tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92148762024-03-07T18:36:12.929-05:00Volunteer HoosierWith a heart and mind shaped in the shadow of Big Orange Country, this adopted Hoosier brings a little Volunteer spirit north of the Ohio River to the environs of New Albany, Ind.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.comBlogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-27896359488300336972008-08-27T18:10:00.001-04:002008-08-27T18:10:52.749-04:00The Meta-blogI've transitioned all of my blogging - show-related, political, books, and other - over to a new site. If you want to, check it out and add it to your favorites and blogrolls.<br /><br />It is <a href="http://newalbanist.wordpress.com/">http://newalbanist.wordpress.com/</a><br /><br />I'll cross-post here, too, but you can get it all, including more than three years of archived material, at the meta-blog.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1144099289238418542006-04-03T17:16:00.000-04:002006-04-05T08:15:43.403-04:00Volunteer Hoosier at NA ConfidentialThis Web log ceased publication on Monday, April 3, 2006. Volunteer Hoosier has been acquired by <a href="http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com">NA Confidential</a>, where this writer is now employed. Please enjoy the archives.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1144064149265987872006-04-03T07:35:00.000-04:002006-04-03T09:09:53.796-04:00Constantinople to Istanbul<span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Istanbul is widely recognized as the name of Turkey's most well known city, but it was not always this way, and even today some confusion over its proper name still exists. The confusion is rooted in the various names the city assumed under the Ottomans in the centuries after their conquest of the city in 1453. Although the Ottomans did not purposely change the city's name, they opted to make "Constantinople" into a more Turkish style name "Konstantiniye" (which loosely translates as "of Constantine"), however variations on Konstantiniye soon cropped up. </em></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>"Stanbulin," (Greek for "to the city") once commonly found on road signs directing travelers to the capital, was punned by devout Turks into Islambol, where "Islam abounds." The names Islambol and Konstantiniye were used interchangeably in Ottoman documents up until the empire's demise in 1923. Westerners continued to refer to the city as Constantinople well into the 20th century. In the 19th century, however, the city's large foreign expatriate community took to calling the old city Stamboul. Western accounts of the old city during this period make regular references to the name.<br />-- </em></span><a href="http://www.sephardicstudies.org/istanbul.html"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Foundation for the Advancement of Sephardic Studies and Culture</em></span></a><br /><br />Effective this date, Volunteer Hoosier ceases publication. This blogger departs from "Constantinople" for a new home at "Istanbul."<br /><br />The New Albanian and I have, in his words, consummated a merger of interests, and I will be joining him in the hope of making <em></em><a href="http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com"><em>NA Confidential</em></a><em> </em>even stronger. It is already the premier Web log in the region.<br /><br />The separation between us has never been as wide as the Bosporus, but we, The New Albanian and All4Word, have always marched to the beat of distinctly different drummers.<br /><br />As for me, I early on decided that it would have been boorish of me to write at length as a commenter on NA Confidential. And yet, like The New Albanian, I’m not one to write in short bites. Thus, shortly after NA Confidential came online, Volunteer Hoosier was born. We hope you have found it stimulating.<br /><br />In my judgment, The New Albanian offers strong insight and a wit that I appreciate. If anything can be said about our senses of humor, it is that he has the better delivery of it, and I have a greater appreciation of it.<br /><br />I will say that I can think of no instance in which The New Albanian has taken his satire further than is appropriate. I would proudly sign on to his spot-on critiques.<br /><br />Another distinction is that, between the two of us, I am clearly the “wonk” in the equation. In addition to my affinity for policy and financial detail, I’m more likely to consider the electoral strategies that underlie public policy decisions – at least, I’m more likely to speculate about them.<br /><br />As mentioned above, Volunteer Hoosier ceases publication effective today. I have no regrets. I’m pleased to join the online platform at NA Confidential, and the acquisition price was sufficient incentive to surrender my single-author site.<br /><br />We are of like minds about many matters, but don’t expect a monolithic front here. I will have the freedom to post on any topic at a moment’s notice, without prior restraint, and it is a given that agreement between us is not a requirement.<br /><br />We do disagree from time to time, including recently, which makes this a fortuitous time for our “merger.” In short, we trust and value each other’s judgment.<br /><br />One final note. It is our joint and fervent desire to encourage contributor Bluegill to “ramp up” his contributions and make this site even stronger.<br /><br />The New Albanian is departing for a well-earned vacation road trip, sans Mrs. Confidential, and will be on enforced hiatus. NA Confidential has been a primary source for community news, like tomorrow’s Neighborhoods Summit. Be sure to copy me at <a href="mailto:ops@destinationsbooksellers.com">ops@destinationsbooksellers.com</a><br />with such items, particularly during NAC’s hiatus. -- All4Word<br /><br />Here is the announcement made today at NA Confidential:<br /><br /><em>The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things - the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit,and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit.--- Samuel Johnson</em><br /><br />“Good” and “genuine” are just two of the many words I’ve used to describe the quality of the writing and the advocacy at Volunteer Hoosier, a blog long included in NA Confidential’s sidebar links and often cited on these pages.<br /><br />Today I’m pleased to formally announce the addition of All4Word, a/k/a Randy Smith, to the editorial board of this Web log. Randy is a fellow businessman arrived lately to these shores, and was the founder of Volunteer Hoosier in 2004. Readers will be familiar with his work, online and behind the scenes, in drawing attention to matters of public affairs.<br /><br />After long consideration, Randy and I decided to consummate a merger of interests in the belief that together we can make NA Confidential a more comprehensive and useful site. With two primary reporters/commentators, each of us will be able to devote more time to making the site better without neglecting our other responsibilities.<br /><br />NA Confidential, effective this date, has acquired the rights to Volunteer Hoosier, which will cease publication. However, the <a href="http://volunteerhoosier.blogspot.com/">archival postings and comments will remain online</a>.--- The New AlbanianAll4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143997514230353362006-04-02T11:40:00.000-04:002006-04-03T08:50:45.693-04:00All Politics is LocalIf you are a regular reader of The New York Times (and you should be) or an aficionado of the writings of Thomas Friedman (<em>The World is Flat, Updated, $30)</em>, you will forgive me for taking a page from the Friedman playbook. That is, allow me to paraphrase today's column and apply it to the state of play here at home.<br /><br />Friedman speaks of "venom unleashed" today, and the vast difficulty in putting the genie back in the bottle. I don't presume to equate his topic (Iraq's religio-civil war) to local politics. For one, the factions in Mesopotamia consist of enormous numbers of people who abdicate their own judgment to that of their leaders, a situation that does not, for the most part, apply here. Only minute numbers.<br /><br />But it can be instructive to use Friedman's language to analyze the mindset of a vocal node infecting the body politic.<br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I encourage the lunatics at <em>Speak Out Loud New Albany</em> to continue posting their screeds. With every day that passes, with every word that litters the pages of that blog, their credibility diminishes. More than a few have abandoned them out of sheer embarrassment at the muddled thinking on display, the total lack of concern for facts, and the hagiographical devotion to some of the worst offenders against the public weal. More than a few have come by my store to confess that they had once fallen for the game on display there, and to apologize for ever having equated that blog with any of the others in town - the ones that demonstrate credibility.