Thoughts On Today...

Welcome to a somewhat "foggy" morning in the Heartland.
Sure don't see any fog where WE live.
There are more than a couple things to ponder today, so what about the forecast?
Our Hoosierland weather will see some sunny skies in the morning (burning off whatever fog is around), and climbing temps again...this time into the UPPER 50s (maybe as high as 60 degrees).
Clouds roll in later into tonight with a chance for some light showers, ending by morning.
Now, with that having been dispensed with, let's see what ELSE is on my mind today...
*** First off the skillet is the answer to our WHO SAID THAT? quote of the week:
"Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life, it is perhaps the greatest of God's gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, if arts, and of sciences."

One helluva mind at work here.

This is attributed to Freeman John Dyson (born 15 December 1923), an English-born American theoretical physicist and mathematician, and is most noted for his work in quantum electrodynamics, solid-state physics, astronomy, and nuclear engineering.
And here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson
If you take time to read the rather involved WIKI, you can see he was one BUSY fellow, and despite all his intellect and awards, he never received a NOBEL prize...I find that amazing.
Let's say he's had a hand in SO many things we take for granted in the disciplines of science.
He did have time to marry twice and have six children...so it wasn't ALL work and no play.
He is often described as  a shy and self-effacing person, with a contrarian streak that his friends find refreshing, but his intellectual opponents find exasperating (good for him...lol).

A Dyson Sphere

-- Oh, and he is a CHRISTIAN, too...just thought I'd toss that in there.
And, if his name sounds a bit familiar, think back to the series Star Trek: The Next Generation - in the episode "Relics" where we meet Montgomery Scott (from the original series). 
Picard comes upon a Dyson Sphere, which is built AROUND an existing star, with the inhabitants living on the inside part of the sphere.
That's one hell of a premise for a far-flung future.
It was Freeman Dyson that postulated the theory that such a construct was feasible.
This is someone I'd like to spend some time talking to about a lot of things.
Moving on...
*** Next is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
October 23 - 

Let's whack a few...because we can.

-- Today is NATIONAL MOLE DAY, and my guess is they're talking about the CRITTER, and not those nasty-looking (but sometimes sexy) marks on the human body, placed there by nature, rather than the local tattoo parlor.

Heeerre's Johnny!

-- It's also TV Talk Show Host Day, and with the current crop we have out there, I have NO bloody idea WHY they'd even have such a day. Think about who hosts such shows these days.
No more Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Jack Paar, Steve Allen, Merv Griffin, or even Jay Leno or Tom Snyder.
So who's left?
A bunch of wannabe posers, trying to :"out-sensationalize" each other.
At least the people I mentioned were REAL hosts.
They all knew HOW to interview people...and make all feel welcome into their world.
Sure miss THOSE days, too.
*** Next up, more on Fort Wayne's 14th homicide, and here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20141023/LOCAL07/310239995

I held off yesterday with updates, because I wanted to make sure all media sources were on the same page. We had conflicting information.
The perp is Quinn Joseph Albers, age 20 of Fort Wayne, and no motive for the murder has been released.

He DOES have a history of mental illness (he's bat-sh*t crazy...let's speak plainly) and this guy SHOULD have been institutionalized some time ago.
The victim was 30-year old Katherine Gick, of New Haven.
Albers listed his address as the Carriage House (across from the cemetery), but that place does NOT house it's clients.
Albers was stopped by police, who found items pertaining to the crime in a black bag he was carrying.
The victim's body had suffered stab wounds, blunt-force trauma and burns (he shouldn't be on our streets, but locked away getting the help he obviously needs).
Albers had been previously charged with 2 counts of misdemeanor battery in 2013, which were eventually dismissed.
His address was listed (then) as the Youth Opportunity Center in Muncie, which is a 75-acre compound that "provides a safe place for troubled youth and their families" (according to the website)
Guess HIS troubles ran a bit DEEPER...
*** Next, terrorism comes to Ottawa, Canada...because THEY sided with the latest coalition against ISIS.

Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20141023/NEWS04/310239996/0/SEARCH
Another national that "converted" to Islam wage a one-man jihad against the Canadian capital, killing one guard at the national war memorial in Ottawa, and then proceeded into the house of parliament, expending about 30 rounds before a guard took the shooter out.
Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was the victim of the shooter, who was standing guard at the memorial.

And the shooter was a convicted felon, one Micheal Zihaf,-Bibeau, age 32.
The man credited with taking out the shooter was a ceremonial sergeant-at-arms in Parliament.
Security at OUR Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in D.C. has been tightened as a result.
*** THIS is one of those stories that puts a smile on my face:
http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20141023/LOCAL06/310239994

Yep, in Indiana, after 1 January 2015, MOPEDS will HAVE to be REGISTERED...
That will be a godsend down on the SE side of town.
Maybe that one moped that was carrying TWO people and running with NO lights last evening might not be around much longer.
(if the FWPD decides to PATROL down here for a change)
Yes, that's what we deal with, and the police can't seem to catch them...hell, they could barely see them if they DID find them. But you CAN hear them.
Makes a case for those who lost their license due to too many DUIs, and got a moped to be able ride around (many of them still impaired by drugs or alcohol).
Hey, how about we ALSO make moped owners HAVE to get INSURANCE, too?
*** Last back to the garage...there are other stories that I could add on, but you see that we have plenty of lunatics all around us.

If it's not some radical Islamist shooting up a government building in Canada, it's home-grown thieves, robbers, and burglars in Fort Wayne.
And God forbid if ALL the media sources have the courage to say the perps were ISLAMIC...or BLACK.
(never a problem if he or she is white, though...right?)
There are some people in this world, that, no matter what you do, you can NEVER appease them.
Take the Ferguson fiasco...when in doubt, burn the town down...THAT is the mantra of the low-information people (mostly all black, BTW). And the evidence (and autopsy of the shooting victim) points to the police officer being in the RIGHT.
Or take the lazy-asses that only want MORE free stuff.
The government gives them something to "shut them up", and they want MORE...a vicious cycle is established and then maintained, wasting BILLIONS of tax dollars that could go to better pursuits.

There are the MAKERS...and the TAKERS...simple as that.
Most everyone is part of the makers - those who bust their hump eeking out a living for themselves and their families.
The small minority of society are the takers - those who feel it some sort of perverse :"right" to relieve others of what they work for in life.
And many times, the takers get another damn free-pass, when they SHOULD be made accountable for thier actions.
They get slaps on the wrist when they get caught...or people feel sorry for them.
There is no excuse to NOT be a somewhat productive member of (any) society these days.
But some will always choose an EASIER way out of their responsibility...and everyone gets stuck with THAT bill.
Change a person's mind and spirit, and you can change their life.
Problem is, this government is changing minds for the LESSER rather than the GREATER when it comes to achievement, responsibilities, and self-reliance.
And THAT needs to change FIRST.

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