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IS IT TRUE November 14, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE November 14, 2012

IS IT TRUE the endless parade of financial idiocies that have plagued the City of Evansville must be causing high anxiety for City Councilman John Friend, CPA who heads the budget committee?…at Monday night’s council meeting Councilman Friend slipped into a desk pounding routine that reminded the CCO of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the United Nations or Panama’s General Manuel Noriega minus the shoe and the sword?…it is about time that someone in Evansville’s elected leadership showed a bit of passion for a City gone wild with ineptness and cover-up?…Councilman Friend has been criticized in some circles for presiding over the budgets of both 2012 and 2013 when the books were not balanced?…that would indeed have been an outrage if Councilman Friend had been informed by the former Controller during 2011 or by the current Controller when he learned about this issue?…Councilman Friend and the City Council were conveniently not copied on any correspondence regarding the City of Evansville’s inability to balance their books with the Million Dollar MIPS program that is still not completely up to snuff regardless of what was stated before Council three meetings ago?…perhaps we should all chip in and buy Councilman Friend a good Russian made shoe and a sword should his table pounding fall on deaf or incompetent ears?

IS IT TRUE hiring an outside auditor to run the traps known as the City of Evansville accounting system is a great idea that is about 50 years overdue?…a forensic audit is immediately necessary to determine if the fiasco with the City’s books was simple incompetence or if something more serious was going on?…it is not a stretch to speculate that over the last 50 or 60 years of “anything goes” patronage hiring in City government that hundreds of millions of dollars could have been “lost”, misappropriated, spent lavishly on inappropriate activities, or simply squandered on projects that failed to deliver on promises?…as the CCO pointed out recently, a perfectly functional dog park is a $25,000 item in an existing neighborhood park and not a major construction project?…the number of people who would be willing to drive a dog to take a walk is very small?…the platinum plated dog park and gold plated skateboard park planned for Roberts Stadium site is just another wasteful and unnecessary expenditure originating in the Office of the Mayor of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE that Mayor Winnecke has been photographed showing off a new skill?…this time instead of playing a gunner on the LST or a chicken fat video guy, he has been photographed mounting a backhoe to simulate the demolition of an old bar?…here is a link so you can see Mayor Winnecke in action on the backhoe?

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=470363623014650&set=a.267991499918531.82243.263253187059029&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

IS IT TRUE that the link that the CCO posted to the Whitehouse.gov petition site attracted more click throughs than any link we have ever posted?…Indiana now has 17,000 signatures and is among 10 states that are clearly on track to get the 25,000 signatures required to get a response from the Obama Administration?…Seven states have already reached 25,000 signatures with Texas leading the pack with nearly 100,000 signatures?…the response is predictable as these signatures are not the way to really initiate secession but these people which will surely number over a million should send a strong message that there is still fear and discontentment with many of our fellow citizens?

IS IT TRUE that imposing economic sanctions on rogue countries has always been a tactic of the government of the United States to attempt to bring places like Iran to their knees and back into the fold of nations that get the US Government Seal of Approval?…sometimes economic sanctions seem to be justified and other times they seem to be politically motivated?…economic sanctions are designed to restrict trade and to keep capital from flowing into these designated rogue countries?…perfect ways to punish a rogue country with economic sanctions is to impose taxes or tariffs so that they are not competitive in the marketplace, oppressing efforts to borrow money, and taking actions to devalue their currency?…that raising capital gains taxes on existing investments and tripling the tax on dividends while printing money as fast as the ink will dry has the same effect on the American economy as economic sanctions have on rogue states?…we wonder just who and why the United States of America is on a course to impose economic sanctions on the United States of America as though it were a rogue state like Iran?

Garvin Park Fountain Flag Raising Ceremony

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Evansville, Indiana –Keep Evansville Beautiful will host a ceremony in conjunction
with the VFW Post 1114 and veteran honor guard to raise new U.S. and Indiana flags at the
recently refurbished flagpole behind the Garvin Park fountain on Wednesday, November 14, at
11:00 a.m.

Area Student Selected to Perform with the Bands of America Honor Band in the 2013 Rose Parade®

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Austin Tenbarge, a senior at William Henry Harrison High School, in Evansville, IN has been selected by Music for All to be a member of the Bands of America (BOA) Honor Band in the 2013 Tournament of Roses® Parade. Austin was selected from among hundreds of applicants across the nation for membership in this prestigious national honor band. Austin is the Son of Kenneth Tenbarge and Dr. David and Jami Carlson. HIS band director is Mr. Robert Cason.

The BOA Honor Band is a 325 piece national ensemble with winds, percussion and a flag and dance team. Bob Buckner, who recently retired as director of the Western Carolina University “Pride of the Mountains” Marching Band, will direct the 2013 BOA Honor Band. Bands of America is a program of Music for All (MFA), one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of active music making.

