Thoughts For Thursday...

Imagine that...we wake up and surprise...no new snow outside.
(doesn't mean we won't be getting more, because we will)
Instead, we just got some bone-chilling COLD to start off with.
That'll slow down the melting process.
Our Hoosierland weather for today brings us mostly cloudy skies, temps reaching to only 20 degrees, and wind chills in SINGLE digits. Dress accordingly and practice caution on the roads out there.

Now, let's all get a nice big cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate (perhaps all three?) as we see what's been going on elsewhere.
*** First off of the glacier is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant."

This was spoken by John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) who was English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism".
(well, no one's perfect...heh)
And here once again is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke
((His contributions to classical republicanism and liberal theory are reflected in the United States Declaration of Independence.

With regard to the Bible Locke was very conservative. He retained the doctrine of the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. The miracles were proofs of the divine nature of the biblical message. Locke was convinced that the entire content of the Bible was in agreement with human reason. Although Locke was an advocate of tolerance, he urged the authorities not to tolerate atheism, because he thought the denial of God's existence would undermine the social order and lead to chaos.))
Well, there you go then. Sound reasoning if I do say so.
I admit that liberalism used to mean something completely different than what it means today.
It's a long read, but (still) worth the time.
*** Next up, time for our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
FEBRUARY 8 -
---It's National Boy Scout Day

(that's boys as in not girls or gender-confused)
---It's National Kite Flying Day

(maybe we should move this to MARCH?)
*** Next up, here's a story that relates to the recent triple shooting on the SE side:
http://www.wpta21.com/story/37454983/fort-wayne-mother-worries-for-her-childrens-safety-after-triple-shooting

((A mother of five says her family had just arrived home after church. She says her two kids were helping her mother get back inside, when someone opened fire. A 51-year-old woman was shot in the leg. A 14-year-old boy was shot in the arm, and a 10-year-old girl was shot in the foot. She says faith and family is what's helping her family heal.))
All well and good, but helping police catch and convict this thug is JUST as important.

People (on the SE side) SHOULD have been a lot less tolerant of the crime a long time ago, rather than want to act upon it now, after it's gotten a damn foothold in this part of the city (and has spread elsewhere now).
*** Next, this story is a nice example of some of what ails society. Here's the link:
http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local-news/2018/02/07/suspects-men-designed-to-urinate-outside-defense-doesnt-wash-with-fort-wayne-police/

This took place in the parking lot of Alberto’s Mexican Grill, 2529 S. Calhoun St. around 1515 hrs last Saturday.
Okay, so a man is caught pissing in public was caught by an off-duty officer, but the man didn’t believe what he was doing was illegal and defended his actions by saying men are made to pee outside.
((RECORD-SCRATCH))
Excuse me?
I've seen MY share of morons pissing in public by mostly black males, but there have been one or two white males.

They'll pull up to the intersection, stop the car, open the door, piss away, then et back in and drive on. Or, they might use a nearby garage or house (if on foot).
It seems to be common in neighborhoods that house such "people".
Oh, and, by all means, flip off the officer when he tries to get you to STOP pissing.
The story gets more weird, because the pisser had an empty fireball cinnamon whiskey bottle in his pocket and a BAC of 0.26. The man claimed he was diabetic and had not eaten yet that day (totally irresponsible behavior, right?)

If you have a medical condition like that, don't you remain AWARE of what your body is telling you regarding eating, sugar levels, confused behavior, and so on? I don;t see booze a a temporary "cure" for symptoms of low blood sugar.
Anyway, the man was taken to lockup on intoxication charges and he was appointed a public defender this past Tuesday
*** Next up, I do enjoy days when crime is not as pronounced as it usually is (especially in our fair city), because it allows me to mention things such as this:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/20180208/tesla-posts-record-loss-in-quarter

Okay, so I guess that carmaker Tesla is proving that maybe electric cars aren't everyone's cup of tea?
And farther down the page link is a blurb about Hasbro.

Seems the toy company took a 4th quarter hit (like the Pats in Super Bowl 52...lol) between lagging sale of Star Wars toys and the financial woes of Toys R Us.
How about not making the toys SO damn costly for starters?. I mostly get mine on eBay anyway.

TRU used to be THE place to get lots of cool toys.
And Hasbro used to be riding the crest of the toy-wave.
Maybe we should go back to making toys HERE (rather than China)? Just a thought.
*** Next up, time to stop on by our "Kitten Corner"...

Another nice and relatively calm day about the house, with hardly anything that warranetd scolding. Well, there are those visits to the kitchen sink (why that fascinates them, I have no idea).
And, Wifey and I have an audience whenever we have a meal. That's to be expected...lol.

I can relate to the kids enjoying their naps, too.
There is always time for a cat-nap, even if you don;t have a tail and four legs...lol
*** Next, let's check back in with "Midnight and Company"...
Our furry twosome were alongside the house and came right to the patio door when it was time to eat. Neither of them missed a meal at all yesterday.

They make sure all is well

And, since we didn't have to shovel, they also got a break from supervising.

They shall not pass...

But Midnight stayed ever vigilant whether he was on the front steps or at the back steps.
He sat out front and just watched anyone and everyone...never leaving his "post".

She stays close by your leg, too.

Whiskers likes to stay close by to the patio, no doubt guarding the water dish and cat shelters.
Can't say they don't "earn" their food...can we?
*** Last back to the ice pack...if we create problems, why do we have such trouble solving them?

Now THERE is a really loaded question, right?
It's proven that mankind finds it much easier to destroy than create. Look how long it takes to BUILD a high-rise, and then watch how long it takes to demolish it...point made, right?
Granted that we live in a world that is not perfect,ergo, we will encounter problems.
But, why aren't we all doing more to SOLVE them, rather than go adding to them?
I know...problems come in MANY sizes, and some of the smaller personal ones we CAN handle.
I view those as challenges to be overcome. Sometime you succeed and other times you fail (read LEARN).
It's the big problems that need attention, though; the ones where we SHOULD all pull together to fix. I firmly believe that any problem created by man can be solved by man...IF, and only if the desire to do so is present.
Maybe that's what this old world and her people need...more DESIRE to do what's right, and less desire to do what's transitory and "feels good".
The only good feeling we need is being able to take care of the problems we face. That is it's own reward, but, we'll all never know until it's tried.

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