IS IT TRUE April 17, 2014

1. Several things…

   1. How involved with the public be in the parks master plan? I want to make sure most of the 03 plan is included, including a bridge over Pigeon from Garvin to Kleymeyer. I somehow get this feeling the Parks Dept will sneak the elimination of Kleymeyer’s ball fields into this master plan.

   2. When will the downtown master plan from 2001 come back? This was a Winnecke campaign promise. We need to reinstate the canal, the ball park, the marina, the new/tweaked civic center, etc, etc.

   3. The lights in the historic district, if done right, will be a good thing. Look at what designing the French Quarter in New Orleans has done for them. Granted, I’ve yet to see a well executed plan here like that.

   And again, the price of these lamps is a tiny, tiny fraction of what the difference in the ball fields and med school alternatives are. So I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. It’s a much better idea than sprawl lights on Burkhardt.

   • 1. I expect the public participation in this plan will be minimal and highly controlled. The parks make such a minute part of City government, I wonder why they didn’t start with a bigger department. Could it be that a smaller department is easier to make SNEGAL deals in?

     2. The “downtown master plan” of 2001 is out-dated and needs to be scrapped. We need a plan that deals with REALITY, not what some small band of big political donors want reality to be.
     The first reality that needs to be dealt with is the fact that the City is about as deeply in debt as it can go.

     3. This ain’t, never has been, and never will be NOLA, Jordan.

     I did see some good news for Jacobsville this am. The fact that about a dozen-and-a-half families will be building Habitat houses on Garfield St. is good. I am wondering why Deaconess would donate land that they hold out any hope of Med School-related development for, though. It kind of tells a tale, I think.

     • +1 especially on your point two. I just hope they leave the crayons at home for the children to play with while we develop an actual vision and feasible plan rather than just another wish list with the shelf life of a letter to Santa.

     • 1. Agree completely. Any new master plan that doesn’t keep the Kleymeyer bridge and ball fields should be rejected immediately. Unroberts park should not be in it either. The city residents and council have said no and no means no. No crayons, no voice gimmicks, and no sneaky tactics.

       2. You’re way off on this one. The 01master plan took ideas from a countless amount of people and was assembled by the pros at gateway consultants. Did you see the pictures of those participating at the centre? It’sa pplan that rivals Lexingtons and winnecke needs to live up to his promise. Anyone opposed just doesn’t want to build in downtown.

       3. If we’re not Nola how have we assembled a festival second only to theirs? You don’t have to be a huge city to have a nice district. These lamps are minute compared to the other blunders no one is complaining about.

       Yeah I’m excited about the Jacobsville project as long as Jennifer Mason and that join in group stay out of it.

2. Was the Signature schools 70 graduates a exact representative of all the types of students that are forced thru the normal EVC high school system? I bet not.
   If EVC was allowed to remove the chaff, and/or Signature required to take the chaff, the number results being “crow about” would be different.

   Just something to think about!

   • Of course not! The short answer to the success of the Signature School is that it starts with gifted and motivated students, and simply offers them the opportunity and encouragement to soar academically.
     There is virtually nothing that can be learned from Sig School’s shining success that can be transferred to the general population of students, except that the best DNA, nurtured in the most positive way usually leads to the best outcomes.

     • Your are right elkaybee. I think the comparison of the Signature School to public schools is an apple and oranges thing. In addition to your comments about the advantage of starting with motivated students. There is another very large factor. The Signature School accepts scholarships and collectively its no small sum (http://www.signature.edu/sites/default/files/SigSchoolAP%202012-2013.pdf). Can the public high schools do the same? That item alone will skew any further analysis.

       • The scholarships listed in that report are scholarships that Sig School graduates received. It does not represent any cash directly to the school for operations.

         EVSC does solicit donations and has fundraisers for specific activities. Witness the prominent name on the new Harrison football stadium. I think it is a good thing for private money to willingly support all of our schools.

         I had two children go to Sig. I did not have to pay one dime extra for them to attend. The other one went to North. All three are educated productive members of society with good jobs.

         Life seems to be more about focusing on where one wants to be and working hard to get there than about the circumstances one has to overcome. Some kids are cut out for academics and others are cut out for trades. There is however a place for everyone to do well if we can just get over the misguided notion that everyone is the same and get on about finding a way for everyone to be the best they can at something they have a talent for.

         • Bravo! Well said.

