No fool Like An April Fool...

And here we are...April 1st, otherwise known as April Fool's Day.
If you thought we'd start th day here in the Hoosierland with sunny skies, rainbows, and unicorns...APRIL FOOL.
We had some rain overnight, and today will see us with partly cloudy skies, gusty winds, and nice spring temps reaching (again) into the upper 50s.
Not the worst start to the month.
Meanwhile, let's fill up that morning cup and set about gazing into the abyss we call TODAY, shall we?
*** First off of the counter top, are some of the notable things to know that are occurring in the month of April:
-- Autism Awareness Month
-- Jazz Appreciation Month (put on some John Coltrane)

-- National Poetry (and writing) Month.
-- Parkinson's Disease Awareness month
-- Confederate History month (go whistle some "Dixie")

-- National Arab-American Heritage Month (you're kidding me, right?)
-- National Child Abuse Prevention Month

-- Sexual Assault Awareness Month
And of course during the month, there is tax day, ANZAC day, Earth day, Patriot's day, Arbor day (thought that was in September?), the Boston marathon, the London marathon, and Take your daughters and sons to work day (on the 4th Thursday).

Naturally, we all know that "April showers bring May flowers", right?
Finally, we have Good Friday (the 18th) and Easter (the 20th).
Oh, and if you're feeling musical, then National Trombone Week (April 6-13th) might work well for you.
*** With that behind us, let's take a peak at the start of the Japanese fiscal AND school year, otherwise known (to us) as APRIL FOOL'S DAY.

First off, it's NOT a national holiday, but more of an :"informal" one.
We can trace this day back as far as Roman antiquity and the festival of Hilaria (hence the word hilarious), and in medieval times as the "feast of fools", held on December 28, still a day where pranks are played in Spanish-speaking countries (oh, those wacky Hispanics).
They even do this in IRAN...and that goes back as far as 536 B.C., called Sizdah Bedir, and believed to be the oldest prank-playing tradition in the world.
(we don't laugh much at them THESE days...buncha loons)
In the UK, the pranks usually cease by MIDDAY, or the person playing them is called the fool.
Speaking of the UK, back in 1957, the BBC pulled a prank, called the Spaghetti Harvest, where they broadcast a film of Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti.
The BBC was flooded with people wanting to know where they could get a "spaghetti plant"...

Got any RIGATONI plants?

The BBC declared the film a prank the following day.
Here's a WIKI on some of the more notorious jokes played by the media upon the unsuspecting public:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_April_Fool%27s_Day_jokes
It's good to be able to laugh at ourselves..(even better to laugh at someone else)
Sorry, did I say that out loud?
*** By 2018, ALL new cars will need to have backup cameras installed in them.
And this is NOT an April Fool's joke...here's the proof:
http://247wallst.com/autos/2014/03/31/nhtsa-orders-all-cars-to-have-rear-view-safety-tech/

I just guess we're all too damn BUSY with other sh*t to look BEHIND us and use the damn MIRRORS that comes with vehicles these days?
The NHTSA has come down from the mountain with this new "tablet" of laws designed to decrease back-up deaths and injuries.
Well, whenever people DON'T pay attention, stuff like that happens, no matter how much tech you dump into it...it just makes people LAZIER when something ELSE does the job for them, unfortunately.

Okay, who's NOT watching little Johnny???

Children under the age of 5 account for 31% of the fatalities (it's called SUPERVISE YOUR CHILDREN and KNOW where the hell they are), and seniors over the age of 70 account for 26% of fatalities (again, keep the oldsters in your field of vision, and don;t let them "wander").
Naturally, this will entail additional costs to vehicles...many of which are recalled damn near DAILY for other, more important things, like faulty power steering and ignition switches (thanks, G.M.).
And no, this isn't an April Fool's joke either.
*** I think I might have figured out WHY the po-po were so "interested" in our area Sunday night into Monday morning...
Had to put on my "sleuthing hat" for this one...