<br /><br />But back to the lesson. In the world of a few over-represented troglodytes (that is, the anti-progress faction, for at least the next 21 months, wields 4 of the 9 votes on New Albany's City Council), you enter a realm that is beyond politics, a realm where fear and revenge dominate everyone's thinking - and that is where the trogs are heading.<br /><br />Once embedded, this cycle of fear and revenge (and cooked-up "outrage") is almost impossible to break. This is the place from which mass murderers erupt. A sense of aggrievement this severe cries out for release, and one can only hope that the outlet of a backwater blog can vent some of the steam. Theirs is a self-reinforcing atmosphere of self-congratulatory perception, generating sufficient RPM, but stuck in neutral and going nowhere. Were <em>SOLNA</em> a barge, it would be stuck firmly to the K&I Bridge, requiring the sludge to be drained from it before being refloated.<br /><br />The half-dozen illiterates there succumb to the flattery of more calculating types who use their anger to push an agenda of destruction. Laura's people have concluded that the only thing that can save them from a world that refuses to stand still is to adopt a militancy guaranteed to divorce them from reality or any chance at effecting change. They will go on to develop and strengthen extortion rackets, feel the thrill of public attention and, as that happens, start to do all they can to prevent the government from moving with civilization toward a unified vision of the future.<br /><br />Their office-holding and office-coveting handlers are now concluding that "they can gain more power and influence from building on sectarian loyalties than from appeals for unity." And make no mistake about it, the fight for New Albany's future lines up more along sectarian lines, of a sort, than it does along partisan lines, although partisans will try to harness the forces.<br /><br />We'll be around to demonstrate (and prove) that those politicians are wrong. New Albany <em>is progressive</em>. The trogs are fighting a losing battle, and any politician who casts his or her lot with them will soon discover the mistake. For the forces for progress vastly outnumber the forces for the status quo. And the "troglobytes" seeking to roll back to a time that never existed pale in comparison to either of those.<br /><br />A Baghdad blogger, the Mesopotamian, quoted by AndrewSullivan.com, gave a vivid description of his neighborhood: "The confusion and conflict between the Americans, the army and the Ministry of the Interior is producing a situation where the citizens don't know any more whether the security personnel in the street are friends, enemies, terrorists or simply criminals and thieves...Whole sections of the city have virtually fallen to gangs and terrorists." Hmmm.<br /><br />Again, I don't want to diminish the chaos in Baghdad, nor to elevate the chaos in New Albany. But which "side" in this fight do you think is pushing toward chaos. Yeah, I thought so, too.<br /><br />Give ol' Tom Friedman a few minutes of your time today. If nothing else, you'll educate yourself about the mess the Bush administration will leave for someone else to fix. But as you read, consider who is pushing for a unified vision of the future here, and who stands to benefit from creating chaos.<br /><br />Here's the link: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/02/opinion/02sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">The Endgame in Iraq</a>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143762295253679792006-03-30T18:31:00.000-05:002006-03-30T18:45:04.173-05:00SoberingBlogs are traditionally derivative. That is, historically Web logs have been created by motivated amateurs who share the great sites they've come across during the course of a day. The political blogs common to this area tend to do more "original programming," but they still rely on primary news sources as a factual reference point (at least the reliable ones do).<br /><br />During VH's existence, we've tended to shy away from linking to news stories and "cool" sites, but sometimes another Web site says more with a simple interface than all the commentary in the world.<br /><br />May I recommend that you consult this brilliant piece of work by Tim at Obleek.com. Be warned, it is a sobering encounter.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.obleek.com/iraq/index.html">http://www.obleek.com/iraq/index.html</a>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143730209479889312006-03-30T08:39:00.000-05:002006-03-30T10:02:55.763-05:00Step Up<em>The big trouble with dumb bastards is that they are too dumb to believe there is such a thing as smart. -- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. in <strong>The Sirens of Titan</strong></em><br /><strong><em></em></strong><br />A survey of the political landscape little more than one month before the national/state/county/township primary elections yields a startling conclusion about New Albany's 2007 city elections: Mayor James E. Garner is in position to secure re-election, becoming the first mayor in decades to do so in this city.<br /><br />The possibility of a serious intra-party challenge grows increasingly remote. The usual suspects are tarnished, to put it lightly, and Garner seems all but assured of renomination. Were the mayor a mere seat-warmer, that wouldn't be. But that is not the case. Garner has earned respect across the state as a quick study and has strong support among Indiana party leaders.<br /><br />The GOP will, of course, field an opponent, but the blood-feud bitterness expected to flow from that party's primary will reveal a series of flawed candidates drafted only for appearances sake. Some have speculated that Garner would stand an even chance of winning not only the Democratic Party primary, but of making a race of it among Republicans.<br /><br />How did Garner reach this position? How did the mayor deflect the initial criticisms of this blogger (and for that matter, that other blogger, The New Albanian)? How did Garner outmaneuver the Gang of Four on the City Council so intent on kneecapping this administration, and by extension, this city?<br /><br /><strong>First-Instinct Honesty</strong><br /><br />For his political advisors, Garner's lack of calculation can be a headache. His Honor invariably answers any question without guile, simply stating the facts as they are, and not as he would wish them to be. There is no trimming, no spin, no manipulation of language to make himself and his administration look better. He responds with the easiest answer - the truth.<br /><br />That's not to say Garner isn't careful. At council meetings, he is the answer man, even when faced with an ambush scenario as has become increasingly common recently. The members of the council do so little preparation, so little homework in advance of their twice-monthly meetings that Garner, or his staff, must provide them with mini-tutorials on almost every issue facing the body.<br /><br /><strong>Comprehensive Knowledge</strong><br /><br />When in that role, the mayor is exceedingly careful to give the facts as he knows them. That often results in the mayor losing eye contact with his audience (the council), lowering his chin and rolling his eyes upward to consult some virtual spreadsheet or memorandum to retrieve an answer. He'll do that even in other public forums, and it is a classic mistake for a politician to lose eye contact with his listeners.<br /><br />Fortunately, once the fact-retrieval process is completed, Garner comes back to full engagement with the questioner and the audience. Compared to his obstructionist opponents, the mayor comes across as a literal fountain of knowledge.<br /><br /><strong>The X-Factor</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />But what is the third element in Garner's political strength? That would have to be his effectiveness in pushing through his vision for the city.<br /><br />Facing almost intractable problems, particularly with the city's 2005 finances, unfunded mandates, and deteriorating infrastructure, the mayor has managed to win passage of every single initiative he has put forward, including the Scribner Place redevelopment project and the reorganization of the city's sanitation operations.<br /><br />Granted, these victories have often come by 5-4 votes, with four faux-Democrats voting reactively against any mayoral initiative, but victories they are, nonetheless, for Garner and for the city.<br /><br /><strong>The Weakness</strong><br /><br />Communication continues to be the mayor's biggest weakness. Perhaps to keep from ruffling too many feathers among those whose perceive New Albany to be a sleepy little town (it never was, as Bluegill so ably points out), the mayor has failed to forcefully articulate his vision for the future.