Across the river....a good safe distance from Arlington....we had another shooting in DC last night. Cops now say that seven people (minimum) were shoot by a drive-by guy in a BMW....around 2AM Monday morning.
Reason? None.
The best they can say is that a group of folks were simply out front of an apartment complex....talking on the sidewalk area at 2AM, and the guy drove by to fire some rounds. All will survive apparently.
The thing that generally gets me....almost all of these shootings (the vast majority)....end up occurring between 10PM and 3AM. In an entire year....there might be three shootings during daylight hours. Toss in a dozen-odd shootings from 7PM to 10PM as the sun starts to set. The vast majority all happen in the later hours.
So you are left with this question....why the heck would you be out on the street at 2AM? And you really can't answer that question.
Monday, 11 March 2013
Saturday, 9 March 2013
The Five Great Mysteries of Bama
Over the years, there are a couple of weird events....which I tended to view, as mostly unexplainable, and more of a mystery...from the state of Bama.
First, there is the 1965 event of "Bloody Sunday"....where cops from Bama got into a mess with black marchers....going from Selma....to Montgomery. The mystery here....is how anyone could put together such a fifty mile walk....without any water stations or rest points. Over the years....I've looked at the route and am generally amazed that anyone could be talked into this....especially in March. It might have been a terrible mess in July....with the heat on....but still, March is not a great month to go walking in Bama.
In general.....you get the impression that the plan was thrown together at the last minute so no one could react to it much. The reaction by the Governor? Well....that's a mystery too. There's no state law violated, and other than looking for trouble....that's mostly all that the Governor could pause and say.
Even if you came to me today and said we need to march fifty miles over to the West Virginia border....I'd be asking questions. Where's the water and food? Where do we camp on the way? What if it rains? In this case....no one asked many questions.
The second mystery? Back in 1957, over near Phenix City, Bama....some kid found a coin in a field from the island of Sicily....dated 490 B.C. To this day....no one is saying much except wondering how it got there, and if a bunch of Italians were marching around Phenix City back two thousand years ago. The odds? Well....you just don't know. They might have checked things out....found out it was "dry" county back then, and just left looking for a place where you could get a real drink. You just don't know.
The third mystery? At the 1860 Democratic Convention in Charleston....things turned into a literal mess. Stephen Douglass was pretty much set to win, and easily beat the Republican candidate. But the Bama delegation came into play....demanded a certain platform that Douglass would not support (it'd screw up the votes in the northern states, had he gone to support slavery). So at some key point, the Bama delegation got up and walked out (led by William Yancy).
The election? The Democrats had to meet a second time...up in Baltimore. This went swell for Douglass, but the southern Democrats got all hostile (thanks to the Bama group again), and got up a Southern Democratic Party candidate.
As you can imagine....Douglass simply could not win enough votes in the north, or the south, and sat there in a mess at the end. In essence, the Bama group helped Lincoln win, and helped to start the Civil War. And for what? Just words on a platform, which typically mean nothing anyway.
Fourth? Per square mile, Bama probably has a listing of more haunted places than any state in the US. You stop any guy on the side of the road and ask for a local haunted site, and he'll likely throw three out at you...all within ten miles. Why so many hauntings? More disturbed Bama dead folks than over in Georgia or South Carolina? That's a mystery.
Fifth? Two guys walk into a Bama bar....total strangers. It only takes a mere sixty seconds for a conversation between the two to start over: (1) NCAA football, (2) hunting or fishing, (3) Baptist revivals, (4) love gone wrong, or (5) the problems of digging up septic tanks. You could put the two guys into a Wal-Mart, a Piggy Wiggly, or even a bait shop....and they'd still start talking over the same topics. Fate or mystery?
First, there is the 1965 event of "Bloody Sunday"....where cops from Bama got into a mess with black marchers....going from Selma....to Montgomery. The mystery here....is how anyone could put together such a fifty mile walk....without any water stations or rest points. Over the years....I've looked at the route and am generally amazed that anyone could be talked into this....especially in March. It might have been a terrible mess in July....with the heat on....but still, March is not a great month to go walking in Bama.
In general.....you get the impression that the plan was thrown together at the last minute so no one could react to it much. The reaction by the Governor? Well....that's a mystery too. There's no state law violated, and other than looking for trouble....that's mostly all that the Governor could pause and say.
Even if you came to me today and said we need to march fifty miles over to the West Virginia border....I'd be asking questions. Where's the water and food? Where do we camp on the way? What if it rains? In this case....no one asked many questions.