         • It’s not perfect by any means but Sig School has been a real treasure for Evansville. We had a child go there and he developed a penchant for travel that might not have otherwise manifested itself for a few years. Due to availing himself of the AP classes offered at Sig he started IU as a sophomore. Those AP classes were a great bargain. Best I remember the tests were only around $100 apiece and transformed the classes into college credit just as surely as if he would have sat through them in Bloomington at a much higher price. A bargain by any measure. He got his masters through their SPEA program and has now landed a good job.

           He went to Europe three times while enrolled there, once with other students and a faculty escort, one fairly extended trip with a friend and once with his girlfriend to lock up and perfect the proposal. Germany reciprocated as best it could by gifting us with a beautiful blond exchange student. I really liked her, bought her an iPod while she stayed with us. Her first one, ho ho ho. On the trip with his friend (not his girlfriend) he let us know he’d be going to the Netherlands in a day or so. I checked his bank account. They went, left and went back. I knew they went back by another transfer he’d made from his account. He turned mildly red when I told him how I tracked his return to Amsterdam. They were doing a little Netherlandic window shopping. He took a lot of pictures but disclosed none of his first hooker, if they exist. The timing of the bank transfers indicated strongly that he was having fun.

           An attorney in Henderson quizzed me about Sig a couple of years ago, his kids were going to Day School. He was interested in Sig and said writing the check to Day School was like ‘baling hay’. Haven’t talked to him in a while, don’t know if he ever enrolled his kids at Sig or not.

         • My point, before I started rambling, was that Sig has turned out some well rounded kids who will be productive citizens. Other schools do as well. Too many factors in play to put the blame for failure or credit for success on any one thing.

         • Agreed 100%!
           I think the best possible investment we can make is in SUITABLY educating our kids. I think EVSC would do very well to extend Sig School to the Middle School grades immediately, and have elementary and pre-K Signature classes in place within the next 6 years. This project would be a great one for the private sector to fund, and in the long run, they would profit from the contribution.
           My boys didn’t go to Sig School because they were so wrapped up in athletics. My youngest daughter “passed” on it, much to my chagrin. She was in the Communications program at Central, and was a DJ on their radio station. At least she dedicated a “golden oldie” to me everyday. It turned out okay, as they are all well-educated and employed, but I think still think they should have gone.

         • Indeed, I cannot read this morning. I shoulda went to Sig.

       • All of our children should have the best possible educational opportunities. The state voucher system is a small step in the right direction. Let the parent use the $10,000 per student a year to find the best education for their children. The rewards for public school systems are all that same, win or lose. The president and eric holder have openly stated that public schools are not working for african americans. Shame there’s no one standing up for white children.

         • I couldn’t disagree more. What makes you think nobody is standing up for “white children”? I think most of us here are standing up for children, regardless of race.

     • Both of you are 100% correct.

     • Very astute observation. You have just debunked the truth that we all know which is that “all people are not created equal”. It may make us feel good to lie to ourselves about such things but it isn’t true, it never has been, and it never will be. Here is another truth. Schools that segregate students according to brainpower and motivation could teach the groups differently and achieve higher levels of success. It is the myth that we are all the same that dumbs us down as a nation. The Sig Schools of the world prove it year after year. If we were all the same then the performance of Sig School could be replicated in all classrooms. Great job! You just laid the foundation for educational reform that may work.

       All teachers are not created equal either. Yet, the teacher’s unions have mechanized the pay schedules to reward for seniority and academic attainment with no metric for results. The curriculum is standardized as though teachers and students are equal drones of the system. They aren’t and they never will be.

       • The cultivation of all sorts of skills that can contribute to society is important. We need people in the STEM parts of academics, but we also need people who can work with their hands, are gifted in communicating with all sorts of people, and those who cheerfully deliver a tasty, well-made pizza at any hour of the day or night. When that is recognized and “worked with”, real education can take place.
         Finding one’s niche in this world can be a challenging thing, and we, as a nation, are missing the boat by trying to push everyone into the same mold. When we place value on all contributions and contributors, we will really make the world what we need it to be.
         Down with intellectual snobbery, and up with contibuting what we can to society!

     • I disagree with the statement that there is nothing that can be learned from Signature. One student I know at Signature would appear to be someone classified as destined to fail, no matter where he attended school, but he was motivated to apply at Signature.

       He is being MOTIVATED at Signature.

       • In general, motivation comes from home and family. I’m truly glad that the student you cite is getting what is needed from Sig School. It sounds like it is really an example of “cream” rising to the top.
         There are plenty of examples throughout history of those who succeed despite the “odds”, and that is why we have to make sure we see to it that everybody gets a chance to succeed. We seem to be falling down on that job. In fact, we don’t seem to have figured out how to do that yet.