<br /><br />The Garner program dribbles out piecemeal. It may be well defined in his own mind. It may be well known among his closest advisors. But there is no declaration, no white paper, no communications campaign to lay out that vision.<br /><br />Only by laying out that vision in a series of position statements can the mayor cause the citizenry to coalesce around that vision. There's no upside in keeping it in your head, Mr. Mayor. And there's no advantage in trying to accommodate your enemies. For whatever reason, they are and will continue to oppose you.<br /><br />But the survey shows that while there's no groundswell of "love" out there, there is a broad segment of the city, across party lines, that sees in this mayor the glimmer of hope for a resurgent New Albany.<br /><br />Act now, Mr. Garner. It is not too early to campaign for your issues. By articulating your vision now, you can secure that re-election next year. As it stands today, the election is yours to claim. Don't let it slip away by being timid about telling us what you want for this city. Step Up and claim your prize.<br /><br />------------------------------<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Volunteer Hoosier will soon cease to be a regularly updated Web log. We are being acquired by a burgeoning, branded online operation. This blog will, however, remain as an archive of our previous postings and the comments thereon.</span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">As we wind down this current incarnation, we invite you to share with us <em>your</em> favorite Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. quotes.</span>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143641588217205502006-03-29T07:04:00.000-05:002006-03-29T09:13:08.770-05:00One Foot in the PastI'll take no credit for today's posting, except perhaps for being able to listen and discern, but the last 24 hours have generated much reflection on the state of public affairs in our domain.<br /><br />I was privileged to spend some time in the company of a public official yesterday, and we were able to exchange a few impressions. It drove home for me the degree to which personal loyalty drives the politics of this city and county, but it likewise opened my eyes to a few truths.<br /><br />One must give respect to the politicians in this town for being realists. Despite disagreements among and between various officeholders, the incumbents recognize that even their misguided colleagues share the same legitimacy - they each were elected. An officeholder may believe wholeheartedly that voters were wrong in electing someone, but they do not question the legitimacy of that election.<br /><br />Further, officeholders recognize that, at least for a time (and that time can be long, indeed), they must work with their colleagues in order to accomplish anything. That does not mean that disagreements will not arise. They do, and often. But during a term, the playing field is what it is, and the effective public official will try to find accommodation with those who oppose them.<br /><br />Likewise, the cleverest among them will quickly discard party loyalty and reach across the aisle in order to gain an advantage to further their own agenda, whether that be to progress the public weal, or to hold it back.<br /><br />Traditionally, each officeholder builds a base constituency and then relies on the fact that few members of the public will take the time to get to know them, their policies, and their actions. With a sufficiently influential cadre of supporters willing to endorse them on the basis of personal loyalty, an officeholder can be essentially immune from true public scrutiny. The dynamics of party add to this tendency toward unaccountability, as the imprimature of "D" or "R" carries its own weight.<br /><br />I pride myself on being inquisitive and universal in my approach to understanding politics and politicians. Simply because politician "A," whom I admire, has a conflict with politician "B," does not mean that I cannot also admire, or work with both.<br /><br />But one of the weakness of the polity here is that no evaluation of a politician or a political actor, or even an involved citizen, is ever divorced from factionalism. Let me choose an innocuous example to illustrate.<br /><br />I count among my friends several leading Democrats (I have fewer Republican acquaintances, but then the bulk of my time is spent at my store, and so I have had fewer occasions to meet them). Former county party chairman Warren Nash has never been anything but helpful to me in helping me to understand local politics. His successor, Randy Stumler, has been an inspiration to me. Some have tried to portray that succession as a coup, an overthrow of the regime, which is true only in its end result. Yes, the Stumler era is and will continue to be of a different nature than the time when Nash was at the party helm. If that portrayal had become fixed, would Nash loyalists have become Stumler opponents?<br /><br />Sadly, in my judgment, that would be true more often than not. Fortunately, no such rift exists. But it is a weakness that so many people make their evaluations based on such trivial matters as whether their "favorite" has been opposed (on an issue, or in an election) by another.<br /><br />It is the duty of the citizen to measure candidates in their entirety. Is it evident that a candidate is prepared and knowledgeable? Does the candidate advocate in the public interest or for narrow, parochial interests? Has a candidate made a positive contribution to debate, policy, or administration?<br /><br />Only by such analysis can a voter be said to be truly informed. As primary election day approaches on May 2, I urge readers to set aside preconceived notions of factionalism and educate themselves as to the stands and records of each candidate for public office. Don't vote based on religious affiliation, family connection, or any other irrational basis. Don't give your vote away cheaply.<br /><br />--------------------------------<br /><br />I spent some time recently with a wise person who cleared a few things up for me and stimulated a few thoughts about allegiance to the past in the face of the challenges of the future. These discussions yielded a prescription for good public service.<br /><br />This person diagnosed a weakness in the Democratic Party that ought to be addressed. Like any illness, it must either be treated or it will become a part of daily existence.<br /><br />Like any parties made up of human beings, both major parties suffer their share of fools and embarrassments. For the Democrats, the continuing presence of the "Gang of Four" is an embarrassment. For the most part, this group no longer (if it ever did) adheres to any of the core beliefs of the Democratic Party. They are an infection on the body of the party and this cannot go untreated any longer without corrupting the entire body. Like a suppurating sore, it has become prominently visible and eminently embarrassing.<br /><br />The initial round of treatment should consist of aggressive action to alter their behavior. Party elders must take up this challenge. But if that proves ineffective, surgery to excise this debilitating boil on the public face of the party is the next step. The party must declare that the behavior of the Gang will not be tolerated, and that such officeholders are unwelcome to serve under the Democratic banner.<br /><br />Corruption can no longer be winked at. Let the corrupt find themselves another platform from which to launch their attacks on the public good.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143553427679325202006-03-28T08:38:00.000-05:002006-03-28T08:44:03.230-05:00Nobody's Said it BetterWhile it can't be called trivial, it's hardly earthshaking that Develop New Albany and the Garner administration have put into place some very attractive banners delineating the core of the downtown shopping district. According to the Courier-Journal, one side says "Downtown" and the other says "New Albany" on these maroon-and-cream vertical banners.<br /><br />Pearl and Market streets are the direct beneficiaries, but the whole county will benefit from a renewed downtown.<br /><br />Having seen it all firsthand all his life, downtown pillar Bob Caesar keeps his enthusiasm in check more than some other boosters, but in describing the emerging energy downtown, he puts it this way:<br /><br /><em>"We haven't thrown a 90-yard touchdown pass," Caesar said of the banner effort, likening it to steady success rather than a sudden breakthrough. "But we're making first downs all the time."</em><br /><em></em><br />Nobody could say it better.<br /><br />Read the coverage <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS02/603280397/1025">here</a>.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143466552305440732006-03-27T08:34:00.000-05:002006-03-27T08:35:53.353-05:00But what is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.