Saturday, May 23, 2015

MEMORIAL DAY AMERICAN GIRL

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GIVE THE SYMBOL OF OUR GOVERNMENT THE "RESPECT" IT DESERVES (congress - )
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CONTEMPORARY COURTESIES

Etiquette column: Treat the American flag with the respect it deserves

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By Karen Hickman of The News-Sentinel
Friday, May 22, 2015 - 12:01 am
Editor's note: In honor of Memorial Day, Karen has tweaked her previous column on flag etiquette.
Q. Karen, would you please revisit proper American flag etiquette? I have recently replaced our tattered Old Glory, and want to respectfully dispose of it.
A. The proper and recommended way to dispose of a worn out American flag is to burn it. And in view of the summer holidays when we typically hoist our flags; Memorial Day, Flag Day, which is June 14th, July Fourth and Labor Day, here are some more guidelines on what to do and what not to do with "Old Glory," from the United States State Department website.
Also, note that on Memorial Day, the flag should be at half staff until noon only, in honor of our fallen veterans. After noon it should be raised to full staff.
The following information comes from the U.S. State Department website that lists the Federal flag code guidelines and laws:
" Public law 94-344, known as the Federal Flag Code, contains rules for handling and displaying the U.S. flag. The federal code contains no penalties for misusing the flag; states have their own flag codes and may impose penalties. The federal code makes it clear that our flag is a living symbol.
*The traditional guidelines for displaying the flag in public are from sunrise to sunset. However, it can be displayed at night if it is illuminated. The flag should not fly during weather that could cause damage to the flag, unless it is an all-weather flag.
*It should be displayed often, and especially on national holidays and special occasions.
*The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
*The flag may be flown at half-staff to honor a newly deceased federal or state government official by order of the president or the governor, respectively. On Memorial Day, the flag should be flown at half-staff until noon.
Some things not to do are:
*Out of respect, never dip the flag for any person or thing, even though state flags, regimental colors and other flags may be dipped as a mark of honor.
*Don't display the flag with the union down, except as a signal of distress.
*Don't let the flag touch anything beneath it, like the ground, floor or water.
*Don't carry it horizontally, but always aloft.
*Don't wear it as wearing apparel, as a costume or an athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be attached to the uniform of patriotic organizations, military personnel, police officers and firefighters.
*Don't use the flag for advertising or promotion purposes or print it on paper napkins, boxes or anything else that is for temporary use and will be discarded.
During the hoisting or lowering of the flag or when it passes in a parade, Americans should stand at attention facing the flag with their right hand over their heart. Uniformed military members offer a military salute. Men not in uniform should remove their hats and hold them with their right hand at their left shoulder, the hand resting over the heart. Non U.S. citizens should stand at attention.
When the flag is worn out or no longer fit to display, it should be destroyed with dignity, preferably by burning."
There is no better time than the start of the summer holidays to brush up on your flag etiquette. It's also a great time to teach your children and grandchildren about the do's and don'ts and how to fly and fold our flag. If you've forgotten how to do that, the internet has some very good video tutorials on folding our flag.
If you don't want to dispose of your old flag yourself, check out the VFW at www.vfw.org or the American Legion at www.legion.org in your community to see about their flag disposal ceremonies.
For more information and guidelines for displaying our flag go to:
www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RL30243.pdf
Karen Hickman is a local certified etiquette/protocol consultant and owner of Professional Courtesy. To submit questions, email features@news-sentinel.com.
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FORT WAYNE MOTORCYCLE CLUBS

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Local bikers work to benefit the community

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They want motorcycle clubs to have a positive reputation.

