Monday Musings...

Welcome to another wonderful week in the Heartland of America.
Well, it's "supposed" to be wonderful, isn't it?
Our Hoosierland weather today is starting out with some fog (not seeing any where we live), and nicely milder temps, with an expected high in the low 70s.
It's overcast currently, but that will give way to sunshine and pleasant breezes this afternoon.
See, now that's kinda wonderful, right?
We are expecting temps to get warmer throughout the week, when it will cool back down for the weekend.
In the meantime, what say we all get that refreshing morning drink poured as we see what has been going one elsewhere...
*** First off of the patio is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
October 5  -
---Today is NATIONAL DO SOMETHING NICE DAY.

(I like to think I do this every day. I mean our "neighbors" are STILL alive, aren't they?
I would consider that a niceness on MY part.)
---I'ts also NATIONAL APPLE BETTY DAY

(Was never really into this, but I'm sure lots of people are)
---And, it's NATIONAL CHILD HEALTH DAY

(And a healthy child is much more preferred than a sick one)
*** Next up, it would appear that HOMICIDE NUMBER 22 (I'm making that call) has hit the streets (and coroner's office) in Fort Wayne.

I think we can make 25 by year's end...sound about right?
Here's the story:
http://wane.com/2015/10/03/man-stabbed-to-death-during-fight/

This took place Friday night (that seems to happen a LOT these days in this city) around 2245 hrs in the 700 block of Kinnaird Ave.
A fight between two men led to police finding one man dead on the porch of one house and another one injured from a wound at another porch.
Nobody knows what led to the incident (drinking would be my guess, knowing the way these idiots roll),  It's also not known whether the wounds were caused by a gun or a knife., and no arrests have been made.
So, WTF  is it THAT YOU KNOW? You haven't said a damn thing to anyone. WHY is that?
THIS is becoming more the procedure, rather than allow the public to be INFORMED...or, it could just be rampant inability to know the nature of police work.
In any event, the public is consistently kept in the dark.
I thought taking away the free police scanners online did THAT well enough...apparently not.
An uninformed public tends to be a more malleable public...remember that, folks.
*** Next up, we have another shooting near the downtown area (what else is new?)

Here's that story:
http://wane.com/2015/10/04/police-called-for-possible-shooting-on-dewald-street/
This took place in the 100 block of E. Dewald St around 2100 hrs last night.
Police were answering a call for shots fired when they received a call that "someone" found a man bleeding.
Dispatch confirmed that one was taken to hospital in serious condition, but downgraded to critical.
Police said a "disturbance" at a house involving the victim that escalated into gunshots being fired.
K-9 and detectives have canvassed the area looking for anyone who saw anything.
Guess that means another "up in the air" investigation to chase after.
Cripes, even the investigations are clueless these days...kinda fits City Hall.
(( ***Editor's Update - 1345 hrs  - The shooting victim has died, according to media sources, so we can chalk up HOMICIDE NUMBER 23. 
Here's the story:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Sunday-night-shooting-victim-hospitalized-in-critical-condition-330595451.html
That magic number of 25 is looking MUCH easier to achieve now, isn't it? ))
*** And just to add insult to injury, here's another case of an AMBIGUOUS crime and all that's included:
http://wane.com/2015/10/04/police-investigating-possible-gas-station-armed-robbery/

From what you can gather from what WAS told in the story, is that TWO armed robberies occurred last night between 2045 hrs and 2147 hrs in the areas of Phil's One Stop, located 2607 Goshen Rd and the Apollo Cinema, located at 5495 Coventry Lane.
(well, at least we DO KNOW the damn LOCATIONS).
The robberies were made by what police say are SIMILAR SUSPECTS...although the ACTUAL description OF the damn perps is NOT released to the general public, even though that description was available (from store personnel).

Phil's One Stop along  Goshen Rd..

(not many choices to choose from, right?)
Like I said, this is becoming a NASTY HABIT with the FWPD...do we have some sort of GAG ORDER from the top brass saying we can't divulge WHAT the hell the damn perps LOOK like? We afraid to mention WHO is doing the crimes in this city?
How the hell do you expect the PUBLIC'S HELP (as you always seem to do) when these crimes happen?
*** Now, if you think that withholding information to the public is bad enough...how about some potential ARSON to go with that?

That's right, I said it..(seems no one else wants to).
Here's the first story about a VACANT HOUSE that "caught fire":
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Vacant-home-catches-fire-330519021.html

One way to get "new" housing.