<br /><div align="right">-----<em>James Madison</em></div>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143396070432177172006-03-26T12:42:00.000-05:002006-03-26T13:01:10.796-05:00Attention Must Be PaidTribune and News publisher John Tucker takes pen in hand once again this Sunday, after a one-week hiatus, to discuss the state of electoral play and the role of our local newspapers in the mix.<br /><br />As a former print journalist, I continue to immerse myself in the intricate state of journalism in the 21st Century. Had I never entered the field, I still think I would be fascinated by newspapers and how each chooses to serve its readership.<br /><br />I married a journalist and I've fathered a journalist. Their accomplishments far outshadow mine, although I have wound up spending more years behind a newsroom keyboard than both of them combined. I take pride in having a part in making our daily news Web site the "best" in the state of Florida, against some of the most well-resourced newspaper giants in the world. Garnering that award made it possible for me to declare "game over" and begin this new journey north of the Mason-Dixon line.<br /><br />The nugget of wisdom I take from Mr. Tucker's Sunday gem is this: Attention must be paid. I wholeheartedly agree, and so state, ad infinitum. With elections pending, Tucker promises to make it impossible for voters to ignore the issues and candidates. Well, better late than never, I say. Tucker says "We believe this is what a community paper can do better than any other form of media - make a positive impact on their community by informing and promoting about local topis of interest and importance."<br /><br />John, I agree. You can do it better. And we're all heartened to see your pledge to do so. I continue to maintain that the more who pay attention - and the sooner and more often - the sooner we can rid this city of the impediments to progress.<br /><br />------------------<br /><br />Local columnist Linden Dodd makes some strong points in the lead opinion piece, "Be careful what you wish for."<br /><br />The key pull-quote? "You cannot ever convince a stupid person they are wrong."<br /><br />------------------<br /><br />It has been six months since publisher Tucker pledged improvements to The Tribune, which (now it can be revealed) he gauged to be the newspaper he had encountered that was most in need of resuscitation. In this soon-to-be-absorbed blogger's opinion, the Sunday edition has now become that "indispensable" organ we have long yearned for. If you fail to (at least) start reading the Sunday editions, you have only yourself to blame. The editors and reporters have done their job, at least on Sundays. Now, if you value a local press, you'll come back to The Tribune.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143156818310970712006-03-23T18:26:00.000-05:002006-03-23T18:33:38.626-05:00A Competing Offer?Negotiations continue with our original suitor, and I'm most likely to complete the deal, but this morning I received an e-mail from a more local media operation that wants to talk "turkey."<br /><br />Now, despite the fact that a certain fact-challenged segment of our readership would agree that this blogger fits the description, I agreed.<br /><br />We'll be meeting with this last-minute suitor over the next few days. I have informed the other party, as well. I choose to see this not as a glitch, but an opportunity, and who knows, we might be able to work out some type of synergistic accommodation.<br /><br />(FYI, the new suitor scores on the influence index at more than 1800!)<br /><br />On another topic, how many of you have clicked on the audiocast link? Is this something that would be useful to you? Is the sound quality sufficient? Would you be interested in a weekday "podcast," either via blog or by subscription feed to your inbox?All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143138999534873732006-03-23T13:35:00.000-05:002006-03-23T13:36:40.493-05:00Measuring Web InfluenceMy e-mailbox is filling with inquiries about the upcoming changes here. I'm still not at liberty to discuss the new business arrangement and I'm trying desperately to get a handle on some of the new technology that will be made available to me once we complete this deal.<br /><br />But here's a hint as to the magnitude of influence our new partner has in the blogosphere.<br /><br />Gorka Julio has developed a metric to measure the influence each blog has. Our new partner weighs in with a measure of 275.8. In comparison, the New Albany anonyblog Freedom of Speech scores a 1.2 for influence.<br /><br />This blog manages to approach the 100 metric; NA Renewal goes well past that point. I'll count it as a success if over the next several months we can boost the metric for our new partner up over the 300 mark.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143056866587703792006-03-22T14:46:00.000-05:002006-03-22T14:51:24.890-05:00I Thought I Recognized HimRemember the whiny, insecure kid in nursery school, the one who always thought everyone was out to get him, and was always running to the teacher with complaints? Chances are he grew up to be a conservative.<br /><br />At least, he did if he was one of 95 kids from the Berkeley area that social scientists have been tracking for the last 20 years. The confident, resilient, self-reliant kids mostly grew up to be liberals.<br /><br />...from <a href="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1142722231554">How to Spot a Baby Conservative</a> in the Toronto Star.<br /><br />And then there's the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/29/AR2006012900642.html">Washington Post story</a> about this study, which revealed:<br /><br />Studies presented at the conference, for example, produced evidence that emotions and implicit assumptions often influence why people choose their political affiliations, and that partisans stubbornly discount any information that challenges their preexisting beliefs.<br /><br />Emory University psychologist Drew Westen put self-identified Democratic and Republican partisans in brain scanners and asked them to evaluate negative information about various candidates. Both groups were quick to spot inconsistency and hypocrisy -- but only in candidates they opposed.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143037306588623722006-03-22T09:20:00.000-05:002006-03-22T09:21:50.553-05:00Link of the Day<em>Managing perceptions is the death of good journalism, especially manufactured perceptions, and even more those manufactured for the easily cowed.</em><br /><em></em><br />Read more at Josh Marshall's <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007960.php">Talking Points Memo</a>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1143034227390337742006-03-22T08:30:00.000-05:002006-03-22T17:39:30.843-05:00Merger Talks Hit SnagAlthough there is little doubt the deal will still go through, our discussions with our acquiring partner have run into a hurdle. One small snag is how to make the announcement and whether to call it a merger or an acquisition. Our counselors will settle this, but with six figures involved, I'm not going to get hung up over terminology. We're still pushing for a clean new start beginning April 1, but the other side isn't prepared to close until later in the month.<br /><br />I learned yesterday that the site is exploring a number of technology and interface upgrades, and we hope to lend some of our expertise to that project's rollout.<br /><br />I do believe the deal is still sound and will go through. But in the interests of full disclosure, I wanted to keep you, our loyal readers, fully informed.<br /><br />And now, a long-forgotten promise to this blogger is revealed:<br /><br /><a href="http://media.odeo.com/files/v/x/w/draft_65602_out.mp3">Listen to the following in audio</a><br /><br />Despite protestations to the contrary, our golf-cart wheeling, fist-wielding, litigation-prone, self-appointed burr in the mayor's saddle is a prolific e-mailer, blogger, and chat-room denizen. Valla Ann Bolovschak (or Vila, as her pal Danny calls her) cuts quite a swath through cyberspace, and seems to enjoy herself tremendously.<br /><br />Valla Ann, who amazingly can be quite charming, even to men, when she chooses, takes particular pride in her sense of humor. Little of that has been seen in public lately, but you must understand that pot-boiling, language-twisting, and other general impishness is what Valla Ann considers humorous. That's fine. We all have annoying tendencies.<br /><br />In late 2004 and again in 2005, Valla Ann and I corresponded. This was, of course, at a time when she believed I would be an ally in her campaign to ambush the mayor at every turn.<br /><br />I asked the local cover girl and makeup model if she would make her proprietary tapings of the City Council meetings available to the public by depositing copies at the NAFC Public Library. She promised that she would do that.