Reading Between The Lines

(Today's word will be in ALL CAPS, BOLD, ITALIC, and STRIKETHROUGH.)

Right up front I'll say this, weather people do tend to get a bad rap over all. I don't think there's anyone who hasn't heard, or made, a joke about how weather people can still have jobs when they're wrong a lot of the time.

To be fair though, even with the best tools and equipment, those reporting the weather are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.

Over the years, I've learned to read between the lines when it comes to weather reports.

If it's a run of the mill, average weather report for whatever time of year it is, then it's probably going to be exactly that.

However, if the weather becomes the top story of the news, and a majority of the broadcast is dedicated to the subject, it's probably NOT going to happen. This is especially true if stations stay on the air with continuous reports, when the actual news broadcast is over.

Doesn't matter if it's extremely warm weather, cold, windy, or what, if there's a big hoopla about it in the media, it's more than likely going to fizzle out and be nothing.

On the other hand, when forecasters say there might be a chance of some type of extreme weather, (again, warm, cold, windy, etc.), but it's just a slight chance, and not a big deal, it's time to hunker down and take cover!

Such was the case with the snow here this past week. At first the stations were making a big deal about it; then it looked as though it wasn't going to happen after all. When it looked to be quieting down is when the snow hit.

Predictions were then made that there would be a slight chance of more snow before the weather switched over to rain. This was to happen probably between 1am and 7am yesterday, (Wednesday, January 18, 2012). It was a small window of time and each station said there wouldn't be too much, if any snow accumulation, during that time. Guess what? Yeah, it started snowing heavily around 9pm Tuesday night, and continued until at least 4 Wednesday morning.

It's switched over to rain now, however the snow isn't clearing out very fast at all where I live. Other places, yes, just not here at 1100' in Washington.

Hopefully the weather will just be normal for a bit, and the weather people can have a break, and so can the rest of the area.

It's Been Rumored

Well, Christmas 2011 is past, and we're on our way to a new year in less than a week.

It's the time of year where we reflect on the past year. The highlights, the low lights, the celebrity deaths, and more, of the past twelve months are brought to our attention one more time; before the current year itself becomes a memory.

Since the media does a fairly decent job of this every year, I'll leave it to them this year as well.

Instead, I'll focus on a rumor or two that popped up during the holidays this year.

The most notable rumor, of course would be the death of Jon Bon Jovi. Mid December the internet came alive with the death of the legendary rocker. The story was that Bon Jovi, age 49, had died of a heart attack.

As it turned out, the demise of the singer was false, as proven by Bon Jovi himself.

This picture was posted on Facebook, and other sites, as proof Jon was living on more than just a prayer.

Something else that came to my attention may, or may not, be a rumor; the death of the Chia Pet.

I don't watch a lot of TV, though every year I manage to see at least one Chia Pet commerical. To me, that's the 'official' start of the holiday season, the incessant plugging of the Chia Pet.

This year though, I didn't see even one commercial for this item. This leads me to believe that perhaps the Chia Pet has finally died a quiet death, never to be heard from again.

I turned to the internet to see what I could find there on the subject. According to what I saw there, Chia Pets are still alive, with the latest addition being a Barack Obama Chia Pet.

I have no absolute facts on this, though one thing I saw said someone found this at a K-Mart.

That got me to thinking again, I didn't go to stores a lot this season either. I did go enough times though that I 'should' have seen at least one Chia Pet display somewhere; I didn't.

Usually the Chia Pets are displayed where everyone can find them easily; you can't miss them. I never saw them this year, in any store I was in.

So, as we end the 2011 year, I'm still at odds with this. Somewhere there must be proof whether Chia Pets are still alive and well, or have gone on to that great herbal garden in the sky.

Either way, one thing I do know for sure; I've never wanted a Chia Pet, dead or alive!

GANGS & VIOLENCE

Saw a post from Earthquake Jake today on KUPL’s Facebook page. 

So there's been a lot of talk in the news about gang shootings. They're on the rise, I guess? Honestly, I don't put that much thought into it. But SHOULD I worry about it? Is it the media making a big deal of it, or are we all actually in danger? ~Jake

I also read several of the responses.  Over all, it sounds like, yes, most people do think it’s something to worry about; myself included.  At the same time, I also see where maybe the media IS making a big deal of it. 

With that said, the rest of this post is purely how *I* feel about this whole situation.  I guess you can say I’m too wordy to post on Facebook.

As I stated, I do worry about all the shootings, gang related or otherwise.  I worry about the rise in crime in general.  I worry because, as one person posted, there are a lot of innocent people, including children; that sometimes get caught in the middle of these shootings

While I believe these crimes should be reported by the media, I’m not sure it should be blown out of proportion.  That means, yes, report about shootings; just don’t make a big deal about it.  To me, that would cover both sides of the debate.  People would know the shootings are happening; yet, if the stories are buried among others, and not standing out, those doing the crimes won’t get the attention they may be looking for.  One person mentioned in a post, they thought that’s why there’s been a rise in shootings recently, people looking for attention.

I’d like to be able to say it’s because of how kids are raised these days; though that really wouldn’t be a fair statement.  While it's probable that there are those who are a product of how they were raised, it's not true of every child.  You can have a child raised "properly", (by society's standards), and they could still turn out to be a criminal.  Likewise, you could have a child with everything against them growing up; yet they turn out to be an upstanding citizen.

Yes, things have changed a lot since “the good old days”.  Those days when you knew your neighbors, people got along, etc.  We don’t live in “simpler times” anymore. Then again, the world has never been a perfect place.  There's always been crime; the difference is, you just hear about it more now.  It could be a rise in crime, or it could just be news spreads quicker in this era of electronics. It could even possibly be a bit of both.

As far as whether gang related shootings are up, I honestly don't know.  I do know that gangs have been around for eons though.  Why do we hear more about it now?  I'd have to give the same answers I've given earlier in this post; news spreads quicker, there are more people sharing space in the world, possibly how a person was raised; the list could go on and on.

I guess my whole point to all this rambling is:  Yes, there's a problem with gang shootings going on.  Is it on the rise?  Possibly.  Should people be concerned?  Yes, because if we aren't things will only get worse.  As one post mentioned, we can't just sit back and watch it happen.  While we may not be able to fight back literally, we can take precautions to protect ourselves and those around us, and we should.  If everyone opposed to gang violence stood together to help end it, that would be a great start.  There really is force in numbers; if there wasn't the gangs wouldn't be getting such a strong hold on things like they are.  

Do I think it will ever totally end?  Probably not.  That's not to be negative, just realistic.  There are always going to be those people in this world who are no good; it's part of life.  Since it will never totally go away, the best we can do is put up a resistance to what's already going on; try to keep it from getting worse.

As I said, this post is just my two cents' worth on the subject of gang shootings.  I don't claim to be right about what I feel or think, and I don't claim to be wrong; I've simply chosen to post my thoughts here. 


 

IMPORTANT PRESS RELEASE!!!

In light of recent events, I feel the importance to come clean with my readers about something.  Please read my (un)official press release below.  It will (not) be released to the media (any time) soon.

Please note, the above press release is meant totally tongue in cheek. (Which is much less dangerous and painful than a tooth in your chest.)

Thank you.