The second mystery? Back in 1957, over near Phenix City, Bama....some kid found a coin in a field from the island of Sicily....dated 490 B.C. To this day....no one is saying much except wondering how it got there, and if a bunch of Italians were marching around Phenix City back two thousand years ago. The odds? Well....you just don't know. They might have checked things out....found out it was "dry" county back then, and just left looking for a place where you could get a real drink. You just don't know.
The third mystery? At the 1860 Democratic Convention in Charleston....things turned into a literal mess. Stephen Douglass was pretty much set to win, and easily beat the Republican candidate. But the Bama delegation came into play....demanded a certain platform that Douglass would not support (it'd screw up the votes in the northern states, had he gone to support slavery). So at some key point, the Bama delegation got up and walked out (led by William Yancy).
The election? The Democrats had to meet a second time...up in Baltimore. This went swell for Douglass, but the southern Democrats got all hostile (thanks to the Bama group again), and got up a Southern Democratic Party candidate.
As you can imagine....Douglass simply could not win enough votes in the north, or the south, and sat there in a mess at the end. In essence, the Bama group helped Lincoln win, and helped to start the Civil War. And for what? Just words on a platform, which typically mean nothing anyway.
Fourth? Per square mile, Bama probably has a listing of more haunted places than any state in the US. You stop any guy on the side of the road and ask for a local haunted site, and he'll likely throw three out at you...all within ten miles. Why so many hauntings? More disturbed Bama dead folks than over in Georgia or South Carolina? That's a mystery.
Fifth? Two guys walk into a Bama bar....total strangers. It only takes a mere sixty seconds for a conversation between the two to start over: (1) NCAA football, (2) hunting or fishing, (3) Baptist revivals, (4) love gone wrong, or (5) the problems of digging up septic tanks. You could put the two guys into a Wal-Mart, a Piggy Wiggly, or even a bait shop....and they'd still start talking over the same topics. Fate or mystery?
Two Things
There were two minor stories of interest from Friday.
First, from Tennessee....there's a small town which had a number of problems with its cops....and racism. Things got out of control.....so they fired all of the town's policemen. They've gone out and hired a new chief of police. And he's ready to hire new cops for the town, but there's one stipulation. You have to take a law detector test, and prove you are not racist.
Based on two articles....it appears that there just aren't that many applicants for the jobs. Most legal experts say it's legal, but they have doubts that it really works like it is intended.
Typically with a lie detector test....if you really believe you are pure and clean....you will pass, but after you get into a conversation.....you might easily demonstrate that you are racist, but you just don't know it or believe it. So the test might be worthless.
I'm guessing some cops are just fearful they might be other questions, and get into details of their life that shouldn't be discussed in public....like doing drugs or handling stolen property.
Will it catch on? I'm guessing some people will ask more questions about the test, and discuss the idea of opening it up for real police departments. Value? In my book....less than zero. You could have a whole department pass the test, and discover that every member is Klan member tomorrow.
The second story? Up in New York state....the schools got all hot for having cops walk the beat in schools. So in the Highland Central School District....they had this episode occur. A cop was walking within the school's hallway, and his gun went off (accidentally, he says). So far, the school is in the midst of an investigation....that mostly goes nowhere.
The likely scenario? The cop probably has a gun with a safety that easily flips from safe to fire. The cop rounds a corner....bumps the wall...it flips to fire, and with a hair-like trigger....it simply goes off. Luckily, not hitting the cop or any kids. Or maybe the cop actually pulled it from the holster and was playing with it (the Barney Fife-trick). You just don't know.
What starts to get interesting now is that parents are concerned over the safety of their kids in the school. It was bad enough to worry about some nut.....but you need to now worry about some cop and his gun. You might have to actually pass a law that guns are simply not allowed in a school period....even with the cops.
First, from Tennessee....there's a small town which had a number of problems with its cops....and racism. Things got out of control.....so they fired all of the town's policemen. They've gone out and hired a new chief of police. And he's ready to hire new cops for the town, but there's one stipulation. You have to take a law detector test, and prove you are not racist.
Based on two articles....it appears that there just aren't that many applicants for the jobs. Most legal experts say it's legal, but they have doubts that it really works like it is intended.
Typically with a lie detector test....if you really believe you are pure and clean....you will pass, but after you get into a conversation.....you might easily demonstrate that you are racist, but you just don't know it or believe it. So the test might be worthless.
