Thoughts For Thursday...
Now this is a switch...if you liked yesterday, then be prepared for a bit more of the same today.
That's right another NICE day...okay, so WTH did we do wrong NOW?
The Hoosierland weather for today sees us enjoying a wonderfully mild day, with highs again into the upper 70s (might hit 80).
Add in a little cloud cover in the morning here and there, and perhaps a mild breeze, and we've got ourselves a "keeper" for the month of July.
And now that we have our day set before us, let's get ourselves a nice cup or glass of whatever you prefer, and together, we'll set about seeing what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the pistol range is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:

"There is no avoiding war. It can only be postponed to the advantage of others."
This is attributed to none other than Niccolo Machiavelli (3 May 1469 - 21 June 1527), who was an Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance period.
Males me wonder when he had TIME for anything else...like sleeping and eating.
And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli
Now, he is heralded as one of the founder of political science, and more specifically political ETHICS (there's that word again), and was for many years, an official in the Florentine Republic.
He also wrote comedies, carnival songs and poetry (yeah, that kinda makes him a man of that era REAL well).
It's interesting to note that the term "Machiavellian" is used to denote unscrupulous politicians of the sort Niccolo described in his work "The Prince".
Now, the WIKI is a good historical read and provides some insight into the times in which he lived (and we think OUR times are bat-shit crazy).
Some scholars make mention that Machiavelli glorified instrumentality in state building, and that "the ends justified the means", although it's never been proven that Machiavelli used THAT term himself.

Ain't THAT the TRUTH!

Machiavelli believed that religion was man-made (no doubt because the Catholic church banned his treatise, The Prince), and he states that the value of religion lies in it's contribution to social order, and the rules of morality must be dispensed with if security requires it.
Scholars have also said that Machiavelli was a major indirect and direct influence on the FOUNDERS OF THE UNITED STATES., due to his overwhelming favoritism of Republicanism and the republic type of government.
John Adams profusely commented on Niccolo's works.
All in all, it's interesting to find out more about a person who has had such an influence on people and politics...good and bad.
*** Next up, is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
July 16 -
---Today is NATIONAL CAVIAR DAY

Take from that what you will...I'm not into eating "fish eggs", don't much matter WHAT fish they come from, either.
Here's the WIKI on the garnish:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caviar
The only time I dealt with fish eggs was as BAIT when Dad and I would go fresh water fishing in Pennypack Creek (in Philly).
Granted, it was NOT caviar, but then again, I never went fishing with sour cream or champagne...lol

I CAN HAZ...CAVIAR?

Besides...do you know how MUCH this crap COSTS???
Cripes, I can get a LOAD of cheesesteaks for less.
*** There is another one of those "overstating the obvious" editorials in today;'s J-G that I just have to share, regarding the SOUTH side of Ft. Wayne.

Here's the link to their editorial page:
http://www.journalgazette.net/opinion/editorials/South-rises-again-7752449
By the title of the page, one might think that the Confederate flag was going to make a comeback.
Naturally, Greg Leatherman is mentioned prominently...another "Mr Do-Nothing" of the downtown posse.

(cannot buy a clue)

What I find humorous os this "new study" (that I mentioned in a  previous post) and how ALL OF A SUDDEN, the city finds that OUR part of town has (what they call)..."POTENTIAL" for more retail...!
((...RECORD_SCRATCH...))
Um, after over TWENTY years of LOSING businesses all over this part of the city, isn't that an UNDERSTATEMENT of the highest order?
I have chronicled (here since 2006) ALL the businesses we have lost (to the best of my knowledge, based on what I have seen vacate the area since we moved here in 1997), and I have shown that the increase in criminal activity as well as the propagation of urban blight has contributed in no small way to the overall deterioration of this so-called "Quality-of Life" these democrat mayors are keen to remind us about, and they tell us we're "enjoying".

Not seeing any of THIS down here.

Please, refresh my memory, Mr Mayor...I keep FORGETTING  about that because of all the burglaries, assaults, thefts, robberies, litter and loud boomcars and gunfire...it gets hard to hear YOU over the din).
Sure, we have potential...but, we've HAD it for DECADES, and it has been IGNORED by those downtown at City Hall.