By Ellie Bogue of The News-Sentinel
Friday, May 22, 2015 - 12:33 pm
Many people are familiar with the sight of dozens of motorcycle gang members in Waco, Texas, being arrested after a fatal shootout between rival gangs. But for the past three years members of the local United Motorcycle Enthusiasts have been trying to get the public to see motorcycle clubs in a positive light.
It was July 11, 2012, when federal agents raided several locations used by the Outlaws motorcycle club in Indianapolis and Fort Wayne. Those raids included the Outlaws clubhouse at 1202 W. Main St. Tony Lupica, 62, president of the Fort Wayne Outlaws motorcycle club started the UME that same year in response to the raids.
Standing in the clubhouse Wednesday morning, Lupica said he came up with UME as a way to show the public a more positive side of the clubs. Currently, 25 motorcycle groups are involved in UME. Representatives from the clubs meet once a week to plan charity events and iron out any disagreements among the organizations.
The problems they are solving are over staying safe on their bikes within their territories, Lupica said. There are no disputes between clubs over drug running or prostitution because those are not things they are involved in, he said. They did, however, have a member who was found to have drugs at his home and was later found guilty in federal court, he said. As part of the investigation, Lupica said his house was searched without result and the items that were taken from the clubhouse, as possible evidence of wrongdoing, turned out not to be stolen motorcycle parts, so charges were never filed.
The UME initials stand not just for United Motorcycle Enthusiasts but also as “you and me,” Lupica said. The “you” refers to the communities we live in and those around us.
Almost every weekend of the summer, a motorcycle club is hosting a charity fun run. Sometimes they hold more than one event a day and almost always one on both Saturday and Sunday. Members of the UME try to attend each others' events to show solidarity.
All proceeds from these events go right to whatever charity or cause the event is supporting, Lupica said. There is even a women's motorcycle club known as Babes Out On Bikes that does charity events all targeting individuals and their families who have breast cancer.
At a recent meeting at Portside Pizza near Columbia City, the different clubs munched on pizza, donated by the owner of the establishment, while going over business. That week most of the agenda had to deal with various upcoming events, primarily charity rides as well as some discussion of the upcoming Sunday Fun Day series.
Every Sunday, the UME will host a “Sunday Fun Day” in Piere's parking lot in the Marketplace of Canterbury, 5629 St. Joe Road, starting June 7. The events will include kids games, and the idea is for the different bike clubs to meet with public in a family-friendly environment.
ABATE of Indiana will hold its 26th annual mayor's ride June 14, which will end at Piere's. All proceeds from the event will go to support motorcyclist safety and advocacy. After the ride, the club will hold a bike show, motorcycle games and kids games.
Referring to the events in Waco, Lupica said it all started over something stupid, a parking spot, and alcohol was involved. The argument between rival clubs ended with nine dead and 18 wounded. Lupica said he realizes that incident makes it harder for people to accept bikers, but obviously not every biker would behave the way those in Waco did and should not be judged that way.
“All bikers wear a ton of 'hats.' I'm a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a guitar player, an electrician. This is just one of the many things I do, and people don't realize that. They see you as a biker with a needle stuck in your arm and that's what you are when, of course, you are so many different things. The stereotype isn't us,” Lupica said.
Currently, the Fort Wayne Outlaws are involved in appealing a ruling that could seize their clubhouse under the RICO statute. The statute was created to go after the assets of organized crime. Its use has now spread to a variety of prosecutions. It allows the federal government to seize the assets and property of organizations involved in criminal activity. Because one of the Outlaws' members was prosecuted for having drugs in his house, the federal government is trying to seize the clubhouse. Lupica said their most recent appeal to keep the clubhouse has failed, but they plan to file another appeal.
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FORT WAYNE GM PLANT- BILLION DOLLAR BABY

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Source: Local GM plant to receive billion-dollar upgrade

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Announcement could come Tuesday

