Tuesday Tidbits...

Alright, so it's "supposed" to be April, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be, but that's SNOW I've been seeing outside, and since yesterday afternoon. So much for giving the furnace a day off.
I think someone might have broke Spring (damn global warming).
That's sure to damage all the daffodils and hyacinths that have bloomed (let's hope not).
Our Hoosierland weather for today will see us with mostly cloudy skies to start off with, but we will see sunshine later on.
Temps will be in the 45-degree area, and the snow flurries will taper off (hopefully by August...lol).
So, what say we get ourselves a nice WARM morning drink as we see what's been going on elsewhere, hmm?
*** First out of the pantry is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
April 5 -
---Today is NATIONAL CARAMEL DAY

(sounds like a winner to me)
---It's also NATIONAL DEEP DISH PIZZA DAY

(make that TWO in a row)
---It's NATIONAL GO FOR BROKE DAY

(why not, right? Sometimes it's worth it)
---And, it's NATIONAL RAISIN AND SPICE BAR DAY

(that better not be granola stuff)
---It's also NATIONAL READ A ROAD MAP DAY

(the old-fashioned FOLDING kind, and not some GPS screen BS, if you can find one)
---Last but not least it's the SAAM DAY OF ACTION

(that's sexual assault awareness, folks)
---BTW, it's also Hayley Atwell's birthday - Yowzah.

(If you have to ask, then you haven't seen either Captain America The First Avenger OR Marvel's Agent Carter series)
*** Next, it's time to bring you all of those wonderful police calls concerning armed robberies and "shots fired" that the media never tells us about, because it's not AS sensational as a real homicide.

SHOTS FIRED / ARMED ROBBERY CALLS - 3/28- 4/3
===============================================
MAR 28 -
16F040359 03:05:43 113 SHOTS FIRED 3200 EASTBROOK DR
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 29 -
16F040850 01:59:25 113 SHOTS FIRED 500 JEFFERSON BLVD E
16F041329 21:58:17 113 SHOTS FIRED 2300 ABBEY DR
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 30 -
16F041748 19:59:42 113 SHOTS FIRED 2900 BOWSER AVE & COLERICK ST
((NO armed robberies))
MAR 31 -
16F041841 01:14:39 113 SHOTS FIRED 4200 RUTLAND LN
16F041852 02:49:27 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 NELSON ST & ZOLLARS AVE
16F041859 03:08:43 113 SHOTS FIRED 4500 MONROE ST S (homicide #8)
16F042283 23:01:37 113 SHOTS FIRED 1000 HOME AVE
((NO armed robberies)
APR 1 -
16F042324 01:06:25 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 CALHOUN ST S
16F042766 23:27:25 113 SHOTS FIRED 4500 WEISSER PARK AVE & SHERWOOD T
16F042657 18:45:32 53 ARMED ROB 4800 CALHOUN ST S & PETTIT AVE E
(must be the gas station there)
APR 2 -
16F042982 13:31:15 113 SHOTS FIRED 300 CORNELL CIR S
16F043179 22:04:41 113 SHOTS FIRED 3600 NEW HAVEN AVE
((NO armed robberies))
APR 3 - 
16F043227 00:13:27 113 SHOTS FIRED 3500 CLERMONT AVE
16F043266 01:36:37 113 SHOTS FIRED 1400 GREENE ST
((NO armed robberies))
===========================
FIREWORKS CALLS 3/28 - 4/3
============================
None...for a change.
And do you ever notice that most of the calls ALWAYS seem to be in the relatively SAME areas of the city (with few exceptions) every frigging week.
Helluva job with PREVENTING such nuisances (not).
*** Next up, this is one of those marvelous stories that shows you just HOW special some of that STUPID is out there in the world, and WHO is usually behind such things.

Here's the link:
http://wane.com/2016/04/04/teens-arrested-for-counterfeiting/

BUSTED!

Now, I wonder WHERE these teens (who are obviously NOT "A" students) got this idea, and how they thought they would get away with this?
You can thank the Plymouth, Indiana police for the arrests which took place after a traffic stop along Rt 30 around 0130 hrs on Sunday morning, because they actually DO stop teens who may be acting in a suspicious manner and don't chalk such things up to "cultural diversity"...unlike here in Fort Wayne, where similar scenarios happen less and less in the ghettohood part of the city.
That's why we have most of the homicides.
Not hard to figure out. A Cultural "pass" thing.

 Black Lives Matter? Not with fake $100 bills.

