Friday Follies...
End to the last week in March, and it looks like this month will be going out "like a lamb" with Sunday temps reaching near 80 degrees (good day to get the lawn cut...however EARLY in the year it might seem for us in the Heartland of America).
Today is a soft day...nice rain (off and on).
We've a few things to get settled first, before we "go softly into the good weekend", so let's get rolling.
*** Our major news and talk radio station here has made the jump to FM (92.3) with a simulcast debut this week.
WOWO ushered this in with a marvelous replay of a NASA rocket launch, doing the countdown as Also Sprach Zarathustra played behind it (the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)...fantastic way to begin a new era in broadcasting for the station.
Not to mention,.,..the sound is WAY better with a lot less "fade" than with AM (1190), and no power drop after dark.
In other words..."They done good...they done REAL good!"
(And, yes...Pat Miller DOES sound about 20 pounds thinner on the FM air...LOL)
*** Next up, the town of Ligonier, Indiana has made it to the "big leagues" with larger cities.
Here's the story:
http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local/latinos-feel-targeted-by-ligonier-police
Yep, the Latino community "feels" it's being unjustly targeted by police who seem to be pulling them over while driving.
let me say from the start that whenever you have a LARGE contingent of a particular ethnicity in an area, AND they produce reasonable CAUSE by an officer for being pulled over (expired tags, blown out lights, speeding, weaving or erratic driving, etc), you will almost INVARIABLY pull over someone FROM that ethnicity...it's called the LAW OF AVERAGES, folks.
That goes without saying down in our ghettohood HERE...with about 70-80 percent of the populace BLACK, the ODDS of pulling someone over (when required by law) are stacked in the OFFICER'S favor...sorry about that, Jamarcus and Paco.
It's by NO means an indicator of "racial" or "ethnic" profiling...so knock that crap the hell off.
Perhaps someone is looking to snag some quick money with another frivolous lawsuit.
And I will wager the Latino population in Ligonier is second to whites, as are the tickets being written.
Personally, if I wanted to see so many Hispanics, I USED to be able to trek on down to Guadalajara for the weekend.
Not any longer...(and pass the tacos).
Oh, and if you DON'T want to get pulled over by the po-po...then DON'T do anything that would cause the officers to DO SO.
It's called common sense...as in try using some.
*** Next up, another Indiana city is taking on the whole "expression" (?) gig.
Here's THIS story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120329/NEWS07/120329347
In the NW town of Merrillville, the city leaders are following the lead of other cities that have placed outright BANS on those nasty-ass "saggy-baggys" the yoots are wearing. And I have to applaud their decision, because that makes the person wearing them look like a frigging thug...or at best, a damn SLOB.
My folks always drove home the point that: "People will judge you by the way you dress." (among other things, naturally...it's human nature).
I know whenever I see someone who's the poster child for the "saggy-bottom boys", my only thought is that this individual has absolutely NO self worth or takes any pride in the manner in which they care to attire themselves.
Now the city is only going to impose FINES and not criminal charges (I dunno...seems a crime to have NORMAL folks having to endure such "southern exposure" to me). One councilman is suggesting that the ban apply to town-owned property and parks.
I really don't give a hoot in hell for what people wish to do in the privacy of their OWN home, but when they take to parading their bottoms around like some damn baboon in heat for all to see, that should be bothersome to a LOT of us that at least KNOW where the hell our WAISTLINES are and can figure out how to cinch up our britches accordingly.
And PUH-LEASE don't even TRY and pull the "cultural expression" card out of your asses (however easy it MIGHT be when your pants are hitched around your thighs)...what the hell kind of "culture" would foster such behavior...except an ABERRANT one, hmm?
You'd get MORE culture from a container of freaking YOGURT!
Wish to hell THIS city would grow some balls and follow suit.
Then again, this city needs to do a LOT more that it should...but doesn't, and that should disturb a helluva lot MORE of us than it does.
*** Hoodie sales are UP (which is more than the pants are these days)...wonder WHY?
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20120330/BIZ/303309968
Now, I can count the hoodies I've owned through life on ONE hand...(with several fingers missing).