         • Agree that motivation comes from the home. Parents need to be able to put their children in a school that capitalizes on that motivation. And help these children to reach their full potential and to self actualize. There’s no reason that a parents financial status should preclude their children from attending a school that matches the child’s ripeness to learn. The voucher system should be expanded to accomplish this.

         • @ pov:

           I don’t have a big problem with vouchers, but I have a problem with vouchers going to schools that indoctrinate students with a certain set of religious beliefs, especially if those beliefs run counter to accepted scientific facts.
           I am mystified at why churches are so anxious to take money from government for any reason.

   • Chaff has returned substance signatures, Armstrongres,that might be classed as a multiple target “emission” Removable with a switch,flip. Something not to think about.

3. Why not deed the parks to Neighborhood Associations . . . and get out of this business as a City ? How many people, other than those in the Neighborhood where they are located, visit parks ?

4. Here is a question. Instead of hiring a consultant (who knows how much that will cost and most likely will not be a local resident), why not let the neighborhoods come up with their own ideas and plans? The next question, just how many parks does the city think they need? Having open spaces in a metro area is a good thing but why not wait till we have had a chance to review the budget? Oops.

5. Joe Wallace….

   RE: Yesterday’s comments discussion on Indiana State Law requirement that BEER DISTRIBUTORS must be paid.

   You stated in those comments yesterday after you mentioned the Tesla Automaker DEALER MUST BE PAID FIRST requirement:

   …”The beer situation in Indiana is simply dark ages protectionism for yet another parasite to nibble A COUPLE OF PERCENT from the eventual sale price.”

   …
   It is not “a couple of percent” the BEER DISTRIBUTOR gets.

   Beer Distributors…It is TWENTY-FIVE to TWENTY-EIGHT (25%-28%) immediately marked up before the retailer ever touches it. The State of Indiana says it is ILLEGAL for a beer-maker to sell beer to the retailer unless the beer-maker FIRST pays the BEER DISTRIBUTOR a 25% of the price (whatever the price is, mind you).

   C’mon. That is thuggery. And it IS anti-American.

   • +1

     • I-E, glad to see you agree. For those of you who don’t know what we’re talking about….Here it is from yesterday….

       Weinzwestside says:
       April 16, 2014 at 8:38 pm

       I-E,

       There are two thoughts you may have the same interest in (as a business person)…and both are somewhat related….that I have tried to gain traction on – to get the CCO to take some leadership.

       Alas…no traction with the CCO.

       I-E, I think perhaps you might agree. Want to help? Here’s the issues:

       Well-funded, deeply entrenched lobbying interests INSERT a middle-man into two business models that do NOT need them. Both are protected by antiquated, unnecessary Indiana State laws. They may have been a need in the past…but NOT in today’s world. And while it is pure common sense to change it, both have LOBBYISTS that will make politicians PAY THE ULTIMATE PRICE who dare to correct this thieving inefficiency….in fact, they make the gun lobby look like puppies.

       Those markets? Auto sales and beverage/beer/liquor sales.

       1. Auto manufacturers cannot sell directly to consumers. By State Law they must use a DEALER. That to me is a hill worth trying to take. It goes against every conservative, free market discipline I know to force this arrangement…and needlessly increases the price of an automobile. New auto-maker Tesla is trying to fight it. They make a car. You want to buy it from them? You can’t. You have to go to a DEALER.

       2. Beverage manufacturers. I’ll stick w/ beer to keep it simple. Now (unless you are a very small brewer) you cannot buy beer directly from the beer maker. Of course it is natural for the beer maker to sell to a grocery store….BUT THAT IS ILLEGAL. The beer maker must first sell to a BEER DISTRIBUTOR….who gets a “guaranteed markup” for the privilege. The Beer Distributor then sells to the grocery store. Why? No good reason. Mind you, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EXCISE TAXES. Taxes are separate.

       Now, let’s be clear. If this were changed…the Auto makers and the Beverage makers might still hire a Dealer and a Distributor. BUT…there is no reason to have a State Law to require it. In fact, this wouldn’t eliminate the jobs that perform both services…those jobs STILL have to be done. They will merely transfer to the manufacturer or the retail location…except it will not be mandated by a State Law they must work for THE MIDDLEMAN.

       The inefficiency of the market in these two areas…..is ENORMOUSLY costly.

