Thoughts For Thursday...

And the weekend looms ever closer, which is usually a good thing.
It is a wee bit on the brisk side this morning, and that's fine...helps wake you up.
Our Hoosierland weather today will see some partly cloudy skies, light breezes and a warm-up to around sixty-seven degrees. For the middle of October, that's not bad.
It will be getting colder...trust me, so let's all get something to drink, preferably nicely and heavily caffeinated, to get us started this morning.
*** First out of the recycle bin is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes... and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.".

This was spoken by none other than Eleanor Roosevelt (11 October 1884 - 7 November 1962), an American politician, diplomat, and activist (when activists weren't trying to blow shit up and burn cities to the ground).
She was also the longest serving first lady and here is her WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt
As you can expect, this is a lengthy read, but worth your time. If you watched the Ken Burns series on the Roosevelts, she figures prominently in the later episodes.
And yesterday's "clue" regarding ARTHURDALE might have put you on the right track to guess correctly.

This was an experimental community in West Virginia for the families of unemployed miners.
Here's the lowdown on the "town":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthurdale,_West_Virginia
Sadly, as well-intended this project was, it faltered due to financial and political concerns, such as how BEST to choose the homesteaders., and the cost of construction far exceeded the initial financial burden to the government.

But, that was in the days when the feds ACTUALLY cared about overspending to a much greater degree.
Eleanor later became the first chair of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (when the U.N. actually meant something to the world).
Both of those links are good reads and serve to provide critical insight to a woman considered one of THE most notable women of the 20th century.
Moving on...
*** It's now time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
(and we've got a list of things going on)
October 15 -
---Today is NATIONAL I LOVE LUCY DAY

(One of the BEST TV shows of all time - a real American icon.)
---And, it's NATIONAL CHEESE CURD DAY

(does it go well with milk curds?)
---It's NATIONAL CAKE DECORATING DAY.

(any day with cake involved gets my vote)
---It's also NATIONAL GROUCH DAY

(Finally, a day I can appreciate...until someone louses it the hell up)
---It's also NATIONAL WHITE CANE SAFETY DAY

(guess the guide dogs get the day off?)
---And, it's NATIONAL GET SMART ABOUT CREDIT DAY

(with ID theft, it's more important that ever)
---It's also GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS DAY

(City Hall - take note!)
And, it's the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF RURAL WOMEN.

MY kinda rural woman...packing heat!

(would that be farm-girls, too?)
---It's NATIONAL PREGNANCY AND INFANT LOSS AWARENESS DAY
(an awareness that never really does go away, I'm sure)

---Finally, it's LATINO AIDS AND HIV AWARENESS DAY.

(I'm sure they're aware of it)
*** Next up, since it's Thursday, it's also trash day (and a recycle week).

I'm not expecting any delay because of Columbus Day (not a CITY holiday), but I will be watching to see if the trash guys pick the recycle can up PROPERLY, unlike the other week, where they picked the bin up SIDEWAYS and dumped some of OUR stuff in the alley (which I had to pick the hell up, cussin' up a storm for the lack of care taken by these people, because I'm NOT like the "locals" who don't give a rat's ass about trash or litter).OY!
*** Next, Frank Gray has a good column in today's J-G , and it concerns headlights.
Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/frank-gray/Headlights-let-otherdrivers-see-you--too-9349180

Yeah, there ARE those who (for whatever reason) refuse to put headlights on in conditions that would make it EASIER for THEM to be seen.
Headlights are NOT just allowing you to see others and the road...it's a "two-way street" (pun intended).
Isn't that wonderful?
Here in Fort Wayne's ghettohood, I see vehicles driving with NO LIGHTS ON long after dark...and police are never around to see THOSE morons (read gang-bangers). I mean it's kinda OBVIOUS when it's dark out, and you can't see anything out of the windshield because YOUR lights aren't on, right?

Turn yer lights on, dumbass!

