“READERS FORUM” FEBRUARY 23, 2019
We hope that today’s “READERS FORUMâ€Â will provoke honest and open dialogue concerning issues that we, as responsible citizens of this community, need to address in a rational and responsible way?
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND TODAY?
Todays“Readers Poll†question is: Do you disagree with the “Drag Queen” reading hour being held at the public library?
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Victim Discusses Sex Abuse By Catholic Priest
 Victim Discusses Sex Abuse
FEBRUARY 22ND, 2019 
JOYLYN BUKOVAC EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
Some of the priests died before the investigation even began. One victim says his accuser died almost two decades ago.
“My abuser was an itinerary priest that worked in government places,†says Ken Meyer. “Back in the 50s and 60s, if you mentioned something like that to somebody, you would promptly be told to kneel down and pray for forgiveness.â€
Meyer says he met his alleged abuser when he was just 11 years old, and he stayed in his life five years after that. He says this priest even spent the night at his parents’ house. “In hindsight, I could see the grooming process taking place. I did not know that’s what was going on then.â€
Meyer says he is speaking out to start a conversation. “When it happens you wonder ‘what weakness did I have that I was a victim?’ And then you find out other people were victims and that helps a lot.â€
He just wishes lists of credible allegations were made sooner, in hopes of sparing some other children the same abuse.
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Junior Master Wildlife Gardener Class Offered At Wesselman Woods
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Box Turtles
Have you ever wondered why box turtles are called box turtles? They have a special adaptation that lets them close up their shell like a box. When box turtles feel threatened, they cannot run away effectively. Their large shell is heavy and their legs are short. Instead, they retreat inside their shell, tucking in their head, tail, and legs. Their plastron (bottom shell) has a hinge so they can shut the doors against their predator. Even the infamously dexterous paws of raccoons can’t penetrate this defense! They patiently wait inside their shell until the predator gives up.
This wild box turtle opens his plastron a bit so he can check his surroundings.
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King Makes History, IU Wins Two Titles on Friday Night at Big Ten Championships
The No. 17-ranked Indiana University women’s swimming and diving team extended its lead in the team standings on a historic Friday night at the 2019 Big Ten’s Women’s Championships at the Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington, Ind.
The Hoosiers will take a 111 point lead in to the fourth and final day of the conference championships. IU leads with a score of 938.5 points with Michigan in second with a total of 827.5 Ohio State sits in third with 779 points.
In the Championship Final of the 100 breaststroke, Lilly King again showed why she will go down as arguably the greatest breaststroke swimmer in NCAA history, winning the Big Ten title for the fourth-straight year with the fastest time in history – 55.88.
King, the only woman to break 57 seconds in history, eclipsed the 56-second barrier for the first time in her career. The time resets her own American, NCAA, Big Ten, Big Ten Meet, CBAC pool and Indiana school records.
King has posted the top-five all-time performances in the event and seven of the top-eight. The Evansville, Ind. native is the third woman in Big Ten history to win the 100 breast title four times, joining Jillian Tyler (2008-11) and Kristen Woodring (2001-02, 04-05)
Also in the Championship Final, freshman Noelle Peplowski took sixth with a time of 1:00.04, while senior Laura Morley was eighth with a mark of 1:00.66.
In the B Final, Abby Kirkpatrick was sixth in a career-best 1:00.51. For IU in the C Final, Mackenzie Atencio was fourth with a time of 1:01.51, while Hope Hayward was sixth in 1:01.97.
 Senior Bailey Andison had a remarkable performance in the Championship Final of the 400 IM, winning the conference title with a NCAA A cut, CBAC pool record and career-best time of 4:02.37.
Andison’s time is the fourth-best in the nation this season and the third-best all-time in Indiana history. Andison is the first Hoosier to win the Big Ten title in the 400 IM since Dorina Szekeres in 2013.
Freshman Mackenzie Looze continued her great meet, placing fourth overall with a personal-best time of 4:07.07. Bailey Kovac also posted a PR, taking sixth with a mark of 4:11.84.
In the B Final, freshman Christin Rockway trimmed over three seconds off her previous career-best, winning with a time of 4:08.50. Bailey Kovac took third in the Consolation Final with a mark of 4:11.84.
 In the Championship Final of the 100 butterfly, senior Christine Jensen had a great swim, winning the silver medal with a time of 51.44. Jensen’s time is the fourth-fastest in school history and just 0.16 seconds off her career best mark.
Shelby Koontz moved up from the No. 8 seed in the A Final to finish fourth overall with a
career-best time of 52.08.
 After winning the gold medal in the 1-meter dive on Thursday night, Jessica Parratto added to her medal haul on Friday, winning the bronze in the 3-meter with a total of 358.25. The redshirt senior missed on one dive, but still had four dives score over 60 points, including two over 70.
Earlier, Taylor Carter scored points for the Hoosiers, placing 20th overall in prelims with a score of 283.00.
 Indiana came out and broke the school record in the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle relay, as the team of Julia Wolf, Christine Jensen, Shelby Koontz and Laurel Eiber touched the wall with a NCAA A cut time of 1:28.48.
Freshman Morgan Scott continued to have a breakout meet in the Championship Final of the 200 freestyle, taking seventh overall with a time of 1:45.84. Her time was just 0.25 seconds off her career-best mark she set in the morning.
