Welcome To "August"...?

It will sure FEEL like it outside today in our part of the Midweat.
I'm sure we'll be hearing those all-to-familiar words "Hazy, Hot, and Humid" soon enough.
Still, it IS JUNE...keep repeating it to yourself as the sweat rolls down.
The rest of our Hooiserland weather will see us having a high today of around 87 degrees, and with that humidity hanging on for dear life, it will feel even more comfortable that that.
Later today, we have another chance for rain showers and/or thunderstorms.
Expect this pattern to repeat itself over the next several days...like I said, feels like August (only no birthday for me...lol)
So, sit back, get a nice cool and refreshing drink poured and parked nearby as we see what else is going on...
*** First out of the tanning parlor is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"No amount of law-enforcement can solve a problem that goes back to the family."

This might surprise you, as it was spoken by the first head of the FBI - J. Edgar Hoover (1 Jan 1895 - 2 May 1972) And here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Edgar_Hoover

Now, this is a lengthy read, but it gives some important insight to the man behind the badge.
It's interesting to note that both Truman and Kennedy anted to dismissing Hoover as Director of the FBI, but the POLITICAL fallout (and costs) would be too great. Johnson even disallowed the (then) mandatory age of retirement of 70 in favor of Hoover, and Hoover stayed on as director.
Hoover, who was once the bane of gangsters in the 1930s, became obsessed with communists after World War 2, an focused his attention (and resources) there, rather than notice the increase of MAFIA activity in the USA.
He tried to smear Dr. Martin Luther King by saying that King was in collusion with communists.
In 1957, after newspapers proved that the mafia operated unimpeded in America, Hoover changed his stance and began to heavily go after the organized crime syndicates, but that lasted only 5 years, and Hoover's concentration fluctuated after that.
Hoover also saw the Civil Rights movement as something to pursue as he considered some people in that movement "subversive".
Aside from all the things that made his time in office dubious, he DID manage to take the fledgling FBI and turn it into a modern, national organization stressing professionalism and scientific crime-fighting.
As a footnote, in 2001, senator Harry Reid sponsored an amendment that would strip Hoover's name off of the building in D.C. that bears it (FBI HQ).
The senate did NOT adopt the amendment...and the name (along with the legacy) remains.
Moving on...
*** It's also time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
June 11 -
---Today is NATIONAL CORN-ON-THE-COB DAY.

It seems that damn near everyone likes this.

---And, it's NATIONAL GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE DAY.

Doesn't have to be German for me to like chocolate cake.
---Its also NATIONAL MAKING LIFE BEAUTIFUL DAY

That's LIFE and not PEOPLE, right, because some people just cannot be made "beautiful" if their lfe depended on it.
Yet, as they say..."Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (and not Eric Holder, thank God).
*** Next up, more on the SE side Arby's robber.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/Workers-ID-facial-tattoos-7126928

Okay, so you have ALL these facial tattoos, and you rob a fast food joint in broad daylight without covering your face, and you expect people who SAW your face to NOT be able to ID you, even if one of them knew you from the past???
Is this a "WTF???" moment or what?
Police caught you with the same clothes you had on when you robbed the place, knew the vehicle you drove, and found a BB handgun in a bag with those clothes...what makes you think anyone is gonna believe anything you have to say?
And...seriously, a BB PISTOL?
Is THAT all it takes to rob a place these days?

Dumbass of the week.

Are people NOT trained AT ALL in knowing the difference between a REAL gun and a FAKE one?
Don't we consider such things IMPORTANT?
I suppose if an officer confronted this man who had a BB pistol, and the perp turned towards the officer, and then the officer shot the perp DEAD, that officer might be brought up on charges stemming from a "non life-threatening weapon"?
Don't think that such people aren't out there trying to do JUST THAT to local police across this country.
Police tend to "err" on the side of CAUTION, and they don't have time to determine if the weapon presented is real or not, especially at distance.
Up CLOSE is another story, and the outcome might not result in a police-action shooting.
*** And speaking of gun-play (of a more serious nature), there's THIS story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/courts/Victim-testifies-from-wheelchair-7122503
A victim testifies (from his wheelchair) over two black males that shot and damn near killed him after numerous altercations.

"Trigger Tray"

It's a good story, because it demonstrates the level of VIOLENCE such animals perform on our streets every day.
Sadly, there are victims, some of whom actually survive the bullets and force these thugs to a level of accountability they have never experienced before their day in court.

Kulon Lewis, Jr.

Trayshawn Pernell is featured: in my 21 November 2014 post..."Trigger Tray" as he was known was busted back then.
Kulon Lewis was featured in my 26 February 2014 post.
Two VIOLENT thugs off the street, hopefully for some time.
*** Next up moving day for a Cold War jet at the Coliseum.
Here's that story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Fighter-airborne-again-7124801

Looks as though they're gonna do a restoration on the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak jet mounted on a pedestal at the Memorial Coliseum (originally back in 1973). Good video with the story.
The jet came from the 122nd ANG of Fort Wayne, and while such aircraft were primarily used in the Korean War, they wee used into the 1960s for a time.
They are not supersonic (Max speed 685 MPH), nor did they garner the fame that the North American F-86 Sabre did.
Here's the WIKI for the aircraft:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_F-84F_Thunderstreak
They were retired from ANG service in 1971, and, as we all know, the ANG usually gets the "hand-me-downs" from the USAF.

The Thunderstreak was NOT the BEST aircraft in inventory, suffering long takeoff rolls (in hot weather), Take off speed was 160 knots (180 MPH), and they also suffered from accelerated stall pitch-up, resulting in separation of the wings from the aircraft That'll louse up a good day real fast.
It was also unrecoverable from spins, with ejection being the ONLY option under 10,000 ft. Again, not the best way to start your day.
Stress corrosion (thankfully) grounded the entire fleet by the early 1970s.
A decent interim fighter, but a better bomber for it's time. Just don't fly in the rain - they tended to flame out.
*** Last back to the hangar...I miss those days when Dad and I would hang out at the NE Philly airport and just watch the planes come and go.

Planes like THIS flew over regularly.

There were even times when we asked permission to go onto the tarmac and take some pictures of various planes that flew into the facility.
Naturally, this was LONG before all this terrorist crap and even before commercial airliners were being hijacked to Cuba.
At one point, we lived in an apartment that was within a mile of that airport, and we always got to see private planes of all types overfly where we lived.
Got to see very interesting vintage aircraft from the 1930s era, and it's not near as easy to see those same planes today, unless you go to some museum, or know someone who owns one.
Hell, we even had the Goodyear Blimp park at that airport at least once per year, as well as amphibious planes.

Those are the things in life you remember as long as you're alive, and the funny thing is...none of it cost a damn dime.
No entry fees, no parking fees, none of that. You might pay 25 cents for a soda from a vending machine...or you could get a drink of water at the fountain (for free).
Many of the things we enjoyed in our youth came about with little cost, and a LOT less stress.
Can't say the same today, can we?
Everything costs something, and there is always this wariness about being watched or having to watch someone or something that doesn't seem "right". I miss the simpler days - days when we could actually kick back and enjoy life and family with a greater resolve.
I can't ever see those times returning, and that's something future generations will never get to know, understand or appreciate.
We didn't have all the technology we do today...and that was fine with everyone.
Nowadays, no one can seem to exist without it...
Unless we tell others about such things from OUR past, they will be forgotten.
Just thought I'd pass that along...for future reference.

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

(( Tomorrow, we end the week with a look at the life and career of the recently late Christopher Lee))