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IS IT TRUE? November 10, 2011 Thumbs-Up for the Ford Center

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? November 10, 2011

IS IT TRUE that last night was the first real test of the downtown parking situation at the Ford Center as Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band played the first big concert in the new facility?…that Mole #1 arrived at about 45 minutes before the show was scheduled to start and found a free parking place about 3 blocks from the entrance?…that even in the fairly chilly weather that the walk was fine and the new sidewalks on Main Street really were a nice touch?…that passing three restaurants Mole #1 noticed that all were filled to capacity with concert goers?…that after the show there was no problem whatsoever exiting the downtown and heading home?…that given the capacity of the Ford Center that Mole #1 estimates that about 9,000 people were actually in attendance at the event so other than a big event during the workday the parking fears should now be put to rest?

IS IT TRUE that the inside of the Ford Center is a very intimate and smaller than it looks setting?…that the acoustics of the building are the best that Mole #1 has ever heard for a big rock and roll show and that the sound is consistent all around the building?…that the stage area and the lighting are as close to perfect as one can imagine?…that it is really different to be writing an IS IT TRUE and be gushing over something but that from an architectural and acoustical perspective the Ford Center gets an A+ for quality?…that Mole #1 and Mole #4 had a beer together between acts and that Mole #4 expressed the same high level of appreciation for the quality and acoustics of Ford Center?

IS IT TRUE that this writer ran into Project Manager Mr. John Kish in the hallway after the show and congratulated him on a job well done?…that the CCO did just give him an A for bringing the project in on budget and on schedule?…that Mr. Kish got the only A that we awarded to the City of Evansville?…that if the final spending report comes in even a cent under budget that Mr. Kish will be upgraded to an A+ for the job he has done on the Ford Center?

IS IT TRUE that this writer stood in line on the first day was #35 in line and that the best seats available were very good but not stupendous?…that the lady who stood in line behind me was seated next to me?…that one would think that #35 in line when “no tickets had been released yet” would merit a pair of seats in the first few rows?…that there were no department heads for the City of Evansville standing in line on that early rainy morning?…that two department heads and one member of the City Council actually strolled through the crowd and were seated on front row center?…that two of them were easy to spot because they have a good fresh shine on their heads?…that you guessed it that Director of DMD Tom Barnett and City Councilman John Friend somehow got the best seats in the house without standing in line?…that we trust that they got them on Stubhub and paid over $500 each for them or maybe just maybe they won them by calling in to the radio station?…we would not even think of asking if there were some tickets set aside for these guys?

IS IT TRUE that Ford Center is a non-smoking facility and that the CCO thanks the powers that be for that?…that one idiot was seen lighting up in the corridor but that a security person quickly put a stop to it?…that if there are 15 – 24 such concerts per year that bring in 9,000 people and if the Icemen and the Purple Aces win 70% of their games that this fine facility will do okay financially?…that we hope and encourage the maintenance staff to keep the Ford Center in the beautiful condition that it is in right now?…that keeping the Ford Center pristine is a challenge that most Evansville public venues do not rise to?…that we hope that the maintenance thing gets done right this time?…that we encourage everyone to attend something at the Ford Center soon to get an appreciation for what $127.5 Million buys?

Europe’s Entitlement Reckoning: WSJ

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Excerpts:

“In Italy, as in Greece, Spain and Portugal and eventually France, the welfare-entitlement state has hit a wall. Successive governments on the Continent, right and left, have financed generous entitlements with high taxes and towering piles of debt. Their economies have failed to grow fast enough to keep up, and last year the money started to run out. The reckoning has arrived.”

“If the first step in curing an addiction is to acknowledge it, there is little sign of that in Europe. The solutions on offer are to spend still more money, to have the Germans bail out everybody else, or to ditch the euro so bankrupt countries can again devalue their own currencies. France’s latest debt solution includes raising corporate, capitals gains and sales taxes.”

“This is a crisis of the welfare state, and Italy is a model basket case.”

“An aging and shrinking population is a symptom, but not a leading cause, of the eurosclerosis.”