Austin Tenbarge a Alto Saxaphone player, will spend a week in southern California, where he will have rehearsals, performances at the Tournament of Roses Bandfest and Disneyland, special activities and a featured appearance in the world-famous parade. The 124th Rose Parade® presented by Honda themed “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” will take place on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 8:00 a.m. (PST). The 5.5-mile parade (which is often referred to as the “Rose Bowl Parade”) will be broadcast on ABC, Hallmark Channel, HGTV, KTLA (Tribune), NBC, RFD-TV and Univision. The Parade is also seen in more than 220 international territories and countries. To learn more, visit the Broadcast Partners page available on the Tournament of Roses® website. Magnificent floral floats, spirited marching bands and talented equestrian units anchor the traditional, two-hour spectacle along Pasadena’s famed Colorado Boulevard.

“To be selected for this unique opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these students and a testimony to their excellence and achievements,” says Eric Martin, Music for All President and CEO. “Each student is one of only 325 members chosen to be part of the Bands of America Honor Band, and their participation deserves the admiration and support of everyone in their community. The Rose Parade® is one of our country’s national pageantry treasures, and the 2013 Honor Band members will be ambassadors of America’s bands, and of their states and communities.”

In addition to his role as director at Western Carolina University, Honor Band director Bob Buckner is also the recipient of the prestigious Sudler Trophy in 2009 from the John Philip Sousa Foundation as well as a Bands of America Hall of Fame member. His award-winning career as a band director and drill designer spans decades. The nationally-recognized teaching staff for the Honor Band includes award-winning band directors from Avon H.S., IN; Berkner H.S., TX; Etiwanda H.S., CA; James Bowie H.S, TX; Kennesaw Mountain H.S., GA; Marian Catholic H.S., IL; Nation Ford H.S., SC; Stephen F. Austin H.S., TX; University of Massachusetts; Western Carolina University; and the Carolina Crown Drum and Bugle Corps.

This will mark the third time Music for All’s Bands of America Honor Band has performed in the Tournament of Roses® Parade. The BOA Honor Band also performed in the Tournament of Roses® Parade in 2005 and in 2009, when it was a part of the President’s Award-winning entry created with NAMM and Sesame Street Workshop. Music for All sponsors and partners will play an important role in preparing the BOA Honor Band for their performances. Yamaha Corporation of America, MFA’s National Presenting Sponsor, will provide percussion and brass instruments. Fred J. Miller, Inc. (FJM) will outfit the members in custom uniforms designed by award-winning designer Michael Cesario, one of the nation’s leading pageantry visionaries. Music Travel Consultants, MFA’s Official Student Travel Partner, will manage the travel, housing and logistics for the band members and their families.

ABOUT MUSIC FOR ALL

Music for All (MFA) is one of the nation’s largest and most influential organizations in support of active music making. Since 1975, MFA, through its Bands of America and Orchestra America programs, has been a destination and set the standard for scholastic music ensemble performance and student and teacher education. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational organization, MFA uses its national profile programming to model, showcase, recognize and provide individual, teacher and organizational examples of music performance excellence and achievement. MFA’s programs include 20 annual events, including the Bands of America Grand National Championships and Regional Championships for marching band; the Music for All Summer Symposium camp for students and teachers; and the Music for All National Festival for concert bands, orchestras and percussion ensembles. Music for All’s programmatic model is designed to mirror and supplement the classroom and performance model adopted in most American scholastic settings. Music for All values and promotes societal recognition of music education and active music making as essential and core parts of every student’s educational development.

Music for All’s efforts are supported through sponsorships, including current partnerships with National Presenting Sponsor, Yamaha Corporation of America; Official Uniform Sponsor, Fred J. Miller, Inc.; Official Equipment Sponsor, Wenger Corporation; Official Student Travel Partner, Music Travel Consultants; Corporate Sponsor, Remo, Inc.; Strategic Advocacy Partner, NAMM; Associate Sponsors, Vic Firth, Inc., Denis Wick and SmartMusic®; and Program Sponsor, Center X Productions. Music for All is also supported by the Arts Council of Indianapolis and the City of Indianapolis, by the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission, the Ball Brothers Foundation, Chase Community Giving, LDI 100th Anniversary Celebration Cultural Partnerships Gift Program and by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

“Centre’d On Kids” Children’s Broadway Program

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SMG and Bunny Bread Host
Thousands of Area Children For
Free Performance!

Evansville, IN ~ Excitement filled the air at The Centre Tuesday morning as thousands of children were welcomed for a complimentary showing of the “Centre’d On Kids”
Children’s Broadway Program “Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great”.

Children from Indiana and Kentucky schools and preschools enjoyed the live musical presentation of author Judy Blume’s classic tale of overcoming your fears.