Not better yet - just louder and more dangerous

Sure, we still have a few businesses who have managed to "hold out" in the hope of SOME sort of revival down here, and I applaud them all for doing so, as we are also in similar waters...we have held out because we also believe that sooner or later, things WILL get better.

Welcome to the SOUTH side.

I know I do what I can to keep things as close to normal and like the way they were, but I'm barely staying afloat here, as the tide of human sewage and everything else bad keeps rising around us.
The city hasn't been engaged for quite some time, and the FWPD has been pulled back from doing what they USED to do, like patrolling the alleys, and streets to be more proactive, rather than reactive, as they currently seem to be.
Few departments downtown have been congenial in assisting me, such as Solid Waste and Neighborhood Code Enforcement. THOSE two I can depend upon to keep the area from getting worse, but it takes MY intervention to do so, and I'm not on the payrolls.
Thing is, people like myself are too few to render the change NEEDED down here, thanks to all the wrong people that have moved into the area, and are now ALSO moving into areas on the SOUTHWEST and further up the EAST side of the city.
The crime stats also bear me out on this...look where THAT is spreading.

They put the sights on TOP for a reason, asshole.

So any "study" that comes along only causes me to laugh, and then become infuriated all over again, because ALL these solutions will be proposed to change things, when the REAL PROBLEM will never be addressed.
Yep, another band-aid slapped on a compound fracture...and, it's all part of the plan, folks.
*** Next up, Wifey and I went to the eye doc yesterday, as we were both "due" for a checkup.

My glasses are more than several years old, and my vision is aging right along with the rest of me.
So, I tell the doc what I'm experiencing and  we chat a bit about symptoms, occurrences, and the like.
I knew I was beset with "something" but what that was I wasn't sure.

Is it gonna hurt, or cost...or BOTH?

(...may I have the envelope...and a drum roll, please...)
And the winner is...INNER CORNEAL DYSTROPHY...!
((...WTF???...))

Yeah, it's a disease that causes the inner lining of the cornea to deteriorate and produces a fuzzy "halo" effect around various things one views, mainly lights and the like., but it happens around other things as well.

Sorry, WRONG kinda "halo"

(This is not to be confused with the video game HALO, which is a lot more cool to have)
It's genetic in nature, and there is no "cure" per se...not even a corneal transplant would effect permanent change, as the condition will recur in new tissue (and I'm not going under the knife for that.,..no damn way).
It could be worse...like glaucoma or cataracts, both of which the doctor told me I have absolutely NO symptoms of at all.

Which is better - 3 or 4?

He prescribed some drops which should alleviate the condition to a degree, but unless I can find some way to reverse the aging process, it will continue. I will be going back in a month to see how the drops are working and then, I can get my glasses updated.
I was happy to see that I blew past the color-blindness and depth perception tests, and that there is no sign of macular degeneration (at my age, I'm surprised about a LOT of things.. that still work as originally designed...LOL)
So, you take the good with the bad...and you soldier on.
Hey, as long as I can still see a TARGET, and point a PISTOL...I consider it a VICTORY in my book.
*** Last back to the ammo store...life is one curious sum'bitch most days...never know what's comin' at you, and there is that sense of not knowing that can cause us to act (or react) in many ways...some good, some not so good.

Always DID like "Photography".

Sometimes, we're in wonderment, other times, full of dread.
We are expected (often by ourselves) to respond to all of it, in order for our lives to progress,  and thereby learn, and to acquire wisdom that we may apply to future endeavors.
When we were kids, we ALL must have wondered about the future, and what it would hold.
Well, we're all pretty much THERE (now), and I'm sure many of our hopes were dashed upon the shoals of our lives.

That's not to say we should pack in all in, and call it a day.
It means we amend our priorities accordingly, we adapt to fit the situation, and we move FORWARD, rather than stand the hell still.
If life gives you lemons - make lemonade...sounds like a plan.
(Hey, I like lemonade...lol)
As long as we don't become static in our lives, our lives become better, even if we can't immediately see it.
There are never any REAL failures...just opportunities that go unrealized, or unchallenged.
That is something we can all take to the bank.

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