More random thoughts...

Good morning, a few things on my mind today.


School Zone Worries?
First off, something concerned me on my way to Spring Hill after work the other day; I was turning north on Henderson off Linebaugh, where apparently one of the charter schools in Hillsborough County is located. As I made my turn onto Henderson, I noticed traffic going into the school was at a near standstill as a result of parents dropping off their kids. However, I also noticed after completing the turn a young girl and her sister walking to school. Not that big of a deal, right?

Well not unless the school zone warning light isn't flashing, as was this case here. I did happen to see that this school zone sign was solar-powered, but the sun was BARELY over the horizon, so assuming the flashing light is indeed activated via solar power, there wasn't enough sunlight to trigger the device. Rather disconcerting if you happen to be a parent who has kids that walk to school in that vicinity.  Then again, I'm not 100% certain how these school zone devices truly operate.

If anyone knows for sure, drop me a line in the comment box or contact me via twitter @boneyscribe.


Rock The Vote, or Wag The Dog?
Another thing that happened to catch my ears that morning was that iHeart radio is teaming up with the Rock the Vote organization, which is a non-profit and (supposedly) non-partisan group that attempts to drive young adults to go to their polling places and vote in elections, especially during presidential cycles. When I heard about this partnership, I immediately called shenanigans. Why???

Well, if memory served me correct, "Rock the Vote" was first utilized in the 1992 presidential election cycle, and one of the biggest driving forces behind it was MTV. And, if memory serves me correct, who made an appearance on MTV that election cycle? One William Jefferson Clinton. And I can't seem to recall then-President George H. Bush making an appearance on MTV.

And who won the election that year? Hmmm...

So now, here we are with RTV teaming up with iHeart Media, which up until last year was known as ClearChannel. Their vast group of radio stations has a working agreement with Fox News to air news updates on the hour and half-hour. I don't think I need to tell you which way that organization leans politically. Also, let's take a look at three of their biggest names in talk radio that has many affiliates on iHeart Radio: Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity.

Glenn Beck: evangelical right wing homer.
Rush Limbaugh: the most recognizable right wing homer in talk radio.
Sean Hannity: arguably the biggest right wing homer out there.

See where I'm going with this? Hopefully I'm wrong, but this reeks of shenanigans in my opinion.


Football
I was called out this week by my nephew. Why? Because he wants to know how good my football picks are. This just in: they aren't. 7-9 last week after Monday night's debacle in Indy, and that makes me 18-14 on the young season. Tonight, I try to get back on the winning side as the Washington National Football League club takes on the NY Giants. Here's a dubious honor the Giants hold: last week they became the first team in NFL history to lose consecutive games in which they held double-digit leads in the 4th quarter. No, not even the Bucs in their sordid history have done that. (On a tangential note, RIP Richard Williamson, former Bucs head coach who died last night.) With that in mind, I'm a little leery picking the Giants at home, however, these aren't the Falcons and Cowboys they're playing. I should feel a little more confident for tonight. Not my knockout pick (I'm still alive there, thanks Steelers), but I'll take the G-Men tonight.

The rest of my picks will be this weekend.


Papal Matters
I won't see this, but the Pontiff is speaking to Congress in Washington today. I imagine considering the social issues that have been in the forefront of the news cycle this year it will be interesting to hear about Pope Francis will have to say not only today, but this weekend in New York and in Philadelphia. I guess I'll read about it via twitter or hear it on the news. I know, night shift problems.

On that note, I guess I better get some sleep. Enjoy your Thursday!