Monday Musings...
Welcome to another fun-filled (?) week, and here in the Heartland, we're going to be having some MILD weather (for January, anyway).
Then again, if you recall LAST year, we got socked in FEBRUARY with some serious snowfall, so to all you global-warming "enthusiasts" out there...don't get your hopes up just yet.
We're fast approaching Super Bowl weekend (for me that would be PUPPY BOWL weekend - on the Animal Planet channel instead), and that's something I want to discuss a little later in today's post, but first, we've got some "news" out there in Hoosierland that needs tending to.
*** Shooting leaves one Fort Wayne woman in critical condition.
Here's the story as presented by WANE:
(( Updated: Monday, 30 Jan 2012, 6:17 AM EST
Published : Sunday, 29 Jan 2012, 11:50 PM EST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Police are investigating a shooting that happened at 2318 Covington Rd. Sunday night.
Police arrived on scene a little before 10 p.m. They found an adult woman suffering from a gunshot wound.
She was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Police said they do not have any suspects at this time and no arrests have been made.
Investigators are speaking with individuals at the home to get more information on what happened.
The woman's name has not yet been released. ))
At least it wasn't on the...(...All together, gang...)...SOUTHEAST SIDE of Fort Wayne.
Maybe the bane is spreading?
The radio had her being transported in C-MINUS condition...not that great.
(( Update - 1430 HR - This shooting was ruled a suicide today, as the woman had died 10 minutes after making it to the hospital. ))
Here's the link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/police-investigate-covington-rd-shooting
*** Man injured by explosion.
Again, from WANE sources:
(( Updated: Monday, 30 Jan 2012, 6:18 AM EST
Published : Sunday, 29 Jan 2012, 10:24 PM EST
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Fort Wayne police are investigating an explosion at an apartment complex in the 2600 block of River Cove Lane.
Officials said they were on scene for several hours Sunday night, after police were dispatched to the location.
Public Information Officer John Chambers said it appeared someone was inside chiseling something when there was an explosion.
Chambers said they are still working to find out more information about what exploded, but police did put up crime scene tape. The Hazardous Devices Unit, also known as the bomb squad, was on the scene as well.
An adult man was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Chambers said he had injuries to at least his hand.
"We don't know if it was a chemical reaction or some type of device. We are holding a police scene and are working with the prosecutor's office to get a warrant to go inside the apartment and investigate further," Chambers said.
This story will be updated when more information is available. ))
The radio chatter was involving some SHRAPNEL, so I guess that hand of his wasn't in the best of shape after whatever triggered that explosion.
And BTW, be careful who your neighbor might be when living in an apartment.
Makes me wonder WTH would cause such an explosion when "chiseling" was mentioned.
Artists chisel wood or stone...no "boom" there.
Can't be an artist, can he?
And only an IDIOT would take a chisel to a stick of TNT (or other firm explosive)...
A gunsmith "might" be working on a firearm or powder charge for reloading...that could go "boom" (if struck with metal the right way causing a spark), but WHY would anyone work on firearms or reloading in an apartment...that's stupid beyond measure.
But, "if" you were cooking meth and were "cutting" down the crystal and bumped the metal pot you "might" be cooking in, THAT could go "boom".
Hell, with all the chemicals in meth, I'd be surprised when it doesn't react to damn near anything.
Clearly, this IS just speculation (on my part), and not to be taken as fact until PROVEN...got it?
(( Update - 1430 HR - Idiot-Alert - Bomb-making materials were found on scene of that explosion. Apparently the mixture became rock-hard, and the man was using a CHISEL tio break it apart. Someone forgot to tell him that SOME compounds ARE "impact-sensitive"...it pays to READ up first.))
Here's the link:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/police-investigate-explosion-man-in-critical-condition
*** Now, back to the Super Bowl and all the hype connected with it...(yawn)...
Have you noticed the AMOUNT of hype being laid upon the Super Bowl?
And doesn't it become a study of "outdoing the previous year"?
How fracking HUGE does it have to get before enough will be enough?
Personally, I feel lots more people are tuning in or showing up FOR the hype...rather than the GAME.