       I think BOTH of these “government-mandated” middle-man models should be done away with. And…I think the CCO finds unnecessary government interference in the marketplace……….A core belief of the CCO’s character.

       I-E…..this is a conservative travesty. So…what do you think?

     • Very good Enoch. It was only a matter of time.

       You seem to have come out, +1 no less, in favor of less expensive beer. That carapace is beginning to chip off. It’ll have the added benefit of extending the Studebaker’s gas mileage.

       • Bandana, you know we Baptist Ministers buy our beer only from our dealers. If my dealer finds out that I am backing Weinz, all bets are of with his issue. Sorry Weinz.

         Once Studebaker left the building, the dealership protection program was moot.

         • You are now granted a clerical exemption excusing you from buying from a dealer. This partially due to your recent pleasant treatment of Weinz and partly because I think the Stude runs on Budweiser.

           If the modifications you made to your Studebaker become common knowledge it will help your reverendancy (God works in mysterious…& I made up another word) and might get you a ride along with Joe to visit the Tesla factory. Elon Musk could well offer you a job as designmeister for the new Tesla. It is rumored to run on a brew very similar to that favored by the Studebaker (a sparky liquid electricity made from hops in St. Louis) and has a legal appurtenance assiging any DUI to the car itself.

   • You nailed it, Weinz.
     These “middle-men” may serve some purpose for some clients some of the time, but clients should be able to choose whether or not to go through a middle-man, who is frequently a major campaign contributor.
     Isn’t it ironic that so many of the local political “guiding lights” trace their money through auto dealerships and/or alcoholic beverage distribution?

     • …

       It’s funny, but not really.

       >> When new automaker Tesla set up a showroom to sell their cars to people walking by – they are called shoppers/CONSUMERS…the State government showed up and said:

       “Hello! How’s your day? Let me introduce you to your DEALER. He’s gonna sell your cars for you now. And he’ll send you your cut. This is how things work in this neighborhood. See that door right there? Use it.”

       Literally. They shut Elon Musk and the Tesla Motors Showroom down.

       It is EXACTLY THE SAME with a beer-maker, or a brewer (when he starts to grow beyond a very small threshold).

       If both smack of a Soprano’s episode…that is accurate….

       …EXCEPT THE GOVERNMENT/State Lawmaker is the guy doing the introducing.

       These two industries permeate nearly every house-hold in America. Few people at all know about this. They pay Legislators BIG $ every year to make sure it never comes up. Guaranteed…Pence would prefer not to discuss it.

6. ” 59 employees of Chesapeake Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Packaging will be out of work?…”

   This is truly sad news. I suspect those jobs are fairly good ones, too. Not to worry, though! We have a Sky Zone and a McAlister’s Deli opening on Green River Rd.. Now, if we could only get 7-day a week bus service, residents who don’t have cars could go to work there.
   In the sad reality as it relates to those who are losing jobs at the Chesapeake printing plant, many of them probably have skills that they can take out of the area and market them very well. It will be E-town’s loss again.

   • EKB: 🙂

     Chesapeake Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare http://www.chesapeakecorp.com/pharma/ Global provider “splains” that,logistical throughput change.

     Favorite Chesapeake “printers” http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2031/2312297940_f0467e4187_z.jpg?zz=1

     Start up Chesapeake “printers” http://www.petclassifieds.us/user_images/8335828.jpg

     Office Christmas party http://www.petclassifieds.us/user_images/8335828.jpg

     Lead Process engineer http://www.warrenphotographic.co.uk/photography/bigs/15026-Chesapeake-Bay-Retriever-white-background.jpg

     Production supervisor http://cdn-www.dailypuppy.com/media/dogs/anonymous/bailey_chesbayretr01.jpg_w450.jpg

     HR/EOE http://a1.cdnsters.com/static/images/dogster/breeds/chesapeake_bay_retriever.jpg

     Latest EOE applicantshttp://cdn-www.dailypuppy.com/media/dogs/anonymous/22377/20090324277819_IMG_0168.JPG_w450.jpg

     EXPAT/IT dept. http://wooftown.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Mixed-Or-Purebred-Dog-500×280.jpg

     New innovative globally tuned logo—-> http://www.boonecountyky.org/dogpark/Images/paw-print-shadows_dog.gif

     Founder/CEO http://www.chesapeakebayretriever.info/photos/CH%20Silvercreeks%20Spiced%20Rum/Picture%201976-1.jpg

7. “California education officials announced Tuesday that despite years of budget cuts to schools, the state’s high school graduation rate inched up last year.

