Tuesday Tidbits...

If you like your weather on the "ever-changing" side, then today will be right up your alley.
But, this IS the Midwest, right?
Just be thankful you're not dealing with several feet of snow all over the place.
Our Hoosierland weather for today has us starting off with some rain, some low-overcast, and temps in the upper 30s.
That's gonna change as the day progresses. We're expected to see some snow showers (no accumulation expected) and today's high is right about NOW, for the temps will be dropping throughout the day.
Seems like we got things kinda back-asswards.

So did THIS kid. Bet the horse is loving it.

Let's just get ourselves a nice hot cup of our favorite drink as we see what's going on elsewhere...
*** First out on the patio is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
January 26 -
---Today is NATIONAL SPOUSES DAY

(hug 'em if 'ya got 'em)
---And it's NATIONAL PEANUT BRITTLE DAY

(hard to find really GOOD peanut brittle these days. I miss those homemade versions from New Hope, PA and Peddler's Village)
---It's also NATIONAL ELLEN DEGENERES DAY

(you're NOT serious...guess so. Who knew?)
*** Next up, and because it's Tuesday...time to bring you ALL those police calls the media feels are less than worthy of newsprint. But they're every bit AS important as the fee sensational ones.

SHOTS FIRED / ARMED ROBBERY CALLS - 1/18- 1/24
===============================================
JAN 18 -
16F007784 22:13:41 113 SHOTS FIRED 2200 MONTCLAIR AVE & ORFF AVE
16F007575 10:15:26 53 ARMED ROB 6400 BLUFFTON RD
16F007738 19:33:35 53 ARMED ROB 300 DARROW AVE W
JAN 19 -
16F007815 00:07:20 113 SHOTS FIRED 6500 BAYBERRY DR
16F008214 22:16:36 113 SHOTS FIRED 4600 EVARD RD
((NO armed robberies))
JAN 20 - 
((NO shots fired)) 
A-FREAKING-MAZING!
16F008534 16:56:28 53 ARMED ROB 2500 STARDALE DR
16F008517 16:26:18 58 SHOOTING 7000 COLDWATER RD
Hey, I thought we had NO SHOTS FIRED? 
WTF???
JAN 21 -
16F008978 18:19:08 113 SHOTS FIRED 3300 CALHOUN ST S
16F009062 22:19:42 113 SHOTS FIRED 3100 WINTER ST
((NO armed robberies))
JAN 22-
16F009348 16:19:09 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 EDEN ST
((NO armed robberies))
JAN 23 -
16F009624 03:24:48 113 SHOTS FIRED 600 WALLACE ST E & HANNA ST S
16F009981 20:33:18 113 SHOTS FIRED 600 FIFTH ST
16F010009 21:54:46 113 SHOTS FIRED 1600 MAYFIELD DR S
((NO armed robberies))
JAN 24 -
16F010169 06:19:13 113 SHOTS FIRED 300 CREIGHTON AVE W
16F010176 07:15:35 53 ARMED ROB 3900 JEFFERSON BLVD W
16F010360 17:35:02 53 ARMED ROB 800 TENNESSEE AVE
================================
FIREWORKS CALLS - 1/17 - 1/24
============================
((NONE - for a change))
But we're still seeing about ONE rape per day, way too many thefts and burglaries, plus a persistent issue with loud music in the 200 block of W. Leith St.
(might wanna look into that, Garry, if you're not too busy smiling for photos)
*** Next up, our very own "extended-stay" mayor, King Henry wants a raise for city workers. Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/Henry--Up-city-workers--pay-11134418

The "King" addresses some of his subjects.

LOL...I really LOVE the headline which reads  Henry: Up City Worker's Pay.
I would simply tell him UP YOURS, but I think he's already taken care of THAT one.
You can tell he's a tried and true dumbocrat when you hear the phrase "livable wage" mentioned.
They call this whole MINIMUM WAGE deal what it is for a REASON.
It's the STARTING wage when you first put your foot in the damn door, got it?
You're NEVER meant to REMAIN at that wage for that long, because you EARN your way "up the lader" into a better paying position, unless you're devoid of ambition, and do as little as possible to prove it.
I wish to hell these morons could figure this out...it's not even college level accounting for God's sake.
Nothing's etched in stone yet, so maybe it'll go away (as Henry should have in the last election).
*** Next, Kevin Leininger had a really good column in the News-Sentinel back on the 23rd.
Here's the link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/Officials--letter-should-be-the-start--but-not-the-end--of-Regional-Cities-tax-hike-debate