Here's a story in today's paper:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140401/LOCAL07/304019941/1002/LOCAL
If you notice, there was a mention of the 5100 block of Lillie St (about a 1/4 mile from our "Fortress"), and that the gang unit "visited" the house there after a bar shooting at Peanuts, located at 5727 St. Joe Rd., in which one man was shot multiple times Sunday night.

At the house, police made arrests on Jawaun Woodson (charged 15 November 2010 and 4 April last year for carrying a handgun w/o a license - repeat violator) and Sharon Wells for outstanding warrants.
Woodson was also a victim of a shooting back in March of 2007 in the parking lot of Link's Wonderland on Creighton Ave. He was 20 at the time.
Most recently, he's listed as "homeless"...BUT he still manages to afford a HANDGUN...kinda odd, don'cha think?
This boy's "got a past" with police.
The recent timeline coincides with the police presence in OUR (nearby area), obviously looking for the shooter or weapon involved at the bar up north.

I can think of no other reason at this time.
Wouldn't be the FIRST time we had gang members around the area (like the house at 4801 S. Hanna)
But, it would benefit the FWPD to stay IN our area and get to "know" the lay of the land, so to speak...they might find more gang activity than they think is here. Not to mention, that around here, finding a hiding place is too damn easy, with all the board-ups and overgrown foliage.
*** Last back to the barn today, again we see evidence of a culture war; that which we USED to hold close as American culture, and that which we're saddled with today, with violence, stupidity, and slothfulness.
Those are not things to call virtuous in OUR culture by any means, but yet, there they are.
We are learning from those who came before us in the manner we used to.
There was a time when our parents and THEIR generation showed us the way...and we followed.

Today...not so much.
Everyone wants to be their own individual, and in doing so, falls into lockstep with a growing mass of indolent and non-thinking primitives.
It's more regression than progression (imho).
The values we used to have fall by the wayside...as do moral principles and codes of conduct.
We need to seriously change that way of thinking...and acting.
Because if we do not, then we will continue to have such things intrude into our lives like the crime...and the technology (to make our life easier and us...lazier), and even more government control.
The real power resides in US, but the responsibility that goes along with it does as well...always remember that.

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

Monday Musings...

Welcome to the end of the month of March, and the beginning of the week of Spring Break (don't ever recall having a WHOLE week of when we were in school), and that means the kids will be loose upon our streets, when we COULD have made up the snow days by taking away some of this week as a make-up.
But, the parents make plans seemingly YEARS in advance to take kids with them, so school gets the sh*t end of THAT stick...and then they bitch about a poor education FOR their kids...can't see ANY problem THERE, can we?

God help motel owners in Florida.

Anyway, today's weather will be NICE...as in VERY nice, with temps reaching the mid-60s. That's baseball weather, folks!
(around here, it's sagging satin shorts weather for the aborigine males, rather than the saggy denim pants...yes, spring IS here)
I would hope that long-lasting snow pile by the garage at our place will FINALLY be gone, too.
So, let's not worry about how much sunshine we'll have today here in the Hoosierland, and set about seeing what has been going on since least we met.
Grab a cup of whatever is your pleasure, and follow me into this day.
*** First out of the back door today is the fact that Wifey will be home this week, so that means she only has to deal with ONE unruly "student" instead of around 30+ (hey, I'm still young-at-heart).

She is certainly NOBODY'S doormat...!!!

Naturally, she has to utilize the time doing things she can't normally do unless she takes time off, like take the Wifeymobile into the shop, visit the dentist, get the taxes prepared, get the hair done...the usual fare.

When your brain turns to sludge!

The down side to that is when she IS home, the family room TV will be "locked" onto the BRAVO channel.
It's "the real housewives" (of wherever) to watch, and when that's not on, it'll be QVC or HSN.
Oh, and her smart phone will be helping to ruin her eyes further as she plays some farm game on it.
And THAT'S why, while I like video games, I refuse to let them "play" me.
I have my routine, and the (living room) TV doesn't come on until around 4PM (lasting until 10PM).
I have a feeling this week will fly by for Wifey...as for me, it'll just be another week in "ghettoland", dealing with the increased throng of boomcar drivers, as well as ALL the idiots who drive around with loud (as in damaged or not properly functioning) mufflers.