<br /><br />More than a year has passed since that promise was elicited. A check yesterday verified that no such copies exist at the library or in any other repository available to the general public.<br /><br />Volunteer Hoosier has refrained from calling the lady out on this promise until now. As we wind down our commentary and reporting in its present incarnation, now is the best time I can think of to ask Valla Ann either or both of two questions: 1. What's holding you up? I know it's not a technological problem. Has the library rejected your offer to deposit these historic records? AND/OR 2. Why did you lie to me when you never had any intention of making the tapes public?All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1142905230334998052006-03-20T20:33:00.000-05:002006-03-20T20:40:30.686-05:00From the Wayback MachineIf anyone ever had any doubt about who opposes progress (and citizen participation in government), this reprise of VH's report of the Feb. 8, 2005 New Albany City Council meeting is instructive:<br /><br /><strong>Contrapunction </strong><br /><br />Good morning, class. Welcome to our online seminar in applied civics. We are waiving the normal fee, but all participants are required to stay until the end of today's lesson. Potential candidates for New Albany's City Council are invited to audit the class. Take notes. Pay attention. You will be tested.<br /><br /><strong>Foreword</strong><br /><br />City Council met in executive session one hour before the scheduled public meeting, presumably to discuss the city's current litigation/settlement options in relation to the pending lawsuit in Federal District Court pitting the city against the First, Fourth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth amendments, otherwise known as City of New Albany vs. New Albany DVD.<br /><br />It can be surmised that public business was also discussed (in violation of Indiana's open government statutes) as the council president, after calling the night's public meeting to order, announced that the council had decided to defer approval of the minutes of each of the last two meetings. Unless they are telepathic, they must have agreed to do that before the public session.<br /><br /><strong>Prelude</strong><br /><br />At 7:15, the council opened a public hearing on four matters, in accordance with legal requirements. Public comment was invited on three appropriations and a zoning matter. Greg Roberts, representing the East Spring Street Neighborhood Association, urged the council to approve an appropriation to purchase 2 garbage packers. One council member questioned Greg, asking if the choice came down to funding the packers (an agenda item) or funding the code enforcement/paralegal (not an agenda item), which would he prefer. Greg replied, without hesitation, "code enforcement."<br /><br /><strong>Introduction</strong><br /><br />After a perfunctory and less-than-reverent recitation of the Lord's prayer and pledge to the flag, CM Jeff Gahan announced the curious agreement to defer approval of the minutes and proceeded directly to the public communications portion of the evening.<br /><br /><strong>Mass Communications 101</strong><br /><br />Valla Ann Bolovschak, beleaguered watchdog and confidant/patronage nominee of at least one CM, took to the lectern first to scold CM Gahan for meeting with the management of WNAS, the broadcast outlet for Valla Ann's videotaped presentations of council meetings. This observer admits to being somewhat confused by a discussion of the technical issues that befell the most recent cablecasts. For a moment, I thought we were going to hear about a Watergate-style covert operation to fuzz the tape. Alas, it all appears to have been an innocent technical glitch.<br /><br />At the conclusion of Ms. Bolovschak's comments, she invited questions and CM Larry Kochert obliged, questioning why CM Gahan would be meeting with WNAS, the New Albany High School television station. Valla Ann then took up the interrogation of the council president, apparently receiving the answers she desired.<br /><br />Soon enough, we got to the heart of the matter. Ms. B (or Viola, as CM Dan Coffey calls her) is tired of carrying the financial burden of hiring a professional videographer to tape all the council meetings and wants the financially strapped city to underwrite those expenses.A small contretemps erupted when CM Beverly Crump objected to the implication that non-taped meetings lacked integrity, but peace was quickly restored.<br /><br /><strong>Public Relations 100</strong><br /><br />This blogger, who has previously contended that the council is under no obligation to entertain oral presentations, submitted a petition to the council president that invited all members of the council to attend the March 2 Public Affairs Symposium, "New Visions for Downtown New Albany." City Clerk Marcey Wisman read the invitation into the meeting record.<br /><br /><strong>Logic 201</strong><br /><br />Recognizing the time pressures faced by members of the council, fellow blogger The New Albanian shared with council a summary of the discussions on <a href="http://cityofnewalbany.blogspot.com/">NA Confidential</a> over the past few weeks.<br /><br />Among the highlights was his report that the consensus on the site supported the city abandoning its costly efforts to stop the opening of New Albany DVD.<br /><br />The New Albanian has repeatedly called for the mayor and council to institute some forum for communication between citizens and their elected representatives* and reiterated that call during the public communications portion of Tuesday's City Council meeting.*<br /><br />(NOTE: Henceforth, the default description will be representatives, not leaders; the faculty committee on semantics will continue to debate the legitimacy of the new terminology and will release its interim report shortly on whether to retain the term representatives or to downgrade the title to officeholder or occupants of office.)<br /><br />Apparently, CM Coffey confused The New Albanian's grayish ballcap for my own pale forehead and began to berate our favorite pubmeister for the format of the 7 p.m. public affairs symposium being held at <a href="http://destinationsbooksellers.blogspot.com/">Destinations Booksellers</a> on March 2.<br /><br />Announcing that he "doesn't read (Roger's) blog" and wielding a thick envelope for effect (who knows what was in it?), Coffey asserted that he previously had every intention of attending the symposium until he discovered that he would not be allowed to speak. Gosh, the only place we've announced it is in the store and on a BLOG!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">For the record, Mr. Baylor's involvement with the March 2 forum is expected to be limited to muscling a few bookshelves and pointing attendees to the necessary room in the event of emergencies. This symposium was in the works before I ever met The New Albanian. That he and his online Web log are helping to publicize it and supporting its objective of creating a community conversation about saving downtown does not make him responsible for its format.</span><br /><br />Then it really got interesting. Among other things, this was the civics lesson of the night, courtesy of CM Coffey:<br /><br /><strong>Point 1: </strong>He contended the "we" are the ones who know what can be done, what's legal, and what money is available. Presumably, he meant the council, but I can't be sure.<br /><br /><strong>Point 2: </strong>He said he doesn't read blogs and that he "figures anyone can hide behind a keyboard."<br /><br /><strong>Point 3: </strong>By Coffey's lights, if you want to criticize, question, or otherwise participate in the public discussion of civic affairs, you must run for office (and presumably win). Otherwise, shut the hell up.<br /><br /><strong>Point 4: </strong>In all fairness, Danny C. claimed to have held six town halls during his current term, but undermined his claim by then disinviting anyone who doesn't live in his district.<br /><br />The New Albanian, after a procedural question directed to the council president, simply smiled genuinely and said of his blog, "I think you should read it." As Roger returned to his seat, Coffey couldn't resist calling out, while patting his thick envelope of mystery documents, "I don't read," at least in the hearing of one observer.<br /><br /><strong>Government 333</strong><br /><br />We refer you to The Tribune and City Editor Amany Ali's coverage of a fairly calm business meeting where routine matters were approved and a skittish council, in light of the unsettled cash balance calculations roiling the city, tabled all matters requiring new appropriations. The formerly ailing CM Bill Schmidt provided half a loaf in documenting all the borrowings approved by the council over the past 20 months or so. No information on repayments was provided while the state auditors comb the city's financial activities during the tenures of four controllers. Suffice it to say that the cops get no cars, the sanitation department gets no trucks, and the joint 911 dispatch office must wait another week-and-a-half for the authority to pay its bills.