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MISINTERPRETING BRIAN WILLIAMS’ MISREMEMBER
Eric Allie / Cagle Cartoons
Independent’s Eye by Joe Gandelman
So NBC’s Brian Williams is off his anchor desk for six months — wanna bet it’ll be a LOT longer than that? — and has gone from being a respected anchor to a godsend to comedy writers, internet ridicule, and Jerry Seinfeld punch lines.
Up until this month, Williams seemed to be a 21st century anchorman descendent of David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite. His anchor stint and credibility were cut short when he admitted he “misremembered†being shot down in a helicopter in Iraq in 2003. NBC put him on unpaid leave, amid reports that there may be more instances of (ahem) memory flaw.
Williams wasn’t merely the brand name for NBC News. His narrative was what the network was aggressively selling.
He was someone who had “been there.†A recent NBC ad in The Week showed a front shot of Williams smiling with his hand on the shoulders of a serviceman and declared: “Some battle scars are worn on the inside. And for anyone who’s been there, there’s a secret. It doesn’t harden you, it makes you more human. He’s been there. He’ll be there. NBC Nightly News: 10-Years with Brian Williams.â€
The Internet is now exploding fake photos of Williams “there.†Williams in the death car with JFK in Dallas…. on the moon…at Yalta with World War II allied leaders…with Lincoln and his generals. Soon we’ll likely see Williams “there†with Clark Gable on the set of Gone with the Wind after the shoot — or with John Wilkes Booth after the shoot. You Tube has a Hitler “Downfall†parody with the murderous Nazi raging upon learning that Williams is gone.
Many analysts blame William’s progressively transforming himself from the NBC Peacock into Pinocchio on his slipping into the entertainer mode, appearing on talk shows, and even lobbying to replace Jay Leno. But that doesn’t explain it.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd said NBC knew Williams was a “ticking†time bomb with his “pathological..Hemingwayesque†embellishments but no one pulled him in. On his blog, NYU Journalism Professor Jay Rosen notes that signs suggest NBC was complicit as far back as 2003 in knowing Williams’ account wasn’t entirely accurate.
The r-e-a-l reason Williams became what he has become is that he’s the latest example of someone whose career advanced because of solid journalistic or pundit qualities, which were changed by his weakness and our 21st century media culture.
To advance and market his brand (his personality) he jettisoned the some qualities that allowed him to advance to that level. He won fame and fortune but left other virtues behind. We’ve seen this before.
Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly was a solid, award-winning local journalist who advanced to ABC News. When he left ABC for the syndicated Inside Edition show biz news show he slowly began shedding his former persona, which you can see it in his infamous “WE’LL DO IT LIVE!!†off-the-air-rant on You Tube. Today, he’s Fox News’ biggest bombastic money maker and the solid journalist of old only shines through in some serious interviews.
Chris Matthews was once a superb print political columnist. Once he got on MSNBC he turned into the interrupting, cartoonish caricature who shamelessly nags and hypes viewers to buy his latest book. Also on MSNBC: one-time listenable liberal talker Rachael Maddow is often unwatchable, opening her show with a looooooong lead (you scream “Get to the point!!!â€) and repeating concepts several times — while formerly serious liberal writer Chris Hayes now smugly states beliefs rather than attempts to seriously make a case.
Once Williams and others break into the top ranks, our media culture becomes like a massive Cuisinart. And many don’t have strong enough ingredients called “principles†and “professional standards†not to lose their original, more serious qualities.
You might be tempted to paraphrase Shakespeare and say, “The fault, dear Brian, is not in our stars but in ourselves.†But I’d amend that to add: “…and in being absorbed, re-shaped, changed, and homogenized by our media/entertainment culture.â€
The real lesson here is in another quote from The Bard: “To thine self be true.â€
MARK MARCHINO PROMOTED TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ST. MARY’S WARRICK HOSPITAL
St. Mary’s Health is pleased to announce that Mark Marchino, PT, DPT, MHS, OCS,has been promoted to Executive Director at St. Mary’s Warrick Hospital. He will be responsible for all Inpatient and Outpatient Operations.