Yep, that's the SOUTHEAST SIDE of Ft. Wayne!

We should also add in any motorcyclists and THEIR 2-wheeled noisemakers.
Funny, I thought all such contrivances used to COME with WORKING mufflers...silly me.
Moving on...
*** Here is a perfect case of WHY law-abiding people should have access to police scanners.
Around 2300 hrs last night, a FWPD cruiser flew up our street, heading north, with lights and sirens. It was quickly followed by another cruiser, running silent, but still going fast.

What's up, Doc?

I told Wifey that "something" was going on nearby, but since we were purposely placed "in the dark" by new encryption technology with the police radios, were unable to ascertain WHAT that something was.
It wasn't that much later that we noticed more FWPD cars orbiting our area, going E/W as well as N/S. Definitely looking for someone or something connected with that initial run.
I would say we had around TEN vehicles drive past the "Fortress" over the span of 45 minutes, all going very slow.
I even saw one officer WALKING along the street outside our place with a flashlight (tossed weapon?)
The funny thing was that preceding all of this, I did NOT hear any gunshots (and believe me, you DO hear them and can get a decent track as to WHERE they seem to come from).
This all quieted down around half-past midnight, and no further officers were in our area, but it's pretty damn odd to see SO many around.
Naturally, nothing on ANY media source, but you usually don't roll THAT many vehicles unless something other than trivial is going down, right?
Now, this can't be connected with the bar shooting and subsequent car accident that killed that teen this weekend, as they caught the perp involved in that fracas. And that was much farther north...way out of our sector.
We have had a rash of burglaries down around here, along with the vandalism, domestics, fights and such, but none of THAT ever reaches the eyes and ears of the public, because they want you to think that crime is going DOWN. I will say that in nice neighborhoods, it probably IS, but not down here...we carry the weight of the overall crime stats in this city, but when you "average" it all out, it seems less than it really is in specific areas.
Perhaps time will tell...or I can find out something by nosing the hell around.
*** Yesterday (all day) on the FX channel, it was a superhero-fest, and I was so there (well,most of the day anyway).
It wasn't a bad way to spend the day (and most of the evening), such as it was, but they could have done it better.
They did show Spiderman-3, Fantastic Four - Rise of the Silver Surfer, Iron Man 2, Thor, and finally Captain America - The First Avenger.
No doubt this is all a run-up for this Friday's premiere (in theaters) of the new Captain America movie - The Winter Soldier.

Gettin' my OWN "band" together...!

What bugged me, was that they did not show The Incredible Hulk (the Edward Norton version), which figures into  The Avengers movie and eventually the new C/A flick that takes place two years AFTER the events in NYC (Avengers).
And with IM2, they still have not run the "teaser" at the end of that movie...which ties in directly with the THOR movie.
They get SO close to doing this the right way, but always come up a tad short...damn shame.
-- Anyway, they DID show some excellent trailers for the new "Cap" movie, and it looks to be a definite KEEPER (for my collection), and it would not surprise me if the first day box-office receipts reflect a VERY nice payday for those involved with the movie.
May not be AS huge as The Avengers was, but I will predict it will do damn well...perhaps being in the top ten all time openings.
The plot is solid, the acting very good, the effects are fantastic, and even after reading about the entire plot synopsis (and knowing the spoilers), I STILL want to see it...a lot.
-- I also HAD to see the season finale of The Walking Dead, and I had a sneaking feeling that the destination called TERMINUS was not going to be the "haven" we hoped it would be.
A good ending, nonetheless, with Rick saying (while locked with friends in a railroad car).."They screwed with the wrong people".

Rick is back, and don't screw with him.

That should set a great tone for the new season (premiering in the fall), and the way this show takes twists and turns with characters and plot-lines, who's to say what will happen, other than the fact that the zombie/walkers are NOT the only enemies in this post-apocalyptic world.
*** Lastly today, I was thinking about some things while watching my all-day "hero-a-thon".