   “We have positive momentum continuing to build. Graduation rates climbed again last year,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. “We’re now at 78.5 percent of high school students graduating with their class, which is an increase of 1.4 percentage points.” “

8. IS IT TRUE it was announced yesterday that the City of Evansville has commissioned a consultant to do a master plan for the parks department?……. (CCO)

   * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

   http://www.postcarbon.org/person/168207-mia-birk

   __

   • Good grief…. What’s she gonna do when she gets here?

     http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/portland-reservoir-be-drained-after-teen-pees-water-n82901

     http://www.mapmyride.com/us/portland-or/

     What a waste,on both subjects. Pretty confident some locals could solve that issue for them,however that would be to practical for a town that must Stretchhhe bucks..on hand.

     http://www.zverina.com/i/images/040327-zverina-stretched-dollar-600.jpg

9. Excuse my ignorance, Laura, but what are NOLA, STEGAL, and STEM acronyms for? And, I seem to be in agreement with your posts on this thread.

   Whoda thunk it?

   • I meant “SNEGAL” – “Sneaky but legal”.
     NOLA – New Orleans, Louisiana
     STEM – Science, Engineering, Technological, and Mathematics

     Acronym use is a bad habit to fall into.

     • Yep, AUIABHTFI.

       • I’ll agree, just because you said so!

         • Thanks, that’s much better than I deserve. (TTMBTID).

10. I would like to invite members of the elite Old Historical Evansville Association leadership to come to our Wheeler Neighborhood Association meeting this evening at the Central Library. I must warn them that we will not be serving expensive wine or finger foods at our meeting. We served RC Cola and Moon Pies at our meetings. We also like to see the Director of Evansville Preservation Commission for the City of Evansville and the past Chairmen of this Commission attend this meeting.

    • What are the boundaries of the Wheeler neighborhood? I can remember Wheeler School, and I took my first dance lessons at the Findley Sisters’ School of Dance, which was across the street, at 4th and Mulberry.

11. I really hate to hear we’re losing Chesapeake Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Packaging. They have changed names a few times but have a rich history in Evansville as they started out as Hoosier Stamping.
    59 good jobs down the drain. What a pity.

12. Global company, “logistical supply chain balance… “commerce throughput.” Likely a loss due crumby transportation supply chain timing, and utility infrastructure,due location.

    http://www.chesapeakecorp.com/

13. I hear a former member of the OHEA group (meeting headquarters is located in the 600 block of S E First Street) has some real stories tell us about her experiences with select leaders of this elite group. She has now join the real neighborhood (Wheeler) group of the Historical area. I hear she has some real stories to tell about this group political mind set.

14. Many liberals from wealthy families often attempt to hide their privilege. It is entirely gratifying to see one of our leisured bourgeois leftists, Comrade Bandana, cheerfully boast about sending a child to what amounts to a private academy run at public expense for the moneyed elites of Evansville. Many people will sneer at the hyper-hypocrisy of such leftist comrades, who claim that the regular public schools are wonderful and staffed by geniuses, but won’t send their own children to them. I am not one of these critics. My own progressive parents and their friends lacked the political savvy or perhaps brazenness to create a–ha-ha!–“public” school that catered to our elite circle. No, they paid large sums of money to send us to private academies where we could become radicalized and fervent advocates of the lower classes, without actually having to deal with them personally. Our exposure to people of color was carefully limited to those of high economic status, such as my classmate Barclay O. Bummer II. Not for us the gruesome family dysfunction that we progressives have carefully fostered among the lower classes for so long nor the illiterate and innumerate drones of the NEA!

    In my short time here in Evansville, I have noticed an inordinately large proportion of what we at OFI jokingly call “white trash.” It is true that the great majority of them are reliable Democratic voters, but I can see that thoughtful progressives do not want their offspring exposed to large numbers of these people or what I shall call excessively diverse people of color who do not know the difference between a dinner fork and a salad fork. I applaud Comrade Bandana’s decision to shield his offspring from the lower classes he professes to love so well. It is unlikely that the younger Comrade Bandana II will ever become a member of the proletarian vanguard to which I belong, but perhaps there will be a suitable position for him among the office clerks in our socialist state apparatus.

    J. Coddington “Comrade Hugo” Fetlock IV
    Maximum Co-coordinator
    Organizing for Idiocy
    Evansville Cell

    • http://www.theeestory.com/files/TrollSprayBillyMays.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1286985952413

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