Tuesday Tidbits...

Welcome to what is starting out as a rather soggy Tuesday, folks. Had some showers roll through last evening, and they just did not want to leave.
Actually, the REAL rain comes later this week, so stay prepared.
Today's Hoosierland weather will see skies clearing later on with a high of around 55 degrees.
Those leaf-piles are pretty damn wet now, that's for sure.
We've some interesting things to look at today, so what say we get our morning drinks poured, take it easy for a spell, and see what has been occurring elsewhere, hmm?
*** First off of those rain-slicked streets is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
November 10 -
---Today is NATIONAL VANILLA CUPCAKE DAY

(It's got the word "cake" in it, so I'm on it like white on rice)
---It's also NATIONAL FORGET-ME-NOT DAY

(Many things and people in life are just not worth forgetting, are they?)
---And, most importantly, it's the 240TH BIRTHDAY OF THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS...!

SEMPER FI!

(and they don't look a day over 200)
Here's the WIKI for this proud group of "devil dogs":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps
I remember being in elementary school, and we got these "melody flutes" to play.
One of the FIRST songs we learned was the basic Marine Corps Hymn.
("From the halls of Montezuma...").
I can still play it on the recorder. Some things you NEVER forget.

I'll bet in schools TODAY, they stay as far from patriotic (and religious) themed things as MUCH as possible (for political-correctness sake) - a damn shame.
That kind of stuff builds character in young children. And that seems to be missing in current generations, does it not?
*** Also, it was FORTY years ago today that the EDMUND FITZGERALD, an ore freighter of the Great lakes sank in Lake Superior.

Here's the WIKI of the "Fitz":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald

The history of the ore freighters is a very interesting one, and if you recall, Chris Martin visited the Great Lakes Museum in Toledo earlier this year and went aboard the SS Col James M Schoonmaker ship they have docked there as it's OWN museum.

It was a great tour Chris gave us, and you can look it up over at HIS blog (Tilting At Windmills), by doing a search.
And, the Gordon Lighttfoot song about the Fitz is a wonderful tribute to the ship and crew that were lost on Superior all those years ago.
*** Next up, as is the typical fare for today, it's time for ALL the calls the media NEVER mentions, because it's not AS entertaining as they would prefer.

And we NEED the population entertained, instead of INFORMED...right?
(Uh...no, I'd much rather be informed. Entertainment can be had almost anywhere at any time)
SHOTS FIRED / ARMED ROBBERY CALLS - 11/2 - 11/8
===============================================
NOV 2 -
15F145137 01:36:35 113 SHOTS FIRED 900 WASHINGTON BLVD E
15F145145 02:25:52 113 SHOTS FIRED 6600 LIMA RD
15F145197 09:03:48 113 SHOTS FIRED 5100 GOLFVIEW DR
15F145524 21:29:59 113 SHOTS FIRED 3600 WINTER ST
15F145212 09:36:25 53 ARMED ROB 6400 BLUFFTON RD
15F145518 20:57:52 53 ARMED ROB 2700 PAULDING RD E
15F145562 23:42:13 53 ARMED ROB 1000 CALHOUN ST S
NOV 3 - 
((NO shots fired))
15F145606 04:00:57 53 ARMED ROB 3000 COLISEUM BLVD W
NOV 4 -
15F146059 04:55:12 113 SHOTS FIRED 3300 COLISEUM BLVD W
15F146137 09:25:28 113 SHOTS FIRED 200 BURNS BLVD
15F146430 19:31:40 113 SHOTS FIRED 1800 LAVERNE AVE
15F146464 20:46:45 113 SHOTS FIRED 3700 PLAZA DR
15F146500 22:13:50 113 SHOTS FIRED 2700 OLIVER ST
15F146456 20:37:42 53 ARMED ROB 400 PONTIAC ST E
NOV 5 -
15F146557 03:18:48 113 SHOTS FIRED 3000 PITTSBURG ST
15F146863 18:45:46 53 ARMED ROB 1700 HIGH ST
NOV 6 - 
15F147010 03:05:17 113 SHOTS FIRED 4600 GAYWOOD DR & CAPITOL AVE
15F147341 19:32:01 113 SHOTS FIRED 3700 GRAYSTON AVE
((NO armed robberies))
NOV 7 -
15F147471 01:57:46 113 SHOTS FIRED 3500 HANNA ST S
15F147564 10:05:00 113 SHOTS FIRED 1900 WALLEN RD W
((NO armed robberies))
NOV 8 -
15F147941 02:05:07 113 SHOTS FIRED 600 LEWIS ST E & HANNA ST S
15F148266 21:56:21 113 SHOTS FIRED 3700 PARKHILL AVE
15F148269 22:07:38 113 SHOTS FIRED 2900 WARSAW ST
((NO armed robberies))
================================
FIREWORKS CALLS - 11/2 - 11/8
============================
NOV 4 -
15F146416 18:55:42 44FW 1900 MAIN ST W
((there just HAS to be ONE dumbass idiot))
*** Next up, a wonderful PAIR of arrest down near Atlanta, GA which concern TWO murders that took place earlier this year.
Here's the "4-1-1" from WANE on this story:
http://wane.com/2015/11/09/two-murder-suspects-arrested-in-ga-on-unrelated-cases-police-say-just-a-coincidence/

