Urbanophile: "How big a boondoggle does a highway project have to be...?"

This bit of commentary comes from Southern Indiana native and well-recognized urban development consultant Aaron Renn, aka the Urbanophile, written soon after the latest bridges "deal" was announced. Offered as part of one of his Urbanoscope updates in January, it's worth a look for a quick, objective opinion from an experienced professional. Thanks to Save Louisville for pointing it out. Also worthy of review is Renn's previous, more in-depth support for 8664.

Ohio River Bridges Project Is Still a Boondoggle, by Aaron Renn, The Urbanophile.

Indiana and Kentucky have supposedly agreed on a plan to chop $500 million off the cost of the Ohio River Bridges Project in Louisville. Now the project will cost “only” $3.6 billion, or almost $3000 for every single man, woman, and child in the entire metro area – and a heckuva lot more than that once financing costs and user delay cost during two decades of construction are taken into account.

This project seems to be a quest for an answer to the question: How big a boondoggle does a highway project have to be before even the most fiscally conservative of politicians will go for a rethink? It’s amazing that leaders on both sides of the rivers continue to push for this plan that will be little more than a cash drain on the region. And a destructive one, obliterating a number of historic buildings in downtown Louisville and erecting an even more gigantic barrier across the riverfront.

There is a better way: 8664. This project will save a couple billion – and reconnect downtown Louisville with the river to boot. Much better, much much cheaper. What’s not to love? Go forward with the adjustment to move the pedestrian path the Big Four, then take the rest of the steps to make 8664 a reality.

By the way, the Star said this was a “Kentucky delegation” and didn’t mention any Southern Indiana representation. I noted one of the cost saving measures was downscoping the east end bridge. Did Kentucky pull a fast one on Mitch? The east end bridge goes through Louisville’s equivalent of Zionsville and the big money types there – who are hugely influential – have never and will never give up on cancelling that bridge outright or, failing that, reducing it as much as possible. This looks to me like Kentucky maneuvering for position moreso than cost savings. Watch out, Indiana.

Peering into Todd Blue's cranium.

The web site http://www.louisvilleky.com/ seems to be making strides toward justifying its "pulse of the city" claim. Lamb's account of an oligarch in waiting and his variable communication skills touches an appropriate note of Kurtz ... but I may be giving Blue too much credit.

Turning Blue – Todd Reminds Activists “People need to get a life.”, by Cindy Lamb

Trying to contact Todd Blue for a comment or suggest an interview has been difficult but not without it’s enlightening and frustrating moments over the past seven months. I’m trying to make sense from a volatile email I received a week ago from Cobalt Ventures CEO Todd Blue, so the following timeline leading to the outburst is hopefully therapeutic for this scribe.

Enforced? Where is this mysterious place?

It's Holland, Michigan.

My vacation: It only bothers you if you are one.

Just in case you care -- and it doesn't bother me one bit if you don't -- here's a handy compendium of our recently concluded road trip to the Great Taste of the Midwest (Madison, Wisconsin) and back. Above, I'm pictured laughing with Ted Miller, owner of Brugge Brasserie and president of the Brewers of Indiana Guild (photo credit).

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Thursday, August 11.

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Friday, August 12.

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Saturday, August 13 (GTMW)

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Sunday, August 14.

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Monday, August 15.

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Tuesday, August 16.

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Wednesday, August 17.

Great Taste Roadtrip 2011: Thursday, August 18.

New Albany First: Membership list and member information.

Here's the current membership list for New Albany First, the city's first ever grassroots organization devoted to small, local, independent business. More information is at the Facebook page.

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Antiques Attic - Katrina Jones, owner

145 East Market St. New Albany

812-941-0437

A two-floor private antiques and collectibles shop - owned and run by antique-aholics. New merchandise added weekly with great variety.

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EarthlyGoods.com and Mind's Eye Creative - Ann Streckfus and Stephen Brown, owners

620 East Main Street New Albany

812-944-3283

www.earthlygoods.com

www.mindseyecreative.com

EarthlyGoods.com sells eco-friendly ad specialty/promotional products, including personalized seed packets, seed paper and conventional items like pens, bags and other promotional products.

Mind's Eye Creative is a visual communications company specializing in branding graphic design of web sites, logos, print materials, advertisements, environmental graphics and packaging

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Earth Friends Cafe - Stacie Bale, owner

3211 Grant Line Road, Suite 3 New Albany

812-725-9393

www.earthfriendscafe.com

A locally owned cafe and coffee bar, specializing in organic, fair-trade, cruelty-free and eco-friendly products.

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River City Winery - Melissa Humphrey, owner

321 Pearl Street New Albany

812-945-9463

www.rivercitywinery.com

Produces award winning wines with a full menu including appetizers, salads, pastas and gourmet pizzas. Entertainment on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Kid friendly!

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Sew Fitting - Cisa Barry, owner

430 Pearl Street, Suite 2 New Albany

502-548-8733

www.sewfitting.com

Affordable alterations and custom creations for all your clothing needs.

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RE/MAX Advantage - Paul Kiger Realty Group

1420 East Market Street New Albany

502-314-6748

www.paulkigerrealtygroup.com

Real estate services in the southern Indiana and Metro Louisville area.

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New Albanian Brewing Company - Roger Baylor, Carnival Barker

3312 Plaza Drive New Albany

812-949-2804

www.newalbanian.com

Since 1987, New Albany's craft brewer with pizzeria and gastrobrewpub (Bank Street Brewhouse), providing great times and memories for the community.

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Schmitt Furniture Company, Inc. - Louis Schmitt, President

101 East Main Street New Albany

812-944-2285

www.schmittfurniture.com

Since 1936, we have continued the time-honored Schmitt family tradition of providing families in the Kentuckiana area with quality, affordable, brand name home furnishings supported by superior customer service. We continually strive to exceed our customer's expectations with total satisfaction being our number one goal.