<br /><br /><strong>Class recess </strong><br /><br />Until tomorrow...same time, same site, when we will address the fallacies inherent in Mr. Coffey's ridiculous comments.<br /><br />Here's a little teaser...who says a symposium on "New Visions for Downtown New Albany" would address government action, anyway? If an elected representative wishes to unequivocally announce his opposition to citizens gathering to discuss matters of concern and interest to them, let him speak now.<br /><br />Feel free to discuss among yourselves.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1142866900199064202006-03-20T09:58:00.000-05:002006-03-20T10:01:40.523-05:00A VH RetrospectiveWe'll be posting snippets of commentary from the past year and more throughout this week and next as Volunteer Hoosier winds down.<br /><br />If VH has a personality, a philosophy, these snippets should reveal it.<br /><br />The conclusion we have drawn is this: the problems facing our community are not states of nature. They stem from an environment poisoned by actual individuals, individuals who devalue education, deride progressivism, and seek only to elevate their egos by jealously guarding the levers of power from any who might actually want to use them.<br /><br />Our critics seem to shudder at what they call unfounded personal attacks. They miss the point. They are personal because Volunteer Hoosier believes it is the persons who are responsible for the mess we are in. So long as the citizenry averts their eyes from what is a fairly repugnant form of political knife-fighting, they will never know who those looters and destroyers are. Then, when election time comes and the voters see New Albany sitting by the side of the road with a flat tire, they'll assume the driver is at fault. We're here to show who is wielding the knives, who is spreading the tire-puncturing tacks, who is pouring sugar in the gas tanks.<br /><br />In hoops-mad Indiana, I offer this little parable:<br /><br /><em>The basketball team wasn't putting up wins like it once did. Fans of the team, if you could call them that, seldom came out to watch the games, but a few tried to follow the team's progress in the newspapers. The team had frequently excelled, with stellar seasons, numerous awards, and even now it was often envied. But something had gone wrong. Bad wrong.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The coaches were disengaged, and paid little attention to what the players actually did during the games. In fact, all the coaches usually did was submit the lineup. The rest of the time they spent with their backs turned to the game, balancing their checkbooks, talking on their cell phones, flirting with the thought of coaching another team. In fact, the coaches spent more time watching film of other teams than in coaching their own, especially during the season.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Oh, the coaches would try to pay attention to their own team when it came time to fill out the lineup, but because they hadn't watched the team during the season, they were ill-equipped to make the necessary changes to the lineup. Weaker players continued to be inserted into the lineup each time, simply because the coaches didn't know any better.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Reporters seldom commented on the lack of attention by the coaches. Their jobs were to cover the games, and they did so with varying degrees of diligence. Sometimes, the reporters would figuratively phone in their reports, having developed personal ties with some of the players. Accordingly, readers of their reports would often find a game report elevating the importance of a few players' contributions at the expense of the real game stars.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>You see, many of the players on the team had earned a nice living for many years without making any significant contributions. When the coaches were making out the lineups, they spoke glibly of their long tenures on the team and told the coaches how great they were. These players knew they had never had to SHOW the coaches how great they were, but they had become very good at TELLING how great they were. Having a reporter parrot those tidings didn't hurt, either.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>One season (not so unlike some earlier seasons), some new reporters began to show up at the games. These new reporters had seen the game played, but never like it was played on this court. They began to report the games the way they were, and even asked the coaches to explain why this team played the game so differently from other teams.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>For the most part, the coaches couldn't answer the reporters. Some of the coaches were mystified. "Isn't this the way all teams play the game?" they asked. "Not hardly," said the reporters.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>With the coaches' attention diverted, the players ran the games, but each player had a different goal, and not enough of them had any interest in the team.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The coaches had named a team captain, but many of the players felt they were more deserving of the captaincy. As it turned out, the captain knew the game and played the game with more skill, more knowledge, and a greater sense of team than many of the players.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>When the captain had an open shot, he sank it more often than not. But the captain knew a one-person team couldn't win as many games as the captain knew the team was capable of winning. So he tried to get the team to play together.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>"No dice," said four of his teammates. When those recalcitrants were in the game, their resentment and envy of the captain's greater skill came out in spades. This "Gang of Four" made it their mission to stop the captain.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>One game, the captain tried to give these other players a chance to show their stuff. Instead of taking the shots, he would hold back. Instead of driving the lane, he'd hand off the ball and try to set a pick. That game went miserably. When the captain would toss the ball to an open player, the player would jerk his hands away and watch the ball sail out of bounds. Instead of an assist, the captain would be charged with a turnover. Instead of an easy basket, the team would have to retreat to defend its own basket.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>That wasn't always the case, since the team had enough players who understood the concept of team, and the captain led the team to many victories. But it wasn't easy.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>When the players's shoes wore out, the captain said "let's buy new shoes." The gang said no, but the players voted to do so anyway. So the gang stole the laces, and the team's next game was a disaster. They slipped and fell and dropped balls. The captain pointed out that the laces had been stolen, but the reporter who was a pal of the gang somehow left that out of his story.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The coaches, naturally, turned to the captain when they read about the game (that was one where the coaches were flirting with the cheerleaders instead of paying attention to the team). "Coaches," said the captain, "we played a pretty good game, but without shoelaces it was pretty rugged."</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The coaches said they weren't pleased with the ragged play. The gang piped up to point out that it was the captain's fault.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Game after game, it seemed, the gang found yet another way to sabotage play, and while the team continued to rack up wins, the quality of play suffered.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>The season is still ongoing. It remains to be seen what the coaches will do. But the fans are watching, and they're yelling at the coaches to pay attention.</em><br /><em></em><br />Tomorrow, we'll begin the retrospective as we wind up our affairs here at VH. We will maintain the archive, but beginning April 1, if all goes according to plan, VH takes its talents on to a larger stage. All that remains to close the deal is a slight wrinkle in the financial details. That should be settled sooner, rather than later. Thanks for reading and commenting all along the way.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1142692726210068062006-03-18T09:16:00.000-05:002006-03-18T09:39:34.320-05:00Seeking a Second SourceI, for one, am not prepared to accept the proposition put forward in today's Tribune that New Albany's downtown will "never again be the commercial center of Floyd County."