Marchino started with St. Mary’s in 2010 as the Director of Physical Medicine, Diabetes & Wound Care Services. He most recently had responsibility for Physical Medicine, Urgent Care, Occupational Medicine Clinic, Occupational Medicine & Urgent Care Billing, Healthy Lives, St. Mary’s Return to Work, and Associate Health Services.
Prior to joining the St. Mary’s family, Marchino was the Director of Rehabilitation Services at Gibson General Hospital in Princeton, Indiana. He graduated from the University of Evansville with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Physical Therapy and went on to earn an Advanced Master of Health Science degree from the University of Indianapolis. Marchino has been a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist since 1995. He received his Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from the University of Montana in 2010.
Catch the Latest Edition of “The Indiana State Police Road Showâ€
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Indiana – Catch the latest edition of the “Indiana State Police Road Show†radio program every Monday morning at your convenience.
This week’s show features Captain Dave Bursten, of the Indiana State Police Public Information Office. Bursten discusses the recent cyber attacks that have been in the news and gives tips on preventing identity theft.
Download the program from the Network Indiana public websites at www.networkindiana.com. Look for the state police logo on the main page and follow the download instructions. The ISP Road Show can also be viewed via YouTube.
Go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu5Bg1KjBd7H1GxgkuV3YJA or visit the Indiana State Police website at http://www.in.gov/isp/ and click on the YouTube link. This 15 minute talk show concentrates on public safety and informational topics with state wide interest.
The radio program was titled “Signal-10†in the early sixties when it was first started by two troopers in northern Indiana. The name was later changed to the “Indiana State Police Road Show†and is the longest continuously aired state police public service program in Indiana.
Radio stations across Indiana and the nation are invited to download and air for FREE this public service program sponsored by the Indiana State Police Alliance and Cops for Kids, a subsidiary of the Indiana State Police Alliance.
First Security Bank Announces Record 2014 Results
Owensboro, Kentucky- First Security Inc. (The holding company for First Security Bank, Inc.) announced their performance for 2014. “We are extremely pleased to report another record year for First Security in terms of performance, growth, and profitability. These results clearly indicate great success in executing our strategic plan of building a premier banking franchise,†stated M. Lynn Cooper, President and CEO. “
General highlights of the year include:
- Net income of nearly three times 2013 net income and an all-time record for First Security, Inc.
- Raised $31.7 million in new capital to help support our continued expansion and growth
strategy
- Registered First Security, Inc. as an OTC Bulletin Board Stock, symbol FIIT
- Credit quality continues to remain strong and better than our peers
Financial highlights for the year as compared to one year ago unless indicated otherwise.
- Basic Earnings-Per-Share was $1.60, an increase of $0.20 per share or 14% over the prior year. Comparing fourth quarter of 2014 to 2013 reflects an increase of $0.11 per share or 30%.
- Assets at year end total $546 million, representing an increase of 14%.
- Net Income for the 4th quarter was $1.1 million or an increase of $800,000 over the same
quarter in 2013. Year-to-date net income was $3.1 million, an increase of $2.0 million or 182%
over 2013.
- Non-Interest Income, excluding investment gains, was up 30% for the year.
- Non-Interest Expense was up only 1% for the year.
1
- Non-Performing Assets to total assets were 0.75% at the end of 2014, an improvement of .22% from the prior year’s ratio of 0.97%.
- Return on Assets improved from 0.25% to 0.62% for the year and improved from 0.24% to 0.81% compared to fourth quarter of 2013 to 2014.
- Return on Equity for the year improved from 4.51% to 6.23% and improved from 4.78% to 7.58% compared to fourth quarter of 2013 to 2014.
- Basic Earnings per share was $1.60 per share, an increase of $0.20 per share or 14% over the prior year. Comparing fourth quarter of 2014 to 2013, reflects an increase of $0.11 per share or 30%.
- A dividend of $0.16 per share, the 46th consecutive dividend, was declared to all shareholders of record as of February 15, 2015, the record date.
Other areas of note include improvement to net interest margin and return on assets. See attached year-end 2014 financial summary.
