Thoughts For Thursday...

Now THIS is more like autumn...a wee bit of briskness in the air this morning.
I think we finally have turned the corner of the seasonal changes.
Our Hoosierland weather for today has us enjoying mostly sunny skies (cloudy skies farther north), temps rising to about 54 degrees, and breezy conditions for most of the day. Sounds good to me.

Now, let's get some coffee, tea, or hot chocolate made and parked close by as we see what else has been going on...
*** First out of the bedroom is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote:
"Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations." 

This is attributed to another "newbie" here, one Samueal Ullman (April 13, 1840 – March 21, 1924) who was an American businessman, poet, humanitarian, and religious leader.
And here is his WIKI:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Ullman
It certainly is not a long read, but from what the WIKI has to say about this man, you just want to find out more about him.

There IS the Ullman Museum in Birmingham, Alabama (at his former residence) and it's run by the University of Alabama.
I'll have to do some research on his works.
*** Next, time for the "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
OCTOBER 11 -
---It's General Pulaski Memorial Day

(this was a bigger deal back in Philly)
---It's National Coming Out Day

(geez, could we please have ONE week without some gay celebration thing?)
---It's National Sausage Pizza Day

(okay, now this is worth observing)
*** Next up, a stupid ass female criminal who vowed to "never be caught"...(guess what?)...got CAUGHT. I just LOVE the irony.

Here's the story:
https://www.wane.com/news/indiana/fugitive-who-vowed-to-never-be-caught-arrested-in-indiana/1512498021
And HERE is a little MORE of the story:
https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Minnesota-most-496089131.html

Wanted on EIGHTEEN WARRANTS? Holy crap...what DIDN'T she do?
Yeah, like all of her kind, they TALK big, right up until they get arrested.
She'll look SO good in orange...just in time for Halloween...LOL.
*** Next, and just to ADD to all the ridiculous out there, comes this:
https://wpta21.com/news/consumer/2018/10/10/fort-wayne-community-schools-preparing-students-for-life-after-high-school/

And how well we fail in the process...

Um, forgive me for being a bit on the obtuse side, but ISN'T THAT WHAT SCHOOLS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING?
A damn shame this course isn't MANDATORY (as it should be when schools did what they were used to do  i.e. prepare us for the world). Seemed to work very well  back then.

I think they really NEED to concentrate on that whole GOOD CITIZENSHIP gig...might keep a lot of the kids off of the criminal radar (and the welfare roles).

Maybe then, society won't have people wanted by the authorities on 18 warrants who brag about not being arrested, Just a thought.
*** Next up, it would seem that  you can't keep a good giraffe down. Here's the story:
https://wpta21.com/news/consumer/2018/10/10/toys-r-us-announces-comeback-with-rebranding/

TRU is making a comeback? Cool.
Personally, I'd love to see them make a return to retail. Walmart just doesn't seem to have as good a selection of toys. And I should know...heh.
Plus, too many of the online "stores" charge too much (including shipping).
*** Next, now here's one way to make current gun laws work:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/ohio/20181010/man-tied-to-gun-that-killed-2-police-officers-facing-5-years

Mandatory jail time for gun-related crimes...whatta concept!
Selling a gun to a person with a criminal past? Not the best way to prove one's intelligence, is it?
It's amazing how well ENFORCING current guns laws actually gets the bad people off the streets.
Yes, you can be guilty by association, especially when it comes to firearms.
*** Next up, let's stop on by our "Kitten Corner"...

Our kids were in a mood that you could describe as being "antsier than usual".

They had their runarounds, and then a nap, and then some more running around, and another nap.
Then, feeding time, and a stop at the litter pan...and then (you guessed it)...another nap.
*** Next, it's time once again to check in with "Midnight and Whiskers"...
Wet Food Wednesday is always a hit with our furry twosome.

They eat everything BUT the bowls...lol.
Naturally, he had to patrol while she stayed near the house.

But when it was time for dinner...well, it was raining, so that made things "fun", and for the hand held treats, rather than sit in the rain feeding them, they BOTH got a handful under the table.
*** Last back to the living room...I really had to laugh at the FWCS story for the obvious reason.

It should bring into question the reason we even HAVE schools in the first place.
To TEACH kids what they NEED to know when they get into the REAL WORLD.
Sure, you need math and English (not so much the latter these days, judging by the way most kids speak), and sure,  history is a good teacher as is science.
But there also has to be that CIVICS gig...least there was when I attended. What it meant to be a citizen in America.

You were also graded (elementary level) for "civility" aka your BEHAVIOR.
They used to call it "work habits" in some schools.
And if you had a problem with that, you spent time in the corner (or in our case)...the "cloak room"
Having good behavior was almost AS essential as having the knowledge of the subject matter...and it didn't kill, hurt, or maim any of us.
Our self esteem was intact and teachers didn't cater to it. It was not the alpha and omega of our young lives. Learning was.

We were taught that being in school was a PUBLIC arena, and that behavior THERE was as important as it should be outside the school or even AT HOME.
Can't say we see much of that today...and when you read that ONLY 20% of teens are passing the state tests (which the schools teach primarily TO anymore)...something is drastically wrong with that picture.

We need to do this in OUR schools.

Dress codes...good behavior...paying attention...preparation......yes, THOSE served us much better in schools (at every grade) than what schools are force-feeding the children today in the same public venues. It also served us well when we entered the world.
The lack of needed values is NOT the fault of the educators, though. The problem lies with the administrators and the politicians.
Knowing that, it should be quite easy to discover where we can find the solutions to that problem...right, folks?

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