Evel gone, but plenty of nuts

Evel Knievel is dead at 69. He was an icon and said to have broken every bone in his body at some point. He had been in a bad way for some time with diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I guess life can kill you.

 We’ve noticed within the last few days that the criminal element around here has been a little too busy. Thursday night we heard of a a shotgun carrying pair of hoodie wearing punks walking on West 7th. Street by Vine Street. Then the car chases, the teacher selling pot, and the school security person with coke. Is the full moon still around? We were wondering what the one guy driving the car that took out the tree and a squad car will get for a sentence. Driving while barred, driving and posession of a stolen vehicle, felon with a handgun, eluding and evading, etc. Seems like he should get at least 20 years, but we’d almost bet it will be a lot less. The big question we have now is ; why do all these nuts wait for it to get cold before they come out? They’re like bananas, we get them in bunches.

Guardian Angels open thread

 Curtis Sliwa will be in town tomorrow to bring the local Guardian Angels our winter gear. Talk about timing, it just starts getting cold and we get our coats.

Eighteen years ago today our son, Mischief,  was born. Happy Birthday son. The little redneck ain’t so little anymore.

 It now seems that 3rd Street Mart isn’t going to be selling booze. We imagine that liquor sales were a large part of the business so we’ll wait and see it they can survive. We’ve been busier than usual lately and a slow to post. We hope to remedy that in a week or so. In the meantime, consider this an open thread and comment on whatever’s stuck in your craw.

Hot Rods?

 In the January, 2008 Hot Rod magazine,  they list the top 100 Hot Rods that changed the world. They started to choose cars that made a differnce to the gearhead hobby, the racing sport, or the people in them. In the end they picked cars based on a more specific criterion; influence. They also narrowed hot rod to hot rods, race cars, customs and more built after 1948.

 The problem we have with that is when you cross 49th street, you no longer have a hot rod. We must be old school, but to us it can’t be a hot rod if it’s newer than 1948. 1949 and up can be Early-Street-Machine, custom, or antique, but not a hot rod. We listed the top 20 of the top 100 because we thought it showed how times have changed.  Hasn’t the Duece been influencing people since 1932? Hasn’t there been T-buckets since Norm Grabowski rented his to a TV show? We’re sorry, but we just don’t see most these cars as ‘hot rods’ or influential to gearheads.. Below is the top 20 and the reasons they were ranked so.

1. the General Lee- has no doubt influenced more people to get into cars, or at least pay attention to them, than any other car.
2. the American Graffiti Coupe- It’s the one everybody knows.
3. 64′ Pontiac GTO press car w/421 engine- it’s about stirring the reader’s passion for cars.
4. Richard Petty’s 64′ Plymouth- Won the ’64 Daytona 500 with a 426 Hemi that was days old.
5. Don Garlits’ Rear-Engine Dragster- the world rushed to copy a product that possible has prevented more deaths and injuries than any invention since the rollbar.
6. Carroll Shelby’s First Cobra- Arguably the grestest sports car American ever produced, and hot rodders can claim it as their own.
7. Chrisman Brothers & Cannon’s Hustler- More than any other dragster, Hustler I proved that blowers belonged on top of nitro engines, and that those motors should be Chryslers.
8. Tom McMullen’s ’32 Roadster- The McMullen roadster reminded everyone that hot rods were not just angel-hair captives stuck in a high school gymnasium.
9. the Batmobile- Who doesn’t know the Batmobile at first sight?
10. Two-Lane Blacktop/ American Graffiti 55′ Chevy- Amplified street-race cool and ensured that primer, mailbox hoodscoops, and ’55s will never go out of style.
11. ZZ Top’s Eliminator Coupe- Few people know there are 2 of them.
12. the First Meyers Manx- Bruce Meyers invented the modern dune buggy.
13. the Little Red Wagon- In addition to its contributions to the world of wheelstanding, the LRW made drag racing fun for generations of kids in the grandstands.
14. Project X ’57 Chevy- The big chrome yellow one is Project X.
15. Hot Rod’s ’67 Camaro- First Camaro to hit the West Coast.
16. Shirley Muldowney’s First Dragster- Selected because of the effect it had on Muldowney and the subsequent impact she had on drag racing overall.
17. Steve Collison’s Mean Mr. Mustang- The first car that showed how brutally fast you could make a new Mustang with inexpensive bolt-on parts.
18. the Bandit Trans Am- The only bone-stock car in the bunch. Again, who doesn’t know it.
19. the Gone In 60 Seconds Eleanor Mustang- Not as ugly as the original, the new Eleanor focused non-car people’s attention on cars.
20. Scott Sullivan’s Pro Street ’67 Nova- Said to be the very first Pro Street car. Stole the show in ’79 and still going strong.

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 Figured we did should have had the whole list, but it was pretty long. So, if you want to see the rest of the top 100 on the list go here.

