Tuesday Tidbits...

Looks to be another soggy day in the Hoosier state today.
And yes, that IS thunder you might be hearing and not some goof-ball terrorist attack on our soil.
All we need is some lightning, and we're all set, right?
April Shower season is here indeed - can our three rivers stand the strain?
The rest of our Hoosierland weather today will be on the mild side, with temps not reaching as high as yesterday, topping out in the mid to upper 50s.
We shall be hard-pressed to see the sun for a while, so no sunrise to wonder at today...sorry about that.
In the meantime, let's get a nice hot cup of whatever trips your trigger as we see what's been going on elsewhere.
*** First off of the runway today is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
April 7 - 
---Today is CARAMEL POPCORN DAY...

I suppose one might include Cracker Jack in the mix.,..love that stuff.

What happened to the frigging BOX?

The prizes these days leave a lot to be desired, however...(lame).
---It's also NO HOUSEWORK DAY.

So, no running the vacuum and scaring the cat, and with this rain, doing windows would be utterly pointless.
---And, its WORLD HEALTH DAY...

And I must say the world WOULD be a healthier place without terrorism, and crime, and leftards, and progressive republicans, and the IRS, and the departments of education, energy, transportation, and...well, you get the idea.
Yes, that would definitely be a healthier world...for everyone.
*** Next up, as is typical for most Tuesdays, is our "salute" to ALL the frigging idiots in Fort Wayne (most of whom can be found on the south side) who just HAVE to practice their machismo by shooting off guns with reckless abandon:

SHOTS FIRED and ARMED ROBBERIES - 3/31 - 4/5
===========================================
MARCH 31 - 
15F037583 01:23:04 113 SHOTS FIRED 2600 SPRING ST
15F037896 19:16:18 113 SHOTS FIRED 2800 OLIVER ST and MCKEE ST
15F037954 21:32:17 113 SHOTS FIRED 3400 PAULDING RD E
(NO armed robberies)
APRIL 1 -
15F038144 12:11:12 113 SHOTS FIRED 4700 WEISSER PARK AVE
15F038303 17:46:10 113 SHOTS FIRED 4900 WEBSTER ST
15F038378 20:33:24 113 SHOTS FIRED 5700 HARRISON ST S
15F038393 21:32:24 113 SHOTS FIRED 500 CREIGHTON AVE E
15F038425 22:59:37 113 SHOTS FIRED 1400 SOUTHTOWN BLVD and SOUTHTOWN XI
(NO armed robberies) 
APRIL 2 -
15F038775 22:16:00 113 SHOTS FIRED 3500 TAYLOR ST and PORTAGE BLVD
(NO armed robberies)
APRIL 3 -
15F038826 00:38:06 113 SHOTS FIRED 3800 ABBOTT ST and RUDISILL BLVD E
15F038892 08:35:17 113 SHOTS FIRED 3400 PORTAGE BLVD
15F039195 21:22:15 113 SHOTS FIRED 5900 HESSEN CASSEL RD and FROSCH DR
15F039226 23:08:26 113 SHOTS FIRED 6200 LANDSDOWNE DR
15F039231 23:12:21 113 SHOTS FIRED 3200 DIPLOMAT DR
15F038858 03:36:37 58 SHOOTING 5300 ST JOE RD and AUER DR 
APRIL 4 -
15F039348 05:21:06 113 SHOTS FIRED 300 WOODLAND AVE W
15F039492 14:32:34 113 SHOTS FIRED 4400 CALHOUN ST S
15F039400 10:42:38 53 ARMED ROB 4500 WHITEFORD LN
15F039616 19:30:21 53 ARMED ROB 100 PETTIT AVE E 
APRIL 5 - 
15F039714 00:03:23 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 SMITH ST and GREENE ST
15F039721 00:05:16 113 SHOTS FIRED 3900 MCKINNIE AVE
15F039720 00:08:00 113 SHOTS FIRED 1600 COLERICK ST and LILLIE ST
15F039753 01:29:28 113 SHOTS FIRED 2900 REED ST
15F039758 01:34:02 113 SHOTS FIRED 2300 SHADY BROOK DR
15F039767 02:02:00 113 SHOTS FIRED 4300 LOCUST SPRING PL
15F039772 02:12:14 113 SHOTS FIRED 2800 BARR ST S
15F039783 02:49:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 1700 PAULDING RD E and ANTHONY BLVD
15F039794 03:27:50 113 SHOTS FIRED 2700 NORTHGATE BLVD
15F040083 22:24:01 113 SHOTS FIRED 2200 HOAGLAND AVE
15F039844 08:32:16 53 ARMED ROB 3900 JEFFERSON BLVD W
==========================================
And the majority of these violations are committed by the minorities of this city...imagine that.
Moving on...
*** Next up, a little known robbery that happened over the weekend.

This took place at the Belmont Liquor store, located at 134 E. Pettit Ave in Southgate Plaza around 1930 hrs Saturday evening.
According to a report by the Fort Wayne Police Department, officers were called to the store where the clerk told them he found a man in the back room while entering to grab more product.

He confronted the man, who said he was looking for a restroom.
When the clerk told him there was no restroom, the man lifted his shirt to show a firearm tucked into his waistband and a bottle of liquor in his pocket.
The man said he was stealing alcohol, the clerk backed away and asked the armed man to leave.
The man fled through the front entrance of the store and the clerk's supervisor contacted the police.
The perp was described as a BLACK male, approximately 6' tall wearing a black-and-red coat and blue jeans.
(from the News-Sentinel website)
Who needs MONEY down here these days, hmm? Certainly not black males.
*** Along those lines, you know I read the FWPD blotter almost daily, as well as get emails from the SPOT CRIME website, and there is a disturbing trend I've noticed of late.