“But the bulk of the responsibility lies with politicians. Mr. Berlusconi, Italy’s richest man, promised a shake up each time he ran for office (in 1994, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2008). He was the longest serving premier in post-war Italy, from 2001 to 2006, controlled parliament and could have pushed through reforms. He didn’t. Promises to lower taxes and hack away at regulations and protections for Italy’s powerful guilds—from taxi drivers to pharmacists to journalists—were broken.”

“An unhappy byproduct of a welfare state is that it creates powerful interests that will fight to the last to preserve their free lunch, no matter the cost to the country.”

“But now hard choices can no longer be postponed. And the solution to Europe’s debt crisis must begin with reforming, if not dismantling, the welfare state.”

“The road from Rome may now lead to Paris, Madrid and other debt-ridden European countries. But this is no cause for U.S. chortling, because that same road also leads to Sacramento, Albany and Washington. America’s federal debt was 35.7% of GDP in 2007, but it was 61.3% last year and is rising on an Italian trajectory. The lesson of Italy, and most of the rest of Europe, is never to become a high-tax, slow-growth entitlement state, because the inevitable reckoning is nasty, brutish and not short.”

Link to Full Article

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204190704577026194205495230.html?KEYWORDS=europes+entitlement+reckoning

IS IT TRUE? November 9, 2011 Part 2: Returning to Normal

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IS IT TRUE? November 9, 2011

IS IT TRUE the City County Observer has gotten some information that leads us to believe that Mayor Elect Winnecke has a strong candidate for appointment as the Chief of Police of the Evansville Police Department?…that this candidate has certainly done a magnificent job in a lead role with the popular Guns and Hoses event that takes considerable management talent to pull off?…that this person is interested enough in public safety to spend some of his precious free time staying current on state of the art public safety procedures and techniques?…that the CCO’s Mole 7 tells us that a leading candidate to lead the EPD is Billy Bolin?…that Mole #3 is smiling on his way to Florida that Mole 7 pulled a good tip out of the hat on its first day on the job?

IS IT TRUE that it is good to hear that Mayor Elect Winnecke’s opponent Vanderburgh County Treasurer Rick Davis has full intention to stay in Evansville and to be a part of the improvement of the city?…that Davis not only ran against a very well run campaign by the Republican Winnecke for Mayor campaign but that the movers and shakers of his own Democrat Party were digging a hole under him every chance they got as well?…that an exemplary well funded opposition campaign coupled with chaos within one’s own party is a formula for failure?…that in spite of that the margin of Winnecke’s victory over was wide but respectful of the uphill effort that Davis fought since his primary victory party over the preferred candidate of the Vanderburgh County Democrat Central Committee, Mr. Troy Tornatta?…that we admonish the powers that be of Evansville and the remaining vestiges of “the Machine” to step aside and let Mr. Davis re-enter private life as an educated and competent citizen of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that the last time this writer remembers wearing shorts and a T-shirt on election day was the last time I voted as a Californian?…that in that election the people California elected Gray Davis to be their Governor?…that only a few years later after the dotcom bubble burst and the excessive debt of the State of California was unserviceable due to lost tax revenue the people of California used a recall election to dismiss Governor Davis and elect Arnold Swartzenegger to be the Governator?…that this was the beginning of the end of the nanny state in California and that the rest of the country would be well served to study what has gone on in the public sector there as national decisions are being driven by the same forces?

IS IT TRUE that we hear that there was a punch or two thrown at one of the polling places in the 6th Ward yesterday?…that we furthermore understand that this would make a good ole West Evansville episode of “Family Feud” had there been some cameras rolling nearby?…that just when we think that Wyatt Earp is not needed that grown men decide to argue politics with an ego driven schoolyard fistfight?…that this little altercation surprised no one and no charges were filed?

IS IT TRUE? November 9, 2011

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE? November 9, 2011

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Elect Winnecke is hitting the ground running in his transition time to form his administration?…that it has now been published that Mayor Elect Winnecke will be replacing the Evansville Police Chief, the Evansville Fire Chief, City Controller, Director of Parks and Recreation, the Director of Metropolitan Development and the Director of Transportation Services?…that we encourage Mayor Elect Winnecke to fill these positions with people of integrity and accomplishment and to force the salary schedules of the City of Evansville to be raised so that we can be competitive for national caliber of talent?…that hiring and approval will be his first challenge to move past an 8 – 1 Democrat controlled City Council?