Shots fired

 We are waiting to hear more on the incident, but shots were fired last night in the 1500 block of Pershing Ave. Fours males wearing hoodies robbed a lone male who was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The victim’s girlfriend was thought to abducted by the robbers, but it wasn’t confirmed.

 Once again it’s just a little too close to home. The police were quick to respond, and plentiful. We sincerly hope this gets solved quickly. Although we hadn’t heard of something like this in a while, it seems to be the time of year that crime spikes. We’ll wait until we hear ages and such to make any judgements.

Military wisdom

 For all us veterans, here is some wisdom from military manuals and elsewhere. While we didn’t didn’t see the Admiral’s Law, there are quite a few.

Wit and Wisdom from Military Manuals
“If the Enemy is in range, so are you.”- Infantry Journal

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“It is generally inadvisable to eject over the area you just bombed” – U.S. Air Force Manual

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“Aim towards the Enemy” – Instructions printed on U.S.Rocket Launcher

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“When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.” – U.S. Marine Corps

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“Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed always to hit the ground.” – USAF Ammo Troop

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“Whoever said the pen is mightier then the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” – General MacArthur

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“Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo.” – Infantry Journal

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“You, you, and you. Panic. The rest of you come with me.” – U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt

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“Tracers work both ways.” – U.S. Army Ordnance

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“Five second fuses only last three seconds” – Infantry Journal

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“Don’t ever be the first, don’t ever be the last, and don’t ever volunteer to do anything.” – U.S. Navy Swabbie

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“Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.” – David Hacckworth

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“If your attack is going too well, you’re walking into an ambush.” – Infantry Journal

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“No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection.” – Joe Gay

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“Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.” – Unknown

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“Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.” – Unknown Marine Recruit

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“Don’t draw fire; it irritates the people around you.”

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“If you see a bomb technician running, follow him.” – USAF Ammo Troop

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“You’ve never been lost until you’ve been lost at Mach 3.” – Paul F. Crickmore (test pilot)

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“The only time you have too much fuel is when you’re on fire.”

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“Blue water Navy truism: There are more planes in the ocean than submarines in the sky.” – From an old carrier sailor

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“If the wings are traveling faster than the fuselage, it’s probably a helicopter – and therefore, unsafe.”

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“When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane, you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash.”

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“Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club.”

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“What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots? If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies; If ATC screws up…. The pilot dies.”

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“Never trade luck for skill.”

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The three most common expressions (or famous last words) in aviation are: “Why is it doing that?”, “Where are we?” And “Oh S…!”

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“Weather forecasts are horoscopes with numbers.”

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“Airspeed, altitude and brains. Two are always needed to complete the flight successfully.”

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“Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!”

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“Flashlights are tubular metal containers kept in a flight bag to store dead batteries.”

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“Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground who is incapable of understanding or doing anything about it.”

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“The Piper Cub is the safest airplane in the world; it can just barely kill you.” – Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)

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“A pilot who doesn’t have any fear probably isn’t flying his plane to its maximum.” – Jon McBride, astronaut

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“If you’re faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible.” – Bob Hoover (renowned aerobatic and test pilot )

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“A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what’s left of your unit.” – Army’s magazine of preventive maintenance.

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“Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you.”

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“There is no reason to fly through a thunderstorm in peacetime.” – Sign over squadron ops desk at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, 1970

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“If something hasn’t broken on your helicopter, it’s about to.”

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Basic Flying Rules: “Try to stay in the middle of the air. Do not go near the edges of it. The edges of the air can be recognized by the appearance of ground, buildings, sea, trees and interstellar space. It is much more difficult to fly there.”

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“You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes full power to taxi to the terminal.”

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As the test pilot climbs out of the experimental aircraft, having torn off the wings and tail in the crash landing, the crash truck arrives. The rescuer sees a bloodied pilot and asks, “What happened?” The pilot’s reply, “I don’t know, I just got here myself!” – Attributed to Ray Crandell (Lockheed test pilot)

Sunday funnies (warnings)

Product Warnings
Dumb and Funny Warning Labels On Products:

Old Spice Red Zone Deoderant
Use only on underarms.

Zantac 75
Do not take if allergic to zantac.

Sleeping Pills
Warning: May cause Drowsiness
Christmas Lights
Warning: For indoor or outdoor use only.

Bic Lighter
Ignite lighter away from face.

Komatsu Floodlight
This floodlight is capable of illuminating large areas, even in the dark

Earplugs
These ear plugs are nontoxic, but may interfere with breathing if caught in windpipe

Mattress
Warning: Do not attempt to swallow

Matches
Caution: Contents may catch fire.

Pepper Spray
Caution: Never aim spray at your own eyes.

Auto-Shade Widnshield Visor
Warning: Do not drive with sunshade in place. Remove from windshield before starting ignition.

Fix-a-Flat
WARNING: Do not weld can to rim.

Rain Gauge
Suitable for outdoor use.

