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IS IT TRUE November 7, 2012

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The Mole #??

IS IT TRUE November 7, 2012

IS IT TRUE that the people of Vanderburgh County and the City of Evansville went to the polls yesterday and dealt the referendum to consolidate local government a solid defeat by a 2 to 1 margin?…we have not examined these results precinct by precinct to see if there were any wards or precincts that actually voted YES but that will be an interesting part of the autopsy of this four year “machine” supported saga to “reorganize” the County into a single government unit?…there have been promises and threats coming out of the YES camp for the last several week along the lines of “you folks better vote YES or we will annex you against your will”?…those who would start any annexation efforts at this point had better take this thrashing at the ballot box as a firm warning that elected or even appointed officials who support annexation of anything in the short term will do so at their own political peril?

IS IT TRUE that there are also a number of elected officials that just gave their future opponents the political nuclear weapon they will use to defeat them?…a future opponent of the rabid supporters of consolidation like Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, Sheriff Eric Williams, Commissioners Marsha Abell and Joe Kiefer, former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, and assorted but less recognized others will be pounded again and again over support for a referendum that clearly stuck a middle finger in the face of the will of the people of Vanderburgh County?…some of these people just got their second poison issue as three of these (Winnecke, Weinzapfel, and Abell) were also in on the secret meeting to take away the Homestead Tax Credit?…in most places this combination of arrogant and misinformed positions would eliminate them from ever being elected to anything?…if you add that to the Ford Center that is now losing money which was orchestrated by the same cast of characters and their surrogates in a city that thinks, feels, and remembers this elite club would now be political roadkill?…the future will come and one of these people will run for something as they always seem to do?…that then and only then will we find out if Evansville is a city that thinks, feels, and has a memory?

IS IT TRUE that the governance of the City of Evansville needs to look at the overwhelming rejection of consolidation as a mandate to heal the City of the malaise that is obvious to any informed observer?…the easy money route to paying for the City of Evansville’s legacy problems just slammed shut?…the problems like having a horrible plan that offered nearly no savings and spared numerous sacred cows is the principle reason that consolidation failed?…there are a group of young Chamber of Commerce types who vocally supported consolidation who may live to fight another day politically when they are in their fifties but in the near term they will be judged by the company they kept and will have a big target on their back in any political endeavor they attempt to seek?

IS IT TRUE that outside of the consolidation effort the people of Evansville and Vanderburgh County substantially voted for the STATUS QUO?…from the County Council, to the School Board, to the Coroner’s Offices, to the Judgeships the people of Evansville went for the incumbents lock, stock, and barrel?…this seems to indicate that whatever Evansville and Vanderburgh County are right now is how the people of this part of the world intend to keep it?…on a national level Vanderburgh County did not go with the STATUS QUO giving President Obama only 43.7% of their votes to 54.3% for Republican Mitt Romney and Libertarian Gary Johnson a relatively high share of 2.8%.

IS IT TRUE that the country on the other hand did vote to give President Barack Obama a new four year contract with a slim margin with only 50.3% of the popular vote with the final electoral totals still not established at the time of this writing?…this means that 49.7% voted for someone other than President Obama and kept the House of Representative in Republican hands while leaving the Senate in Democrat hands but with substantially less than 60 votes needed to ram things through along party lines?…the divides and differences in different regions of the country are quite stark?…in the South and the Grain Belt you can easily travel over 2,000 miles without going through a state that even cast 40% of their votes for President Obama?…it is clear that the United States is a sharply divided nation and that Republican members of the Congress will have the strong support of their constituencies to oppose President Obama’s will for the next four years?…as was stated in yesterday’s IS IT TRUE we are poised for four years of no legislation and endless executive fiat?…this is sad but true?

Luciano Floridi to Deliver UE’s Crick and Ethics Lectures

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Luciano Floridi, professor of philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire in England, will travel to Evansville this month to present two free, public lectures at the University of Evansville.

Floridi will deliver “The Varieties of Complexity,” UE’s Crick Lecture in the Cognitive and Neural Sciences, at 4 p.m. Monday, November 12 in Room 100 of the Koch Center for Engineering and Science.