By Kevin Leininger of The News-Sentinel
Saturday, May 23, 2015 - 12:01 am
Fort Wayne's General Motors plant will receive about $1 billion in improvements, with sources indicating an official announcement will come Tuesday.
As The News-Sentinel first reported last October, the plant in southwest Allen County -- which opened in the mid-1980s -- was in the running for the massive investment, which was expected to include a new paint shop and a significant addition to the existing plant.
"We want to position the plant as GM looks for the most efficient way to do things. We're trying to make the best case (for Fort Wayne)," plant spokeswoman Stephanie Jentgen said at the time. Now a source indicates the investment will be about $1.2 million, although the number of additional jobs to be created -- if any -- was unknown. Jentgen said last year that the upgrade, if approved, would ensure the plant's future viability and protect its current workforce of more than 4,100 and annual payroll of $324.6 million.
GM last month said it would invest about $783.5 million in three southeast Michigan plants as part of a $5.4 billion upgrade of its U.S. facilities over three years. The Fort Wayne plant was not mentioned, but Jentgen said at the time she remained optimistic. The automaker has invested about $16.8 billion in the U.S. since emerging from bankruptcy in 2009.
In hopes of securing the investment that now appears imminent, Allen County Council last year approved a tax phase in -- also known as an abatement -- that could save the company $53 million over 10 years. Other incentives could also be part of the package announced Tuesday.
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Monday, May 11, 2015