In the B Final, Maria Paula Heitmann got to the wall first, winning with a time of 1:45.97. IU also won the C Final, as Laurel Eiber won with a career-best time of 1:47.16. Cassy Jernberg was fifth in the C Final with a mark of 1:48.68.
In her second Championship Final of the night, freshman Morgan Scott took sixth in the 100 backstroke, touching the wall in a time of 52.33. In the C Final, Grace Haskett was fourth with a mark of 54.17.
The 2019 Big Ten Women’s Championships continue on Saturday with the last morning of prelims. The action gets underway at 11:00 a.m. ET with the prelims of the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, platform dive and 1,650 freestyle.
For all the latest on Indiana University women’s swimming and diving, be sure to follow the team on social media - Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
100 Butterfly
- Christine Jensen – 51.44 (NCAA B Cut)
- Shelby Koontz – 52.08 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
400 IM
- Bailey Andison – 4:02.37 (NCAA A Cut, Personal Best)
- Mackenzie Looze – 4:07.07 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Josie Grote – 4:10.00 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Christin Rockway – 4:08.50 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Bailey Kovac – 4:11.84 (NCAA B Cut)
200 Freestyle
- Morgan Scott – 1:45.84 (NCAA B Cut)
- Maria Paula Heitmann – 1:45.97 (NCAA B Cut)
- Laurel Eiber – 1:47.16 (Personal Best)
- Cassy Jernberg – 1:48.68
100 Breaststroke
- Lilly King – 55.88 (American Record, NCAA Record, Big Ten Record, Big Ten Meet Record, Pool Record, School Record, NCAA A Cut, Personal Best)
- Noelle Peplowski – 1:00.04 (NCAA B Cut)
- Laura Morley – 1:00.66 (NCAA B Cut)
- Abby Kirkpatrick – 1:00.51 (NCAA B Cut, Personal Best)
- Mackenzie Atencio – 1:01.51 (NCAA B Cut)
- Hope Hayward – 1:01.97
100 Backstroke
- Morgan Scott – 52.33 (NCAA B Cut)
- Grace Haskett – 54.17
3-Meter Dive
- Jessica Parratto – 358.25 (NCAA Zones Qualifying Score)
- Taylor Carter – 283.00 (NCAA Zones Qualifying Score)
200 Freestyle Relay
- Julia Wolf, Christine Jensen, Shelby Koontz, Laurel Eiber – 1:28.48 (NCAA A Cut, School Record)
Foreigner Coming to Evansville Old National Events Plaza
FEBRUARY 22ND, 2019 TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
Funeral Arrangements Set for Capt. Jim Pauli
FEBRUARY 22ND, 2019 TYRONE MORRIS EVANSVILLE, INDIANA
THINK SLOW
THINK SLOW
GAVEL GAMUTÂ By Jim Redwine
Two weeks before actor Jussie Smollett reported to Chicago police he had been assaulted by two white men Smollett sent himself a letter with similar sentiments. Smollett who claims to be “Bluishâ€, that is, the offspring of a Jewish father and a Black mother, and who also says he is homosexual created the letter. The letter was released by Smollett in hopes of causing sympathy for him so he could demand a raise in his salary on the television series Empire.
Not only did Smollett create a letter that would not pass muster as a prop in a grade school play the letter brought no response from the people in charge of Smollett’s salary. As to creating sympathy for his meager pay, that too might ring hollow with the rest of us in the real world. Smollett is paid $65,000 for each episode of Empire; the show has eighteen episodes per season and it is in its fifth season. Let us see about that sympathy thing: $65m x 18 = $1,170,000 per year and a total of $5,850,000 for five years. How are your sympathy pangs, Gentle Reader?
Of course, as an actor playing the role of a minority Rhythm and Blues singer on a television show I had never heard of until Smollett faked his attack, I am not aware of any great general benefit Smollett’s acting has conferred on society. On the other hand, these issues of false claims and payroll negotiations are not what this column is about. If Smollett had given just a little more thought to his scheme, he probably would not have paid his two “attackers†by check, a copy of which the Chicago police recovered in less than a week. However, Smollett did claim the attack occurred in downtown Chicago at 2:00 a.m. so his story started out sounding believable.
Anyway, this column is not about Smollett’s infantile plan to boost his career. It is about the initial hue and cry in the national media and political figures in response to Smollett’s phony plot. We just don’t learn, do we? The rule is get the facts then speak out, not rush to a judgment we wish to believe based on our own prejudices. We, and I do mean most of us, would benefit from understanding what the psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls “Thinking Fastâ€.
Thinking fast is making decisions based on our intuition and emotions instead of “Thinking Slowâ€, which is gleaning the facts first and applying a critical analysis to those facts. We all want to believe things. Unfortunately, “Wanting don’t make it soâ€. Now, in much of what we decide it does not matter what we think. If we want to believe in Santa Claus, where’s the harm? However, when the national news media or our national leaders decide things based on hope or hate instead of objective investigation and analysis, real harm may result.
So, Jussie Smollett, your silly attempt to get attention is of little consequence and thankfully you made the Chicago Police Department’s job easy. Once again, thanks for paying by check. But what has caused true harm to our national debate about several forms of prejudice has been the rush to stand upon your shockingly juvenile strategy as a pedestal to spew real prejudice.Â
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