For the annual Ethics Lecture, Floridi will present “Information Ethics and the Political Foundations of the Information Society” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, November 13 in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center.

Floridi is a professor of philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, England, where he holds the Research Chair in Philosophy of Information and the UNESCO Chair of Information and Computer Ethics, and a fellow of St. Cross College, University of Oxford.

Floridi is best known for his foundational research on the philosophy of information and information ethics, two new research areas that he has significantly helped to establish. He has published more than 150 articles in various anthologies and international peer-reviewed journals.

His most recent books are The Philosophy of Information (Oxford University Press, 2011), Information – A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2010), and the Cambridge Handbook of Information and Computer Ethics (edited for Cambridge University Press, 2010).

Floridi is currently the principal investigator of the project “Understanding Information Quality Standards and their Challenges” (2011-2013), in collaboration with Google UK. He has delivered more than 200 talks, including recent public lectures at the World Science Festival in New York in 2010 and a TEDx in 2011, both available on YouTube. In 2012, he was a keynote speaker at the EU Digital Agenda, during which he addressed European Union leaders on education issues in the information society.

Floridi’s lectures at the University of Evansville are sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and Religion, UE’s programs in cognitive science and neuroscience, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Kern Family Foundation.

Source: Evansville.edu

USI Empty Bowls event is Saturday

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USI
University of Southern Indiana students and other volunteers have created more than 500 ceramic bowls for Empty Bowls, a charity event to be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, November 10, at Adams Art Gallery, 56 Adams Avenue in the Haynie’s Corner Arts District.

Purchase a hand-made ceramic bowl for $10, and the bowl will be filled with soup provided by Twilight Bistro. Several types of soup will be available. The bowl is yours to take home after the event.

All proceeds will benefit Tri-State Food Bank and United Caring Shelters of Evansville.

Empty Bowls is a national non-profit organization that lends its name to any organization willing to raise funds to combat hunger by making and selling ceramic bowls. Alisa Holen, USI assistant professor of art, has organized two previous Empty Bowls events. This is her first at USI.

USI ceramics students began making bowls for the event at the beginning of the fall semester, and have trained students at Central, Harrison, Bosse, and North high schools, as well as volunteers at USI, Deaconess Health Services, and Heritage Federal Credit Union.

Holen was awarded a Lilly Endowment-funded $1,550 Scholarship of Engagement (SOE) Faculty Grant from Indiana Campus Compact (ICC) for the project. The grant allowed her to restructure Ceramics I into a service learning course based on the mission of Empty Bowls, giving students the experience of serving the needs of their community through art.

Source: USI.edu

Mayor Winnecke’s Statement Regarding Reorganization Referendum

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Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke
“While I am disappointed by tonight’s outcome, I am equally optimistic that we can continue to have a productive dialogue about how to improve the structure of government in Evansville and Vanderburgh County. We’ll return to work tomorrow with the continued mission focusing on the same goal: How do we improve our city and build a vibrant economy that continues to be a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Thank you to everyone who invested so much time and effort on behalf of their city and county.”

– Mayor Lloyd Winnecke

Consolidation Crashes and Burns by 2 to 1 Margin

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When the votes were all counted the CORE group that opposed consolidated government prevailed convincingly over YES which had the backing of prominent local politicians including Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, former Mayors Jonathan Weinzapfel and Russ Lloyd Jr., and Sheriff Eric Williams. Several other local elected officials including County Commissioners Marsha Abell and Joe Kiefer openly supported the consolidation plan.

Democrats Commissioner Stephen Melcher and Mayoral candidate Rick Davis were vocal opponents of this plan. The actual votes are as follows.

YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,948 33.05%
NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,494 66.95%

Dirt Bag Intimidation Stories from today’s Elections

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Detroit

A legally credentialed poll watcher was threatened with a gun at a polling precinct in Detroit — an incident that state Republican leaders are calling an act of “outlandish” intimidation. The poll watcher, a lawyer, was confronted by a voter who demanded that he show his credentials. The poll watcher complied with the request –but the voter objected and allegedly brandished a gun and badge and ordered him to leave the precinct. The GOP observer was reportedly chased away by the unidentified gun-wielding individual.
The Detroit Police Dept. confirmed they are aware of the alleged incident and are currently investigating.