FORT WAYNE STRIP CLUBS RATED

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#1 | SHOWGIRL I
By far, and we can’t stress this enough, by far the best looking “entertainers” in the city. We walked in pretty unnoticed and immediately found seating and got relaxed. The atmosphere is chill and relaxed. Drinks were only $4 for well so we got to drinkin’. I wouldn’t call this a fun club as much as I would call it Ft Wayne’s closest thing to a Mecca City Gentleman’s club. Very typical and predictable but it works extremely well. We had a great time, spoke and laughed within ourselves and kept drinking. Girls on stage looked great but none spoke to us very much. The music varied between rock, country, hip hop and top 40. Once again, this club is operated very typical old school adult club. It works great for them but we wish they provided a little more so they could just run away with this thing. End of 2nd night at SG I in the books. Definitely deserves the #1 ranking by a long shot, but, this city’s adult clubs need some attention to detail and to make things more upbeat and fun.
#2 | SHOWGIRL III
We were honestly thinking that SG III would beat out SG I but it just wasn’t the case. The venue itself we believe is the nicest looking in town and the location is just prime. The door guy was a little suave but made bad judgment call on hitting on the wife of an investor who was the one spending the money. The rest was mostly all positive. Our waitress was a doll. The art of being a cocktail is definitely a lost one in the Fort. At SG III though we actually got to experience that. We weren’t even in mood to drink. The door guy has rubbed our investor wrong but this cutie pie waitress just made us all want to drink again. So we did. Then the shot girl came over in a non-aggressive way that made us want to buy some shots. Now, the “entertainers” were very diverse in every way. Seems SG III tries to satisfy everyone and therefore doesn’t hire based on the traditional looks of the industry. The music wasn’t very good in our opinion. All over the place as if the girls themselves DJ’d for themselves. I also felt as if every guy in the club was friends with the guy staff and all about to pounce on the girls at exactly 3am. We definitely enjoyed our experience. The decor is comforting with a 1980’s Miami Vice feel that will forever remind us of “dad’s favorite gentleman’s club”. It wasn’t a party but functioned very well as the typical strip club of America.
#3 | BRANDY’S
We were shocked but in our opinion Brandy’s had the 2nd best looking girls in the city. The trucker stop across the street has always fed Brandy’s. We do wish Brandy’s would just give a little back to all of us for the years of continuing to stop in for a quick drink. Remodel the place already. Besides that, Brandy’s is what it is. A trucker stop adult club that caters to the in and out crowd along with the regular passerby. It must be good money because like we stated the venue does give you something to smile at as long as you ignore the decor around you. If the venue was much nicer they’d probably be number one.
#4 | COVER GIRLS (Now Known as CG’s)
I know, I know. Giving a 4th place ranking to this establishment is embarrassing to us as well. We actually had Shangri La ranked above them BUT we came in on a night when the new owner and the remaining owner of The old Cover Girls were in the building doing remodeling with what appeared to be a work crew in the back of the club. I think they saw our discomfort and immediately came over to tell us all about their remodel and quest for excellence in security. It was easy to get excited with them. For a little while I had forgotten that I stood inside of a venue that has HORRIBLY failed for quite some time. My first question once the veil went up was “how do you plan on keeping us safe when we come here now”. We were assured that security is of utmost importance and that no costs were being held back in assuring that the venue is the safest and most enjoyable in town. They better or they won’t make it. Cover Girls (or CG’s now) did rank pretty low on “entertainers”. It wasn’t that they were bad, there were just not many at all. We were told that by bringing in world class events, remodeling the entire venue into a “luxury haven” and keeping things fresh that maintaining the attention of the entire city will be the easy part. The place itself was being remodeled but not remodeled yet so we’ll hold our judgement and excitement. The owners definitely “sold” all of us on the future of the place once again being a major player in the industry. It’s been a while.
#5 | SHANGRI LA
We want to like this place, we really do. It just seems as if the staff doesn’t want us to. The venue itself is big and although it looks unmaintained it still gives you hope that the inside might be nice. It’s not. Plain and simple, it doesn’t appear as if cleanliness is of any importance. The potential of this place is insane though. As we sat at our table we all were able to carry on conversations within ourselves. The music level was at good point. We couldn’t get a waitress to come to our table so we went to bar and ordered drinks. Nothing special but prices were cheap so we toasted to that. After an hour of being there we had been spoken to by a waitress once as she literally checked her phone while asking us if we needed anything. That was the last female voice we heard the rest of our stay. Not one girl came to our table. We actually had a good amount of company money to spend too.  The club didn’t seem very organized and some of the girls we saw working were actually wearing house shoe slippers. We witnessed one entertainer leave while loudly saying how “this was bullsh*#”. Made us wonder what was “bullsh*#”. We did see a couple of cute girls but they seemed more concerned with themselves than talking to anyone. Even with all that we did have an enjoyable time within ourselves. If an adult club to sit by yourself and not talk to the girls is what you’re looking for then this place works. Shangrila West definitely fails in the operations department. New management that cares about detail is what we would recommend. We walked in with $500 to spend in a four hour timeframe. We spent $60 in 2 hours and left. We can’t tell you about the dance area because we never made it. Shangrila West should be fun, it should be busy, and it should stand out since it’s away from competition. Instead, you end up leaving there shaking your head at an operation that drops the ball all the way around with an uncaring staff. Start by cleaning the bar and entire venue altogether. It’s gross to think of the amount of fruit flies there must be with that high of uncleanliness.
#6 | STEWIE’S
What can we say that you don’t already know? It’s a dive bar that’s adult based. Not really sure if they have girls. Both times we went we didn’t see any. We still managed to stay for 4 drinks a piece. We actually had fun. Drinks were cheap and the atmosphere very seedy. If that’s your thing then it’s got an amazing location. 2nd of best location actually with only SG III having a better one.
#7 | THE HAREM
The Harem we believe has its sister club in Dayton, OH. Once upon a time they went all nude there even though it was against the law. They definitely brought the lawlessness to the Fort. The place itself is extremely nice. Much nicer than the previous Shangrila East that use to be here. We are sure the current owners are not happy about this purchase and the previous owner happy he was able to sell and get out. This is a sinking ship. It’s a rough place. Although there weren’t many patrons when we were there we still felt a tension in the air. The few staff there was didn’t seem happy at all and the entire vibe was a little Wild West like. They do seem to put some effort into pushing advertising although it is cheaply done. We don’t really have any recommendations for this place as it seems as a place that’s better left avoided unless you’re into violent type individuals as most of the patrons appear to be. We understand that stereotyping is an outdated thing but with the reputation of the place and then the ambiance of the place you can’t help but feel a little intimidated as our entire crew felt. We can’t in good faith recommend this place to anyone at this time. It’s a shame really considering that the venue itself is nice.
#8 | BLUE DIAMOND
We try to be positive when possible but it’s incredibly hard here. Everything about the place felt like the parents had left home and abandoned the place with their kids there. Really dirty and worn is best way to describe it. Why even own a place if you’re not going to operate it properly. It’s sad I have to rank this venue this high but that’s your warning to what’s coming next on our list.
#9 | RABBITS
This has to be a joke. How can anyplace be worse than the previous Poor Johns? The name alone is just ridiculously trash. We went in regardless to our laughter prior. The bartender who was a heavy set male has no clue what bartending means. We all refused to drink our drinks as we were sure that rat, roach and maybe even corpse pieces might be in it. (That last part was a joke…the corpse part only.) This place is only good if you are trying to have a good laugh at an establishment that should be shut down immediately. Gross, gross, and grosser is about the ONLY way to describe this hellhole. They should be ashamed of themselves for operating or opening the doors here. There is absolutely no way that this place is operating legally, that there’s not back of the house crime being committed and that whoever owns this is as much of a dirt bag as this establishment is gross!
IN CONCLUSION
We had a lot of fun with this editorial but we also took it extremely serious. Adult Entertainment can take a bad rap a lot but it’s a part of this world and a properly ran one can also be extremely enjoyable. It’s a tradition of bachelors and bachelorettes, it’s a fun and harmless bonding time for husband and wife, and it’s a good laugh with the buddies, a shared drink with friends and along with many other reasons can be enjoyed innocently. At the same time, an incorrectly ran establishment can be the scum of our land. The nasty perversion that exploits and harms. So here’s to the ones providing our adult goers a safe, clean and well operated establishment. To the others, YOU DISGUST US and you should be put out of business if not locked up!