Counterfeiting $100 bills...uh, oh...sounds like a FEDERAL rap to me. Rap on that, "kids".
Plus, the driver had a controlled substance. Imagine that. Typical.
Goes to show there ARE parents that don't give a damn, and kids willing to serve time because of it.
So much for that college life and the careers it COULD have spawned...(losers).
*** Next up, More on auto tech...not like you need to hear this, but it's getting a might too "intrusive", at least according to THIS article from Fortune magazine:
http://fortune.com/2016/04/04/toyota-microsoft-data/

Now, I suppose some people DO want their heartbeat monitored, or want to know their weight (seriously?) while driving, but in our own local paper, there's this little nugget buried in the business section:
(( Toyota looks to ease car technology
Toyota is forming a new data science company in partnership with Microsoft that’s designed to free customers “from the tyranny of technology.”
The company called Toyota Connected has a goal of simplifying technology so it’s easier to use, perhaps even getting rid of distracting and complicated touch screens that now are in most cars and replacing them with heads-up or voice-activated technology, said Zack Hicks, the company’s CEO who also is Toyota Motor America’s chief information officer.
“I think people are really tired of fumbling with multiple devices and having this disjointed experience,” Hicks said as Toyota announced the venture on Monday.))

Less tech - more driving.

So we have two pictures being painted, one quite "different" from the other.
Are these people making the tech MORE or LESS simple?
Either way, it's a means of "control"...a way to monitor you and your actions.
This partnership will also allow cars to communicate with one another (we used to call that flipping off a dumbass driver or honking our horn when they cut us off for no reason).
It also will allow drivers to know the best route to a destination. Wifey tried that once with her smart phone. When she called me, I got a REAL MAP and plotted her a route that was better than the "online" one. So much for the technology versus a knowledgeable person (who used to drive 3 states for a living), hmm?

Toyota states this tech allows automakers to do MORE with the data they "capture" (curious word to use here) from drivers. That means "someone" is watching you and what you're doing behind the wheel...nosy bastards, aren't they?
Where do YOU think this will end, and will it truly benefit ALL of us?
*** Next , The Wifeymobile came back yesterday, and it was NOT a wheel bearing problem. It was a brake issue.. The "warning tab" on the pads was alerting us they were worn, so they were replaced. Nice to be wrong ONCE in a  while...lol.
And, we got the tires rotated for free. Wifey is now off for another trek down to Vincennes.

Now, she can stop on a dime (and give you nine cents change...lol)
There are other small issues (the trans needs fluid replacement and filter - every 50K miles, according to specs), and the rear axle seal looks to be a bit damp (gonna need a new seal eventually), and the A/C compressor might have to be replaced, but that's (as they say) a bit farther down the road.
Nothing REALLY pressing.
Still, not bad for a 20-year old car. My A/C hasn't worked in over a decade, but I don't drive the Batmobile much.
We are looking for a possible replacement for Wifey's car. Not finding all that much that I like and that would serve us longer than the list of recalls would demand...lol.
That's the way with U.S. automakers THESE days, isn't it?
***  Next, Looks like the Socialist Republik of Kalifornia is going to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour (over the next 6 years).

Wonder how that's going to sit with residents when they have to PAY MORE for stuff, because the employers will have to pay the workers more (to cover rising healthcare costs), or employers have to LAY OFF people to make the ledgers balance.
Or how about when businesses CLOSE altogether, and leave the state (taking their money with them?
Guess Governor Moonbeam hasn't thought THAT one out...asshole.

You are gonna be so screwed soon...

Not to mention, all the generational welfare leeches might find themselves in a different tax bracket due to such a high hourly wage and find themselves no longer eligible for all the free (or gov't-sponsored) sh*t they've received with the LOWER wages...
It's "cause and effect" time, kids. And YOU libtards caused it.
*** Last back to the wigwam... why does it seem that the world (and our nation) is caught in this DOWNWARD spiral?

Down the "up" staircase?

While technology runs rampant over man and beast, WE, as a species, are not really moving in an UPWARD manner.
We still are saddled with all the human foibles and frailties.
We're no closer to cures for the major diseases that affect us, but we sure as hell can (soon) have our heartbeats monitored while we drive our vehicles. And we're never quite prepared for any NEW diseases that spring up (Zika comes to mind), although we seem to be able to "contain" such things...for the time being.
Our politics are becoming nothing less than a sideshow novelty, when the issues that plague us are glossed over.
Finding LEADERS seems to be harder, while getting "another boss" is becoming commonplace.
We hear that "people are angry" or are "fed up" with the state of things, which usually devolves into some sort of violent behavior...that's NOT moving forward.

Attack of the 50-ft Tweet

Social media has replaced conversation, and we can't even call it that, because everyone is busy trying to extend their own personal "15 minutes of fame", such as that is.
We are fast approaching a tipping point for society, and the prospects look sorta grim (imho).
I still want to believe in mankind, and that we can rise ABOVE all the crap that puddles around us, but it's going to take an honest-to-God concerned effort (and by a lot more people than are doing so now) to make that happen.
It's going to take time, and time is running out.
We can always hope that tomorrow brings about a change in the minds and hearts of people.

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