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by Brent Bozell Republican presidential candidates usually avoid any criticism of Hollywood, ever since Vice President Dan Quayle attacked “Murphy Brown” in 1992 for choosing to be a single mother on TV. There are two reasons. The first is the “objective” media The second is a version of the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) Syndrome. Just as Americans despise Congress Mike Huckabee, the once and future presidential candidate What he condemned was her sexually provocative dance next to her husband at the 2014 Grammy Awards on CBS But a new poll taken of potential Iowa caucus-goers by the Des Moines Register and Bloomberg News turned Huckabee into a hater. The question couldn’t be more loaded. The pollsters asked Republicans and Democrats: “In his recently published book, Mike Huckabee criticized the singer Beyonce, calling her ‘mental poison.’ Do you think Huckabee is mostly right about Beyonce, or did he go too far?” That’s a wild distortion. In discussing Beyonce’s lyrics — and her husband’s, which would include such Jay-Z “classics” as “Big Pimpin'”— Huckabee wrote: “With the first lady so concerned about making sure her daughters’ bellies don’t ingest unhealthy Let us recall a bit of “Big Pimpin'” and imagine it being recited by Malia and Sasha Obama And here are the opening lyrics of Beyonce’s “Drunk In Love” that she mouthed on CBS while having her legs split as wide open as physically possible: “I’ve been drinking, I’ve been drinking / I get filthy when that liquor get into me / I’ve been thinking, I’ve been thinking / Why can’t I keep my fingers off it, baby?” CBS had to bleep out her lyric “We woke up in the kitchen saying, ‘How the hell did this s—t happen?'” Then she sang, “Graining on that wood, graining, graining on that wood / I’m swerving on that, swerving, swerving on that big body.” Then Jay-Z chimed in, rapping, “We sex again in the morning, your breastases [sic] is my breakfast.” CBS never apologized for this musical “mental poison,” which is what it was. Huckabee is apologizing now that he complained about it. He was too much of a gentleman to be this specific about the lyrics, and ironically, he’s paying a price for that.Conservative politicians aren’t really allowed to condemn the crudest excesses of popular culture. The Obamas can be best friends with Jay-Z and Beyonce and never face any scrutiny for their parenting, which is always presumed to be fantastic. No one is allowed or expected to be a Profile in Courage when it comes to vulgar and violent entertainment coming out of Hollywood L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive COPYRIGHT 2015 CREATORS.COM |
Mike Huckabee Vs. Beyonce
Ivy Tech Community College Names Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Ivy Tech Community College has named Leah Allman as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs for the combined Southwest/Wabash Valley region.
Allman graduated from Indiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and continued her education at Indiana State to obtain her master’s degree in Physical Education.
Allman began her career at Ivy Tech in 1998 as Director of Admissions for the Wabash Valley region. In 2000, She accepted the role of Dean of Student Affairs, to become Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs in 2008. Prior to her work at Ivy Tech, Leah worked as the Director of Admissions for Indiana State University.
Allman is a member of several professional organizations including the Indiana Association for College Admission Counseling, National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), Student Affairs Professional in Higher Education (NASPA) and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
“Leah’s energy and experience in terms of new student recruitment and student engagement are a great asset to the College,†said Ivy Tech Chancellor, Jonathan Weinzapfel. “She has already been instrumental in implementing an array of programs and services to engage our students.â€
Spring Session of E.P.D. Citizen’s Academy Registration is Open
The Evansville Police Department will present another session of the extremely popular Citizen’s Academy beginning on Tuesday, March 31st. The Citizen’s Academy will run for ten weeks and end on June 2nd.
The goal of the Citizen’s Academy is to give members of the community an inside look at the various units of the police department and to create better understanding and communication between citizens and police through education.
This is an opportunity for the citizens of the community to know more about the men and women who are protecting their community and why they make the decisions they do. The Academy also presents an opportunity for the citizens to voice any comments or concerns directly to the department.
Members of the department will be instructing each session and will be covering topics relevant to the units in which they work.
The Citizen’s Academy is offered in the Spring and in the Fall of each year. Sessions are held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday evenings for ten consecutive weeks.
As a result of requests from the public the Citizens Academy was increased last fall to ten weeks with the addition of four new presentations from the Juvenile Unit, Financial Crimes Unit, Crime Prevention Unit and Public Affairs with an informal Q & A session on graduation night with the Chief Bolin, Vanderburgh Prosecutor Nick Hermann and Mayor Winnecke. There is limited seating, so register early and please share with anyone who might be interested. This program is free of charge.
