Humpday Happenings...

Welcome to the middle of the last week this month...hard to believe we're almost to Labor Day weekend.
And, the Farmer's Almanac is predicting another harsh winter (think polar vortex), so the next several months in the Midwest should prove "interesting".
The Hoosierland weather for TODAY will see us with slightly LESS hot with a high in the lower 80s. And, it's another one of those "partly-something" days...take your pick...either partly CLOUDY or SUNNY. It all depends on whether the glass is half full or half empty, right?
So, with that done with, let's get our cup of morning liquid edification poured and see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First out of the root cellar is our WHO SAID THAT? quote of the week:
"A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them."
So, who said that anyway, and why does our president not even know this quote exists?
For that matter, all of those in Washington, D.C. could benefit from following such a simple concept, right?
The answer will be at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at the pulpit...
*** As is the case all this month, it's time for our daily salute to all the events and people (well, some of them anyway) that does make this month special, also known as "What the hell happened today, Bob?"
AUGUST 27:

Can NEVER get a cab when you NEED one.

1776 – Battle of Long Island: in what is now Brooklyn, New York, British forces under General William Howe defeat Americans under General George Washington.
1813 – French Emperor Napoleon I defeats a larger force of Austrians, Russians, and Prussians at the Battle of Dresden.

And the world was never the same again.

1859 – Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well.

THE first jet aircraft..ugly as sin.

1939 – First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft.
1962 – The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA.

2003 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.
2011 – Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.
NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS:
1770 – Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German philosopher (d. 1831)

Author of the HORNBLOWER novels.

1899 – C. S. Forester, Egyptian-English author (d. 1966)
1908 – Lyndon B. Johnson, American commander and politician, 36th President of the United States (d. 1973)

1916 – Martha Raye, American actress and singer (d. 1994)
1929 – Ira Levin, American author, playwright, and composer (d. 2007)

1937 – Tommy Sands, American actor and singer

Tuesday - Nice "day" of the week.

1943 – Tuesday Weld, American actress and singer

1944 – G.W. Bailey, American actor

Ringo Starr's wife

1947 – Barbara Bach, American model and actress
1948 – Sgt. Slaughter, American wrestler and actor

He WAS Roger Rabbit

1950 – Charles Fleischer, American comedian, actor, and singer
1952 – Paul Reubens, American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter

Mmmmmm

1976 – Sarah Chalke, Canadian actress
And (as if you couldn't guess) it's LBJ Day in (where else?) Texas.
Now you know more than you should at your age...lol.
Moving on...
*** Fort Wayne is a city that has it's share of homeless people, and this should come as no surprise. The larger a city becomes, the greater the chance that the homeless population will grow.

Not the best way to live - just the ONLY way for some.

Toss in a few unavoidable circumstances such as mental health issues, substance abuse, financial crises, and it's little wonder we don't have even MORE homeless people.
And this city has done a much better job than other cities when it comes to providing a hand up (and not some hand-out) for these people.

The Rescue Mission is located at 301 W. Superior Street (not that far from THE downtown area, has been around since 1903, and has done an exemplary job of dealing with problem in a way that empowers those seeking help there, rather than just patting them on the back and telling them "everything's okay".
Here's their website:
http://www.therescuemission.net/about-us/

Donovan Coley - The Rescue Mission

And, as is the case with such a successful venue, they wish to expand, in order to take better care of the growing number of homeless people.
BUT, there is a fly in the ointment, and when I heard this, all I could think of was "how predictable AND typical"...
Here's the story link:
http://wane.com/2014/08/26/15-finds-out-a-need-for-help-on-the-riverfront/

Again, Adam Widener does a very good job of relating a potential problem with having the Rescue Mission expand it's outreach to the homeless community.

Part of the "Good Old Boys" Network.

Bill Brown, head of the Downtown Improvement District, basically looks at this as an eyesore (to the master plan, no doubt), although he would NEVER come out and say that...you  do get the distinct impression that he does believe it.
What the Rescue Mission wants to do is have a "day-center" downtown (not far from their main building), so the homeless have someplace to go during the DAY, as the Mission is pretty much an overnight venue.
But having such a facility SO close to all this wonderful "downtown" might appear to be a blight, as opposed to having the homeless OFF the street. The "good old boys" network wants it THEIR way, while the Rescue Mission merely wants to serve the community, focusing on Fort Wayne's growing homeless population.

Complaints about homeless under the Wells St. bridge are numerous and refuse finds it way into the river. Well, many homeless have no place to go, do they? Having a new facility would pretty much SOLVE that issue.
But, all I hear from the D.I.D. is this whole NIMBY rhetoric...so typical from these people...the "elites", if you will.
Well, I'd tell the city leaders they've all but kissed off the SE side (now including the EAST and SW sides) of town...so trying to reinvent the wheel down HERE and have this area THRIVE again, is fast becoming a very lost cause...and those to blame are working DOWNTOWN (where it's nice).
The article is a good read and says much about how this city is working...IF you take the time to read BETWEEN the lines and seek the truth.
I hope the Rescue Mission gets what it wants...screw the elitists.
*** Last back to the wigwam today...it is nice to see other people in some parts of the media beginning to say things I've said both here and at home for YEARS.
To know something to be true is one thing...trying to get your voice heard is often quite the other.
That's why this blog is here.

If you read something I posted years ago (we have 8 years of posts archived for your pleasure), and then hear it on the news this week, and it sounds familiar...well, you'll know.
I don't consider myself in any way prophetic...just a keen observer of human nature and a practitioner of common sense (as often as possible).
And I'd wager most of YOU have had similar instances where you KNOW something to be true and speak about it...only to hear it mentioned by another person (probably on TV) later on.

Nothing wrong with that.
It's not so much that we're ahead of any "curve"...it's just that it takes others a tad longer to catch up to US...lol.
Thing is, we need to keep saying what needs to be said, even if it's "unpopular" in modern culture (which has plenty of it's own problems).
Most truth is unchanging in nature...kinda like a universal constant, and sadly, it's that which is lacking today.
We don't have to do the BIG things in life to wake people up...just speak the truth.
And, if enough do just that, there's no telling how much the world could change around for the better, starting right here in our country.

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