Not really into them. I do have a couple jackets that have a hood in the collar, but I don't use it.
I'm not THAT introverted where I'm afraid to show my face in public (and send the masses screaming from the room in terror...lol)
Well, it's not THAT bad...I just prefer to look folks in the eyes when I see them, and not hide under a shroud of cotton-poly made in Malaysia with an emblem on it of a team that never wears anything with MY name (or logo) on it.
But, if I were to get a hoodie, I might think long and hard about which SPECIAL one I would consider...
There are a few that peaked MY interest, and I don't think any store owner would feel threatened if I walked in wearing one of MY choices.
Then again, I would never wear anything that has FUBU on it (F$cked Up By Us)...and DEFINITELY NOT anything with "glitter" on it, like some young men wear (Never see Chuck Norris doing THAT). That screams "flamer" to me. Maybe they like men when they're incarcerated?
In any event, it's a fad...like so many others (some that refuse to go away...like "rap" music...LOL).
Be nice to see normal folks again...in numbers we can all feel comfortable around.
*** Lastly today...got yer LOTTERY ticket yet?
I mean it IS over $500 MILLION DOLLARS...that's a half BILLION...cripes, almighty!
And OH, the fun I could have with ALL that moolah...
That's worth about a YEAR fulla seconds on the National Debt Clock (according to statistical growth OF said debt).
Well, AFTER TAXES (and partially bailing out the government in the process for 15 minutes...lol) you'd wind up somewhere in the neighborhood of around $320 MILLION DOLLARS, (REAL nice neighborhood) and that ain't nothing to sneeze at.
Have you thought about what YOU would do with that much money (and the power that would come with it)?
"And with great power comes great responsibility" (Spiderman movie - Uncle Ben to Peter Parker)
Yeah, I'd be responsible all right...responsible for BUYING UP damn near EVERY hovel in a ONE MILE RADIUS and then RAZING it to the damn ground, putting up a 10 ft high electrical fence with OUR house in the goddamn MIDDLE of it.
(and if this city wanted MY money to do that, they'd have to "bend to my suggestions" regarding this.)
--THEN, I could build that damn MOAT I wanted and get that Trebuchet for the front lawn (which would be considerable - I need a riding mower).
--I could have my OWN shooting range - indoors AND outdoors, pistol AND long guns.
--And that reminds me, I'd buy a FEW more guns...and LOTS of ammo.

--Generator for backup power - check.
--New car for Wifey - check.
--Aston Martin for ME (oh, I'd STILL keep the Firebird..AND get the seatbelts and A/C fixed along with some "personal modifications")...
CHECK!
--Guinness and top shelf single-malt scotch - check.
--Oh, one thing I would do is BUY the Allen County SPCA and fund them for a few years...then I could visit ALL those animals any time I wanted to.
--Gonna take part of my "new" property and make it a TRUE WILDLIFE preserve (and not the societal one we currently have).
--I'd Tithe the 10% to SOME church selected at random.
--I'd also send a HUGE donation to Wounded Warriors.
--I'd bop on up to TOYS R US and fill a truck with stuff and drop it off to orphan kids in the area.
--And I'd have a few Montessini Pizzas delivered to ME out here (from Philly), along with some Geno's cheesesteaks and Tastykakes and Taylor Pork Roll (and scrapple..gotta have scrapple).
Now...what to do with the REST of that 150 MILLION I'd have left the hell over...
Hell, invest some of it in GOLD, and sit on the rest, watching it make me MORE money.
I might even go and get a big-screen TV...LOL
Ah hell...I'd just go buy a movie theater.
Well, that's the SHORT list...initially.
Now, if we should win...maybe I'll just scrap all that and buy 1/4 of Wyoming, or a WHOLE mountain in the Poconos in PA and move THERE...BWAHAHahahahaaaa.
Yeah, always fun to dream, because the price is always right.
And let be our dreams be that which motivates us forward in our lives.
Have yourselves a great weekend.
Be well, make a difference to someone today, and as always...
Stay SAFE out there, America.