Underwood be BUSTED!

You have to hand it to our own FWPD chief, Garry Hamilton...for NOT being involved in EITHER arrest. (maybe he can at least get the extradition crap straight?)
I covered the two murders in previous posts (search the names of the victims to find my archive posts).
Both perps were caught in the same county in Georgia.
(imagine that)
The first perp, one Shakidi Underwood, 18 (of Fort Wayne) was caught because there was an OBSERVANT officer who pulled over Underwood's sister for a traffic violation - failure to signal a turn (yes, the police DO pull folks over for such things like that...in GEORGIA.)
Must have ENOUGH officers to do PROPER active patrols for violators down THERE...hmm?

Sultan be BUSTED, too!

Amazing what can be accomplished with the RIGHT type of policing, isn't it?
This other perp, one Hozyfa Sultan (also of Fort Wayne) was the recipient of a search warrant by local authorities and FBI agents in the arrest at a residence, also in Gwinette County, GA.
Guess it never dawned on OUR investigators to check into ALL the possible family relations and WHERE these two could have fled, otherwise the FWPD would have had some leads, and not have to wait several months for ANOTHER police department to do THEIR job for them.
Way to go, Garry...another nicely-dropped ball. Ever think of playing for the other side?
*** Next up, I want to show you folks what happens to good houses when the wrong people inhabit them, as well as the deadbeat landlords that acquire them.

These are some pictures of the house across the street from our "Fortress", and used to be one of THE most expensive houses in our immediate area.
It was built way back in 1928, so it predates OUR place by almost 20 years (Ours went up around 1945).
I knew Billy Usher, the Harley-riding, MIA flag-flying Vietnam vet who lived there - he'd been a friend of Wifey's family for a LONG time.
 He passed some years back from cancer and would be around my age. And he was a damn GOOD neighbor.
Bill and his girlfriend moved out a couple years before he took ill (he said the area was getting too much for him), and the place fell into the hands of a landlord, who proceeded to place some of the least amicable people in there, with the exception of one couple (mixed race). They were very nice, but they didn't last long.
 After that it was more of the wrong people with ALL their friends and family., One year, they had a get-together. Took up BOTH side of our block with all the cars that came over...and they were (as could be expected)...LOUD.
Suffice it to say, the house should have been holding up well enough.
Amazing how WRONG you can be, especially when there are scrappers who prowl the ghettohood EVERY single day, looking for patterns of habitation or times when people vacate a property. They know more than the city departments do.

This WAS the living room.

I know the house had been broken into at least TWICE, but I had no way of knowing what was taken from it, or the extent of any damage incurred.
Recently, the house came under a realtor - Perfect Pad LLC, and the woman selling the property has the cost listed as $9,900...!

There USED to be a CEILING in there.

That's right, a house with 2 bedrms, 1 bath, 2 car garage and full basement...with a .55 acre parcel of land attached. Property devaluation - keeps revenue from going back to the city.
But the current condition of the house leaves a LOT to be desired...