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Able Alarm and Electronic Protection - Randy Blessinger, owner

PO Box 54 New Albany

812-948-2601

www.ablealarm.us

Able Alarm provides solutions for burglar alarm, fire alarm, gate control, cameras and access control.

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Faith, Ingle, Smith LLC - Brandon W. Smith, Managing Member

412 East Main Street New Albany

812-542-0048

www.faithinglesmith.com

Law firm focusing on injury law, criminal defense, family law, wills and estates.

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Big Value Advertising Services, Inc. - Pete Good, President and General Manager

1101 East Spring Street New Albany

812-948-8133

Advertising specialties, promotional advertising, printing, signs, flags and poles.
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Pacers and Racers, Inc. - Michael Stallings, President

3602 Northgate Court New Albany

812-948-7865

www.pacersandracers.com

"7-step" custom shoe fitting. Running, walking, casual, work, cross training and dress sshoes. A+ Better Business Bureau rating. Locally owned and operated.

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Destinations Booksellers - Randy Smith, owner

604 East Spring Street New Albany

812-944-5116

www.destinationsbooksellers.com

New books in all genres, plus textbook rentals and 24/7 online service.

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Coffee News - Stacy Marshall, publisher

P.O. Box 135 Greenville, IN

812-786-2224

www.coffeenewssunnyside.com

Coffee News is a free weekly publication delivered to restaurants, coffee shops and waiting areas. It has the week’s funniest and most unusual news stories, amazing facts, trivia, local events and more.

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Friends of New Albany First! -

Councilman Jack Messer

Carnegie Center for Art and History

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Individual Members -

Jessica Potish

Todd and Marsha Bailey

Jeff and Karen Gillenwater

Kate and Greg Caufield

Marcey Wisman

Andy and Sandra Terrell

Caption contest: OSIN's automotive pop-up ad.

If you save the background photo, the car dealership names disappear!

How should the caption read? We know who will win, which is why I'm no longer offering prizes, but just for the sport of it, here's mine:

"Piss on you -- I work for the Alabama State Retirement Fund."

The outrages of the Bridges Politburo.

I believe Steve Magruder has coined the perfect monicker for the entity previously known here as the Tolling Authority: The Bridges Politburo. His reasoning is impeccable, and has to do with Нада (nothing; zilch, zero), or in this case, an absence of genuine choice:

Thus the 'Politburo' moniker. With choices like Nada, Something Akin to Nada, and a still-too-big project with toll taxes, it's the Louisville transportation choice equivalent to a food market in the old Soviet Union.

I've been to food markets in the old USSR, and yes, that's it: Brown lettuce, pickled beets and Kerry Stemler atop the Robert Moses Mausoleum in a furry cap with a hip flask of vodka, It's such an obvious image that I'm surprised it didn't occur to any of us previously.

Steve has a lot to say about the Bridges Politburo's accumulated outrages, so head over to his place and read all about it: The Ongoing Shenanigans of the Bridges Politburo — Community Action Requested on New and Old Outrages, by Steve Magruder (Louisville History & Issues).

Merchant Mixer venue moved ... and I had the perfect parking place in mind.

It's Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m., with a change of venue.

Because of Prestons' sale, the Merchants Mixer scheduled for Tuesday morning at 8:30 will be moved to the Vintage Fire Museum location in the Coyle Chevrolet Building, 411 E. Spring St. Coffee will be on. Bring a food item to share if you care to, but that is not necessary. We will talk about recent developments downtown, flowers and beautification, signage on I-64 and in the city, empty buildings that are poorly maintained, one-way streets, and anything else on people's minds. AND YOU GET TO SEE THE AMAZING COLLECTION OF FIRE EQUIPMENT. Tours of the museum collection will be offered after the mixer.

Farmers market in Holland, Michigan on August 17, 2011.

Michele Bachmann: "A religious zealot whose brain is a raging electrical storm of divine visions and paranoid delusions."

After reading this article by Rolling Stone's masterful Matt Taibbi, I finally realized that Michele Bachmann has never been a member of the New Albany - Floyd County School Board.

Or has she?

Geez, it's getting really hard to tell the nutjobs without a scorecard. Could it be that New Albany's wonderfully delightful Open Air Museum of Ignorance, Superstition and Backwardness finally has gone national?

By the way, how'd you like that ice-cold Budweiser "down by the riverside" this weekend?

Michele Bachmann's Holy War, by Matt Taibbi (Rolling Stone)

... In modern American politics, being the right kind of ignorant and entertainingly crazy is like having a big right hand in boxing; you've always got a puncher's chance. And Bachmann is exactly the right kind of completely batshit crazy. Not medically crazy, not talking-to-herself-on-the-subway crazy, but grandiose crazy, late-stage Kim Jong-Il crazy — crazy in the sense that she's living completely inside her own mind, frenetically pacing the hallways of a vast sand castle she's built in there, unable to meaningfully communicate with the human beings on the other side of the moat, who are all presumed to be enemies.

Step One: The rag soaked with chloroform ...

According to Step Two of our action plan, State Representative Steve Stemler would awaken in a secret re-education center devoted to proponents of oligarch enrichment and bridge tolls, who somehow still insist on being called "Democrats" against all prevailing evidence.

Unfortunately, our own Doctor Wu decided that Rep. Stemler was too far gone to be helped, and so the rag soaked with chloroform was replaced with a regular old handkerchief.

Foiled again ...

It is difficult to imagine bicycles making Kentucky State Fair transport any less organized.

But seriously, folks, the management of the Kentucky State Fair barely handles the needs of automotive traffic, much less have scant brain cells left over for bicycles.