If any of you have ever read anything by the late Joseph Campbell or studied any ancient or modern mythology to ANY degree, you can't help but view movies and books in a slightly different light.
Sure, much of it us pure entertainment and wonderful escapism, but you also begin to view all the characters in the way they are portrayed with a lot more detail. I say that because our modern culture is replete with such fictional people.
Some argue that the violence our society has emanates from such fiction, and I do believe that to a certain degree, but there is so much MORE contained in these shows, books, and movies.
There is always an overwhelming theme - good versus evil, and it's the method that good seeks to oust evil, as well as the depths that evil will stoop to that creates the antagonism in such things.
Can a good person remain good without losing themselves and becoming evil to FIGHT evil?
Can evil falsely portray itself to BE good to achieve it's goals?
WHO eventually wins out...and why?
Since antiquity, mankind has created the scenario whereby good fights evil, and triumphs. That set the stage for mythology.

We ALL pass this intersection in life.

These days, the same values are at stake, but the archetypal hero is perhaps not as "squeaky-clean" as in times past.
I think we have the chance to perhaps downplay the "anti-hero" and raise up the REAL hero, in the likes of Captain America.
We've seen that Thor had to learn the hard way what power and responsibility are, as did Tony Stark and Peter Parker.
Today's mythologies are little different from those of our distant past, whether it be Star Trek, Star Wars, superheroes like Superman, Iron Man, Green Lantern...whoever.
Only the manner in which we present them changes, but the core of the person (and their part in mythology) remains unchanged.
We still need GOOD to fight and eventually overcome evil, no matter what "realm" we find ourselves, real or imagined.
And I think that's as good a lesson to end the month on as any.

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

Friday Follies...

End of the week, almost the end of the month, and the start of spring break just around the corner...can we stand the strain?
The Hoosierland weather won't be as accommodating as we would prefer, what with off and on rain showers today throughout most of the early weekend, plenty of cloud cover turning to partly cloudy skies later, and some gusty winds tossed in for good measure.
Today's high will be right around where yesterday's high was - in the 45 degree range, so plan and dress accordingly.
Feel free to grab a cup of your preferred morning beverage as we see what's been on my mind.
*** First out of the confession box today is the preposterous photo-op of our fearless leader with Pope Francis yesterday.
Now, I'm not catholic (nor do I play on online or on television), but I really did not see the reason for this papal junket, other than for the 'O' to hang with a COOL person.

Hangin' with a COOL guy makes ME cool (I hope).

And the logic behind that is simple - Barry's NOT that cool these days, and he just wants to GET some of that (mojo) back by shmoozing with someone who IS pretty cool, and Popes tend to be that way with a lot of people.
If you heard Barry's "speech" at the Vatican, it was full of stuttering (no teleprompter I'm guessing) and "fill" words like the infamous "UH".
The single person applauding at the Hague was priceless, too.
Now, da prez is off to Saudi Arabia (to mend a fence or two)...another apology tour? God, let's hope not.
When it comes to world leaders, I have to admit that Barry IS a pretty sorry person, considering all the crap he's tossed at Americans in these last several years...enough already.
Moving on (briskly)...
*** Next up, you know your day is going to be a "lulu" when your fire up the one computer and hear this groan from the cooling fan.
So, you do what I normally do - perform the "Han Solo Repair Procedure Number One" - you THUMP it!

I'm...gonna need a BIGGER hammer.

Amazingly, the noise went away...for the time being, but as I gaze into my Crystal Skull, I foresee yet another trip to Stone Computer for either a fix or a replacement system in the not-so-distant-future.
It's not clairvoyance...just a keen knowledge over the years of how PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE works, my friends...

Whatever happened to GOOD engineers?

I sure miss the days when you had something SO long, and got rid of it ONLY because it was outdated, and NOT because it failed or was costing you more money than the original price.
*** There is this story in the News-Sentinel about  this "My City Summit" which is supposed to teach how to"connect and thrive".

It all starts with YOURSELF.