And to me, that takes a lot away from the players...provisionally-speaking.
I remember the game when it had players that actually had SECOND JOBS during the off-season...like a car dealership.
Today, it's about paying a player an enormous amount of money, hoping they play LONG enough (and well enough) to RECOUP that revenue via marketing...and praying they don't get injured along the way.
Stadiums are named for BANKS...or PRODUCTS (it is all about "branding" after all). Gone are the days when they were named after PEOPLE (memorial stadiums, for example).
Ticket prices become obscenely expensive, denying the game to all but those that can afford a second mortgage to purchase a season seat in the rafters. Sports used to be a lot more family-oriented, and by that, I meant AFFORDABLE to the average person.
Can't say that today...can we?
They erected a freaking SUPER BOWL VILLAGE in Indianapolis, just for the ONE-DAY EVENT!
This reminded me of the OLYMPIC VILLAGE during the winter games...
At least THAT village was up for the few weeks the OLYMPICS took place, and not constructed merely for ONE DAY.
So that makes sense to me.
But is the Super Bowl not as SUPER that folks need to have the "NFL EXPERIENCE" to get them fired up and interested?
And I won't even get into the whole PARKING issue, as well as accommodations , souvenirs, and ticket-scalping.
Most all those are atrocious at best (and illegal at worst).
It seems that these days, society is thrust from ONE venue to another...think about it.
After the Super Bowl we have March Madness (which will end sometime around MAY, probably...lol), and then Spring Training (with the NBA playoffs shoved in between somewhere). And so the cycle goes.
The OSCARS are another situation that have (imho) fallen on hard times from years past.
Each event has to be more "sensational" than the last one, and yet, the movies (and many times the stars themselves) bear witness that THEY are not the REAL reason any longer FOR such an event.
Look at years past Oscar events (go back at LEAST 30-40 years), and then look at some of the more recent ones...
Absolutely NO comparison...in either movie quality (with VERY few exceptions) or "star power" (again, with VERY few exceptions).
Now, I said all THAT...to say THIS:
I have often stated (here) that "It's all about being entertained"...and usually by someone OTHER than ourselves, or at someone else's expense (the inner city "experience").
Many have forgotten (by choice or by design) HOW to amuse THEMselves.
We have "reality" shows that do no more than show us how depraved some folks are...to make "us" feel better about ourselves.
We have sports events that have better COMMERCIALS than game play on the field.
We have various other venues that tout "accomplishments" in the cinema (or TV)...for films that are pale shadows of REAL movies...with REAL actors and actresses.
I will say that when it comes to marketing, we (as a whole) do an exemplary job.
Capitalism is ALWAYS a good thing...most times.
But when any sort of prosperity is measured by how many BIG SCREEN TVs are sold around Super Bowl time, that prosperity isn't extending to the HUMAN aspect of our society...only the acquisition of "stuff"...and appealing to the greedy side of mankind.
You measure the quality of a person's character NOT by how much crap he or she has purchased over time, but how they attack LIFE itself.
Hell, I could go out today and get us a 70 inch plasma TV...but WTF do we need one for?
The ones we already have work well enough, and I'm not planning to open a multiplex in our living room or backyard, so why bother?
I know that I'm bucking the tide here, and swimming against the "current", but stop and think about all of this.
Is all the "hype" leading up to that next "event" (whatever it might be) worth the actuality OF that event? Does it even come close?
Or does it far EXCEED the event itself...and you became duped along the way?
Don't get me wrong here...I enjoy a good time as much as the next guy...BUT...there comes a time to see the REAL reality in all of this.
When you get played, don't gripe about the choice of song or even the band.
Life can be filled with wonder...if YOU look for it.
It can also be filled with one damn "event" after another...with you following like a loyal puppy on the heels of whoever is the best marketing agency.
If you prefer being a sheep, that's not so bad a thing.
On the other hand, if you prefer your life to be filled with better things, sometimes, all you have to do is peer out your window...or pick up a good book.
Grand events such as the Super Bowl are fine, as long as YOU keep it (and all the others) in their proper perspectives.
Have yourselves a great week.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.