State Fair Bicycle Ban ‘UN-FAIR!’ Some call for boycott, Kirk Kandle (LouisvilleKY)

As a Bicycling for Louisville board member and a vocal advocate for active transportation such as cycling and walking, I find it amazing that I’m even writing the following post. Our city is at the bottom of the National Fitness Index. Our state is among the most obese in America. Yet, we go out of our way to keep people from becoming more active by limiting their transportation choices.

On Friday night, in addition to the usual bedlam, there were two big musical events at the KSF. We attended the Def Leppard show at Freedom Hall, which let out at about 11:45 p.m.

Attempting to backtrack along the shortest route possible to our far-off parking area behind the baseball stadium, we learned that the indoor fair exhibition areas were closed, making the skyway entry portal inaccessible.

Several hundred exiting concertgoers were told in cursory fashion that they'd have to fend for themselves, unless of course they chose to fight over the few available seats on "shuttles" -- wagons pulled by tractors piloted by veterans of the Spanish American War, moving toward the longest route possible to distant parking areas at speeds approaching 5 m.p.h.

Naturally, the mob veered left, entirely undirected by fair employees who weren't willing to leave the air-conditioning, and began the trail of tears the longest way around, past the animal sheds. Dodging traffic coming from all directions, our group of pedestrians made it back to the original parking area, where lines of autos were splayed in all directions with little assistance from a handful of traffic assistants who were completely overwhelmed by the long lines of cars.

Occasionally, police added to the fun by driving past sans evident purpose, hurriedly in route to somewhere else. It took almost an hour to complete the walk back, and to successfully exit the grounds onto Crittenden Drive.

Surveying the chaotic state of vehicular disorganization last evening, I'd say it's small wonder that smaller minds at the Kentucky State Fair are nonplussed by two-wheeled transport. They have bigger fish to fry, and lack two sticks to rub together for flame.

It's Holland, all right.

It's Holland ... Michigan.

The Lepps, or Confederate Railroad? Hmm, let's see ...

On the street in Madison, Wisconsin.

ON THE AVENUES: The usual suspects, and a future held hostage.

ON THE AVENUES: The usual suspects, and a future held hostage.

By ROGER BAYLOR
Local Columnist

Community Park Developers LLC’s plans would include the entire 18-acre tract. James L. Shireman, Larry Timperman and John W. Lopp make up Community Park Developers. The three propose that their development would create 520 jobs, provide about $100,000 in tax revenue for the county each year and as much as $1 million or more after all lots are sold.
-- News and Tribune

520 jobs at a strip mall, generating only $100,000?

Am I supposed to laugh, or cry?

Hello?

There are the times when you look at the acreage and occupants comprising the places where you live and work, and you say to yourself (but only after a snort of very strong drink): Seriously, the only thing that can possibly explain this degree of absurdity is an overall genetic deficiency.

Truly, it must be something in the water.

As my blogging colleague Bluegill noted yesterday, it’s the usual suspects, all the way across the board.

It’s the same so-called thinking downtown (River View, anyone?), as the same purported thinking along the Grant Line corridor, to the effect that the same exurban developers, and the same feather-bedded architects, make a proposal to the same tired political functionaries, the latter representing the same two clueless political power-sharers, and we decide, without voting, to chew up and spit out some of the last remaining green space inside the beltway for the same short-term development to benefit the same inveterate, eternal, close-minded small-timers as always.

Yes, there is another proposal on the table, and it would protect a portion of the open character of the land. Label me unimpressed, because two options are two options: Black, or white. This, or that. Democrat, or Republican. Does anyone have a bucket?

Moreover, given the almost laughable non-choice being offered, why am I the one declared “toxic” for asking questions like this one: Why can’t there be a third option that calls for leaving the space clean and green, at a time when we continue to battle the storm-water implications of rampant pavement?

Why must there be another parking lot?

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I believe that in large measure, the current New Albany-Floyd County Parks Board has the best interest of Floyd County’s park system in mind. I accept that high on its list of priorities is preserving the territorial integrity of the existing parks. When Scott Klink, the board’s president, and other correspondents say they do not favor yielding park lands to variously conjectured proposals for sale and development, I take their protestations at face value, even as I cock an eyebrow and wonder if a future Little League baseball complex is their ultimate goal for Community Park.

I like baseball, but doubt if that’s the answer, either.

But it is a measure of the suspicion and non-transparency enveloping this topic that in defense of its laudable goals, the Parks Board chose its own somewhat less than transparent strategy during the most recent state legislative session, by persuading State Representative Ed Clere to introduce a parks district law behind the backs of the city’s and county’s elected officials.

Such a district would take the county’s parks entirely out of the jurisdiction of elected officials, as well as provide funding from tax revenues outside the reach of their grasping hands.

And yet, the parks district surprise attack may have seemed like the only viable option available to the Parks Board, given persistent insinuations (some would say, “threats”) made by certain elected officials whose names begin with Ted to the effect that lacking the political courage to tax the populace, they’d happily develop parklands to resolve short-term funding problems.

When the county’s planner, Don Lopp, began running interference for his paymasters in recent comments right here at this blog, the course became considerably more obvious. I’d say Lopp’s circuitous logic surely outed the political Philistines in the county, except there was no need for outing; they’d have sold the Community Park frontage already if the recession hadn’t intervened, and have said so often enough.

We’d have another dollar store, another chain restaurant, and another flea market, sans any commensurate uptick in political courage on the part of our masters … except that they’re no masters of mine, and it saying so aloud makes me toxic, then so be it.

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In the end, amid the lies, threats and unreconstructed, pure dullness of the folks we’ve elected to chart the future, there finally is revealed an instance when Ed Clere might have been of some use to the citizenry.

Rather than same armchairs in the back room, he might have expended mere farthings of his voluminous political capital, gone to the residents of the county with the case for a “pledge” on the part of elected officials in New Albany and Floyd County, and made the case that “green” is a unifying theme.