Unless you DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN...which is usually the case down here. People evading the law or others, and they get away with it year after year.
Sounds like another "broken window" in this city, right?
And much of the concern about headlights comes AFTER car makers allow vehicles to automatically turn ON headlights in poor visibility conditions.
People just manually OVERRIDE this feature (there are funerals in broad daylight on sunny days).
Hell, people PURPOSELY disable vehicle lighting (license plate bulbs) and it's VERY RARE that they get pulled over...unless they're driving up NORTH, where the city tends to care MORE for it's citizens.
*** Next up, The West-Central area of the city is rehabbing some houses, and they're looking for a few buyers. Here's  the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Buyers-sought-for-houses-being-restored-9353626

Looks to be a good solid house

I thought this part of town was HISTORIC in nature, so WHY have the houses been allowed to become "blighted"?
Could it be the people that were placed IN them, who were not home-OWNERS?
Most likely, it was...seen plenty of that going down around where we live.
And every single time, it does NOT help the neighborhood one damn bit...quite the opposite in fact. It helps to accelerate any blight that may be in the area.
The houses up for purchase are unique from an architectural POV, but too close together to suit me.
Still, we can hope that some DECENT individuals move in and take CARE of the houses in this part of the city. We've too many places on the SE, SW and now NE areas going to hell too damn fast.
Time to halt the process all over.
*** Next, Sometimes, a (local) mixed race relationship doesn't end all that well.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/police-fire/2-face-charges-in-robbery-of-store-on-Wells-Street-9339020

This deals with an armed robbery at Jay's Mart, located in the 1500 block of N. Wells St, back on 5 October around 2045 hrs.
The un-dynamic duo, Amanda Kirori, age 32, of the 7800 block of Preston Pointe Drive (apartment complex near Illinois Rd), and Luther Spural, age 32, of the 8200 block of Rocky Glen Place (Eldorado Hills addition near Coldwater Rd) were the ones involved in the heist of cash from the store.

Spural                           Kirori

A witness saw Spural run down an alley and get into a red Pontiac minivan, which was stopped by a FWPD officer shortly afterward when it was seen driving at a high rate of speed southbound/ Kiroris was the driver, and Spural was the one who had brandished a pistol, which turned out to be an AIRSOFT PISTOL.
Both are in custody and I'm sure look resplendent in their orange jumpsuits.
At least they lived on the NW side...but you have to ask yourselves HOW COME crime is being found there now?
You can thank HUD and Section 8 for most ALL of it...better living for criminals at YOUR expense, folks.
*** Last back to the trash compactor...some insight as to what goes on here.

I'm sure there are times when you wonder "WTH goes with Bob's choice of stories to report on?".
Well, the answer is pretty easy.

Lord knows we've TOO many of these.

I do the "regular" (news) stories to demonstrate the complexities of the human condition, of which we are ALL part and parcel to, as well as to how STUPID some people choose to become along the way.
There has to be examples of what to do AND what not to do, and they have to be made as clear as possible if any of us are to learn anything from such stories.
I look at these as pieces to a very large puzzle.
Or perhaps, to put it in even MORE precise terms...a MOSAIC of humanity.

Or a mosaic of a cat?

We have to know WHO we are and where we've come from in order to promote the values we are supposed to hold dear to each of us...to pass on what WE were taught.
The rest of my stories deal with the opposition, as it were...the "nice" things in life, such as our critters, or a TV show or movies or even some books.

Mr Wrinkles loves all of it.

I try to show (as the header at the top of this blog states) the "similarities and contrasts", and for a very good reason.
Life is NOT simple. It's NOT easy, and it's NOT  a "spectator sport".
Life is meant to be CHALLENGING, and thereby allow us to become appreciative in the process.

And when we appreciate things (and people) everyone wins.
Face it, if life were meant to be easy, we'd ALL be experts at it, and have no need to better ourselves, right?
But the aspiration to a better state can't be had at a local deli and sold by the pound.
It can only be found in the human heart and mind.
That's just the way we were all made.
Be nice if more people figured that out before their "expiration date"..
We'd all be better off for that, wouldn't we?

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