I'm guessing some cops are just fearful they might be other questions, and get into details of their life that shouldn't be discussed in public....like doing drugs or handling stolen property.
Will it catch on? I'm guessing some people will ask more questions about the test, and discuss the idea of opening it up for real police departments. Value? In my book....less than zero. You could have a whole department pass the test, and discover that every member is Klan member tomorrow.
The second story? Up in New York state....the schools got all hot for having cops walk the beat in schools. So in the Highland Central School District....they had this episode occur. A cop was walking within the school's hallway, and his gun went off (accidentally, he says). So far, the school is in the midst of an investigation....that mostly goes nowhere.
The likely scenario? The cop probably has a gun with a safety that easily flips from safe to fire. The cop rounds a corner....bumps the wall...it flips to fire, and with a hair-like trigger....it simply goes off. Luckily, not hitting the cop or any kids. Or maybe the cop actually pulled it from the holster and was playing with it (the Barney Fife-trick). You just don't know.
What starts to get interesting now is that parents are concerned over the safety of their kids in the school. It was bad enough to worry about some nut.....but you need to now worry about some cop and his gun. You might have to actually pass a law that guns are simply not allowed in a school period....even with the cops.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
An Epic
Town cryers (journalists of the day) went about yelling and screaming over the evil contraptions. Focus groups would appear at the gates of the castle to demand the king rid the kingdom of such evil.
The king came out at some point, and spoke of how he would use his executive powers....to do the good of the kingdom.
But Lords and Dukes from across the kingdom....asked of the wisdom of this. If evil men came in the middle of the night....would people have the protection necessary to save their families? Town cryers yelled that this was all bogus-talk.
Eventually, towns in the kingdom sat about to tax arrows at a much higher rate than normal. Other towns told the arrow makers to up and move.....to their village, where taxes would not be dumped upon them.
The king talked of registering all bows in the kingdom, and making a ID check mandatory for any bow purchase.
Peasants eventually tired of the talk, and of the town cryers. Eventually, all settled down, and people got back to growing crops, milking cows, cutting hay, and drinking whiskey. All was well....eventually.
Simply Observations
I sat and downloaded Argo yesterday. It's a two-hour movie. I have to say that it's probably on my list of thirty movies that you ought to watch in your life. It is that good. It does make the Iranians look like idiots, I admit that. So if you have the time....watch it.
Congress (well, the Republicans)....stood up and hinted to the President that his 100-city tour that is being planned out....is taking a chunk of government money to fund. They'd like for him to downsize. The President hasn't responded yet....but I'm guessing that he intends to double his tour now....just to prove a point that funding traveling tours doesn't make a difference.
Yeah, that story of the 13-year-old girl stabbing another 13-year-old (boy) over a bag of potato chips....is absolutely true. It was from California and the young lady says that she was mostly kidding, and is a bit sorry. Cops won't say much except they did arrest her, and charges have yet to be filed. My humble guess is that she will one day marry this boy....and shoot him accidentally one night. Just kidding.
VP Joe Biden says "Americans are tired of being tired". This was referring to gun control, immigration reform, tax reform, etc. From the heartland, if you dragged ten guys out of a barbershop.....they'd all say that folks in DC are hyped up on drugs, booze or in a schizophrenic state of mind. VP Joe? Yeah, they'd probably say the same thing over him. Tired? Yeah, they are just tired of fake journalist taking reports and just blabbing on some emergency that no one really takes serious anymore.
C. Everett Koop has finally passed on....at 86. He was the Surgeon General under Reagan and Bush. He'd appear almost weekly on TV and dispensed advice left and right. Pretty smart guy.
Congress (well, the Republicans)....stood up and hinted to the President that his 100-city tour that is being planned out....is taking a chunk of government money to fund. They'd like for him to downsize. The President hasn't responded yet....but I'm guessing that he intends to double his tour now....just to prove a point that funding traveling tours doesn't make a difference.
Yeah, that story of the 13-year-old girl stabbing another 13-year-old (boy) over a bag of potato chips....is absolutely true. It was from California and the young lady says that she was mostly kidding, and is a bit sorry. Cops won't say much except they did arrest her, and charges have yet to be filed. My humble guess is that she will one day marry this boy....and shoot him accidentally one night. Just kidding.
VP Joe Biden says "Americans are tired of being tired". This was referring to gun control, immigration reform, tax reform, etc. From the heartland, if you dragged ten guys out of a barbershop.....they'd all say that folks in DC are hyped up on drugs, booze or in a schizophrenic state of mind. VP Joe? Yeah, they'd probably say the same thing over him. Tired? Yeah, they are just tired of fake journalist taking reports and just blabbing on some emergency that no one really takes serious anymore.