Here's the story link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140327/NEWS/140329687/1005/SPORTS
What I find curious, is WHY we even NEED this?
Don't people of this area already KNOW how to connect...or even thrive?
I would think that with ALL the technology available, connecting to anything or with anyone would be one of the EASIEST situations to find oneself .

As to thriving, that also comes down to the individual...usually through persistence, dedication, some hard work now and then, and yes, being educated enough to know HOW to thrive in whatever venue you choose.
But, no...we need a "summit", like some grandiose plan that will ENSURE success, rather than ensure the OPPORTUNITY for such success.
And, rather than be FREE, it costs $55 to attend, but hey, FWPD chief Garry Hamilton will be there.
(finally found something for him to do)
Naturally, hizzoner, King Henry will attend.
In today's world, people connect on levels they never imagined a mere thirty years ago, so why this gig?
City need money THAT bad?
*** And speaking of city money, the city WILL be spending around $20 MIL to fix and improve streets and roads about town, and this is an aside from all the pothole work being done from our harsh winter.
BUT, think on this...

The LEGACY money, which has been  frittered away with abandon on nonsense projects recently will NOT figure into the $20 million being spent on the roads...instead, the city is looking at jacking up the income tax to cover the freight.
The first story on this can be found HERE (6 March):
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20140306/LOCAL/140309580/-1/LOCAL11

More taxes - more government.

But recent coverage doesn't MENTION that fact about tax INCREASES...wonder why that is?
The WANE story has nothing as seen here:
http://wane.com/news/big-repairs-coming-to-some-neighborhoods-in-need/
Sure makes you want to ask the question WHY, doesn't it?
*** Last back to the hangar today, as mentioned previously, our culture (as we define it today) is certainly a LOT more complex than in times past.

And, rather than amend what our former culture used to be, we have added on so many other "cultures" along the way.
What we used to mean by AMERICAN culture was the whole "mom, apple pie" kinda thing. We waved the flag proudly for no reason other than what it represented to US...the "we the people" folks, because there used to be a lot more of us.
Today's culture is based more on tangibles than intangibles...the "stuff" we have or can acquire.
And it gets confusing here, because (as I have also stated many times) it's becoming a gray area where NEEDS and WANTS are concerned.
Our definition of "poverty" is a prime example.
Too many people have supplanted WANTS for NEEDS, and that creates a totally new facet to modern culture...
(cue doom music)
...a CONSUMER culture.
And marketing gurus flock to the calling.
From a capitalistic standpoint, that's a good thing, but when the government gets involved with over-regulations and unions seeking to overpay people for the same work, forcing manufacturing OVERSEAS, eventually LOSING more jobs than we can create...but we still have the need to be consumers.

Life is DEFINITELY more than just THIS!

We cannot stop consuming, that much is obvious, but we also need to stop government intervention into our culture for political gain and power.
Sadly we find another problem connected with that; does our government define our culture, or does our culture define our government?
I say, it should be the PEOPLE that define both...if they CHOOSE to.
Like I have said before, this gets complicated very easily...if we're not careful.
But, it's not insurmountable, and that is the glimmer of hope we should hold onto.
Have yourselves a great weekend.
See 'ya on the flip-side.

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

Just When You Thought...

It could not get worse, and then it does, but not in the manner you expected.
Now, don't fret, it was just a small brain fart on MY part, and we'll be taking care of that anon.
Meanwhile, here in the Hoosierland, it's going to be a day with some RAIN in it.
If we do see the sun, it might be just a glance or two, according to the weatherman.
The high today will be around 46 degrees with more rain coming into tonight...that ought to chase the last of the snow away.
(the "high" around my part of the ghettohood will be whenever the mooks wake the hell up)
*** Now, as I so marvelously FORGOT yesterday, here is the WHO SAID THAT? quote of the week, complete with the answer.
"Hatred is something peculiar. You will always find it strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture."