That's either water stains or mold on the walls.

THIS is what happens when you permit the WRONG people to move into a once nice house (or apartment)
These people could trash a f$cking MUD-HUT in Kenya, for cripes sake, so imagine how much "fun" they have HERE in such houses...and at YOUR expense, because HUD and Section 8 makes it possible for them to live all around you.

Yep, used to be a NICE house. Thanks HUD.

This is the kind of thing that pisses me off to no end...
*** Next up, I hear that while the unemployment rate is dropping in NE Indiana, the poverty rate in northern Indiana is ON THE RISE...
((...record-scratch...))
You ARE kidding me, right?

Lemme guess - a "REDISTRIBUTION of  WEALTH"?

Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2015/11/09/brightpoint-study-poverty-on-the-rise/
Yep, THIS will get me shouting at the TV set...EVERY damn time.

We have the MOST prosperous "poor people" on the face of the damn PLANET, for God's sake.
They (Brightpoint, formerly CANI, who did this latest "study") have no idea what POOR means (too busy spending taxpayer money).
Okay, here's the perfect SOLUTION for this problem, because I know WHAT the problem truly is - LOWER THE POVERTY RATES by 50%.
We're already at $40K as the poverty level.
Hell, many WORKING people don't even make that much busting their ass on the job, and yet, some people get THIS much in gov't programs GRATIS, because they "say" they're poor...or to be more correct, we "make" them poor if they have LESS than $40K coming in.
That is totally ludicrous...AND very costly.

Allen County is LOWER...hmm. Another lie?

Hey, maybe it's due to ALL the illegals that are being shuttled up to OUR areas? Or perhaps all these "refugees" with NO skills whatsoever, who are leaching off the taxpayers?
You wait and see...sooner or later, the FEDS will AGAIN raise the threshold for the poverty level to say...I dunno...$50K, and then, we'll see a drop in poverty levels...for a while.
Then, we start the shell game all over again.
Insidious way to "redistribute wealth", isn't it?
*** Next, we have OUR version of THE CANDY MAN (with apologies to the late Sammy Davis, Jr, who was a remarkable individual and performer).
Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2015/11/09/arrest-made-after-drug-raid/

He be busted!

Now, HOW did I guess he would not be a white man?
Joseph Redick, Sr, 42, of the 3200 block of Fairfield Avenue was taken into custody after selling some cocaine to undercover officers.
(hurrah for our side).
When police procured a search warrant and raided his house, they found all these nice "edible" items laced with THC, like peanut butter cookies and hard candy.
Guess THIS is what we can expect when certain states have "legal" pot and others do not.
This does not make the case for total legalization in my eyes, however.
What it tells me, is that children can get access to such product easier than we think, and that can never be a good thing...can it?
This asshole certainly doesn't look like the type of guy that used to run the candy stores when I was young...what say you?
*** Last back to the garage...the evidence of people being at the root cause of all of society's problems is much akin to working in a horse stable - the work KEEPS PILING UP every damn day.

Might need a BIGGER shovel.

Again, we see that WE are often our own worst enemies.
It always comes back to some people looking for that EASY way through life...and the results of such failed endeavors are obvious.
The lack of interpersonal skills is just as obvious, otherwise, we'd not have the level of gun-play, or other assorted violent behavior on our streets, and people would be more respectful.

Would we be so fortunate as to return to times that saw all of us act in more appropriate ways, and embrace something we used to call "manners".
I can only wish for such a time once again.
To not only survive, but thrive as a society, we here in this country NEED to become a better people, and better individuals.
We need to SET the standards, not make produce more DOUBLE ones.

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

Monday Musings...