For registration form—or for more information—contact Debbie Baird with the Evansville Police Department Training Unit at (812) 436-4948 or email at dbaird@evansvillepolice.com or go to http://www.evansvillepolice.com/citizens-academy.
A Mixed Papal Blessing
When the Gallup poll last asked, Pope Francis was rated favorably by 76 percent of Americans (including 78 percent of Protestants and 73 percent of those with no religious affiliation) and unfavorably by only 9 percent, a better than 8-1 favorable rating. These are numbers that almost any political candidate would die for.
Politicians, being human, enjoy being seen in the company of popular heroes, which may explain why the Republican speaker of the House, John Boehner, with full support from leaders of both parties on Capitol Hill, invited the Holy Father to address a joint meeting of Congress. On Sept. 24, when Francis becomes the first pope to address Congress, you can be sure that every pol in shoe leather, liberal or conservative, will be enthusiastically applauding while angling for a personal photo op with the charismatic pontiff.
But there is a problem: Pope Francis insists on speaking the uncomfortable truth to the powerful and the pompous, both clerical and secular. Democrats cheered the pope’s criticisms of “trickledown theories,” which have “never been confirmed by the facts.” He said, “We can no longer trust in the … invisible hand of the market.” When the pope stated that climate change is “mostly” man-made and denounced “the globalization of indifference” in the mistreatment of immigrants, Dems were confident he was on their side.
Until, that is, Pope Francis indicted the “throwaway culture” that reduces people to “mere cogs in a machine” and “treats them as items of consumption to be exploited.” He said, “Whenever a human life no longer proves useful for that machine, it is discarded with few qualms, as in the case of the terminally ill, the elderly who are abandoned and uncared for, and children who are killed in the womb.” Most liberals would agree that this pope makes great sense on the economy but that he knows nothing about sex, whereas the majority of conservatives would give him high marks on sexual morality but find him hopelessly naive on economics.
John Carr of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, who is an insightful observer of the Roman Catholic Church, offers a most interesting assessment of the Holy Father: “I would say that Pope Francis’ first miracle is getting political leaders in the U.S.
to talk about poverty.” Carr is right. Forty-five years ago, poverty and poor people were still very much at the center of our national policy debates. But in recent years, nearly all the rhetorical — and political — attention has been fixed, safely, on the middle class. Pope Francis, by his example and his popularity, has managed to change our public dialogue. Not only is Barack Obama speaking more openly about inequality and the poor but so, too, are Republicans, including, but not limited to, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio.Pope Francis belongs to no political party. He is not a partisan. What this good man teaches is that the human race is a family, that we must look out for one another — care for one another — and that humans are not created to serve the economy but rather the economy is created to serve humankind. Now that’s really a new politics.
To find out more about Mark Shields and read his past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2015 MARK SHIELDS
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Chase away those winter blues!
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Increased Calls for Service Due to Synthetic Cannabinoids
Evansville Police Department officers are seeing an increase in calls for service for violent subjects who are under the influence of synthetic cannabinoids or stimulants. Synthetic cannabinoids and stimulants are more commonly known on the street as K2, spice or bath salts. Not only are these illegal substances dangerous when produced properly in a commercial lab, but there is a high likelihood that the clandestine methods used to make this dangerous product will cause overdoses.
During the clandestine manufacturing of synthetic drugs the suspects spray the synthetic cannabinoid or stimulant on a plant material . Many times the manufacturers apply dangerous amounts of the illegal substance on the plant material, which causes the user to overdose. Some of the side effects of an overdose include extreme paranoia, violent episodes or possible death.
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TOMES, BECKER HONOR UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN INDIANA CHAMPION ATHLETES:Â
State Sen. Jim Tomes (R-Wadesville) and State Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) welcomed to the Statehouse Thursday athletes from the University of Southern Indiana (USI) who won 2014 national championship titles. Johnnie Guy (top photo, third from left) became the first USI men’s runner in 16 years to win a national championship when he finished first in the 10,000-meter race at the NCAA Division II 2014 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The USI Baseball Team (bottom photo) earned the NCAA Division II 2014 Baseball Championship title in a dramatic 12-inning championship game. Becker and Tomes honored the champion athletes by presenting House Concurrent Resolution 16 and House Concurrent Resolution 17 in the Senate.
Excellent at Any Price
As I peruse the results of any major wine competition, I gravitate naturally to wines that seem to outperform their price
 point, or punch above their weight, as some would say.
The recent San Diego International wine competition certainly had its share of heavy hitters that claimed top prizes. The beauty, as I survey the medals, is that many modestly priced wines also stood out as the 30 wine professionals who judged the event evaluated the more than 1500 wines entered.