This happened around 0538 hrs  Saturday morning in the 2600 block of Mauldin Drive.
Yeah, it's a write-off.
Doesn't take much fire to turn a small bungalow like this into something uninhabitable.
Then, there was THIS fire:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Empty-house-catches-fire-330567141.html

Trust me, Google maps shows where the house USED to be.

THIS happened around 0230 hrs Sunday morning in the 1500 block of Edsall Ave.

Sure LOOKS that way...

The fire was "fully involved", and it's another total loss...
Not to mention, THIS house was also "vacant".
Somehow, I cannot imagine such places succumbing to bouts of "spontaneous combustion"...they needed some "help".
And I think there's an arsonist out there that has been helping things along. I would be surprised if there was NOT one lurking around.
Scrappers are also known to be arsonists as well, setting fire to places they just finished scrapping to cover their tracks (and asses).
I'll say one thing - we got a LOT of strange crap going on in this city...and never any answers.
*** Next up, let's move away from the lack of transparency we're seeing in THIS city, allow me to lower my BP,  and take a brief journey several thousand miles away where an outbreak has taken place.

The location is the inland island off the prefecture of Hiroshima in Japan...a small island named Okunoshima.
Here's the story link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3170464/Tourists-queue-smothered-Rabbit-Island-let-s-hope-took-change-clothes.html

Those Wascalwy wabbits....

Yes, an outbreak HAS indeed occurred...and outbreak of CUTENESS (or sorts).
Rabbits, feral ones at that, have taken to coming up to humans to get fed.
Not a bad way to spend an afternoon...covered in rabbits, although  you should be warned that they will pee on you, so take along some Scotch-Gard...or a change of clothing.

Abandoned gas plant ruins from WW2

Originally, the island was a base for testing poison gas (they do have a museum there), and the test subjects were (you guessed it)...rabbits.
The people there have banned predatory species like dogs and cats from the area, and the rabbits have bred like (what else?) rabbits.
Gotta love it. The video is great to watch.

Seeing that one woman being CLOSELY pursued by a herd of bunnies is pretty damn cool
And WE have trouble trying to get JUST ONE bunny to stop by to get fed on a daily basis...

Clover likes sundown visits.

So yes, I added this island to my lists of places I would LIKE to visit someday...LOL.
*** In case you were wondering, our own Mr Wrinkles DOES keep stopping by, but he's been busy gathering food for the winter (that he'll forget where he buried), so his visits are not EVERY day.

No, I'm NOT with the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Sometimes, he comes by THREE times, while other days, we don't see him at all.
Yesterday, Wifey saw him at the patio door, and he was following her around the patio as she shelled some peanuts for him.
Well, we couldn't stop there, so I placed some sunflower seeds on the patio table, and there he sat...ruler of his "kingdom", eating his bounty.

Definitely "the money shot" as pictures go.

We even saw another one of our "regulars", named Patches, who still limps with a bum leg (for a couple weeks now), but gets around well enough and has managed to stay ahead of whatever critters would chase him/her around.
Just has a little trouble getting up and down trees and fences.

Patches favors that left hind leg.

I will say that THESE little guys (or gals) sure beat having the TWO-legged ones in the area...ANY day.
These critters are a LOT quieter, don't drive boomcars, or shoot one another, or are committing ANY crime (with the exception of being territorial an chasing one another away as some sort of power-play).
Other than that, THEY are more welcome than most people at our "Fortress".
*** Last back to the garage...we've all heard the saying that "Knowledge is power", and that does hold true, especially in a world of 24/7 media coverage and information out the wazoo (at our fingertips) thanks to the Internet.

But there are those that would have people lacking in knowledge, and for the obvious reason - a DUMB society can be a lot more easily "shaped".
And those who wish to foster such a scenario are ones with power...AND knowledge, both of which are inappropriately applied.
Then, you have those who seek power from violence and fear.
Keep the public FEARFUL, and they also can be easily manipulated.
That's where street gangs and other assorted criminals come in. Such people are NOT knowledgeable, yet they DO wield power.
But, conversely-speaking, an INFORMED public is an AWARE public.
More importantly (to some), an informed public becomes a DANGEROUS public, because they can affect change for the better.
And that's the GOOD kind of dangerous...OUR kind of dangerous, right?

Good and evil should never be defined as a palette of shades of grey, but rather in terms of black and white.
As long as all of us remember that every day, WE can hold the (moral) high ground.
The arena of conflict has not changed that much over the lifespan of mankind, and we're either on one side...or the other.

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