Sometimes you really hate to hear bad news...I know I do, anyway.I would love to be more upbeat a lot more often, but circumstances dictate otherwise...most of the time.
We'll take a brief journey on THAT train of thought in a minute, but first, we've some business to take care of.
*** The answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? military quote which was:
"It depends on justice, freedom from corruption, and unswerving truth to one's word and to every obligation one has undertaken."
This was attributed to The Duke of Wellington, 1798, defining the bases on which British rule in India would be maintained, cited in Arthur Bryant - The Great Duke, 1972.
*** And then there's this to get my day off to a pissed-off start...
Today is our recycling day, and our one, last good neighbor asked if she could place her recycle in OUR can when she gets enough to do so, and I said sure...no problem.SO, I look out this morning and our can is overflowing.
Well, I go out and check to see WTF is going on here.
I find a heavy cardboard container FILLED with assorted recycling things, and somehow, it doesn't look like the typical items one would see in an older white woman's home.
And since our neighbor has a CAT, I WOULD have expected to see cat food CANS...nope, not a one.
Besides, she places her things in a brown paper bag.So, I "did the math" on this one and realized that SOMEONE ELSE is using our can.
Yep...another "WTF???" moment on the SE side!
It's not that the city doesn't PROVIDE the recycling bins to people AT their houses...THEY F$CKING DO.
All it really costs is a damn PHONE CALL to the *311* number to get one sent out (lazy-ass locals).What I "plan" to do on future recycle days is to KEEP THE CAN IN (the garage) until the day OF pickup (rather than place it out the day before) and then WATCH to see who goes near it, and then "educate" them...and remember, I'm NOT what you would call a "diplomat" when it comes to presumptuous trespassers upon MY property.
(yeah, as subtle as a brick through a plate glass window...that's our Bob)
'Nuff said about that.
*** Still NO further information on the Winter St. shooting that sent one to hospital...wonder WHY that is, hmm?
The media (here) have all but BURIED the story...and THAT says there might be something here that someone doesn't want uncovered.Or...it could just mean that having the "locals" shoot at one another in broad daylight doesn't matter to anyone, especially the community leaders and city officials...how sad THAT would be, right?
Either way, I'll keep looking for details, if they eventually become forthcoming.
We wouldn't want to just push this one to the curb...not when other citizens could be placed at risk in such ghettohoods...would we?
*** FWCS decides to change their grading system.
This one has me rolling my eyes in utter amazement.
Here's the story linkhttp://www.wane.com/dpp/news/fwcs-high-school-students-will-be-graded-on-a-new-scale-mre
Now, in MY day, 100 was an A, 70 was passing, or a D, and 50 got you an F, and flunked your stupid ass...period.
NOW, FWCS wants to "change" that.
They want to drop the 100 point ratings for a 12 point system (what, new educators coming up can't do the MATH?).
Now, if you score 50% of that 12 points, it's a "6"...or a C+...
(talk about stroking the old SELF-ESTEEM on this one...they must be stroking something ELSE, methinks)
What USED to flunk your ass NOW gets you nearly a B, so we can have "no child left behind". (I suppose).
Time was, you had to WORK to pass...WORK to get an A, and yes, even WORK to get an F (many times, doing nothing is still doing something).
The operative word here is WORK...as in APPLY ONESELF.(like READ, STUDY, do the HOMEWORK, SHOW the hell UP to class...be PREPARED...yeah, THAT kinda sh*t)
Now, you can be one of those "classroom ornaments" and apparently STILL maintain a C+ "average", right?
I think the educators should STRONGLY voice their opinions on this one, and make sure ALL the ramifications are presented TO the teachers.
The LAST thing we need is to pass kids that SHOULD have flunked, because we "changed the parameters" of grading.
That's JUST like changing the CLASS of a certain CRIME from a felony to a misdemeanor in order to "game the system" and make people THINK that crime is going down (when all that's been done is a shifting of descriptions).
*** Lastly, unless you JUST got back from that short hop to the outer planets, you already KNOW that DICK CLARK passed away yesterday at the age of 82.
That really hit me hard, too.I literally GREW UP with him and his show American Bandstand coming over the airwaves into our house every afternoon live from Philly.
When he made the move to L.A., we were all more than a little sad to see the show leave.
Clark was the quintessential renaissance man (imho)...and he had much more than a Midas touch when it came to new projects.
You simply cannot think of today's modern music without mentioning Dick Clark...same goes for New Year's (rockin') Eve, which we started to watch when it first aired in 1971 (sorry Guy Lombardo).
Clark predated MTV...Don Kirschner, King Biscuit, Soul Train, and every other young person's show that presented the "new sounds" of the day.
He also was responsible for MANY more shows that we take for granted today.
Here's the WIKI on him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Clark#Radio_and_television
And yes, it WILL take a few minutes to read ALL of it...it's that lengthy.
But it IS worth the read...trust me.
I will miss him, and a part of me goes with him...a part of my youth that I will not soon forget.Heaven is really racking up the good folks these days...that's for sure.
Who could have ever known that (just) spinning records, having teens dance, and allowing others to watch it all happen (on TV) would become so entrenched in American culture?
I do believe that celebrating Dick's LIFE (and accomplishments) will more than overshadow the passing of such a remarkable individual that had MORE influence in our nation (and yes, perhaps the world as well) than we could imagine.
I will never forget the manner in which he used to "sign off" every day...
A little "salute" with a hearty "For now, Dick Clark... so long".
No goodbyes...never the permanence of not seeing us again...just so long...the way it's meant to be.Until we meet again, right?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.
4 comments:
They're using your recycling can rather than getting their own in order to save energy. It takes energy to dial three digits on a phone and ask for a recycling can to be delivered. That's energy that can be used for more important things, like buying lottery tickets. Underneath a thin veneer of lazy selfishness, your neighbors are really conservationists. :)
John D.:
I never thought of it that way...but that would explain how GREEN they are.
(MOSS has been growing under their lazy asses for YEARS)
When the city figures the percentage of people who ARE recycling (like US), THESE MOOLIES kinda skew the stats...how TYPICAL of them.
Yeah, when it comes to SAVING energy, they ARE the champs!
(because causing DRAMA and CRIME takes LOTS of energy)
Damn shame we couldn't "refine" them into an alternative energy SOURCE...ROFLMAO!
Thanks a lot for rolling on by today and commenting.
Stay safe out there.
Yeah, teachers union don't want no pay cuts, will send people to other states to fight against it, but will encourage ways to make the job easier and less useful. The dumbing down of Amerika goes on.
And you KNOW DC will be the feature tomorrow on TM.
CWM:
You got it...the teachers UNION doesn't want a pay cut...
As for the teachers THEMSELVES?
Well, I hear that they have to go through this "re-application" BS again...
(and not receive a raise,...again)
'Ya know, ALL of this could have been prevented IF the educational system just STUCK with what WORKED in years past.
In some ways, the dumbing down of "Amerika" has been going on since the mid '70s...it's been THAT slow AND insidious in nature.
Nowadays, we're seeing BLATANT manners of furthering this agenda, because those WITH the power have become emboldened over the decades, and the children who WERE in school in the '80s are now out in the real world, where it's a whole NEW ballgame than it used to be when I got out of school.
Between the BLINDERS and the LOCKSTEP these people have got going for them, it's a wonder we haven't succumbed much sooner.
Guess we can thank OUR generation for trying to hold the hell onto the values and principles WE remember (and were taught to us).
Thanks for stopping on by today and commenting.
Stay safe up there.
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