Something like this:

“We recognize the value of green space, and will eschew short term gains by observing the long term benefits of our parks. The territorial integrity of the NA-FC parks system will be preserved, even as we seek to expand these boundaries.”

Or something like that. Alas, even if Rep. Clere had taken the high road, I can no easier imagine either Doug England or Ted Heavrin saying these words than I can picture me drinking an ice-cold Miller Lite.

The mayor would flip Valley View at the drop of a hat, and Heavrin, the county council president for life, reappointed to office after electoral defeat by a party hierarchy that lives in the 1940’s, would do the same with the Community Park frontage.

I don’t mind pointing it out: Damn, we’re dumbasses here in New Albany and Floyd County. It is really in the water, or is there something we can do about it?

Why doesn't Dave Matthews object to this degree of embarrassment?

Jump ball: Who can forget Trashy Women, anyway -- particularly when Jesus approves?

Straight up: The committee admittedly works hard to make the riverfront functional, but it takes three huge steps back for every small one gained by lurching forward with acts like Confederate Railroad, although at least there'll be plenty of ice cold swillwater for the night.

Verily: We cannot have a new political regime too soon. Get out your brooms, bring on the election, and let's just hope the Urban Enterprise Association survives until then.

Attribution: Develop (yee-haw) New Albany sent this notice to us.

Confederate Railroad in Concert Friday August 19th @ Amphitheater at 8pm

Confederate Railroad has had more than 20 of their singles on Billboard’s Country Charts with hits like ‘Queen of Memphis’ and ‘Daddy Never Was the Cadillac Kind’ and who can forget that country classic "Trashy Women". From rowdy country to raw emotion, a Confederate Railroad concert today covers a wide range of feelings. Young people will be there rocking to "Trashy Women", while their parents and even grandparents will likely be singing along to "Jesus and Mama".

Two new park proposals but a common theme.

Two pitches: one from a non-profit that would preserve some of the green space and the other from a developer that would install a strip center and other accoutrements of decay.

Design details are lacking in News and Tribune and Courier coverage thus far but I was struck by the inclusion of one particular name: Larry Timperman. Timperman is one the usual suspect architects hired for seemingly every public job in the area, including advising the County on the potential reuses of the annex building. End result? A proposal to make money for his own LLC.

Sound familiar? Sound like River View? Sound like every day in the open air museum?

It's time for the super self-interested to be identified as such rather than treated as allies to the public interest.

Candidates, are you listening?

Two submit proposals for New Albany's North Annex, by Chris Morris (News and Tribune).

Family Scholar House and Community Park Developers LLC both want to acquire all or part of the 18 acres surrounding the North Annex along Grant Line Road, which currently houses the Floyd County Youth Shelter.

It will be up to the Floyd County Commissioners and Floyd County Council to make the final decision.

Floyd County Planner Don Lopp presented the two proposals to the commissioners Tuesday evening. No action was taken and Mark Seabrook, president of the commissioners, said there would be public meetings before a decision was made.

Beyond the Bridges Project, Part 2.

If Kentuckiana ever decides to pursue transportation solutions, Streetfilms has done us a favor with its 10-part video series, "Moving Beyond the Automobile", which provides a primer on strategies implemented around the country and worldwide. We'll share a couple at a time, though any of them could act as antidote to the "our way is the only way" poison to which we've become so accustomed.





Beyond the Bridges Project, Part 1.

Now fear this: The chair's too big for the chair's feet to touch the ground.

What follows is a series of emails sent to party acolytes from Floyd County GOP Chairman Dave Matthews concerning opinion pieces published by the News and Tribune. A link to each piece is provided below his commentary on them. I wonder what must have happened to him earlier in life to lead to such grievous insecurities.

My fellow Republicans,
Please forgive me if I am about to do something that might annoy you. But, I am becoming so concerned about the blatant, ultra-liberal bias of our local paper that I am about ready to call us to action. I am going to send you three separate "opinion" columns that they have printed just recently. Please feel free to just delete each of these emails if it does not interest you. However, I wanted you to be aware of what is being printed in our local, predominantly conservative part of the State to maybe alarm you as well. It would not be inappropriate for you to send the editor, Shea Van Hoy, an email at his address: Shea.Vanhoy@newsandtribune.com. I am not necessarily encouraging anyone to terminate their subscription, although as little as ten cancellations would sound a very loud message.

I do not subscribe myself, so I would not feel right telling anyone what they should do about their subscriptions. I do watch this section of the Tribune every day on the internet and, as I have previously said, I am alarmed at so obvious an attempt to force a view that is so far left. The Courier Journal is already a lost cause....everyone knows that. I hate to see the Tribune go down the same path. Shea is the new editor, taking the place of Steve Kozarovich. At least Steve made attempts to try to achieve some sense of balance. It appears that may be all but totally gone now.

So, if you feel led, take a look at this email and the following two. They demonstrate views that should outrage us as conservatives. If you prefer not too, I won't be offended....just delete those emails. Hey, you can even email me back if you disagree with my point of view....I'm open to others' opinions. However, if you share my opinion about these, please consider what you might want to do to have your voice heard and to help our local press realize that they in no way represent the majority of readers in our community. I will also list the web site address where you can find the articles. If you go there, note the comments submitted by readers. Some of them will surprise you, several will make you mad and a few you will applaud. Maybe add a comment of your own. Thanks for considering this.....we want to help you keep informed and realize that the battle is right here in Floyd County....not just in Washington D.C.

God bless, Dave Matthews
Chairman, Floyd County Republican Party

HARBESON: The honor in war
........................