No, your eyes are not deceiving you...things look a lot different, don't they?
You can thank...I mean BLAME Google/Blogger for this mess.
Saturday's post kinda tells the tale.
Anyway, it's not THAT bad a look, and I'm too lazy to try and set everything back the way it used to look.
That doesn't mean I don't miss the "original" presentation of my humble blog, and I might "try" and get the template restored. Just not today.
The weekend weather caught us marvelously OFF-guard this weekend, with temps dipping BELOW the freezing mark...and not ONE SINGLE mention of a FREEZE-WARNING on the TV about it. Didn't even hear anything when they mentioned the 7-day planner the previous day.
Thanks for helping to hasten the demise of some of our plants, you idiots.
Our Hoosierland weather for today will find us with a more seasonal high of around 55 degrees, with mostly sunny skies. Still was cold last night, though. And it probably will be until Spring rolls around next year.
Have to get used to it, right?
So, let's all get a nice warm cup of some soothing drink, as we set off into another week that's sure to send along some of life's good, bad and ugly...
*** First from under the comforter is our "What the hell happens today,Bob?" feature:
November 9 -
---Today is NATIONAL SCRAPPLE DAY

(a very personal favorite of mine)
If you want the skinny on this, here you go:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrapple

A "proper" breakfast.

Now, obtaining this product was NEVER a problem in Philly, but here in Indiana, it's harder to come by than a decent neighbor.
I was raised on the stuff, and no, I don't want to know everything that's in it...LOL.
Scott's groceries USED to carry it, and when Kroger bought them out, THEY also carried it...for a time, and at a good price.
($2.50 for Kuntzler's brand).
About 2-3 years ago, they stopped carrying it (?), and I haven't seen it since, but when they did have it, I wasn't the only one to buy it, because it disappeared from the shelf fast enough, and I only would buy TWO "loaves" every few weeks.
(wonder if Wal-Mart carries it?)
Some folks don't know WHAT they're missing.
Moving on...
*** And speaking of things that are "hard to come by", let's try THIS on for size:
http://wane.com/2015/11/07/police-searching-for-an-armed-robbery-suspect/

This is one of the growing number of crimes that happen around Fort Wayne, that SHOULD have you scratching your heads in disbelief.
And, it's NOT because of the type of crime.
It's because of the amount of "information" that's been provided to WE, THE PEOPLE.
This armed robbery took place at the BP station located at 909 E. Coliseum Blvd around 0300 hrs Saturday morning.

That's about ALL the information that police told the media, and the story has been all but buried
Now, NO arrests were made (obviously), NO information as to if or how much CASH or other items were taken, and NO description of the suspect.
And the tag line is: "If you have any information, call police".
WTF???

I'm getting pretty damn sick and tired of the LACK of information the public is provided, and yet somehow "expected" to assist police.
With what? the public has NOTHING to go on...how the hell can you truly expect ANYONE to help when they have no information?
What...you want me to "guess" who pulled this off?
How about a BLACK GUY? (too obvious?) Maybe a WHITE GUY? Maybe a DWARF with attitude? Perhaps it was a a WOMAN?
And since the place is well-lit, we don't even know WHAT kind of clothes he/she/it was wearing. Maybe they were NUDE?
That would explain the lack of a clothing description, right?
It was an ARMED robbery...well, since everyone has ARMS (a left one and a right one), that's a bit ambiguous, too.

Did the perp have a GUN? A KNIFE? A MACHETE? A pair of 3-month old gym socks?
And we don't know WHAT was taken? Money? Ciggies? 3 Musketeers bar? A cup of coffee (with cream and sugar)?
For cripes sake, we live in a bloody age of "The Information Superhighway".
And here we stand in the middle of a stinking "dirt road".
C'mon now...let's get some information OUT to the public, so THEY can help the FWPD.
And to the FWPD, I'd say stop this shit with the "gag orders"...you want OUR help, then by God start by giving US something to go on, other than "a robbery happened". This kind of "silence " is deplorable, even IF it does speak VOLUMES.
*** Next, along those lines, there was a good letter to the editor in today's J-G:

Here is the letter (verbatim) from the paper:
Citizen observers aid solid police work
Until I took military leave from the FBI during World War II, I learned police work is hard, dangerous and tedious. Developing investigative techniques, personal contacts and street smarts takes time. Good intelligence works from the bottom to the top, not top down. Knowledge and patience go hand in hand.
Ordinary citizens can stop crime: Notice strangers in your neighborhood, write down license numbers of suspicious cars roaming. Listen to your children/teenagers. Become involved in their lives. Investigate whether they have a gun. Do your own home investigation before trouble or untimely death invade your family life.
One professionally trained officer is worth any number of volunteers. A prime example of excellent team police work – coordination by many federal, state and city police departments such as the recent arrest of hundreds of individuals in major cities across America, resulting in the shutdown of the largest juvenile sex ring in America. No quick arrest, good record-keeping and patience in investigation tied this  countrywide crime together.
Crime Stoppers is effective and works – report, verify, investigate: the lifeblood of successful police work. Citizens, tell the officer what you know or suspect, give them a lead and let the professionals do their job.
ELDON ZAHM, Fort Wayne
Have to hand it to Eldon...HE "gets it".
He cites "citizen involvement". and he's right, the people CAN and DO help the police all over the place.
But all of this is predicated upon the public being MADE AWARE of what goes down...it's called INFORMING the people.
He says that good intelligence works from the bottom up, and not from the top down.
Seems the FWPD could take a page from THAT notebook. Funny, they USED to do just that.
*** Last back to the barn...I'll bet you might be wondering what's been going on around the "Fortress", so here's a bit of a catch-up

Our house - our leaf pile.

Wifey and I raked the leaves again (that makes 5 times for me,...and hopefully the last).
My back is letting me know how much "fun" it was, too.

From "air-guitar" to raking.  Who'da thunk?

Gotta remind myself, I'm not 25 anymore. Or 45 for that matter.
And some of the critters are stopping by.

Mr. Wrinkles hardly misses a day.

Haven't see our rabbit friend for over a week, though.
You come to expect them, and miss them when they don't show up.

Yo, Bob...feeder's EMPTY again.

The birds are loving filled feeders, too.

A cup of seed never goes to waste.

I swear they can eat several times their body weight in seed.
And the cat just sleeps through most all of it, until he wants to get fed...then you can't shut him up.

Do you MIND? I'm nappin' over here.

It's not an exciting life around here, just kinda cool, but you DO see some pretty odd stuff.
(Like a stretch-limo parked on a FRONT LAWN?)

How often do YOU see THIS kinda odd?

I could do with more calm...and a lot less exciting...or odd.
We've way too much odd in the world.
And it shows.

One way to look at things.

There was once a time when we would say that everyone is different...or unique...remember those days?
Now, you just have to look at some of the stuff that goes on and the people that create (read cause) it say they're not different.
WEIRD perhaps, but certainly not different. And not unique...just plain frigging Weirdsville.
Thank God that you or I could never hope nor want to ever be the mayor of THAT town.

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

Sorry about the "New Look"...
This is the closest I could come and get things AS complete as they once were...
Some elements of my navbar went missing today after I logged on, so I TRIED to fix things...even uploaded a copy (I have two) of my OLD template...zip, zero, nada, nothing worked.
Why THAT has suddenly gone M.I.A. is anyone's guess.
And you kinda need it, if you want to search the blog, sign in, sign out, create a new post...yeah, that IMPORTANT stuff.
So I guess I'll be muddling by with this craptastic version of what my former blog (or damn near TEN years) looked like.
Bear with me...I will try and contact blogger and see what can be done.
Right now, the sign OUT part is still missing, as are the quick-edit "screwdriver" icons. Gotta do things the "long" way for a while.
At least people can still post here (I think).
Let me know if you have any problems.
Thanks for bearing with this clusterf$ck...if BLOGGER hadn't screwed up in the FIRST place and lost my navbar, we'd still have the comfort of the familiar here.
Bobby G.
((Update - 1515 hrs ))
I managed to get BACK the COMPLETE NAVBAR...it WAS a GOOGLE/BLOGGER issue, as usual (when you block 3rd party cookies to make the pages load faster, you apparently kill the navbar - did not know that, nor did anyone else). It was trial and error (lots of the latter). Now, I don't know if my OLD template is intact with everything I USED to have on it as it was saved back in 2012) so I will keep this one for a spell and see what happens. I may mess about with the layout over the weekend. Crossing my fingers on this. I did manage to amaze myself on this one.
Bobby G.

Friday Follies...