SMG and sponsor Bunny Bread offered the free show to all area schools and teachers as a thank you for their continued support of the 15 year “Centre’d On Kids” arts education program.

Darren Stearns, SMG General Manager said, “SMG is committed to giving back to the community and we are proud of our support of arts-infused programs for children in the tri-state area through our “Centre’d On Kids” programs. This was just a small way that we could show our appreciation for their long time support of the children’s series.”

About “Centre’d On Kids” Children’s Broadway

“Centre’d On Kids” Children’s Broadway is a series of plays, based on popular literature for children, sponsored by Bunny Bread.

Traveling performances are scheduled throughout the year showing at 9am & 12pm. Study Guides are provided for teachers that follow-up on the lessons from each piece of literature brought to life on the stage. Also scheduled for this season are “Charlotte’s Web” January 25, 2013 and the ever popular Junie B. Jones will be performed on April 4, 2013.

Educators book field trips from IN, KY & IL. Public, private, parochial, home schools and preschools attend. Parents and grandparents bring the kids for a fun filled day out with
music & laughter!

Tickets are $6 a person. You may order your tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or purchase them at The Centre Box Office Monday through Friday from 10am – 5pm M – F. You may also purchase tickets day-of-show.

For additional information or to book your class for “Centre’d On Kids” Children’s Broadway Series call the Centre at 812-435-5770 ext. 211.

GOP Caucus for Office of Center Township Trustee

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Caucus Resumes

Rare Mexican Gray Wolves Arriving Today! Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden

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Evansville, IN – Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is pleased to announce the arrival of Mexican Gray Wolves, the most endangered wolf species in the world. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is received a male and a female wolf, who will eventually be used to rear pups at the Zoo. The wolves arrived on a LightHawk* flight at Tri-State Aero, Inc. and were immediately taken to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. These wolves will be released into the recently renovated wolf exhibit today, November 13, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Media is invited to come and witness the wolf release.

The male wolf, Nagual, was born on May 4, 2005 at Wild Canid Survival and Research Center near Eureka, MO. On May 22, 2009, he was transferred to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Sevilleta Wolf Management Center, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM. The female was born on April 22, 2007 at the California Wolf Center near Julian, CA. She was transferred to the USFWS Sevilleta Wolf Management Center, Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, Socorro, NM on Nov. 23, 2009. This pair had pups in 2010 and 2011 and raised them in large pack. They have proven to be excellent parents.

Mexican Gray Wolves are a very significant addition to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden’s animal collection for several reasons. Their arrival is now bringing wolves back to the Zoo’s collection. Also, there are only approximately 300 Mexican Gray Wolves in captivity and 60-70 in the wild in Arizona and New Mexico. These wolves have also been released in Mexico. Dr. Susan Lindsey, Animal Curator at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden and Behavioral and Husbandry Advisor to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Service states, “We are very pleased to join this conservation effort. This pair of experienced parents will make a significant contribution to the recovery efforts.”

VHS Pet of the Week: “Sugar Pop”

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Sugar Pop is a Cairn Terrier mix. She is about 1 ½ years old. Sugar Pop is a little shy at first but she warms up fast. She needs a gentle person who will be patient with her. She loves to be held and will be a great lap dog. Her small size will fit in most homes. Her adoption fee would be $100 which includes her age appropriate vaccine, a nationally registered microchip, a bag of food and her spay surgery.

University of Southern Indiana leads EVV-Crane I-69 Innovation Corridor development discussion

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USI
On Monday, the University of Southern Indiana led a gathering of southwest Indiana government leaders; business, healthcare, and education representatives; and economic development officials to discuss how the region can capitalize on the construction of Interstate 69 from Evansville to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) as a corridor of innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity.

The discussion, led by USI’s Outreach and Engagement staff, was held at the Event Center in Huntingburg, Indiana, and included the mayors of Evansville, Huntingburg, Jasper, Loogootee, Oakland City, Petersburg, Princeton, and Washington, as well as Dr. Sue Ellspermann, founding director of USI’s Center for Applied Research and Economic Development (CARED) and lieutenant governor-elect of Indiana.

Ellspermann has been centrally involved in the effort to develop the corridor intentionally with an eye toward innovation and job growth. Officials from NSWC Crane, multiple businesses throughout the region, Indiana University, Ivy Tech Community College, Oakland City University, Purdue University, and Vincennes University also were involved in the discussion.

“The opportunities are endless for I-69 development and our region,” said Dr. Mark C. Bernhard, USI’s associate provost for Outreach and Engagement and chair of the EVV-Crane I-69 Innovation Corridor Executive Committee. “We are pleased with the commitment and excitement that participants expressed. We look forward to more stakeholder and business involvement, as we realize our vision will require the talents and efforts of many people.”

