Friday Follies...

And it's a fine weekend so far...until someone comes along and louses it the hell UP...LOL.
Looks like we're back into repetition mode for the weather (again), and that means sunny skies during the day, the possibility of showers at night, and ditto for the next SIX days. Temps will top out today around 82 degrees with higher than normal humidity, thanks to the overnight rains.
At least we KNOW what to expect here in the Heartland of America for a spell, don't we?
Got a few things to get off my chest, so turn on that A/C, top off that beverage of yours and let's see what's been on my mind.
*** The BLAZE had a marvelous article yesterday about this "star witness" in the Trayvon Martin case.

Here's the link to the story:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/27/fk-dis-st-boi-star-witness-twitter-account-scrubbed-of-sexually-suggestive-pics-drug-references-just-before-zimmerman-testimony/
Now, here we have a young female (I can't call her a "lady" with a clear conscience) who has already been caught in several LIES before the court, the inability to READ cursive on a letter "she" supposedly WROTE, and a demeanor that clearly displays the lack of respect for authority and the judicial system.

At times, she looked positively BORED, and invoked the over-emphasized "SIR" when a question was asked by defense counsel.
She also rolled her eyes a lot, and even asked if she could leave at one point.
But the MOST scathing account that nails this coffin shut, was her "tweets" and facebook account.
The story goes on to include some of her postings...
And she's ONLY 19 years old.
One attorney debating this on Hannity last night said:
"She is not representative of your typical neighbor."
And I then screamed back at the TV:
"YES...SHE IS...EVERY DAMN ONE OF THEM!"
You have to admit that the phrase "FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION" was never in this person's mind, house, culture or community.

This female even got a bit "testy" with the attorney questioning her when she was on the witness stand. But, she DOES have nice fingernails (ghetto-talons).
Almost every day in damn near ANY paper in ANY major city, you see people who look EXACTLY like her and act in SIMILAR fashion.
There is most certainly a CULTURAL problem at work here, fostered and fueled by DECADES of entitlements to people with NO accountability from any of them.
The whites didn't fail her, and the educational system didn't fail her (maybe a subject here and there), and the churches didn't fail her.
Her OWN PEOPLE failed her...her community, her family (or what passes for it) ALL failed her, and now, she has failed herself.
Take a good look, because HERE is a peek into the possible future for this nation.
Meanwhile, back at the buffet...
*** HERE is the BEST reasons to make DAMN SURE you befriend the squirrels around your house and NEVER give them a reason to become PO'ed at YOU.

This is the Apache Junction, AZ story link with video:
http://widk.com/2013/06/26/squirrel-and-snake-caught-brawling-on-film-video/
This little guy could even teach MY squirrels a thing or two.

I mean, I can only cajole them into protecting my LAWN.

And then, they take the peanuts and bury them across the street...go figure.

Still, it's cheaper than hiring a few ex-spec ops boys (they eat a WHOLE lot more)...LOL.
*** If you're anywhere near MY age, you must have read some sci-fi novels growing up.

And many of them included names like Asimov, Dick, Bradbury, Ellison...well, you get the idea.
But have you ever read anything by Richard Matheson?
Maybe not, but I WILL wager you have SEEN some of the adaptations for the large and small screens
Richard Matheson died this past Sunday, and I didn't see anything mentioned, and that's a shame, for he gave us many memorable moments in science fiction.
And here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Matheson
There is simply SO much work he did, that I will only mention a few favorites.

-- The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 feet" which starred William Shatner.

-- The Shrinking Man (from a novel) - 1957

-- Master of the World - 1961
-- The Last Man on Earth - 1964 (also known by The Omega Man and I Am Legend, the name of the original novel)

But to me, my personal favorite was the 1981 movie Somewhere in Time (from the novel Bid Time Return) starring Chris Reeve and Jane Seymour.

He also did What Dreams may Come - 1998

His list of TV credits is damn near as long as your arm...everything from Cheyenne, Combat!, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour to The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek (original series) DUEL (Dennis Weaver TV movie), and The Night Stalker (Carl Kolchak series).

Makes me wonder how such a fertile mind and imagination could also include a full life...but he had one.
And I think we shall never see his like again any time soon.
*** Lastly today, we have evidence of successes and failures in life, and they're often measured by how others view them.

I would prefer that WE measure OURSELVES rather then depend on the whims of others, when it comes to our lives.
We have to hold ourself responsible FIRST, and that means whatever life will toss at us, can be met, dealt with, worked through, and learned from.
But we don't have to measure our successes or failures in grandiose quantities.
What would seem trivial to others can be of monumental meaning to US, and that's where we need to focus.

Our society always looks for the biggest, the most sensational and the most severe in damn near every facet of life, and life is not about such HUGE things, but rather a culmination or accumulation of so many more smaller things...things we can all build UPON, and things that have much more lasting meaning and appreciation to us.
Big is nice, but when you take into account ALL the smallest things we've worked at in life, they DO add up and help define us much better than one or two large things. And when we take the time to think on that, we will find ourselves richer than many of those with financial wealth out the wazoo.
Plus, we will sleep a LOT better every night.
Just something to think about...
Do have yourselves a great weekend.

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