IS IT TRUE that during the campaign debates that City Councilman John Friend, CPA stated that the City of Evansville has only $3 Million more in General Obligation Bonds that can be issued without exceeding the legal credit limit of the City?…that we understand that municipal credit limits are at least partially determined by the total assessed value of the properties in the city?…that with the expected decrease in assessed value due the appeals working their way through the Vanderburgh County Assessor’s office and the legitimate decline in housing and commercial property values?…that the City of Evansville may have a $3 Million margin now but that this can easily vaporize to ZERO or less with an honest market value reassessment cycle?…that securing and managing to cash flow will be a serious challenge to the Winnecke Administration?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Elect Winnecke has now inherited the debacles of the downtown Convention Hotel and the McCurdy too?…that we do have our fingers crossed that the McCurdy really gets its financing this time but we believe that a project audit is in order to validate the plans and costs of the project?…that several competent people have opined all along that $12 Million is not even close to what will be needed to complete refurbishment of the McCurdy Hotel into 90 luxury apartments?…that the numbers budget for $18 Million but expect $20 Million have been discussed?…that there is only one thing worse than having the McCurdy sit there perpetually empty and that is to start the project and run out of money?

IS IT TRUE that with respect to the downtown Convention Hotel that Mayor Weinzapfel and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission will just step aside and let the Winnecke Administration with its own appointed ERC handle this task?…that this task has been bungled and plagued for 4 years now and that another 7 weeks of waiting will not change a thing?…that if Mayor Elect Winnecke has to live with this decision that he should be the driving force behind making the decision?

IS IT TRUE that the Community Comment in today’s Courier offered a new perspective on voting and the American electorate?…that to sum it up a good paraphrase would be “if you are too dumb, lazy, and selfish to take the time to reach a logical decision on how to vote for what is best for all, then please don’t vote”?…that this perspective is worth a read and consideration so we provide our readers with the link to Dr. Cecil Bohannon’s article?…that the CCO thinks the same logic should apply to elected officials who are supposed to be voting for what is right as opposed to what is right for them?

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/nov/09/some-people-should-just-not-vote/

10 Most Important Issues of 2011: How are we doing going into the lame duck session

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On a College Scale the City of Evansville Gets a 1.4 on a 4.0 Scale for this Semester: CVB, KEB, and the people of Evansville bail out the Government who would have scored a 0.57 on its own merit

The City County Observer kicked off 2011 with a reader’s choice of what the most important things that the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County need to get right in 2011. Well we are now approaching the municipal equivalent of finals week (the lame duck session) and some progress has being made, some things are done, and others are terribly lacking. Here is our assessment of the Grades heading into finals for the most important issues.

THE TOP TEN and THE GRADES

C-: The 2011 City Elections: What we opined would constitute getting it right is for no more partisan voting block control of the City Council and a split party make-up of independent thinkers. After the primaries we had the potential for exactly what we hoped for. What we got is a continued 8 – 1 Democrat majority just like the previous City Council. Additionally every incumbent running was re-elected and there were 5 which makes a majority. The other item of concern with the City Council is that of the 9 members of next years council a majority have been strongly associated with the puppet strings of “The Machine”. The actions and votes of the newly elected City Council will need close scrutiny.

As we stated in the mid terms our belief has always been that both candidates for Mayor of Evansville have the capacity and resilience to do the job and this certainly applies to Mayor Elect Winnecke. His biggest challenge will be getting anything through a City Council that for all practical purposes looks very much like the outgoing one.

D up from F: An Evansville for the next Decade Plan: Nothing has been done and not one our elected officials or candidates for office has mentioned such a plan. Mayor Elect Winnecke has some issue specific plans that may be the platform for a comprehensive plan and thus the grad is raised from an F to a D.