The second set of articles (yes, there are two of them) establish the agenda. As a society, it is not enough that the homosexual lifestyle is legislatively accepted. Now, the demand is that all in society must accept this type of lifestyle as just as normal and moral as the heterosexual lifestyle. A Biblical understanding of what God says about this particular immorality is not only criticized but is also called hateful, demeaning and socially unacceptable. Our beliefs and values are under attack.

These articles are perfect examples to look at on the website and see the long list of back and forth comments from the readers. I strongly encourage you to join in and make your opinions known. The "Left" is certainly screaming their opinions from the rooftops.

Dave

GESENHUES: Being gay isn’t wrong
NASH: Tolerance and understanding is common sense
........................

Third and final article from the Tribune. These two are actually letters to the editor. I hesitate to even add this to the list, primarily because it was directed at me. I also hesitated because Steve Fetter tends to come across as obtuse and hard to understand. After all, who would possibly use the fact that children might be unwanted as justification to support abortion. But here it is anyway.

I also add my response as a demonstration of how you can also send a letter to the editor (Shea.Vanhoy@newsandtribune.com) to get your opinion heard. I have often told people that we have more conservatives in this part of the country and State than liberals. The only problem is that the liberals are the ones screaming loudly, demanding that we agree with their philosophy and being published. The stakes are too high for us to stay silent. Let your voice be heard. Make sure the Tribune and Floyd County know that we care about moral, conservative views on these issues.

Thanks for considering this,
Dave Matthews
Chairman, Floyd County Republican Party

FETTER: Remember the unwanted children (letter to editor)
MATTHEWS: Party head responds to abortion letter (letter to editor)

Beyond the Bridges Project, Part 1.

If Kentuckiana ever decides to pursue transportation solutions, Streetfilms has done us a favor with its 10-part video series, "Moving Beyond the Automobile", which provides a primer on strategies implemented around the country and worldwide. We'll share a couple at a time, though any of them could act as antidote to the "our way is the only way" poison to which we've become so accustomed.

A crack in the shade: More Ohio River Bridges comments sought.

When the Bridges Authority sought input during a previous, federally mandated public comment period, it was perhaps less a question of what the public wanted and more a time to ponder (again) whether the Bridges Authority, elected officials, and other proponents of the project as proposed would actually listen.

I'm cautiously optimistic but, in response to the many prescient voices that have emerged from the trenches over the past few years, perhaps they're starting to do that. As Paul Fetter of No 2 Bridge Tolls said, "This has been a very long, tiring process, but as I look back, we have achieved many great accomplishments." That getting the requisite heavies to a point of at least considering genuine discourse has been so laborious isn't exactly a source of regional pride. The community strength developed through that labor, though, most certainly is.

Along those lines, more public comment is both requested and necessary.

Straight from the Ohio River Bridges Project:

The Ohio River Bridges Project is currently developing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. As part of this process, we are seeking comments on key documents being released Aug 10, 2011. One document explores the Range of Alternatives being considered, click here to view. The other compares the 2003 EIS Selected Alternative to the 2011 Modified Selected Alternative, click here to view. Public comments will be received through August 25 at 5 p.m. To submit comments via email, click here or send written comments to:

John Sacksteder
Community Transportation Solutions
305 N. Hurstbourne Parkway, Suite 100
Louisville, KY 40222

Important to note is a change in the descriptions of possible alternatives, even if they're not yet reflected in action.

6 Recommended Range of Alternatives

Based upon funds in the 2003 FEIS/ROD, preliminary studies and staff input, we propose considering the following range of alternatives in the SEIS

*No Build

*Selected Alternative (without Tolls) This alternative is the same as the Selected Alternative approved in the ROD; it does not include tolls. It is not a reasonable alternative because it is not financially feasible; it is being considered in the SEIS as a baseline for comparison with the proposed modifications to this alternative.

*All Alternatives Previously Evaluated in the 2003 FEIS The alternatives, considered in the 2003 FEIS and previously discussed in this document will be reevaluated to the extent necessary to determine if they warrant detailed study as viable alternatives.

*Modified Selected Alternative (with Tolls) This alternative would include many of the elements of the Selected Alternative, with tolls, but would also include reducing the Far East Bridge, and roadway, and evaluate design options to reduce the cost of constructing the east end tunnel; reconstruction of the Kennedy Interchange in Downtown Louisville in-place; and removing a pedestrian/bikeway facility from the Downtown Bridge.

After considering public and agency input on the alternatives presented above, all findings and the bases thereof will be presented in the Draft SEIS. Although TSM as a standalone alternative will not meet purpose and need, it will be evaluated in the Draft SEIS for further consideration a part of any selected alternative.

Have at it, and know that you're at least making it more difficult for narrow if well-connected interests to dictate the terms of debate. That's a step toward real discourse.

Still accurate after all these years (3).

Tony's Wisconsin-Indiana solidarity poster for the Great Taste of the Midwest, 2011.

Previously, I showed you NABC's advertisement in the 2011 Great Taste of the Midwest program. The poster pictured here will be on sale at our booth during the GTMW. I may have mistakenly advised Tony to change "New Albaniana" to "New Albania." Either way, it's fine. I now understand that while New Albania is the home of New Albanians, New Albaniana is the state-wide, Indiana-inflected version.

As opposed to "Hoosiercommosense," I'm guessing?

In his own words, Matt Nash explains his Friday column at OSIN.

This week MY FRIDAY COLUMN takes a look at the Amy Gesenhues column from July 20, 2010: BEING GAY ISN'T WRONG.

While I believe that Amy wrote a good column and I would not try to speak for her, I thought it was important to point out some of the hypocrisy in the comments from that column:

TOLERANCE AND UNDERSTANDING IS COMMON SENSE

Still accurate after all these years (2).

JAY-sus, can we please have leadership for 2011, not 1961?