Mr. Cooper commented, “We are very excited about our achievements during 2014, especially considering we had a major conversion to a new core-processing system this past fall. This new system will provide us the means to continue to grow for years to come and enhance the service offerings for our customers, including the soon to be released Mobile Banking platform.â€
“Also, we opened our 11th branch, located in Lexington, Kentucky, the first week of January of this year. We took advantage of an opportunity to purchase a former bank branch building off Reynolds Road on Ruccio Way known in the Lexington area as Wellington. This is our second location in Lexington, and is currently one of our fastest growing markets in the company,†stated Mr. Cooper.
In closing, Mr. Cooper stated, “We have had strong growth in all of our markets with the larger markets showing slightly better growth numbers.â€
First Security Bank has locations in Owensboro, Bowling Green, Franklin and Lexington, Kentucky in addition to Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana.
IS IT TRUE February 23, 2015
IS IT TRUE that Indiana Bill SB1320 is seeking to make entering an early stage market that struggles with cloud cover more expensive for Indiana businesses and customers who are early adopters of solar energy?…specifically this bill will allow the utilities that are regulated by the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission to charge people who have installed or are contemplating the installation of solar panels generate their own electricity for infrastructure associated with the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical power?…on the surface there is nothing inherently wrong about this concept and it is already working very will in California where the amount of sunshine and the high electrical rates have precipitated a rapid acceptance of PV Solar for self generation?…what needs to be understood is that even with net metering which Indiana already has, solar adopters use the infrastructure of the utility companies when the sun sets or when the clouds reduce the output of those systems and it is only fair that the utility is paid for the service provided?…the dust up is over the anticipated amount that this may be?
IS IT TRUE this writer lives in the legislated monopoly region of Southern California Edison that has some of the highest effective utility rates in America?…at lower use levels Edison is about 20% cheaper than Vectren but the upper three tiers can be as much as double what Vectren’s one price fits all structure charges?…Edison also offers time of use rate schedules that allow solar generators to sell power to Edison during the day at higher rates that they are charged during the evening when the wholesale costs of power are much lower?…it is certain that Edison’s billing structure is much more sophisticated than anything that SB1320 is considering and it got that way through years of learning?…what many do not understand is that massive adoption of distributed generation with smart meters in place disrupts the way the electrical grid works by altering the “duck curve”, which is essentially the use vs. time profile that utilities use to make sure they have the capacity to deliver power when it is needed where it is needed?
IS IT TRUE my solar system costed just under $19,000 and has completely eliminated by electric bill?…I even got a check back from Edison at the end of the year?…part of my bill is a minimum monthly charge of $1.83 to cover the cost of Edison’s infrastructure that I absolutely need for my solar system to be cost effective?…it is expected that this fee will rise to $10 per month over the next 5 years as approval from the California Utilities Commission grants it?…that price seems fair and sufficient?…this may sound strange but I actually think I am benefiting more than I should at only $1.83 for access to what is essentially a big free battery called the grid?…as utilities seek to impose fees such as this distributed storage is currently being developed so that residential homes that are willing to invest in local energy storage can go completely off the grid?…it is also only fair that when the grid tie is no longer needed that all fees to the utilities should go to zero?…in the meantime, I encourage my Indiana friends to contact your legislators so that the fees associated with having a grid tie are not excessive or usury?…to do that effectively will take smart metering, time of use billing, and a fee that reflects the actual use of a PV generator that does not use the infrastructure nearly as much as someone who does not have solar?
IS IT TRUE it looks like the taxpayers of Evansville are about to be gouged for another demolition and cleanup bill for a bankrupted LLC?…last month it was Miller Plating eating at the public trough and this week it is that old flea market building across the street from Bosse Field?…the $300,000+ for this mess plus the Miller Plating tab will bring the total for the year to close to $2 Million?…this is a direct effect of poor public policy that allows a building owner to walk away without any obligation for the damage created by their failure to maintain their buildings and processes to acceptable standards?…it is easy to blame the offenders here, but the guilty party is the law of the land that allows for such nonsense?
IS IT TRUE the traffic patterns for the City County Observer in 2015 almost exactly mirror the patterns from last year?…the monthly page view rate was 150,000 then and it is 150,000 now?…the unique IP addresses that log onto the CCO in 2014 and 2015 are both within 1% of 13,000 per month?…we ask for the positive thoughts and prayers of our readership for our owner Ron Cosby who is battling an extremely painful and threatening medical condition?
Vanderburgh County Recent Booking Records
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EPD Activity Report
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