<br /><br />However, revitalization awaits and the renaissance sputters in fits and starts. It is time for local government to put down its marker. With elections looming in the county this year, and the city next, voters should know where each relevant official and candidate stands on the issue of restoring downtown.<br /><br />One sign of sputter comes with the report that Main Street Grind's operations are grinding to a halt. The weekday beanery has long been a staple for downtown workers, but the years have taken their toll on the owners. I'd like to have confirmation of the report that MSG will close effective April 1. With the move of Pam's quilt shop on Pearl to a Charlestown Road location, and the failure of Bistro New Albany to open, the news is not good.<br /><br />Is there any question that a full commitment to downtown is needed now?All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1142642049039005942006-03-17T19:28:00.000-05:002006-03-17T19:34:09.273-05:00The Woman I Want to Work for MePlease, Lord, if you can arrange it, put me into the path of Holly Ralston Oyler so she can perform her wonders for me.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1142617904332275872006-03-17T12:51:00.000-05:002006-03-17T12:51:44.836-05:00Defining Ourselves<em><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>PUPA </strong>- The nonfeeding stage between the larva and adult in the metamorphosis of holometabolous insects, during which the larva typically undergoes complete transformation within a protective cocoon or hardened case.</span></em><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em><br />It seems that Volunteer Hoosier is in transition from pupa to lepidopterum.<br /><br />VH was never intended to be a daily newspaper. But sometimes we served that purpose.<br /><br />This Web log can't take the place of a community bulletin board, but we were often a preferred choice for getting announcements out.<br /><br />Likewise, VH is not a personal diary, a business marketing tool, a literary magazine, a humor site, nor a free-for-all chat room. Yet, these pages have, at times, simulated each of those.<br /><br />Whatever we have done on these pages, we must have done something right.<br /><br />But as time passes, it becomes clearer that the demands of our still-young business argue against trying to be all things to all people.<br /><br />The lack of posts over the last few weeks has an explanation. VH has been in talks with a leading, emerging branded media organization which I am still unable to publicly identify. Part of the process dictated that VH suspend its commentary until noon on Friday, March 17, 2006. That proscription has now expired and been replaced with a different arrangement.<br /><br />I have before me a letter of intent that outlines the terms and conditions of Volunteer Hoosier's merger with an online site that offers up political commentary, humor & satire, travel & leisure, literature, poetry, art, and a plethora of subjects. We are flattered to have been asked to shut down VH and become an editor with this admirable organization.<br /><br />Although the product will no longer be exclusively our own, we are convinced that we can bring an added element to our new online partner's site.<br /><br />One appealing aspect of this merger of interests is the opportunity to indulge in my own desire to dabble in short fiction. Under this new arrangement, you could be surprised at any time to find me writing speculative fiction.<br /><br />A closing date has been set for April 1. As I am able, I will share with you additional details. Thanks for reading over these past 18 months.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1140974742145661242006-02-26T12:03:00.000-05:002006-02-26T12:25:42.963-05:00What the Heck is Going On?We're completely covered with business and planning for a major author event. There's your explanation for my absence from the blogs. We certainly hope to resume with a regular schedule later in the season.<br /><br />--------------------------<br /><br />Pretty good news to report: Zesto's is open on Charlestown Road.<br /><br />--------------------------<br /><br />Great news to report: Ann and I are probably the last of our circle to dine in at La Rosita's. After work last evening, with much anticipation and not a little trepidation that they might have closed the kitchen, we made our visit. It is everything it was advertised to be.<br /><br />I tried the enchiladas verdes con pollo, after fighting with the spouse over who would order that. It was unique and unexpected. 5 enchiladas smothered in tomatillo sauce accompanied by refried beans (passable) and Mexican rice (passable), for $7.99. Most surprising was the swiftness of the service. In under an hour, we had been fed and treated to a wide-ranging discussion of dishes on the menu and off, business talk, personal histories, and future plans.<br /><br />We had the apparently rare opportunity to meet impresario Israel Lundin's impressive spouse, too.<br /><br />Ann had a grand quesadilla loca with mushrooms and chicken. I'll let her report on that.<br /><br />The salsas (four of them) were superb, but Israel reports that a plurality of diners are advocating for the menu to stay down at the low end of the Scovill Unit scale. That <em>can</em> be the kiss of death for a restaurant that caters to what its customers <em>say</em> they want. My opinion: a little more heat won't run anybody off.<br /><br />Instructive is Israel's experience with introducing <em>lengua</em> to the menu. He continues to offer samples, often presented as, in Israel's patois, <em>roastpork</em>. Customers rave, all the while protesting they could <em>never</em> eat tongue. But once sampled, the tongue becomes a favorite for most.<br /><br />Great stories, too. CFP is planning a fairly important event there on March 8 if everything falls into place, so I expect to range much deeper into the menu then.<br /><br />FYI, the dinner menu is still in flux, so the chalkboard and lunch menus serve as the only <em>carte du jour</em> for now.<br /><br />I'm eager to work my way through the menu. Like others before me, I'm curious as to just what a <em>pambazo</em> is, and will try that next, but not before trying the tamales de la casa.<br /><br />And unlike others, I won't just be crossing my fingers for their success. I'll actually go there, pay the eminently fair prices, and revel in the booming neighborhood success stories.<br /><br />La Rosita's is at 1515 E. Market St., just west of the tracks on eastbound Market Street. Traffic was lean after 9 p.m. last night, but from all reports that's usually not the case.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1140108280688409032006-02-16T11:33:00.000-05:002006-02-16T11:44:41.106-05:00BULLETIN: "The Gary" on the AgendaAlthough lobbying the city council on a zoning matter is technically verboten, you can be sure that at least one council member has had his ear bent by sprawlmeister Gary McCartin, the ambitious and self-assured developer who has already thrown down the gauntlet before council, asserting publicly that "New Albany can't stop me" from doing whatever (he) want(s) to do.<br /><br />Tonight, The Gary seeks to have the City Council override the decision/recommendation of the New Albany Plan Commission regarding the erection of a professional office complex at the northwest corner of Green Valley Road and Daisy Lane.<br /><br />For more coverage, see these earlier VH posts:<br /><br /><a href="http://volunteerhoosier.blogspot.com/2006/02/mccartin-strategy.html">The McCartin Strategy</a> from Feb. 3, 2006<br /><br /><a href="http://volunteerhoosier.blogspot.com/2006/01/thumb-noseyou-know-drill.html">Thumb, Nose...You Know the Drill</a> from Jan. 31, 2006All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1140096221720146852006-02-16T08:16:00.000-05:002006-02-16T08:23:42.516-05:00PubfusticationC-J Columnist Bob Hill provides today's gem, a followup to an earlier column. It's a bit academic in tone, but I believe it should be required reading for the discerning visitors to this blog.<br /><br />Here's a key passage: <em>One of these tendencies is termed "belief preservation," or the tendency to make evidence subservient to belief, rather than the other way around.</em><br /><br />That's a major distinctive one needs to keep in mind when reading the newspaper, watching a news show, or reading a blog. Seek out those who form their opinions from the evidence. That's good advice for you, too, Pandora.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060216/COLUMNISTS05/602160392/1057">Sharp readers share their views on critical thinking</a>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1139770584720605152006-02-12T13:43:00.000-05:002006-02-12T13:56:25.123-05:00Ten-Dollar Words: My Friend DiedIt's a sad day. My friend Bill Kenney died yesterday. The Big C went after him with a vengeance. I saw him three weeks ago and despite the metastasis and harrowing therapies, he said he felt surprisingly well.