Philadelphia

Workers at a Philadelphia polling place, after being ordered by a judge to cover up a mural of President Obama “in its entirety,” slapped up a few pieces of paper that only partially covered his image — while leaving the Obama campaign logo and a quote from the current president in full view for voters.

Washington DC

A portrait of President Obama greeted voters inside a polling precinct in the northeast section of Washington, D.C. It’s just one of several reports of Obama-related posters and murals spotted inside polling places around the nation.

Alleghaney County,PA

An Allegheny County judge on Tuesday issued an order to halt electioneering outside a polling location in Homestead. County officials received a complaint shortly before 10 a.m. Tuesday that Republicans outside a polling location on Maple Street in Homestead were stopping people outside the polls and asking for identification.

Redwood City, CA

Two men wearing all black were asking voters for their IDs outside a polling place. No ID is required to vote in California. The two men, described as “thug-looking,” tall and Caucasian with shaved heads, were wearing all black with dark sunglasses and standing in front of the polling place at 134 Hemlock Avenue with their arms crossed.

What will the NHL refuse to concede in CBA lockout stalemate with players?

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By Greg Wyshynski | Puck Daddy

The NHL and the NHLPA are engaged in serious talks at Rao’s an undisclosed location on Tuesday in New York, attempting to end a lockout that has claimed over a month of scheduled games, the 2013 Winter Classic and any semblance of decorum between Darren Dreger and Allan Walsh on Twitter.

The battle line’s drawn rather starkly: The NHLPA has made honoring current contracts its rallying cry, months after revenue sharing was its cause du jour.

[Also: Martin Brodeur favors short season, like when he won Cup in ’94-95]

The NHL is sticking to its proposed framework for a deal like it was Flick’s tongue to a metal pole; a framework that included a “make whole” proposal to honor existing contracts but that also offered several other provisions that were less palatable for the players: The 50/50 revenue split, the rookie maximum contracts of two years, a maximum contract length of five years and a cap of five percent above or below the first year’s level of compensation for salary during the contract’s term.

Andy Strickland of TrueHockey.com believes the NHLPA won’t cut a deal unless the NHL moves on “contract rights.”

The good news is that some of these NHL demands were put in place for the sake of negotiation: No one believes the majority of the owners want a 5-year cap on contracts when even the most hawkish ones were handing out 6-year terms this summer (hi, Jeremy Jacobs). So the NHL will come up a year or two in “good faith” and the wheels inch closer to the destination for these talks.

Again: Some of the NHL’s sticking points are flexible. Others, not so much. So what will Gary Bettman and the owners fight for at this stage of the talks?

Larry Brooks of the NY Post expects the NHL to push free agency later and toss first-year players under ye olde bus:

Several individuals have told us the league will be willing to negotiate off its proposed five-year contract term limit and 5-percent variance on annual salary, though the NHL does seem committed to increasing unrestricted free agency requirements by a year in experience and/or age, to eight years and/or 28, and likely will dig in on its proposed Entry Level changes.

The AHL provision and the punitive retroactive punishment regarding front-loaded long-term contracts previously registered by the league are as much team issues as NHLPA issues, both restrictions aimed at the heart of successful big-market teams and aimed at the offices of general managers who from time to time make mistakes.

Then there are issues like AHL salaries counting on the cap and all of the various debates about Hockey Related Revenue, but these are the meaty issues facing the two sides.

[Eric Adelson: With no Winter Classic, players should take it outside]

Can the NHLPA agree to a deal with new restrictions on rookie contracts? Sure, but only because one imagines the vast majority of players aren’t in this fight to preserve the integrity of the entry level contract.

Can the NHLPA agree to a deal that includes delayed unrestricted free agency? Tough call. The players know that’s when the owners can’t help themselves in spending, and it’s potentially cutting another year into their prime.

