IS IT TRUE? September 22, 2011

IS IT TRUE that the City County Observer has done something that grabs headlines and attracts politicians like a flame attracts moths?…that we have “CREATED A JOB”?…that every time the act of CREATING A JOB or TWO with the dream of creating a larger number of jobs is announced by any business with a pulse that politicians and their posse flock around the JOB CREATING BUSINESSPERSON like flies at a picnic?…that politicians and their posse will come around with golden shovels, giant pairs of scissors, ribbons, and camera crews for just about any out of town business that creates any kind of job whatsoever?…that this is not just an Evansville thing, it is a nationwide epidemic?

IS IT TRUE that politicians and their posse seem to have a distinct taste for jobs that move here over jobs that are grown here?…that if a local company expands there is seldom any fanfare and the politicians and their posse are not seen or heard of?…that a job attracted with the anticipation of more jobs in the future is often rewarded with tax abatements, training grants, and even with an incentive check?…that when it was announced on WGBF 1280 am yesterday morning that the City County Observer has created one job that host Evansville attorney Les Shively commented that the CCO had created one more job than President Barack Obama?…that we assure everyone that there has been considerably less than $787 Billion spent by the CCO to create that one opportunity?

IS IT TRUE that after 4 years the CCO now has 4 people who are earning a part of their living from the publication?…that the number of public dollars and tax abatements offered to the City County Observer has been exactly ZERO?…that this is how it should be?…that what Evansville needs to really stabilize its economy and to dramatically reduce unemployment is 1,000 or so businesses to do what the City County Observer has done?…that it does not matter what those businesses do if each of them grows to between 4 and 10 people that will mean between 4,000 and 10,000 jobs for this region plus the accumulation of wealth that results from business ownership?

IS IT TRUE that the face of the City County Observer that many of our clients and future clients will be getting to know soon is a 24 year old young man with a BS in Business Administration from USI named Nick Lacer?…that we welcome him and hope that our clients and readers will do the same?…that Mr. Lacer is a young educated professional that is ambitious and eager to prove himself in this world?…that a rapidly growing business in a growing field like the City County Observer is one of several places in this region where a broad range of experience and an opportunity to set the stage for a life of high potential can be added to the resume’ of a person who may very well have been at risk to become a BRAIN DRAINER?

IS IT TRUE that given the nature of our writing and our mission to use publishing to further good public policy in Evansville that we do not expect that there will be golden shovels, red ribbons, giant scissors, or smiling politicians at a news conference in the CCO’s immediate future?…that if we started publishing in some other city and CREATED A JOB with the anticipation of creating 10 or 20 more that yes the politicians and their posse would be flocking around us?…that when Google, Apple, Groupon, LinkedIn, and a host of other businesses hired their first employees that no politicians with their posse came around either?

IS IT TRUE that there were plenty of politicians, their donors, their posse, and their sycophants hanging around Solyndra?…that while solar may be one of the energy options of the future that committing over $500 Million in federal money and arranging for photo ops to build a factory with no customers is just plain dumb?…that our elected leaders seem to have misplaced priorities and limited vision when it comes to really CREATING JOBS?

USI’s Center for Human Resource Development in the Division of Outreach and Engagement will offer a series of noncredit social media courses covering Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Prezi, and Twitter. A workshop on social media business policies and implementation will also be offered.

Dana Nelson, social strategist at OutCloud, will instruct each course. Nelson is the co-chair and founding member of the Evansville Social Media Club and serves on the board of advisors for the Social Media Club Education Connection.

According to Nelson, Facebook tops Google in weekly traffic in the United States and more than 80,000 web sites have implemented Facebook since 2008. LinkedIn has more than 50 million members worldwide and approximately 1.3 million tweets are posted per hour on Twitter.

“It doesn’t matter what you think of social media,” said Nelson. “What matters is that’s how your clients are communicating, so you need to care.”

Courses will meet at USI or Innovation Pointe located at 318 Main Street in downtown Evansville.

The series includes:

Thursday, September 29
Making Business Connections with LinkedIn
Course number BUS576
Get hands on training and discover how to get more sales and leads by using LinkedIn. Participants will learn how to get the most out of their efforts with this increasingly popular tool.
The course will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. at Innovation Pointe and registration is $51.

Two Wednesdays, October 4 and 11
Social Media 101 For Businesses
Course number BUS575
This intense workshop will explain the “why’s” and “how to’s” of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Participants will gain an understanding of where they want to go with social media. Time management will also be covered. Workshop meetings will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Innovation Pointe and registration is $129.

Thursday, October 13
Wow them with a Prezi Presentation
Course number BUS577
Bring life to any type of presentation using the free Internet downloadable program Prezi. Steps above the typical slide show presentation, Prezi keeps any audience’s attention with the use of zooming and rotating animations. Participants will learn how to use this innovative and intriguing software to add a modern and energetic feel to any presentation. The course will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. at Innovation Pointe and registration is $51.