See, I'm not alone with my concerns over this "initiative" being shoved in our faces.
The word "hoodwinked" comes to mind...wonder why?
In case you're wondering, it's this "Regional Cities" deal - that "race to one million" in our area.
I mentioned it back on last Friday, and (to me), it still smells of 3-day old fish.
Kevin looks this beat right in the eye and asks some good questions, not the least of which has to do with a potential HIKE in local taxes such as income and sales.
While there is a "pledge" of $42 MIL for the initiative, there is (also) a MATCHING MONEY aspect to this. And where will our area come up with their own $42 MIL? Hmm?
How about raising the income and local sales taxes?
Good answer.
Councilman Russ Jehl, mentions that it was only 3 years ago when city council approved a 0.35% hike in local option income tax. How soon "some" forget.
People may often be willing to pay a bit more...IF (and only if) the proposal is explained to them in detail, and long before it's pushed in their faces.
What have I always said about an INFORMED PUBLIC?
Doesn't just work for police and fire here.
*** Next, and while we're talking about "his highness"...here's a story which has an all-too-familiar ring to it.
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/After-eight-years--Mayor-Henry-s-story-is-getting-familiar----but-that-s-not-all-bad

Sure sounds like the King is becoming long in the tooth...predictable for someone in a third term as mayor, and especially a democrat at that.
What Henry doesn't know, is that people DO remember stuff and they get bored with hearing the SAME accomplishments all the time.
I know that all I hear from the mayor is the "same old" speech.
And it got tired way back in the early part of his SECOND term.
Resting on one's laurels never really worked for anyone.
Maybe he needs a new speech writer?
The next State of the City address (early February) should be a sleeper, and not a keeper.
*** Next, Did you know that it was 38 years ago that we had that OTHER blizzard?

Now THAT was some serious snowfall.

Yep, way back in 1978 - January 25-26 was when we found out what it was REALLY like to be inundated with that flaky white stuff (and no amount of Head and Shoulders would bring relief).
Here's a related story:
http://www.21alive.com/news/local/Monday-marks-38th-anniversary-of-the-Blizzard-of-1978--366493771.html
The Earth has it's OWN cycles, and mankind is NOT going to change any of that, no matter how hard those leftards try their best to do so.
Now, while you folks HERE in Fort Wayne didn't get that much (around 10 inches) the WINDS are what really screwed things up.
Back on the EAST coast, it was a very different story...for a Wednesday.

I had a LOT in common with this fellow.

I was snowed in at my (at the time) girlfriend's apartment in Voorhees, NJ (with her folks, so no hanky-panky...damn).
The snow came down SO fast that travel became all but impossible, except for those with four-wheel drive and priority vehicles. Local and state police were urging people to stay at home.
The snow came up to the hood of my car (1975 Ford Torino) and I couldn't even get the doors open to get in and start the thing. And I had to borrow a shovel to clear around the car.

Those VWs were easy to push, too.

Luckily, my girlfriend's sister had a VW Beetle and after we cleared the snow around it, she drove up ONTO the snow and we managed to get around.
It took the better part of the next day to finally be able to get my car out and back home to Philly (almost getting stuck in our alley/driveway several times. Fortunately, we lived near a major street (the main road leading to the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, so that was cleared off early. Side streets were almost totally impassable, and after I got home, I called it quits for driving anywhere.
I was working downtown at the time, and all I had to do was get to the public transit stop...and WAIT a long time for a trackless trolley to whisk me to the Elevated train. After that, it was pretty easy to get downtown to the job, so we didn't miss a step when it came to getting to work.
After that, I made it a point to not stray that far from home whenever the weather became nasty.
Lesson learned there.
*** Last back to the garage...during that snowstorm back then, I got to see how people CAN pull together...when they NEED to.

Total strangers helping one another. A refreshing sight for sure.
But, it's always a shame to see that it takes something like a major blizzard to do so.

After such a weather event as that, things pretty much went back to the "usual".
You'd think that what galvanizes people into demonstrating a more HUMANE aspect to their nature would carry over past whatever scenario (or tragedy) occurs...
Not usually, and that should bother a lot of us.
We are social creatures by nature...we just tend to conveniently forget it most of the time, unless we're totally absorbed in some Internet social media plane of existence. And even then, we're not as "brotherly" to one another as we should be.
I'd hate to think that we require more blizzards, or floods, or tornadoes, or whatever other situation that this Earth has in store for us, in order to bring out the best in us.
We should be better than that...like generations before us.
Just a little something to think about.

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