Not going down in many cases.

This is something you don't hear the mayor, or the police chief, or the director of public safety addressing to any length.
We have a RISE in ASSAULTS down here...a pretty significant rise at that.
These are occurring at almost ANY time of day, from 1100 hrs to long after midnight, and it's becoming a daily "routine".
There are some that are pretty close to the "Fortress", too, and that tells me that people are being preyed upon whenever they step outside.
Now, I don't know the specifics for every occurrence, but you can bet that it's one group doing this, and it can't be the whites, because there are too few in nunber around here these days, so that leaves less than several choices to consider.
Like to see those in charge of maintaining the PEACE speak to this issues and let us know WHAT (exactly) they plan to do about this, because allowing such things to continue only opens the door for the big bad stuff...like SHOOTINGS and HOMICIDES.
*** Next, they are finally doing something about those nasty hospital gowns...!
And here's the proof:
http://kaiserhealthnews.org/news/in-pursuit-of-patient-satisfaction-hospitals-update-the-hated-hospital-gown/

Someone feels a "breeze"

Yeah, nothing says "disempowering" like having to wear one of THOSE gowns...the ones with the "easy access" to your backside parts.
Some hospitals would give you TWO, so you could "layer" them...not a good fix.
But NOW, we have something that should satisfy everyone of every age when they have to endure a stay.

Well, that's a LOT better

Personally, I wonder what took SO long to figure out the obvious?
Not that I plan an excursion to any hospital anytime soon, but it's nice to know we'll not only have health coverage, but bodily coverage as well.
*** Last back to the wigwam...I like to collect things such as comics, some old coins, certain books or mives, Garfield stuff, specific die cast vehicles (mostly in 1/64th scale), but I do pride myself on the action figures.

No, I am NOTHING like this guy.

While I could never afford ALL the figures I want, I have to be "choosy" in what I manage to find and purchase.
There were no such things when I was young, save for some Marx toy company figures, or a Roy Rogers figure...all of which were non-pose-able.

The FIRST 12 inch "Joes"

Eventually, toy companies wised the hell up and started making figures that had moving parts (taking a cue from G.I. Joe in the mid-60s).
Mego did some Star Trek figures..highly collectible but not as accurate as you'd like.
Playmates toys did a MUCH better job in the late 80s into the 90s.

The ORIGINAL dozen SW figures

Kenner did the Star Wars series, and have since made the figures better  more like their movie characters, and more accurate with detailing. Still going strong, too.
Hasbro has come out with Marvel superhero figures since the first Iron Man movie, and these are pretty good for being less than four inches tall.

Black Widow went to get Shawarma.

Up to the first Avengers movie, the figures were not bad in any way, even if figures like Black Widow were limited in supply.
That's the new deal with such collectibles...LIMIT the amount you sell (or manufacture) and the price goes through the damn roof.
Not that the figure is any BETTER than the rest...just not AS available.
I'm sticking with the 3.75 inch figures because that's the most common and reminds me of the old green army men of my day.
To me, the BIG selling (or buying) point is the ARTICULATION. If the figure looks like it should move, then it should move in a manner like the human body, right? Stiff arms and legs do not a good figure make, IMHO.
I bend at the knees, elbows, and twist at the waist...so should my figures.

Hard to believe these are 12" tall.

Now, (to paraphrase a quote by Stan Lee) "With great articulation comes great pricing" (translation - costs a lot more)., and that's understandable.
HOT TOYS puts out THE best figures on the planet...BUT, they cost a couple HUNDRED BUCKS APIECE.
Obviously, they are NOT to be "played with", but rather displayed.
The IRON MAN figures (yes, there are many now) have ALL the detail found in the movies...everything "works", even the light up ARC reactor chest piece. The helmet even opens up to reveal a damn GOOD representation of Robert Downey Jr's face.
When you first see any of these 12 inch figures (what? you thought THEY were 3.75 inches, too?) it's like looking at the PERSON they represent...and that's the idea with this company. Naturally, these are limited in production.
The recent release of the Avengers  - Age of Ultron figure by Hasbro (the movie is due out in May) left me sorta empty, however.
These figures don't have as many articulations points as those from the first movie, and that's a shame. Even the Hulk figure isn't in proper proportion. He's TALLER than the rest.

New figures NOT as good as the FIRST batch.

You'd think that riding the crest of the wave from the movie and it's tie-ins would be just the thing a toy company would want, and that to STAY at the top of the heap in this action figure market, the new figures would be JUST as good as the first set.

These are kinda cute...AND cool.

Not really. The LARGER (6 inch) figures are still good, but cost a lot more, and they aren't compatible with any other figures out there, unless they are also the same size.
At least al the LEGO-related sets remain the same as far as size goes. And yes, they are costlier than regular figures, but that's just LEGO being LEGO. They were always more expensive with everything, but not unaffordable.
Why did I want to mention this?
Well, toys can be one way of mirroring society, if you know HOW to view them AND the companies that manufacture them.
As a side-note, ALL the figures I've come across over the last couple decades are made in...(you guessed it)..CHINA.
That's right, Captain AMERICA is made in CHINA...
What happened to the days when G.I. Joe WAS indeed an GREAT-AMERICAN HERO?

The Chinese make "better" toys than WE do?

Just look at most any of the toys today, and you get a good notion as to which direction society is moving..
Barbie, the "Joes", Marvel and DC superheroes, Star Wars...doesn't matter what item it is.
They are all reflections of society in one form or another...but a lot of them are still pretty damn COOL, too. We learn how we live by understanding how we "play".

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