Wednesday, October 19
Social Media Business Policies and Implementation Workshop
Course number BUS580
A company that decides not to address social media has already chosen a policy, the policy of not having a voice in new media. This workshop will help participants understand what they need to create an online policy, or amend their current one, and give ideas and suggestions on how to present the policy to employees. The workshop will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at USI in University Center East and registration is $129.

Thursday, October 25
The Ins and Outs of Google +
Course number BUS578
Google + is a perfect mix of all the great features that are offered through Facebook and Twitter. The main objective of this new social platform is to make social networking the same as interpersonal communication that occurs in day-to-day life. The course will meet from 6 to 9 p.m. at Innovation Pointe and registration is $51.

For more information, or to register, contact the Division of Outreach and Engagement at 812/464-1989 or 800/467-8600. Registrations can also be completed online at https://www.usi.edu/extserv/ssl/regform.asp.

Source: USI.edu

2.03 Good News (Vice President Duckworth)
2.04 Public Comment Cards

3. Consent Items (Dr. David Smith)
3.01 Consideration of Minutes of the September 12, 2011 Board meeting
3.02 Consideration of Allowance of Payments
3.03 Consideration to purchase items from Extracurricular Accounts
3.04 Consideration to submit five grants
3.05 Consideration to approve the agreement between EVSC and Prorehab, PC
3.06 Consideration to approve the agreement between EVSC and AmeriCorps
3.07 Consideration to approve the agreement between EVSC and Patrick Shoulders
3.08 Consideration to adopt preliminary bond resolution
3.09 Consideration to approve the resolutions to name facilities and/or areas of EVSC
3.10 Consideration to approve the agreement between EVSC and Education Program for Gifted Youth
3.11 Consideration to approve the change orders regarding the new North campus

4. Consideration of Personnel Recommendations (Pat Tuley)
4.01 Personnel Recommendations

5. Action Items (Pat Tuley)
5.01 Resolution Permitting the Investment of Surplus Funds for Total Monies
5.02 Adoption of the school budget for calendar year 2012
5.03 Adoption of the 2012-2014 Capital Projects Fund
5.04 Adoption of the 2012-2023 Bus Replacement Fund
5.05 Tax Neutrality Resolution

6. Information
6.01 EVSC Climate/Engagement Survey Discussion (McDowell Riley)
6.02 General Fund Monthly Review (Tuley)
6.03 Monthly 5% over expended report (Tuley)
6.04 Summary of Cash Balances by Fund (Tuley)
6.05 Expenditure Ledger Summary by Function and Object (Tuley)
6.06 2 Year Revenue Comparison (Tuley)

7. Public Comment
7.01 Public Comment

8. Continued Business (Dr. Smith)
8.01 Continued Business
9. Adjournment

Link to Court Document:

Chronoligical_Case_Summary_for_Whitehouse_&_Mosby_vs._Vand._Co._Election_Board_&_Lindsey__

When Hlawn Kip Tlem arrived in the United States in 2008, the teenager from Burma knew only a few words of English and had never seen a slice of pizza or a high-school class schedule. Just three years later, she graduated from Southport High School in Indianapolis, earned a full-tuition Lilly Endowment scholarship, and enrolled as a civil engineering major at the University of Evansville.

Tlem will share her story on “Refugee Resettlement: Faith Communities Making a Difference,” a CBS television special about refugees who settle in the United States and the organizations that help them adjust to a new life.

The half-hour program will premiere on Sunday, September 25, and will air locally in Evansville on CBS44 at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, October 2. (To check local air times for other CBS affiliates, click here). After its premiere, “Refugee Resettlement: Faith Communities Making a Difference” will also be available for viewing online here.

Tlem belongs to the Chin ethnic minority group in the Southeast Asian nation of Burma, which is ruled by a military government. Organizations such as the U.S. Department of State, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have documented and condemned widespread abuses of the Chin people — including forced labor, arbitrary arrests and detainment, and torture — by the Burmese military.

Tlem and her family fled to Malaysia, where they applied for and were granted refugee status by the United Nations. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that in 2010 more than 43 million people were forcibly displaced by conflicts. Those fleeing persecution can apply to live elsewhere in the world, but must undergo an extensive screening process. Only one-half of one percent of those who apply will be resettled in a new country.

The United States currently admits 70,000 refugees each year. Many, including Tlem and her family, are assisted by faith-based humanitarian agencies such as the Church World Service. When Tlem arrived in Indianapolis, Exodus — a nonprofit refugee resettlement organization affiliated with CWS — helped her family secure housing, food, clothing, and other basic needs.

This summer, CWS leaders invited Tlem to speak at the organization’s 65th anniversary celebration in New York.

“I only knew I would be there to give a brief speech. Then I found out CBS wanted to interview me about the challenges I faced as a refugee, how difficult it was to adjust, and how I got involved with my community,” said Tlem. “At the time, I didn’t realize it would be nationwide. I was nervous but excited. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Refugee Resettlement: Faith Communities Making a Difference” also features leaders from the Church World Service and the United Nations, volunteers from interfaith co-sponsorship teams, and refugees from Eritrea and Somalia.

Source: Evansville.edu