A- : Civic Beautification: We can thank Ann Ennis of Keep Evansville Beautiful for a great new fountain at Garvin Park and a northern Gateway beautification plan. There have also been several quite visible efforts by candidates for office and particularly Lloyd Winnecke for mobilizing private litter removal programs. NOTE: The City of Evansville’s Parks Department gets a big fat F for the year thus far for utter incompetence and for rudeness in dealing with the general public.

A+: The Hiring of a new Executive Director for the Evansville Convention and Visitors Bureau: Mission accomplished CVB Board and the plus is for doing the right thing with respect to the rotten circumstances surrounding the departure of Marilee Fowler.

D: CSO Plan for EPA: The total of the disclosed accomplishment is the recent announcement that a judge had approved the consent decree. It is time for some real design work to be budgeted and done so we are not hit with fines again at the end of 2012.

D: The MLK Entertainment Complex: John Kish gets an A for his work in keeping the Arena on budget and on schedule. The City of Evansville and the Evansville Redevelopment Commission get a big fat F for the hotel fiasco. If there were anything lower than an F they would deserve that. Actually 2010 should have resulted in academic probation for that project and this year’s efforts deserve expulsion. There is nothing that could have possibly have been done worse.

D-: Mental Health Services Improved: Coroner Annie Groves gets good marks for initiating an awareness campaign. The end result is still a D- because the suicide rate is still among the highest if not the highest in the country. This grade would have been an F but Mrs. Grove’s hard work raised it.

F: Pay Scales: Not a darn thing has been done to make the pay scales of the City of Evansville competitive. As it is time to start the process of replacing some senior positions and transforming the City of Evansville’s attitude toward its customers the paltry state of the official pay scales will soon be quite apparent.

F: Consolidated Government: Every opportunity to craft a plan that demonstrates real efficiency from consolidation has been punted to later. The current plan does not save a dime, offers no tangible benefit to anyone, and relies on trust the government to do things right after passing it. This is no way to run a County.

F: Smoking Ordinance Revisited: The Evansville City Council has not had the courage to bring this up in an election year even though it is now assured to pass if it is comprehensive. Next year if Mayor Elect Winnecke and the people who were just elected to the City Council told Martha Caine the truth Evansville will have a comprehensive smoking ban and it will pass on the first ballot by either a 5-4 or 6-3 majority.

Election Results: Final Results

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Updated Last at: 7:22

0 of 15 voting centers and 0 of 88 precincts reporting, Early Voting and Absentee tally

REGISTERED VOTERS – TOTAL . . . . . 92,990
BALLOTS CAST – TOTAL. . . . . . . 21,732
VOTER TURNOUT – TOTAL . . . . . . 23.37

STRAIGHT PARTY
Vote for no more than 1
REPUBLICAN (REP) . . . . . . . . 3,535—45.05%
DEMOCRATIC (DEM) . . . . . . . . 4,311—54.95%

MAYOR EVANSVILLE
Vote for no more than 1
LLOYD W. WINNECKE (REP). . . . . . 11,545—53.88%
RICK A. DAVIS (DEM) . . . . . . . 9,881—46.12%

CLERK EVANSVILLE
Vote for no more than 1
J. D. STROUTH (REP) . . . . . . . 9,514—45.34%
ALBERTA MATLOCK (DEM) . . . . . . 11,470—54.66%

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AT-LARGE EVANSVILLE
Vote for no more than 3
BILL KRAMER (REP). . . . . . . . 8,918—14.62%
MICHELLE C. MERCER (REP) . . . . . 9,790—16.05%
PETE SWAIM (REP) . . . . . . . . 9,469—15.53%
H. DAN ADAMS (DEM) . . . . . . . 11,225—18.41%
CONOR O’DANIEL (DEM). . . . . . . 10,456—17.14%
JOHNATHAN WEAVER (DEM) . . . . . . 11,130—18.25%

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER 2ND WARD
Vote for no more than 1
E. L. (LON) WALTERS (REP) . . . . . 1,291—40.39%
MISSY MOSBY (DEM). . . . . . . . 1,905—59.61%

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER 3RD WARD
Vote for no more than 1
ALAN LEIBUNDGUTH (REP) . . . . . . 1,128—45.71%
STEPHANIE BRINKERHOFF-RILEY (DEM). . 1,340—54.29%