C. Everett Koop has finally passed on....at 86. He was the Surgeon General under Reagan and Bush. He'd appear almost weekly on TV and dispensed advice left and right. Pretty smart guy.
Monday, 10 December 2012
That Brew Problem
Some smart finance folks went out and analyzed the beer market....discovering that there are roughly nine brands of beer in serious trouble from declining sales.
At the very bottom? Michelob. Even Old Milwaukee fell into the bottom five (in serious trouble).
The issue is that folks got around in the last decade...to drinking small brewery products, and finding a better taste. They lost interest in lousy beer.
What's Michelob to do? It's hard to say. You can't just hustle up and change your product overnight. And if you did change it....who is to say that you might upset the several hundred thousand folks who still consume it on occasion? You might lose more than gain on the deal.
The other curious thing that could be affecting sales is that import beers are catching on. A guy will sit at some pub, and accidentally try some Dutch beer, and suddenly find himself enjoying a better taste. Course, he's paying fifty percent more for the beer than he'd usually spend.
If I were going to take an educated guess on business operations here...I'd say that Michelob is likely to be bought out by someone in the next three years....at a low-end price. They will shut down operations for a month, and do up a new formula for the brew, and try to stage a come-back. A Chinese company? Yeah, I'd start betting on someone with cash and taking a risk like that.
At the very bottom? Michelob. Even Old Milwaukee fell into the bottom five (in serious trouble).
The issue is that folks got around in the last decade...to drinking small brewery products, and finding a better taste. They lost interest in lousy beer.
What's Michelob to do? It's hard to say. You can't just hustle up and change your product overnight. And if you did change it....who is to say that you might upset the several hundred thousand folks who still consume it on occasion? You might lose more than gain on the deal.
The other curious thing that could be affecting sales is that import beers are catching on. A guy will sit at some pub, and accidentally try some Dutch beer, and suddenly find himself enjoying a better taste. Course, he's paying fifty percent more for the beer than he'd usually spend.
If I were going to take an educated guess on business operations here...I'd say that Michelob is likely to be bought out by someone in the next three years....at a low-end price. They will shut down operations for a month, and do up a new formula for the brew, and try to stage a come-back. A Chinese company? Yeah, I'd start betting on someone with cash and taking a risk like that.
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Just Questions to Contemplate
How many Americans know someone who makes more than $250k a year? And I'm talking about watching Huckabee on Fox, some Mets baseball player on TV, or going down to New Orleans to watch a live WWE wrestling match. How many Americans actually know some guy who makes over $250k a year?
So in the midst of the biggest event since 9-11, with the country on the fiscal cliff....why does the President go to Hawaii for a vacation? This would be like a couple about to engage in a bankruptcy proceeding but going off the week prior to gamble in Las Vegas.
If you had a hurricane coming down the way toward your home....are you actually counting on FEMA to come and help you? Really....just raise your hand if you think that FEMA is going to save you in some fashion.
With all the talk on Syria....can you even identify the country on a map?
If you work around heavy machinery in Colorado....with the new marijuana laws going into effect....are you just a bit worried about your co-workers coming into work doped up?
If you had a kid in the Washington state school system, and the new open sales of marijuana going into effect....would you be kinda worried about teachers coming into school stoned?
In twenty years....will Fox's GLEE be remembered by anyone?
Why would twenty-odd CIA guys all be sitting in a compound in Benghazi....on 9-11?
Do you really care what a bunch of West Virginia teenagers do on camera....for a new MTV series? Would it be any different than a bunch of punk kids from Texas?
When was the last time that you actually bought a music CD?
If the airport TSA dimwits that you all upset as you enter the airport.....were all women....would it change your perception of TSA?
If this teen singer....the Justine Bieber kid....actually sat down next to you at Dairy Queen....would you even recognize him?
Could you actually tell the difference between the $1 a cup of coffee at McDonalds and the $3.25 cup of coffee at Starbucks?
If you had the choice of being dropped off in a rattlesnake infested canyon in Arizona or the middle of Detroit....which would you pick?
If you ran a college and figured out that twenty-five percent of all kids who enter as freshmen will never get beyond the first year.....why wouldn't you try harder to stop them at the front door? If you knew that forty percent of the freshmen will never graduate from your college or any college....would it start to bother you about accepting them?