Here's Floyd County Council retro pasha Ted Heavrin on the best future of the Annex, sidestepping yet again the possibility he most desires, that of chewing up and spitting out 18 acres of Community Park at the behest of the Philistines, because after all, why not let planner Don Lopp speak for the Council instead of the ones who for some unknown reason were elected to office?

"I’ve always talked about (how) that would make a great place for senior housing” or student housing because the site is directly across the street from Walmart and near movie theaters and other commercial development, Heavrin said.

Is it any wonder that local Republicans and Democrats are indistinguishable? Go and get your cleanest dirty barf bags, and read more of Harold Adams's article here.

ON THE AVENUES: There’s enough toxicity and naysaying to go around.

ON THE AVENUES: There’s enough toxicity and naysaying to go around.

By ROGER BAYLOR
Local Columnist

Let’s conjecture for a moment.

Early one morning, over inky espresso and delightfully smoky kippers, you delve with appropriate trepidation into the moldering remnants of the once mighty Louisville Courier-Journal, and soon find this quote in a Dale Moss column on downtown New Albany’s ongoing revitalization effort.

“We're just keeping the naysayers in check.”

All things considered, Dale’s article last week was appreciated. It offered a balanced perspective, with chosen interviewees expressing qualified positives, and also pointed to what remains to be done. Revitalization was characterized as fragile and only 50% complete, an assessment that might be overly optimistic.

But a full week later, I continue to be struck by the interviewee’s linkage of achievement with keeping “naysayers in check,” prompting me to consider exactly who the naysayers are in this context. There was a time when the identity of the naysayers seemed axiomatic to me.

To live in New Albany is to be compelled forever and always to look at positive developments with a shrug, knowing that local Limbaughs are praying for failure, and to listen to their self-flagellating admonitions of futility, powerlessness and begrudgery:

It just can’t be done here – and you’re a fool to even try.

Which ideas and activities do the naysayers advise us to shun? Virtually all of them, especially any that suggest a departure from established thought and practice, even if it can be demonstrated that the “way we’ve always done it” never worked.

I wrote these words in 2009, with the Potty Police, Citizens Faux Accountability and Freedom to Screech in mind, although similar sentiments would have been just as valid if expressed at any time since the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. When it comes to modern times, New Albany has been a world capital of naysaying since before times were modern.

---

All those wasted years! A city steadily denuded of youthful vigor, with creativity dipping toward a palpable nadir, and the extractive logic of the exurb at its zenith, opting for decay management as the political and cultural order of the day, as epitomized by the flight of the educated and the reign of the slumlord.

Lacking any constructive platform for reform, New Albany’s civic inferiority complex was stoked to fever pitch amid the anguished wails of those stuck irrevocably in the past, watching angrily as the modern world eroded their eternally unbuttressed claims of privilege, and defining themselves solely by their tax rates to the exclusion of any deeper conception of morality or citizenship.

Lately, I’ve found myself skipping through a looking glass, seemingly occupying space outside the ranks of two oppositional local worldviews. To illustrate this directional point with a spectrum, as opposed to speculum, consider a familiar national example.

Virtually all Republicans approaching life from the “right” (even if it seldom is) currently oppose Barack Obama in knee-jerk uniformity, although “goose-step” is a more accurate descriptor of their body language.

Meanwhile, Obama’s descent to the depths of the center has satisfied few and accomplished little, save for alienating the Democratic Party’s leftist cadres. Their annoyance with the POTUS can be termed as (loyal?) opposition from the left, although it is difficult to imagine them abandoning Obama entirely given the nature of the fascistic threat from the right.

---

In like fashion, the tendency of New Albany and Floyd County “conservative” right-wingers, including most Republicans as well as a majority of so-called Democrats, to support positions designed to starve civil/secular society until its emaciated frame can be drowned in Grover Norquist’s bathtub and replaced with patriotic superstition, all but ensures my consistent opposition from the left.

But merely opposing the right from the left does not situate me in the center. In recent months, I find myself well to the left of those nominally opposing the traditional rightist naysayers, with the predictable result of opprobrium being heaped squarely upon me.

In fact, some agitated observers have included me among the naysaying opposition when it comes to the holy crusade that is downtown revitalization, primarily owing to my genetic inability to slavishly adhere to their scriptural pablum.

Hence those strange charges of “toxicity,” and of letting the side down by asking far too many questions of the small cadre that fancies itself as leading the charge – but, you see, it is the very fact of this cadre’s small size, over-representation, aspirations toward monopolistic decision-making and periodic dullness of wit which makes my questions necessary.

Consider this: If I’m somehow naysaying from my isolated perch on the far left, how are we to characterize the bizarre pronouncements of right-leaning “centrist” councilman Bob Caesar? After all, when facing hard facts about the advantages of two-way traffic downtown, he accused me of anti-establishment tendencies (remember, we’re talking about traffic patterns, not marijuana legalization), and dismissed modernity with instinctive New Albanian disdain.

In other words, it (two way traffic) just can’t be done here – and I'm a fool to even try.

I’m told by certain youthful conciliators, whom I appreciate, that details do not matter, seeing as we’re all pursuing the same future goals, and yet for the skeptic in me, it is greater transparency, not less – it is more shareholders, not fewer – that produces confidence in the thematic togetherness being espoused.

I continue to believe that “we” can get it done, insofar as “we” is defined in as wide a participatory sense as possible. Conversely, supposedly shared goals are not being furthered by the emerging tendency to populate the darkened edifices of planning and decision-making with the very same people, again and again, over and over.

This is not the way to be inclusive, or to garner a multiplicity of viewpoints, or to ensure that new ways of thinking are brought to the table, and hence it hardly can be termed naysaying to point to it and ask: “Why?”

