...with absolutely NO sense of how to own/rent, or more importantly, how to MAINTAIN a house.

Broken window - not fixed after a YEAR - typical.

Couple that with what passes for landlords who are only concerned with that gov't check every month (HUD and Section 8) that they don't give a damn, and will barely make needed repairs when required. You should see the old pickups that carry around older appliances (swap-outs) to put into the houses. Junk going into "junk".

Probably not inspected in a decade...or more.

No one ever seems to come by to INSPECT the properties as far as safety and fire codes go...NEVER seen anyone around here doing that.
Plus, no one enforces the OCCUPANCY CODES either.
There are predetermined limits for housing, set down by the fire marshal for safety..
In other words, "you can't put 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound bag"...or more people into a house that is not designed for that many.
Sad to say, I see this violated with EVERY person moving into our area.

Bet these never show up on the SE side.

Houses that are not even 1000 sq. ft. have five or more people living in them...not to mention the "part-timers" and when they come by to crib.
This city has a minimum of 300+ sq. ft. PER PERSON per residence...anything LESS is supposed to be a violation, but like SO many laws, they NEVER enforce them down here.

And SOME houses were never meant to be DUPLEXES.

With too many people come too many problems, and the fact that idiots will attempt to cook something (greasy) around 3 AM, or put something on a stove and then leave the house contributes in no small measure to all the house fires we see here (most all of which start in the KITCHEN).
Still, the story by Leininger is a good read, and sheds some light on ONE of many issues facing law-abiding residents who would LIKE to invest in their OWN property, but are fearful that it will go for naught (like us).
*** Last back to the Frostbite ward...Yes, it is cold outside...very cold...dangerously cold, in  fact.

This is the kind of cold that whips THROUGH you, rather than around you.
And we have global warming to blame on this...
Somehow, I'm not convinced, even though there are drought conditions on the west coast.

The paper carrier had it ROUGH!

I have said for some time, that perhaps the Earth (itself) has shifted on it's axis (the "wobble" effect or axial tilt).
What could mankind possibly do to change THAT?
Not one damn thing...that's what.

"WHEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee...."

But suppose we're led to believe that we can change the climate through various (and flawed) methods...all for the purpose to "keep us busy" while the world changes it's "demeanor" as it whirls away around our sun?
We know our attention has been "diverted" in the past for reasons from idiotic to nefarious.
This planet has shrugged off an almost infinite number of species in it's lifetime (so far), so what makes us think we're any different?
Well, most of us are smarter...that's a help.
Thing is, the smart ones are't running the show here...it's the devious ones.

And we MEAN it, too.

So, I have trouble with global warming when I see temps drop lower than I can remember in my 62 years on this planet.
And perhaps rather than trying to change OUR habits to change the climate, maybe we really need to adapt ourselves to the possibility of the Earth may be changing the climate for us...something we can never hope to change on our own.
We have to learn to work with what we CAN change for the better.
Or, we could just ignore it all and see what's more entertaining...like too many often do.

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