Ah, THERE'S the rain we were waiting on, but it won't be lasting that far into the weekend.
Better to get the crap weather OUT of the way so as not to muck up the REST of the time we so cherish, hmm?
partly cloudy and very breezy conditions that will give way to clearing skies by afternoon and temps that will be dropping more into the seasonal realms as we reach a high today of around 53 degrees. Actually our high was the overnight temperature of around 64..
I do prefer light jacket and/or sweater weather...not too hot, not too cold...just right - "Goldilocks" weather, one might say. More raking is in my future...
So, what say we get our cup or glass of Friday fortitude poured and parked nearby as we see what is and what shall be over the next 72 hours...
*** First out of the root-cellar is our "What the hell happens today, Bob? feature:
November 6 -
---Today is NATIONAL NACHO DAY

(maybe they should celebrate this in MEXICO instead...it's NOT  traditional American food, is it?)
---And, it's NATIONAL SAXOPHONE DAY

(play it if 'ya got it, folks)
*** And since it s a Friday, let's see what the weekend has in store for us all:
November 7 -
---Saturday is NATIONAL BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE WITH ALMONDS DAY

(oh yeah, the almonds make ALL the difference)
---And it's NATIONAL CANINE LYMPHOMA AWARENESS DAY

(hey, bad things happen to good pets, too)
November 8 -
---Sunday is NATIONAL CAPPUCCINO DAY

(Isn't that a city in Italy? Or a monkey?)
---It's also NATIONAL HARVEY WALLBANGER DAY

( I can count all of these I've had on ONE hand...they're okay if made right)
---It's NATIONAL PARENTS AS TEACHERS DAY

(ah, if ONLY we had a lot more that were...educators would have a better crop of students)
---And, it's NATIONAL STEM/STEAM DAY

(google it up, it looks to be a kids science thing)
---And on Sunday, for all you fellow WHOVIANS, the BBC America channel will have a marathon of Doctor Who episodes that feature our favorite nemesis - THE DALEKS.

Day Of The Daleks is what it's all about (which trumps any day of the dead) and is airing a Tom Baker episode ( Genesis of the Daleks)

And they are "eco-friendly"...LOL.

Be there or be lost in the vortex.
There you go then...all sorts of things to keep you OUT of trouble.
Moving on...
*** Next, if you grew up in the 60's and watched ANY TV, you probably saw some of the work of George Barris, a noted car customizer.

He passed away yesterday at the age of 89, but left us some great cars and memories.
Here''s his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Barris_(auto_customizer)

Still a cool ride.

Wonderfully bizarre...and cool.

Just plain bad-ass!

Yes indeed, the BATMOBILE was one of these customized cars, as was the MUNSTER COACH and the BLACK BEAUTY from the original Green Hornet series (starring Van Williams and Bruce Lee).

Not bad for a GTO

He also created the Beverly Hillbillies "truck", the fictional 1928 "Porter" for the short-lived series My Mother The Car, as well as the Monkeemobile and the updated versions of  K.I.T.T. for the Knight Rider series...just to name a few.

What my car wants to be some day.

He was also a car customizer to the stars and the WIKI mentions those he built vehicles for, as well as novelty golf carts.
Kinda hard to see anyone of his talent coming around again any time soon...
*** Next up, The TOY HALL OF FAME (located in Rochester, NY) makes it's decision for the 2015 inductees...

Here's the story link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/06/nyregion/at-the-toy-hall-of-fame-new-inductees-join-the-ball-the-box-and-the-barbie-doll.html
Looks to be TWISTER, the SUPER SOAKER and THE PUPPET (any of them)
It did take these people until TEN years ago to induct the CARDBOARD BOX...
(better late than never, hmm?)

2015 inductees

And they did induct the BALL back in 2009, which was only ONE year after THE STICK was inducted (the toy of choice in our part of the ghettohood...lol)
Toys of the "imagination" don't tend to get as much traction as the obvious ones, I suppose.
*** Next, and speaking about kids who wind up with scarred youth and adolescence, we have this gem:
http://wane.com/2015/11/05/former-wayne-special-ed-staffer-admits-to-sex-with-student/

Yep, another sexual predator in another school...and in special ed at that.
He sure must have placed the "special" in that education...pervert.
They need to start tossing some LARGE books at these creeps...and a lot more OFTEN.
How they get under the wire and onto the schools is beyond me.
Maybe the vetting process needs to be changed a bit.
Kids have enough problems in this screwed-up world as it is, without some person that can't keep things in his pants and preys on developing minds.
Such perversions are done only to supply the perpetrator with some level of power and pleasure.
And what about the young lives that are compromised in their wake?
Sure makes growing up "normal" a lot more difficult, doesn't it?
*** Next, Our reigning monarch, "King" Henry sits down and holds an audience with WANE reporter Brett Thomas.