RCA Television Remote Control
Not Dishwasher Safe

Pine Mountain Fire Logs
Caution: Risk of fire

Triops Fish Food
Warning: Not for human consumption

Home Depot Treated Lumber
Do not consume

Hair Dryer
Warning: Do not use while sleeping.

Road Sign
Caution water on road during rain.

Camera
This camera will only work when film is inside.

Road Sign
Cemetery Road. Dead End

Church Parking Lot Sign
Thou shalt not park

Children’s Superman Costume
Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly.

Silk Soy Milk
Shake well and buy often

Air Conditioner
Caution: Avoid dropping air conditioners out of windows.

Rowenta Iron
Warning: Never iron clothes on the body.

Slush Puppy Cup
This ice may be cold

American Airlines Peanuts
Instructions: open packet, eat nuts.

Nabisco Easy Cheese
For best results, remove cap.

Swanson TV Dinners
This product must be cooked before eating.

Hershey’s Almond Bar
Warning: May contain traces of nuts

Heinz Ketchup
Instructions: Put on food

Some figures again

We found some figures on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports we thought we’d discuss. Going back to 1985 we had a larger population at 101,220. We also had fewer crimes. In 1985 we had 1,045.2 violent crimes, 5.9 murders, 18.1 forcible rapes, 197.6 robberies, and 793.3 aggravated assaults per 100,000 population.

 In 1995 we had a population of 97,410. We had 1,817.1 violent crimes, 8.2 murders, 57.5 forcible rapes, 386 robberies, and 1,365.4 aggravated assaults.

 In 2005 we had a population of 98,751. We had 1,345.8 violent crimes, 7,1 murders, 56.7 forcible rapes, 275.4 robberies, and 1,006.6 aggravated assaults.

 So we have around 2,500 less people living here, with a higher crime rate. Some will say the rate is down from 1995, and that’s true. Also true is the fact that we have 300 more violent crimes commited than in 1985, about 2 murders, almost 40 more rapes, less robberies, and over 200 more aggravated assaults in 2,005.

 Population is up around 1,000 from 1995, but still down from 1985. What happened that we accept more crime as ‘normal’?  We don’t blame the police, they’re busier than ever. Did we lower our expectations? Some say crime is high all over, so it should be higher here also. We don’t buy it. What’s wrond with having zero tolerance on crime? What’s wrong with our city having a reputation of being hard on criminals, and a very safe place to live?  Why can’t we just say we’re not going to take it anymore?

 All that being said, these are 2,005 figures. Las years figures are lower, but our population hasn’t grown all that much. Could it be that those who follow the develop it and they will come have been wrong? After years of hearing how it’s supposed to work, we still don’t have the population we had 22 years ago.  That’s the FBI’s figures, and our thoughts on it, we’d like to hear yours.

 All this information is at-
http://bjsdata.ojp.usdoj.gov/dataonline/Search/Crime/Local/RunCrimeJurisbyJuris.cfm

Guardian Angel thoughts

The Guardian Angel leadership doesn’t care for blogs for several reasons. Not the least of which, when information is put out in this format for the average citizen, there is nothing to stop the bad guys from also accessing the information.

 Not all criminals are knuckle dragging neanderthals with the IQ of a wet brick. Some gangs even have their own websites. With this sort of technical saavy, we must be careful what we post.
That is to say that if we post when and where we’ll be, the bad guys can work around us with their criminal activities. So while we still go on patrol, crime isn’t going down where we patrol. Our mission, while on patrol, is to be a visible deterent to crime. Since the bad guys don’t post their criminal schedules, it makes it harder for us to effective.

 The local Guardian Angels do have a website, at http://qcguardianangels.org/  with a contact email at qcguardianangels@yahoo.com. We will check on how the rest of the group feels about posting on the blogs, and the open exchange of information. We have decided that we have neither the time nor stamina to do a dedicated Guardian Angel blog along with this one. We will keep you updated at any rate.

 Let us know what you would like, and we’ll see if it’s doable. As always, comments on anything except what to do with leftover turkey are welcome.

Infill Design Standards meeting

On November 28, 2007, at 5:30 pm, in the City of Davenport Design Center, 102 E. Second Street a meeting is going to be held concerning Infill Design Standards.

 City staff has already developed a preliminary set of standards and is seeking input from a variety of groups including neighborhoods. If you don’t like the ranch house in the middle of a block filled with late nineteenth century buildings, this will be your time to speak up and be heard.

 If you want to look at the background information that has been provided go here. If that link doesn’t work, go here for the text version. Look over the information, and if you have questions or input on how this should be done, please attend the meeting. 

Council Update, Happy Thanksgiving

 With all the last minute rushing for Turkey day, we didn’t get to our email until a little while ago. The City Council Update for today was waiting for us so we thought we’d post the links. For the pdf file go here. If you’re a webtv user, the text file is here.

 We would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for. This year we feel our troops in harms way deserve our thanks the most. To all our brothers and sisters in the military we say thank you for keeping freedom free.

“Lord,  hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.  Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in  our time of need. Amen.”