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Friday, May 8, 2015

HOW TO GROW MARIJUANA. ( TOMATOES PEPPERS ETC.)

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Gardening column: Here's how to start a vegetable garden

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By JANE FORD for The News-Sentinel
Friday, May 8, 2015 - 10:07 am
Q: I want to start a vegetable garden in my backyard this year. Any suggestions on how to do it without digging and removing grass would be appreciated.
A: Here are a couple of suggestions that will hopefully get you started and be super easy:
A bag-bed garden:
• Pick a full sun location on your property. To do this watch the suns' movements throughout a day and find an area that gets at least 6 hours (more is better) of sun and a site that drains well.
• Buy 40-pound bags of compost from a garden center. You can determine how many you want by measuring the space you have. You may be able to use 6 or 8 bags (or more). If these are laid side by side and end to end you can make a raised bag-bed of approximately 4 feet wide by 6-8 feet long.
• If this area is in grass or a weedy patch you will not need to get out the shovel, just lay the bags tight against each other and this will smother the grass and weeds and over time compost the area.
• Once the bags are laid out like you want them, using a knife, open up the plastic face of each leaving a bit of plastic on the sides to hold the soil in place.
• You can plant vegetables with more shallow roots in a one bag high. If you plant deep rooted vegetables like tomatoes, you should make long slits on the bottom of each, and stack them 2 or 3 bags high.
A lasagna garden:
• Lasagna is a layered dish so you will be doing the same sort of thing with a garden bed.
• If you have saved leaves or grass clippings in a pile nearby, you can use these as layer No. 1 — if not bales of straw work well. Unbind the straw and you will notice that it is in layers. Separate the layers and lay them side by side until you have the garden size you want.
• For ease of tending the garden, it is best not to make the width of your new bed more than 4 feet.
• If you have well composted manure, spread at least a 3-inch layer of that on top your first layer.
• Next spread a 3-inch layer of compost. Hopefully you have a compost pile that you can use, if not you can buy bags of compost at a garden center.
• More straw can be placed between layers if you like or layers of sphagnum peat moss.
• Final layer can be topsoil. (You will want at least 10 to 12 inches of material to plant in.)
• As with the bag bed, no removal of grass or weeds is necessary, just begin building your lasagna where there is full sun and no standing water.
• You can be as creative as you wish with the ingredients but for edibles it is best not to use anything that has been treated with chemicals.
• Both these gardens smother whatever is growing under them and as the season goes by, they break down clay in the soil, change the structure of soil that is compacted, and actually compost all the added ingredients. In the fall, you can add layers of grass clippings, chopped up leaves and raw manure for use in the next season.
• Separate lasagna gardens work well for squash and melons — these are vegetables that take up a lot of space.
Jane Ford is an Advanced Master Gardener. Email questions to bloominthing@gmail.com. This column is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of The News-Sentinel.
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