I-69 is one of the few new-terrain interstates currently under construction in the United States. Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Deputy Commissioner Samuel Sarvis presented an overview of the project to date and announced that the 67-mile section from Evansville to Crane will open Monday, November 19.

Daniela Vidal, who was appointed director of CARED in July, shared data identifying the I-69 corridor region’s current Innovation Index – consisting of human capital, economic dynamics, productivity and employment, and economic well-being – with a goal of increasing the index 20 percent by 2025.

Within the four Innovation Index components, participants envisioned what the corridor would look like, identified potential roadblocks to progress, and suggested actionable next steps.

A 2008 study commissioned through CARED by the towns of Oakland City, Petersburg, and Washington, Indiana, and prepared by Dr. Sudesh Mujumdar, USI associate professor of economics, and Dr. Tim Schibik, USI professor of economics, reviewed a federal study of interstates and communities comparable to I-69.

Best practices in the study included investment in upgrading and expanding infrastructure, acquisition of key parcels of land and rezoning efforts, and investments in improving school quality, among others.

The EVV-Crane I-69 Innovation Corridor executive committee plans to meet in early December and reengage the broader group shortly thereafter.

Link to Petition for Indiana to Peacefully Seceed from the United States

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While we hope for stability and acceptable compromise we encourage those who wish to send a message to the White House to sign this petition and await a response.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-indiana-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/51jYVZ5L

Who Is Really In Charge?

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Who Is Really In Charge?
by Teddy Johnson

Finally, the elections are over. Some of you are certainly very happy and some are probably unhappy with the outcome and that is to be expected. Every four years we Americans participate in this grand experiment called America and we elect a President to lead us. That of course spurs lots of different opinions and positions and people can become emotionally involved with the outcome.
One thing that I always find fascinating in all elections, but especially the presidential elections, are the many promises that candidates make to the electorate. They promise to make the economy better and to make health care more affordable for the masses. They promise to make the taxes better and to create jobs.

As I think about this, I want to challenge you to consider that while a President may have a general effect on your circumstances, they do not have a specific effect on your circumstances. Let me explain: While they may play a role in what direction the stock market goes, they do not have an effect in how an individual stock goes, or in whether or not you can make money in the stock market. So, while we certainly should vote and participate in the process, we must understand that no single person –other than you – will have an effect on what your individual life outcome is.

Let me give you some more examples:

A President may promise a better economy but you determine your economy. They may affect whether the dollar gains strength or loses it, but you determine what your financial position is going to be. The fact is that even in the worst economies, including recessions and depressions, there are those who will continue to thrive and even become extremely wealthy. In the great depression, there were countless people who, because of their individual efforts, became millionaires. So, no matter what the economy is nationally, you can become wealthy in the next four years. You don’t have to wait for anyone.

A President may promise to create jobs, but the only person who is going to create YOUR job is you! You determine whether or not you have a job. The President doesn’t, the economy doesn’t, and the industry doesn’t. No matter how bad things get, there are always those who have good paying jobs. You choose what kind of person you will be, and how valuable you will make yourself to the marketplace and thus, what kind of job you will have. So, no matter what the job situation is nationally, you can have any job you want in the next four years. You don’t have to wait for anyone.

A President may promise to do something about taxes, but no matter what the tax rate is, you can still build your personal wealth. Much of my wealth came to me when we still had extremely exorbitant tax rates. I have often said that if you want to be a millionaire and the tax rate is 50%, then just make two million. You determine how much you will have left after taxes, not the government. If you don’t like what you have left, make more. Now, am I saying we shouldn’t work to lower tax rates? No, but I am saying that we can be in control of our own lives regardless of the tax rate. So, no matter what the tax rate is, you can earn more money in the next four years. You don’t have to wait for anyone.

A President may promise to make your health care available to you but you can make health care available to yourself! It isn’t that people can’t afford it; it is that you can’t afford it. What is the answer to that? The empowering answer is to do what it takes to put yourself in a financial and career situation wherein it doesn’t matter what the cost is, because you can afford it. Again, I am not saying that we shouldn’t work to make health care affordable for people, but when you leave it in the hands of someone else, then you make yourself dependent upon them, rather than becoming independent.

The fact is that you control your life. You control your own destiny. You chart your course. Those we elect are not the givers of our financial lives. I sometimes think that many people think that if we can just get the “right” person elected, then their lives will suddenly take a turn for the better. Not true. You determine the outcome of your life.
Fortunes will be made in the next four years, no matter what. A lot of people will join the ranks of millionaires. That is amazing. The only question you have to ask is whether or not you will be one of them. A lot of people with high skills will always be in demand for high paying jobs. People who have a superb product or service to offer will always be in demand.

Did you vote? That’s great – we should as our civic duty. But the most important thing is not whether your candidate won or lost, but what kind of decision you will make about your own life, your own career, and your own financial situation, no matter who is in office.

Do that, and the world is yours for the taking.

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