Thursday, March 02, 2017

Top Ten posts at NA Confidential for February, 2017.

The second-most-read post in NAC's 12-year history.

Thanks for reading NA Confidential, where we enjoy burrowing beneath the boilerplate headlines to offer unique local perspectives. February continued a recent trend in heightened readership, testifying to a keen interest in local stories, perhaps because they're being chronically under-served elsewhere.

The list begins with five "honorable mention" posts, before concluding with the Top Ten, escalating to No. 1. Stats are derived from Google's internal numbers listings.

FEBRUARY'S FIVE HONORABLE MENTION

383

ON THE AVENUES: A luxury-obsessed Jeff Gahan has packed a board and now seeks to break the New Albany Housing Authority. Can we impeach him yet?


Almost inevitably, Jeff Gahan intends to deal with this unquestionable need for affordable public housing by privatizing it, and just as inevitably, this privatization will occur not from any weighing of options or earnestness in community dialogue, both of which terrify the agoraphobic Gahan, but by virtue of the acreage where the NAHA’s concentrated housing currently lies.

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387

Gahan and Coffey Together Forever, Part 9: Dan Coffey is less than zero without Jeff Gahan actively enabling him -- again, again and again.


After nearly five minutes of deep reflection, following an afternoon spent feeling as though I might vomit at any moment -- such is the revulsion that the preceding chapters of New Albany's eternally recurring political "business as usual" have engendered -- I can think of no comprehensive way of summarizing the sheer toxicity of the twenty-year partnership between the faux urbanist mayor and coiled copperhead councilman, save for this Harvey "Two Face" Dent view from the Batman comics.

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387

Down with the Courier-Journal's blue-bag-recycling-hypocrisy. Fact is, it's litter.


Free speech my ass: The Courier-Journal can spin this any way it likes, but it's litter, plain and simple. Why do we allow representatives of the newspaper to trash the city? I'm not sure, but perhaps the city council's forthcoming litter ordinance will take this into consideration.

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394

"Intersectionality means showing up even when the issues don't affect us directly. Stay awake and stay active."


"I want my friends to understand that "staying out of politics" or being "sick of politics" is privilege in action. Your privilege allows you to live a non-political existence. Your wealth, your race, your abilities or your gender allows you to live a life in which you likely will not be a target of bigotry, attacks, deportation, or genocide. You don't want to get political, you don't want to fight because your life and safety are not at stake."

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403

ON THE AVENUES: A stern-side view of Gravity Head, nineteen times over.


It’s just another beer fest, and yet it’s more, and decidedly unique. From the very start, when it was decided to have a second Gravity Head in 2000, no one had any idea what the “proper” way of running a beer festival was supposed to be. Conventional wisdom completely eluded us, for which I remain grateful.

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426

Hit and run.


Apparently the driver met the street lamp pole with enough velocity to bend it, but the vehicle remained sufficiently serviceable enough to flee the scene.

FEBRUARY'S TOP TEN

431

ON THE AVENUES: I'd stop drinking, but I'm no quitter.


I drink very differently now than before, and far less overall, but drinking's still a conscious lifestyle choice. So it goes.

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432

Urban Bread Company's New Albany location will open on Valentine's Day (February 14), with Match Cigar Bar to follow.


The C-J's Madeleine Winer has more on Urban Bread Company and stablemate Match Cigar Bar New Albany, which will be sharing space at 145, 147 and 151 E. Main Street.

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445

"It's not about immigrants, it's about ideas."


Sam Harris, Bill Maher and a bit of thought provocation on Super Bore Sunday.

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446

Gahan's Grab: Yes, principled Democratic positions on public housing actually DO exist, and here's one of them. But first, some Kool Aid!


Toward this end Gahan has waged cold war against the New Albany Housing Authority, packed the weakened NAHA's board with sycophants, and hired top-dollar consultants from afar to lubricate the gears of his power (and land) grab.

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477

If you support the Women's Recovery Center (The Breakaway) at 1514 E. Spring, please e-mail Mr. Padgett and let him know.


"I am a New Albany resident or business owner in favor of the plan to open a Women’s Recovery Center at 1514 E. Spring Street. It will provide housing and a structured program that is based upon the successful program at The Bliss House, which is a mission of Center For Lay Ministries to facilitate the recovery from addiction for up to twenty two women at a time (maximum occupancy)."

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477

Into the Ohio River Greenway construction zone for photos and ruminations.


Noticing all the trees removed so as to correspond with (a) inevitable federal mandates and (b) the local desire to implement what amounts to a "luxury" shared use path, I couldn't help thinking about all the places I've bicycled in Europe where the objectives were safety, connectability and usability without bells and whistles.

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504

An on-line petition for The Breakaway (Recovery Home for Women).


There is now an on-line petition, if you wish to register support.

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526

There has been a fire this morning at the Breakwater luxury apartments. No injuries, and I swear it wasn't me.


What we know is that the fire started in the unoccupied building under construction on the 4th Street side, the mayor himself was lured from the bunker to monitor the response, and no one was injured.

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673

Gahan and Coffey Together Forever, Part 4: The new conjoined councilmen are Coffey and Gahan (17 January 2009).


We'll see about that, but in the meantime, remember: Jeff Gahan has a plan, and as part of the plan, Gahan would like us to believe that Coffey is best suited to lead the city council. Think about that. Don't forget it. Does judgment get any worse than this? Plain and simple, Gahan currently is an accessory to what happened Thursday night, both at the meeting and after it.

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706

The Breakwater fire: Luckily there were no injuries, but are we REALLY sure the deity favors subsidized luxury?


But it might have been far worse. We're all grateful that the building had no residents, and as usual in these cases, our first responders deserve comprehensive kudos. Fire fighters were on the job yesterday at 5:00 a.m. on a windy and cold day. They were joined by compatriots from Jeffersonville, Clarksville and Georgetown, and some of them probably are still there more than 24 hours later.

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6,078

In a disgusting sign of the times, white supremacists have landed in New Albany.


On Saturday morning, I saw one of these sheets stuck to David Thrasher's alley art between Spring and Market. Briefly contemplating my traditional free speecherism, I removed it and deposited in the nearest dumpster. Even if racists and white supremacists weren't repulsive, it remains that illegal signs are tantamount to garbage, so by definition, these sheets are garbage.

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