I taste and review many of the platinum-award winners (the top medal, followed by gold and silver) and am happy to report that it doesn’t always cost a small fortune to drink seriously delicious award-winning wines. This week’s Wine Talk tasting notes highlight a handful of my favorites from the 32nd annual San Diego International. For complete results, visit SDIWC.com.
Tasting Notes
Wines are rated on a 100-point scale. Wines are chosen for review because they represent outstanding quality or value, and the scores are simply a measure of this reviewer’s enthusiasm for the recommended wine.
Handley Cellars 2013 Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley ($20) — Mendocino County’s Anderson Valley is California’s sweet spot for aromatic whites, and this dry gewurztraminer from Handley is a stunning example of that fact. On the nose it has the classic rose petal and spice profile, with notes of honeysuckle and stone fruits on the palate. The finish is long and clean. Another superb effort from winemaker/owner Milla Handley. Rating: 95.
Davis Bynum 2012 Chardonnay, River West Vineyard, Russian River Valley ($25) — It’s not every day you come across a vineyard-designate chardonnay from a top California producer for such a modest price. But Davis Bynum has been delivering this sort of value for decades. The 2012 River West Vineyard Chard is a rich, oily chardonnay that shows hints of lemon creme, pear and spice. The richness is supported with mouth-watering acidity that keeps this delicious chardonnay fresh and compelling. Eating: 94.
Robert Hall 2013 Chardonnay, Paso Robles ($20) — Robert Hall is a gem of a winery in the heart of Paso Robles. The wines are superb across the board and always fairly priced. The 2013 chardonnay is beautifully balanced and shows intense pear and apple aroma, with hints of spice. On the palate it is rich and oily without being cloying. And for the price it’s one of the finest California chards you will find. Rating: 94.
Eberle Winery 2012 Sangiovese, Paso Robles ($24) — Some say Paso Robles is best for Rhone grape varieties such as syrah and grenache, others lean toward the Bordeaux grape varieties such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot.
All seem to benefit from the warm days and cool nights of Paso, but there is another country to be heard from, and that would be Italy. Eberle’s Tuscan-style sangiovese is consistently one of the finest made in America, and the 2012 is a stunner. It exhibits impressive intensity, with full-throttle black cherry fruit balanced with good acidity and supple tannins. Rating: 94.
Marques de Alella 2013 Pansa Blanca, Alella DO, Spain ($15) — Pansa Blanca, otherwise known as Xarel-o and frequently used as a blending grape in Spanish cava, makes a delicious and interesting white. On the palate it displays an oily texture backed by firm acidity, with fruit notes of mandarin orange, pear and honey. It is utterly delicious. Rating: 94.
Chateau Morrisette, ‘5 Red Grapes,’ Virginia ($15) — This red blend from Virginia is mostly of the Bordeaux-blend variety, with the exception of a significant (35 percent) jolt of chambourcin, a red hybrid grape variety that is popular throughout the eastern and midwestern United States. It shows bright red-fruited aromas, supple tannins and a long, lingering finish. Rating: 94.
J. Lohr 2012 Pinot Noir, ‘Falcon’s Perch,’ Monterey County ($17) — J. Lohr has joined the parade of California producers now turning out eye-catching pinot noir that retails below $20 a bottle. The Falcon’s Perch offers a floral nose with excellent intensity. On the palate it delivers ripe red and dark fruit aroma and a seductive savory note. It finishes with a bit of grip on the back-end, suggesting it will pair nicely with hearty meat dishes and stews. Rating: 93.
Rue de Perle 2013 Cotes du Rhone Villages, France ($11) — Cotes du Rhone Villages, generally a step up in quality from the broader Cotes du Rhone designation, is one of the greatest values in red wine anywhere in the world. The Rue de Perle is a peppery, spicy example. This luscious Rhone Valley red offers sweet red-fruit aromas, good balance and is firmly structured. Beautiful for the price. Rating: 91.
Passori 2013 Rosso Veneto IGT, Italy ($13) — Much as they do in Tuscany, vintners in other parts of Italy are enamored of merlot because of its tendency to ripen early. And so it is that this red blend from Italy’s northerly Veneto district is 60 percent merlot, with the rest the indigenous grape corvina, which is prominent in the Valpolicella of the Veneto. The passori is fermented to medium dryness and shows intense black fruit characteristics. The slightly elevated level of residual sugar (1 percent) softens the palate and masks the somewhat aggressive tannins. Rating: 91.
Follow Robert on Twitter at @wineguru. To find out more about Robert Whitley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2015 CREATORS.COM
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