New Albany could be a veritable laboratory for out-of the-box, new ways of dealing with old problems, but one must break eggs to make omelets, and this seems abhorrent to the blindfolded centrists. It doesn’t surprise me to see the right’s selfish, tea party-besotted heels dug into the floodplain, but it’s tragic that others seem determined to emulate the right’s bad tactics to perpetuate the tiredness of their own outdated writ, and to discredit those who advocate a more dispersed method of calculating the city’s needs.

Maybe more people would become involved if they felt there was a chance of their voices being heard. As always, the solution is transparency, inclusivity and a willingness to shift a paradigm even if it gives the genuine naysayers heartburn.

Still accurate after all these years (1).

I'm sure it was an oversight.

It wasn't that long ago; I remember quite well when political pressure was exerted against the Urban Enterprise Association to tithe for various downtown beautification efforts, including at least one that necessitated planting seasonal flowers, not perennials, just in time for them to be trampled by Harvest Homecoming.

Fast forward a couple of years, and now there’s Keep New Albany Clean and Green, once a centerpiece of Irv Stumler’s ingloriously failed mayoral campaign, and now the city’s preferred extra-curricular means of collecting corporate grants and private donations to facilitate beautification.

It’s all well and good, although we’re still wondering precisely whose visions of beautification are being implemented, but perhaps at least the UEA is off the gardening hook, and will be allowed to go back to spending its budget for its own programs, rather than for superfluous outside requests (see "Dan Coffey is right: The UEA is not City Hall’s ATM" for further details).

Speaking of green, the Green Mouse says there’s something askew in these photos. One area was completed by the UEA prior to the advent of Clean and Green, which did the other.

Hint: Can you guess where the sign really should be, er, planted?

NABC's advertisement in the 2011 Great Taste of the Midwest program.

The Great Taste of the Midwest takes place on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, and once again NABC will represent Southern Indiana with our best beers and the ever-popular "These Machines Kill Fascists" wearables.

Britain: "Decades of individualism, competition and state-encouraged selfishness ... "

She's writing about London, not America ... right? After all, the richest Americans are better off than the poorest to a greater factor than 100, aren't they?

There is a context to London's riots that can't be ignored, by Nina Power (Guardian).

... Those condemning the events of the past couple of nights in north London and elsewhere would do well to take a step back and consider the bigger picture: a country in which the richest 10% are now 100 times better off than the poorest, where consumerism predicated on personal debt has been pushed for years as the solution to a faltering economy, and where, according to the OECD, social mobility is worse than any other developed country.

County planner asks: What are your thoughts on the Annex building's future?

In recent weeks, Don Lopp, the Director of Operations and County Planning in Floyd County, has twice joined the blog discussion about the future of Community Park and the North Annex.

July 31: Community Park, North Annex, development and the fog of political obfuscation.

July 15: "Is Floyd County seeking to develop up to 18 acres of Community Park?"
NAC appreciates his willingness to participate, and so I'm moving his most recent posting to the marquee in hopes of continuing the chat. First, I wrote this:

The Annex occupies a very small part of up to 18 acres. The very best idea for these acres is the only one I'm not hearing: Keep them green ... and that's a direct result of the Philistine proclivities of the dudes who sign Don's check.

Don's response:

I appreciate the forum and the response regarding the alternative of keeping the frontage entirely green. I would like to continue the dialogue if I could by asking your thoughts on the annex building. Thanks for the discussion.

Readers, what are your thoughts on the Annex building, and by extension, the topics considered in the ongoing Community Park thread?

Drinking and dining with the dead, courtesy of Gregg Seidl.

On Saturday night, we signed on with the nefarious local historian Gregg Seidl for his Drinking With the Dead Haunted History Tour. It was three and a half hours of great stories and Open Air fun, as accompanied by adult beverages at five downtown establishments. Gregg also offers Dining With the Dead Haunted History Tour, with the emphasis on a meal at Habana Blues. The two tours alternate on Saturdays through September 24, and complete details about each can be gleaned by following the highlighted links to Facebook.

"Jumpin' Punkins," by Duke Ellington.

The master version of "Jumpin' Punkins" is included in a 3-disc compilation, "The Blanton-Webster Band", which was released in 1990. I've owned it since around 1995, listening to it hundreds of times (again this morning), and still I hear new bits. The period was Duke Ellington's creative zenith, almost every song is essential, and I'll always look to music, art and literature for inspiration in the craft beer business.

Save the Dates: Midtown New Albany Music and Happenings.

(Submitted)

Tuesday, August 16, 6:30 p.m.
Walkability Assessment Presentation (in conjunction with Midtown Monthly Meeting). 1218 E Oak Street, Cardinal Ritter Birthplace. Click here to read more about it.

Wednesday, August 24, 7:00 p.m.
Midtown Music Series at Ritter Park. Spawn of Don will entertain with Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock selections at Ritter Park, corner of 13th & Culbertson Ave, New Albany. Click here to read more about it. FREE. Sponsored by St. John Presbyterian Church, New Directions Housing Corporation, and the Midtown Neighborhood Association.

Another two-way memo (on Market).

We were standing in front of Habana Blues last night at about 10:15 p.m., and Mrs. Confidential pointed to a State Trooper traveling eastbound on Market, waiting for the stop light to change. What neither of us saw until seconds later was the vehicle in the same lane as the State Trooper, approaching him from the other side of the light -- which is to say, going the wrong way on the one-way street.

Mayoral and council candidates, kindly take note: The one-way street grid needs to change, and now. Four years have been wasted. Can we just get this done, and help the urban core return to functioning as it was intended? Or, do we permit Bob Caesar to retain veto power over the 21st century?

"I'll look after us. I'll protect you."