This was spoken by our old buddy, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (28 August 1749 - 22 March 1832) - the same birthday as my father...we would have gotten along well... and here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Wolfgang_von_Goethe
Now here was a renaissance man; a writer, a scientist, and a politician.
Von Goethe was also noted for his studies in evolution, linguistics, and philosophy.
Much of his poetry was set to music by Mozart and Mahler.
His views count him among some other pretty notable individuals such as Thomas Jefferson and Ludwig Von Beethoven.
It was also said that Nikola Tesla was highly influenced by Von Goethe's FAUST (his favorite poem) and Tesla had memorized the entire text, and it was this that led to the idea of the rotating magnetic field and eventually alternating current.
Heavy stuff, huh?
Meanwhile, back in the laboratory...
*** An invasion/armed robbery nets ONE perp out of two.
Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/news/crime/gunmen-threaten-to-kill-apartment-occupants/

Two armed men kicked in a door to an apartment in the 1200 block of Swinney Ave around 2130 hrs on 25 March.
When inside, they forced a woman to tie up her 12-year old son, threatened to kill them, and then availed themselves of various items around the place, such as video games, a cell phone, a debit card and a handgun that belonged to the woman's boyfriend..
They attempted to flee in a gray Trailblazer and it as then they were caught when the SUV stopped in an alley nearby.

Jonesin' with the WRONG crowd?

Guess "chunky-boy" couldn't get away FAST enough to elude officers, hmm?
Lewis Jones was the one caught and charged with multiple felonies including criminal recklessness, burglary, robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon (seems they ALL suffer from that one), battery, and criminal confinement.
The other perp remains at-large.
*** There was also another robbery in the 4300 block of Avondale Dr. around 0130 hrs on 26 March.
(this story has been played down for some odd reason)

Sure miss having a SCANNER so I would know how CLOSE this sh*t happens to us.
According to WOWO,  in this robbery/home invasion, there were THREE men who kicked in a door, and demanded cash.
One of the men wielded a shotgun.
The three men fled the scene BEFORE police arrived (as they seem to do down here with regularity) with the woman's wallet.
FWPD is still searching for the suspects.
NO descriptions were available, but I'll give you THREE guesses as to ethnicity (and the first two don't count)
*** And yet ANOTHER armed robbery of a residence, this time early in the morning and on Riedmiller Ave.
Here's the story from the WOWO site:

(( FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Fort Wayne police are investigating a Wednesday morning robbery that happened at a home on Riedmiller Avenue.
 According to police, an officer arrived on the scene around 7:30 a.m., Wednesday. 
A woman said that she was robbed by three teenagers. 
She told the officer that at approximately 7:05 a.m., she heard a knock on her door. 
When she asked who it was and a male replied by saying that he missed the school bus and wanted to use her telephone. 
The woman opened the door and gave him her cellphone. 
She then stated that he walked into her living room without permission. 
She told him to stop and that’s when two other teenagers entered her home. 
The woman said one suspect had a gun tucked into his waistband, while he was holding onto with his hand.
 They took her prescription medications, laptop, and television. They then left the scene.  
The victim described the suspect who knocked on her door as black, approximately 17-years-old, with an “afro” hairstyle and a short, thin build. 
She described another suspect as black, around 17-years-old, with a very short, thin build. 
The third suspect is described as black, about 17-years-old, with a dark completion and stocky build.
The officer did find a pill bottle outside of the victim’s home on the ground, which had apparently been dropped. 
The officer collected the bottle and placed it into evidence for fingerprints.))
Seems the crime IS spreading WEST...just as I said it would...and by teens before school.
*** Next up,  I guess I kinda blew everyone away with my opening salvo about CULTURE.

I didn't mean to make it seem that involved, but it really IS. I suppose I was expecting some feedback on it, but I will admit that it does take time to let it all sink in.
Hopefully, you won't find it totally incomprehensible, as I am not trying to make it anything close to that...
I'm of the "K.I.S.S." mentality, and we're not talking Gene Simmons or Ace Frehley here, but rather the OTHER acronym (Keep It Simple, Stupid)...LOL
I do think that what I have to share will make you think , and if THAT happens, I've done my part.
*** Speaking of CULTURE...there was a rather interesting "editorial" in today's J-G, written by noted libtard, Eugene Robinson.