Will the NHLPA agree to a deal that costs the players anything they maintained in the previous CBA?
That’s the real test, when Donald Fehr’s mantra has been: “After all the concessions the players made last time, in the billions of dollars, and with the owners having had record revenues seven years in a row, and the two highest growth years being last season and the season before, we see no basis upon which to tell players to go backward.”

As for the NHL … hey, maybe the sponsors can have an affect on when this thing gets done, according to Ad Age.

BREAKING NEWS – LIST OF VOTES CASTED AT VOTING CENTERS AS OF 11:30 a.m.

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4 H Fair 1332
Bethel UCC 973
Bethlehem 815
Bluegrass 514
Calvary 1020
Fairlawn 695
Grace Baptist 442
McCutchanville 824
Memorial 655
Methodist 768
Nativity 912
New Bethel 846
Northeast Park Baptist 820
Old North 792
Salvation Army 647
S IN Career 763
St James 891
St Johns 815
St Pauls 914
Vand Hwy Garage 623
Washington Sq 1597
West Side Christian 953
Zion 423

Final Gallup Rasmussen Average gives Romney 1 point Edge over President Obama

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Both Gallup and Rasmussen fill polls have reached the same conusion. Both polls have converged to a 49 – 48 margin for Mitt Romney with 2% for some other candidate with 1% undecided. This is within the margin of error for both polls.

It must be noted that both Gallup and Rasmussen projected the final tally in 2008 to less than 1%

Jason Aldean 2013 Tour Includes Evansville Ford Center

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Jason Aldean will crisscross the country in 2013, and we finally know where his ‘Night Train’ will be traveling. The Georgia native, who revealed his first three stadium shows during a whirlwind media day last month, announced today (Nov. 5) that he’ll kick off his Night Train tour on Feb. 21 in Bossier City, La., and then hit 23 more cities before wrapping up in May. See the full list of cities below.

The “Take a Little Ride” singer will be joined on the road by soon-to-be-papa Jake Owen and the recently-married Thomas Rhett. “The thing I’m most excited about for next year is getting to add some new songs off the ‘Night Train’ album into my show,” Jason says. “As a musician, it’s great to be able to shake up the set list and think of cool ways to present these new songs in the live show. We’re already working on some cool production ideas, and we’re going to come back from the holidays ready to go. I’m a big fan of both Jake and Thomas Rhett, so it’ll be awesome to have those guys out with us.”

Jason has already had a little taste of his favorite thing about the upcoming tour — sharing new music with fans. While entertaining students at the University of Georgia for the announcement of his Sanford Stadium show, he discovered fans who already knew tracks from Night Train, not a week after the album was released. One of the night’s highlights came when fans yelled for his latest single, “The Only Way I Know,” which features Luke Bryan and Eric Church.

“I love the fact that people already know the songs!” exclaimed Jason to The Boot and other reporters at the UGA announcement. “Unfortunately, they requested a song that I haven’t played live yet, so I had to defer that one a little bit. That’s the thing, we’ve got three more shows this year, then we’re going to take a little time off. By the time we roll out next year on the big tour, we’re going to have a lot of these new songs in the show. I’m as excited to play them as they are to hear them.”

The “Take a Little Ride” singer will play 23 cities from February to May of next year, in addition to his three stadium stops: University of Georgia’s Sanford Stadium (April 13), Boston’s Fenway park (July 12 and 13) and Chicago’s Wrigley Field (July 20).

2013 Night Train Tour Destinations:

Austin, TX
Biloxi, MS
Bossier City, LA
Charleston, WV
Columbia, MO
Duluth, MN
Evansville, IN
Grand Forks, ND
Greenville, SC
Greensboro, NC
Houston, TX
Knoxville, TN
Lafayette, LA
Las Cruces, NM
Little Rock, AR
Louisville, KY
Lubbock, TX
Madison, WI
N. Charleston, SC
Omaha, NE
Tulsa, OK
Uncasville, CT
Wichita, KS

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