STILL good to be king.

Here's the video (all 18 minutes of it that didn't air on TV):
http://wane.com/2015/11/05/interview-with-tom-henry/
Now, you have to see the whole video to hear such things like:
"I brought Rusty on board as Public Safety Director because of a one-week spike in criminal activity and needed someone who could spend more time than I could with the operational part of the police department."

Still two empty suits (imho)

So THAT means that FWPD chief Garry Hamilton IS NOT THAT QUALIFIED to hold that job, right? What did I (and others) say all this time?
Henry goes on to say that more officers are not NEEDED on our streets...
((...AHEM..))  Really? REALLY???
Coulda fooled me, bub.
Sure looks like we NEED them, considering response time, lack of active patrols, and monitoring the "hot spots" in the SE primarily, as well as expanding this to the north and west.
I think the ratio of officers per capita has been proven to be effective, so let me pose a question to any and all LEOs who read this blog:
"Would any of you rather have to police 500 people, both good and bad...or 1000 of the same types of people at any given time?"
The interview is perhaps more revealing than one might let on...you watch and you decide.
*** Next up,  a 9-year old boy is basically assassinated by gang members in (where else?)...Chicago.
Here's the story link:
http://abc7chicago.com/news/$20k-reward-offered-to-find-9-year-old-boys-killer/1065731/

Baby-daddy is a known gang member, so it's no surprise that HE pissed off the wrong people.
THIS is what an entitlement society looks like.
And where the hell is the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement?

And it SMELLS like it, too.

Not hearing one damn word from THEM about this killing, are we?
Guess only CERTAIN black lives matter...like those who disobey authority and get shot for pulling guns on or assaulting police, right?
*** Next, LAZER-X is no more.

On Fernhill St behind Glenbrook

The building burned down yesterday morning...damn shame.
Never got to go there. Here's the story link:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Flames-engulf--340808012.html

I'd like to see the place rebuilt, if for no other reason than to allow those who ALREADY had reserved parties and such there to enjoy it. I know they will be refunded thier money (if any).
*** Next (to last)...the new JAMES BOND film, SPECTRE opens today, and the trailers look pretty damn good.

Screw what any critic might say...this is 007, for God's sake.
Then again, Daniel Craig has confirmed (for me) his place in the mythology from Fleming. I liked him from the start...very well portrayed character...and near as good as Connery.
A new set of wheels is standard equipment, too.
*** Last back to the kitchen...it's perfectly fine to take an active part in all the things life has to offer each of us.

It's easier when we're younger, have more energy, and the spirit to do the right thing, and to help others whenever and wherever we can.

But, it's also fine to be an "observer" of the human condition, and that's not to say we never get involved - it means we learn how to choose our "battles" in life, rather than have those battles come to our front door.
Taking time to watch people...hear people. and learn about and from their idiosyncrasies goes far to teach us how we need to act or react to ourselves as well as others.
In today's world, everyone's got their faces stuck into some smartphone, so the face-to-face interaction between us is diminished.
That presents it's own unique problems, and we see evidence of that every damn day.
Also, while it's fine to watch and listen, that can also help us learn when we need to intervene on behalf of someone who might need some sort of help. It also teaches us who is HONEST with such a need, as opposed to those who feign such behavior.
It's never all about jumping into the fray without regard to wit or wisdom.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, we used to call that being a cum laude graduate of the "Han Solo School of Action Before Thought"...LOL.
Life is short enough to NOT take in all we can, and that doesn't mean we have to participate in everything. It does men we need to take the time to pay attention to all the little things, because, when we're older we will discover that those little things were indeed the big things.
Therein lies the lesson for the week.
Do have yourselves a great weekend.

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