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER 5TH WARD
Vote for no more than 1
BRENT GRAFTON (REP) . . . . . . . 2,184—44.35%
JOHN E. FRIEND (DEM). . . . . . . 2,741—55.65%

CITY COUNCIL MEMBER 6TH WARD
Vote for no more than 1
SHAUN SHORT (REP). . . . . . . . 1,176—38.27%
AL LINDSEY (DEM) . . . . . . . . 1,897—61.73%

The Arts Council Presents “Digitized”

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The opening reception for the digitized show will take place this Friday, from 5-7 pm at the Arts Council in The Bower-Suhrheinrich Foundation Gallery. Awards will be given at 6:00 pm.

Click Here to view the flyer for this event.

USI Community of Scholars lecture addresses emotion regulation in children with ADHD

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Dr. Paul J. Rosen, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Louisville, will present the College of Liberal Arts Community of Scholars Lecture, sponsored this year by the Department of Psychology.

Rosen will present “Emotional Difficulties in Children with ADHD: It’s Not What, But How Much and For How Long,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 17, in Carter Hall in University Center West.

His talk will discuss ways in which poor control of emotions affects children with ADHD, with a focus on emotional and behavioral functioning. The talk also will review research on the development of emotion regulation problems in children, and discuss cutting-edge research on the development of programs to help children with ADHD learn to better manage and control their emotions.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Rosen also will present “Emotion Regulation in Children: An Emerging Concept for Research and Practice,” a lecture aimed at a student audience, at 11 a.m. Friday, November 18, in Couch/Renner Hall (Education Center Room 1101). The talk will review research on the development of emotion regulation in children, and discuss how emotion regulation problems are being addressed in science and practice.

Source: USI.edu

A department in the College of Liberal Arts engages a speaker for the Community of Scholars Lecture each fall

UE Physical Therapy Professor Publishes Research on Balance and Falls

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Robert Catena, assistant professor of physical therapy and director of the University of Evansville’s Dunigan Movement Analysis Lab, has recently co-authored two journal publications. “Biomechanics and Injury Risk Assessment of Falls onto Protective Floor Mats,” with collaborations at California State University, Los Angeles and Mercedes-Benz, was published in the November/December 2011 issue of Rehabilitation Nursing.
 Catena also co-authored “Balance Control During Lateral Load Transfers Over a Slippery Surface” with collaborations at Harvard University and Liberty Mutual. This research was published in the November 2011 issue of Ergonomics.

Catena received a Bachelor of Science in biological sciences from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He received a Master of Science and PhD in biomechanics from the University of Oregon. He finished his formal education as a post-doctoral research fellow with the Harvard School of Public Health and Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety studying occupational biomechanics and ergonomics.

At UE, Catena teaches biomechanics, functional anatomy, and gait analysis. His own research focuses on prevention and rehabilitation of physical and neurological impairments. Past and current research interests include dynamic balance control, mild traumatic brain injury, and manual material handling. He has authored numerous journal publications and conference presentations on these topics.

Source: Evansville.edu

Downtown Today: 11/9/2011

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Time 6:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Subject CITY HEALTH SCREENING
Location 301
Reminder 15 minutes
DEBBY TITZER @ 4945
Categories ROOM 301

Time 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Subject DESIGN REVIEW
Location 318
Reminder 15 minutes
SARAH @ 7825
Categories ROOM 318

Time 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Subject SUBDIVISION REVIEW
Location 318
Reminder 15 minutes
KATHIE @ 5228
Categories ROOM 318

Time 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Subject DMD-EXTERIOR PROPERTY
Location 307
Reminder 15 minutes
CRYSTAL @ 7821
Categories ROOM 307

Time 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Subject Code Enforcement – Ron Beane
Location 318
Recurrence Occurs every Wednesday effective 11/2/2011 until 11/23/2011 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
Categories ROOM 318

Time 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Subject CONSTRUCTION & ROOFING BOARD
Location 307
Recurrence Occurs the second Wednesday of every 1 month effective 11/9/2011 until 11/9/2011 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Reminder 15 minutes
LINDA PENDLETON @ 7880
Categories ROOM 307

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