To be honest, when in the last five years have you had a Twinkie? Or a Ho-Ho?
If your state police announced that they'd just spent $2.5 million on a overhead drone....would you question the wisdom of such a purchase, and would you ask about the maintenance contract attached to this (likely $1.5 a year)?
Would it bother you if you learned that twenty percent of all Republicans....were really Democrats, and that the same number of Democrats....were really Republicans?
Have you kinda noticed your neighbors buying in bulk and putting two or three extra refrigerators or freezers into their garage? Have you ever asked them about the continual review of expiration dates? Yeah, they probably do throw at least a quarter of the bulk purchase food away eventually.
How many folks could actually sit through an entire opera....without falling asleep?
If your new car had an engine seizure, and the Ford mechanic eventually came to you and said it was the 15-percent ethanol mix you used....thus invalidating the warranty action....who would you be most upset with?
When auto blackboxes get finally implemented and mandated in the fall of 2014....how many people will quickly ask how to disconnect it? Thirty percent? Fifty percent? How many computer geeks will be hired to reprogram or disconnect these? Fifty thousand?
If there is no real difference between Microsoft Office 1997 and Office 2010....why would you buy the 2010 version?
If you could buy a $49 round-trip ticket from Nashville to Chicago....for standing only during the flight and leaning against some fixture for sixty minutes....would you buy the ticket?
So in the midst of the biggest event since 9-11, with the country on the fiscal cliff....why does the President go to Hawaii for a vacation? This would be like a couple about to engage in a bankruptcy proceeding but going off the week prior to gamble in Las Vegas.
If you had a hurricane coming down the way toward your home....are you actually counting on FEMA to come and help you? Really....just raise your hand if you think that FEMA is going to save you in some fashion.
With all the talk on Syria....can you even identify the country on a map?
If you work around heavy machinery in Colorado....with the new marijuana laws going into effect....are you just a bit worried about your co-workers coming into work doped up?
If you had a kid in the Washington state school system, and the new open sales of marijuana going into effect....would you be kinda worried about teachers coming into school stoned?
In twenty years....will Fox's GLEE be remembered by anyone?
Why would twenty-odd CIA guys all be sitting in a compound in Benghazi....on 9-11?
Do you really care what a bunch of West Virginia teenagers do on camera....for a new MTV series? Would it be any different than a bunch of punk kids from Texas?
When was the last time that you actually bought a music CD?
If the airport TSA dimwits that you all upset as you enter the airport.....were all women....would it change your perception of TSA?
If this teen singer....the Justine Bieber kid....actually sat down next to you at Dairy Queen....would you even recognize him?
Could you actually tell the difference between the $1 a cup of coffee at McDonalds and the $3.25 cup of coffee at Starbucks?
If you had the choice of being dropped off in a rattlesnake infested canyon in Arizona or the middle of Detroit....which would you pick?
If you ran a college and figured out that twenty-five percent of all kids who enter as freshmen will never get beyond the first year.....why wouldn't you try harder to stop them at the front door? If you knew that forty percent of the freshmen will never graduate from your college or any college....would it start to bother you about accepting them?
To be honest, when in the last five years have you had a Twinkie? Or a Ho-Ho?
If your state police announced that they'd just spent $2.5 million on a overhead drone....would you question the wisdom of such a purchase, and would you ask about the maintenance contract attached to this (likely $1.5 a year)?
Would it bother you if you learned that twenty percent of all Republicans....were really Democrats, and that the same number of Democrats....were really Republicans?
Have you kinda noticed your neighbors buying in bulk and putting two or three extra refrigerators or freezers into their garage? Have you ever asked them about the continual review of expiration dates? Yeah, they probably do throw at least a quarter of the bulk purchase food away eventually.
How many folks could actually sit through an entire opera....without falling asleep?
If your new car had an engine seizure, and the Ford mechanic eventually came to you and said it was the 15-percent ethanol mix you used....thus invalidating the warranty action....who would you be most upset with?
When auto blackboxes get finally implemented and mandated in the fall of 2014....how many people will quickly ask how to disconnect it? Thirty percent? Fifty percent? How many computer geeks will be hired to reprogram or disconnect these? Fifty thousand?
If there is no real difference between Microsoft Office 1997 and Office 2010....why would you buy the 2010 version?
If you could buy a $49 round-trip ticket from Nashville to Chicago....for standing only during the flight and leaning against some fixture for sixty minutes....would you buy the ticket?
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