<br /><br />The written and spoken word was Bill's life, recreationally and professionally. That he spent one of his last good days in the bookstore is a blessing. <a href="http://egglestoniancreed.blogspot.com">The Egglestonian Creed</a> was his blog, and I've lifted one of his gems to reprint here today.<br /><br />So long, Bill. We will miss you.<br /><br />Sunday, April 24, 2005<br /><a name="111440490326099785"></a><br /><strong>Fat stuff</strong><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Juvenal said that it was impossible for him to observe life in Rome and not write satire. While I don't want to turn the Creed into a fat-rights blog and lack Juvenal's powers in any case, it's fairly difficult for me to observe the ubiquity of baryophobia and not comment on it. I recently encountered it in a surprising (to me) venue and equally recently noted it in an area where it had been present for years but has never been addressed.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">A little more than a year ago, at the request of a friend, I applied for membership in an organization which I will call Sempronius. Sempronius has some membership qualifications, similar in kind to those of Mensa, but it is a much smaller organization and is less commonly known. It has no meetings, all of its business being conducted online or through its journal.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I was accepted for membership and indeed contributed two articles to Sempronius' journal, one of which featured the picture of Paige and me playing rithmomachy (see December archives). Most of the action took place on its online mailing list, though, and I found myself receiving dozens of e-mails a day when I had previously not averaged more than two or three a week. Some of these were reprints of articles in the papers, and quite a few were tedious (and tendentious) defenses of materialistic monism, but several were of real interest and quality, and I took part in a few discussions.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Suddenly, in late February, my inbox was filled with denunciations of fat persons, along the lines of "Those blimps shouldn't be allowed to show their faces in public" and "I have to sit with them on Chicago trains, and I can't stand to look at their rear ends." Well, my rear end has graced, or possibly disgraced, the seat of a Chicago el train, and so has Meg's (definitely graced).</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I promptly responded to the most virulent of the posters, whom I will call John, asking whether Meg, an emergency-room nurse with more than a decade of stellar service who is also "overweight" by fashionable standards, should also cower in shame so that his fastidious psyche might not be traumatized, and advising him to cut the photograph out of the journal, since all 340 pounds of me were on blatant display. I also posted to the list, noting that I could get all the shame and contempt I wanted merely by turning on the TV or radio, and that I hardly needed to pay annual dues to anyone for further doses of them; and, furthermore, that there was no point in my continuing the "discussion," since anyone who believed me unfit to appear in public was highly unlikely to be impressed by any evidence or arguments I might offer. Therefore, I was resigning my membership in Sempronius.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">One of the officers, whom I will call Ted, responded by saying that I couldn't resign without writing a letter to the membership officer (who was in transit between residences and had no known mailing address) and asking me to remain in the organization, but discontinuing my access to the list. While this might seem reasonable, it was not balanced by discontinuing John's access, and he continued to post on the topic, as I discovered when John admitted as much in an e-mail to me expressing shock that I took the matter so personally (to which I replied simply by quoting his own posts and observing that the comments therein were not couched in the idiom of clinical discourse). When I questioned the asymmetry, especially since John had violated the list guidelines (made known to all members) by making personal attacks, Ted replied that John was not a Sempronian but a list member only -- he didn't get the journal and possibly didn't even qualify for membership. This was comforting insofar as it was now certain that his tender soul would not be seared by pictures of fat rithmomachy players, but disconcerting insofar as it now appeared that the interests of a qualified Sempronian who paid full dues had been sacrificed to those of a nonmember who did not.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I questioned this in a return e-mail to Ted, whereupon I was told that John's statements did not violate the guidelines since (a) Jews had also been attacked as a class and (b) I had not been mentioned by name.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Now, I don't consider myself PC at all. However, it's not PCness, but simple Aristotelian logic, that dictates that A and E propositions refer to all members of the subject class. If all humans are mortal, and Socrates is human, then Socrates is mortal. You can't argue that Socrates is immortal because the word "Socrates" doesn't appear in the major premise. Of course, any statement that "fat persons shouldn't show their faces" is a personal attack on Meg and me, regardless of whether we are named. (John may never have seen Meg. However, he had that photo and knew what I looked like.) I have no idea why I should meekly put up with such attacks, and I can't fathom what Jews have to do with the matter.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I had earlier pointed this out to John, and I mentioned it tonight to Ted, who is still trying to get me to rejoin (my membership had run out at the end of March, whether or not my resignation was valid). Since Ted is a law student, I put the argument in legal terms. Is it okay for me to commit murder because the statutes of Indiana make it illegal but do not specifically say that Bill Kenney may not commit it?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The real problem, though, as I told Ted in every e-mail, was that I had joined Sempronius in hopes of finding intelligent discussion, and had instead found the same vicious fat-hatred that I could find on five-sixths of the talk shows on TV. I had hoped that the filthy tide would not rise so high.This leads, more or less, to the other venue (I need to work on writing segues), since it also purports to be, and often is, highly intellectual discourse. I refer to historical writing about the Third Reich. While there is a folk (or filk?) rule that the first person who mentions Nazis loses the argument, I'm not making an argument but an observation, and it's not about Nazis but about writing about them -- or about one of them.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">It seems that authors cannot mention Hermann Goering three times without at least once identifying him as "fat" or "corpulent," as if there were a skinny Hermann Goering from whom he had to be distinguished. Nothing like this occurs when other Nazis are mentioned. Hitler's physique was far distant from that of the blond Nordics he believed to be alone worthy of power, but this contradiction is seldom mentioned and never reiterated. Himmler believed in the Welteislehre, a crank notion that the cosmos existed in a state of eternal struggle between fire and ice and that the Milky Way was a pile of gigantic blocks of ice, but his scientific ignorance is discussed only in essays specifically addressing science in Nazi Germany, not harped on every third time he is named. Goering himself was far more interested in looting the Louvre than in consuming the products of French restaurants, but he is not repeatedly referred to as an art thief. Why do we have to read over and over that Goering was fat? Isn't being a Nazi bad enough?</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Just wondering. . . </span>All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9214876.post-1139614629888279232006-02-10T18:29:00.000-05:002006-02-10T18:37:10.473-05:00Open Forum: The TribuneIt's going to be a long weekend for everybody, so let's open a thread. We've all been patient with The Tribune/Evening News over the past four months, and we have, for the most part, kept our opinions to ourselves.<br /><br />And although Mr. Tucker seems a touch ambivalent about candid appraisals, he does seem to be inviting comments. So, here's your chance. What do you want to see from The Tribune and the Evening News? Where have you seen improvement? etcetera, <em>etcetera</em>, <strong><em>etcetera</em></strong>.<br /><br />We'll take a look again on Monday morning.All4Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18343785191481335288noreply@blogger.com11