Here's the link to the article at the Washington (Com)Post, because for some "odd" reason, I cannot locate it in the local Journal Gazette, even though I was holding the story IN MY HANDS (wonder why it's NOT on the online version?)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/eugene-robinson-paul-ryans-culture-attack-is-an-excuse-to-do-nothing-about-poverty/2014/03/24/f650fc0e-b397-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html
Robinson, obviously has absolutely NO idea on how to address Paul Ryan's assertions (which happen to be CORRECT)...so, like any OTHER leftist, he goes after the individual, rather than the content..
When a libtard CANNOT attack the MESSAGE, they attack the MESSENGER...which shows how weak a hand they're playing with (as usual).

Ryan speaks to the culture of work...and that IS part of who we are...our vocation often defines us in our life pursuits.
Ryan also mentions about a generation of inner city men who actively do NOT want to work, and that again, is spot on.
While it's not representative of any class or ethnicity, the FACTS are just that...FACTS.
There IS an inordinate number of men in the inner city that DO NOT work, nor have any desire to do so...as long as they can crib with babay-mamas and live off her government-sponsorship...OR deal in street pharms to support them both (and whatever children they choose to bring into the world to perpetuate this societal farce).
This "culture of work" as Ryan puts it, is one of those "intangibles" that usually produces the tangibles (like cash and stuff) OF our culture, or ANY culture.

Pretty easy to figure out, but leave it to a progressive to complicate the obvious.
Robinson believes that if Ryan refers to rap and saggy pants, then he needs to look at schools in affluent suburbs instead of the inner city, because kids there are similar in nature (yeah, right...those affluent areas that all the inner city kids were BUSED to, right Eugene?).
How well has that worked out for everyone?
Robinson also states that Ryan CANNOT be referring to the use of illegal drugs, because that crosses ALL borders (literally) and classes of people.
I'm sure that Ryan is not talking about drug USE as much as drug DEALING, which is primarily an inner city issue, fostered mainly by those of ethnicity.

Again, learn to know the FACTS, Eugene, and get your head out of your...."sandbox".
Robinson's tirade against Rep Ryan is so indicative of turning a social issue into a political one. It also is a way of seeing just how LARGE the blinders are that most leftists wear when tackling such problems.
Granted, there IS a severe shortage of MEANINGFUL WORK, but that's not JUST in the inner cities...that's damn near everywhere these days.
But does that become the only reason that inner city men of color do not WANT to seek employment, while turning to more "lucrative" ventures such as the burglaries, robberies, home invasions drug dealing and other sundry crimes?
I tend to believe that even IF you had jobs by the score...good, well-paying jobs in abundance, that many of these people STILL would pursue "the fast buck" in the easiest manner possible. THAT has become a hallmark of a portion of our society today, and poverty is such a small part of all this.

Poverty? Not so much.

Poor people don't have cell phones, big-screen TVs, nice cars, nice clothes and athletic shoes, gold teeth,  assorted bling, and the like.
Or at least they shouldn't, because such things are akin to a fraudulently-acquired lifestyle.
Unfortunately, our government seems to want that for more than a few of the inner city folks.
*** Last back to garage today,  one can easily see how much of an impact on our culture such things have become...and conversely, how much of an impact our "culture" has on everyday life, no matter what part of town you hail from.
We have created this interwoven and complex web one with the other.
If one were to invoke a better analogy, you could say there is a "symbiotic" relationship between what we call culture and the people.
It would appear that one cannot (or will not) exist without the other...and inter-dependency exists between the two.
It's like a heroin addict and the syringe.
We ARE a product of our culture, but you have to remember that WE are responsible for creating that culture.
In that. it should be more like one hand washing the other...more COMPLIMENTARY than anything else.
THAT is how we become better people.
Betterment and refinement through education is how it was explained in yesterday's post.
And that's one damn good start...for ANY of us, no matter WHERE we live.
Therein lies the lesson for today.

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