"In Prague, at the outbreak of WWII, radio reporter Emil is married to Hana, a famous film star who is initially oblivious to the Nazi threat. Hana's Jewish heritage precipitates her fall from the height of her career to the bottom of the social ladder. In order to protect her, Emil compromises himself, collaborating with the new Nazi-controlled state radio station. Conditions worsen as restrictions on Jews are systematically increased, and the assassination of the Third Reich Deputy Protector brings their malingering marriage to a crisis, and Hana's fate closer to that of the other Jews around her."

OSIN screen capture mania: Just wait until the homophobes see this one.

As long as the gay singles don't do pop-up ads, we're golden, but will the homophobes stage a nice subscription-cancelling media event? Thanks to G for the submission.

Jeers for Islamophobes, homophobes and pop-up ads for car dealers.

I'm in agreement with this jeer, but how does one cancel a subscription anonymously? When I cancelled ours last week, I had to tell the helpful young lady exactly which street address to remove, which had the effect of giving away my identity. Of course, anonymity's always been a foreign concept for me.

Hmm, I wonder if the Islamophobe referenced here by editor Van Hoy was the same as one of the two homophobes (Saundra Bottom and Betty Robertson) who wrote letters on August 4 to advance the bizarre position that as Christians, they're actually the victims of persecution if they cannot use their religion to justify persecution and discrimination against others in this, a secular society.

Apparently it's peak season here in the Open Air Museum of Ignorance, Superstition and Backwardness. By the way, how'd you like that ice-cold Budweiser down by the river last night?

JEERS

... to the anonymous caller who apparently decided to cancel her subscription because of content on the Mini Page, of all pages.

A recent edition of that page — which is aimed at young children — contained a lesson on Islamic history and Ramadan. Taking “God out of everything” did not sit well with the reader.

God, Allah, Buddha, Flying Spaghetti Monster, insert your favorite deity here, nothing at all — it’s all fine by me.

— Editor Shea Van Hoy

Why the foot soldiers and not the generals?

Jeffersonville police busted a massage parlor last week, and five women were arrested for prostitution. Their mug shots appear on OSIN’s website.

Five women arrested for prostitution in Jeffersonville; Owners of ‘massage parlor’ may face charges, by Matt Thacker (News and Tribune)

The owners of the business, Ivan Deleon, 36, and his wife, Jeana Kaufman, 37, of Floyds Knobs, will likely face charges for promoting prostitution, according to police.

In the abstract, an in a declining nation like ours that prides itself on limitless capitalism, there is no compelling reason to care about buying and selling sex, except that in reality, there are considerable elements of coercion, exploitation, human trafficking, drug addiction and sheer desperation present in the majority of these transactions.

Given this, it troubles me that in the aftermath of the police raid, it is the five women whose faces appear in the paper, even though at the moment, they only have been charged with a crime, and not yet convicted of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the massage business’s owners (i.e, the pimps), while named, avoid the ignominy of being photographed and placed in the equivalent of the public stocks for derision by stone wielders eager to find the glass houses.

But this is sex in America, after all , and as has been the case over long centuries, the Puritan imperative foisted on humanity by religious monopolists must be appeased by blaming the victims. It disturbs me.

Nash: "A little bit of hodge podge."

From the controversy at 8th and Culbertson, to the future of the North Annex and Community Park's threatened green space, and back to State Street improvements, sans bike lanes ... Matt covers much ground in today's column, and ties it together in the end.

NASH: A little bit of hodge podge

One of the problems I have is that I may have an opinion on any number of topics every week, I just don’t always have enough to say about it that could fill an entire column. This is one of those weeks. Sometimes I hope by the end of the article that I can tie everything together but we’ll just see how it goes.

"None of these qualities that make me who I am, can be tested."

Indiana's state schools superintendent wants to start giving school districts letter grades on an A-to-F scale to hold them accountable for how their schools perform.
-- Courier-Journal, 8/5/11

ON THE AVENUES: For no reason at all?

ON THE AVENUES: For no reason at all?

By ROGER BAYLOR
Local Columnist

On August 4, 1914, Germany invaded Belgium.

Great Britain immediately declared war on Germany, and the unprecedented bloodletting began in earnest. In truth, it didn’t stop until the Balkan wars of the 1990’s, and as Greece prepares to take a step backward into lowered fiscal status as a Third World vassal state, we may yet see that it has not ceased, even today.

A century later, it all seems preordained, but we forget that amid an unholy flurry of secret treaties coming to deadly fruition in the aftermath of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s messy demise in Sarajevo, Europe’s prevailing warmongers retained a nagging fear: The continent’s socialists might actually make good on their “brotherhood of mankind” rhetoric, oppose mobilization, reject conflict, and require heightened internal warfare against the indigenous working class so as to conduct external warfare against neighboring countries.

But when the flags began waving, it was revealed that proponents of warfare’s healing, strengthening qualities needn’t have worried. All across Europe, instinctive tribal patriotism handily usurped the idealism of the Internationale. Factories, farms and offices were emptied of young men to serve as cannon fodder in a steadily escalating war of attrition, playing out over four long years as a collective cultural death wish.

When it was over, a generation had utterly disappeared, and in a chilling reminder of death’s leveling capacities, the ranks of the departed contained young men from the cream of society, as well as ones from its underbelly. Officers from wealthy and aristocratic families were killed as regularly as expendable proletarian foot soldiers. The opportunistic influenza pandemic following in the war’s wake claimed millions more non-combatants, who’d already been terrorized in a numbing precursor to the sins of Hitlerism and Stalinism to come.

---

I’ve written many times to express my personal revulsion with the impossibly brutal conflagration called the Great War by its participants, and World War I by those who survived its second, more extensive iteration. Author Adam Hochschild, whose earlier book, “King Leopold’s Ghost,” remains essential reading, misses no opportunities to express his own moral outrage in “To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918,” but Hochschild accepts a narrative task far more difficult than pointing to what we already know was rampant stupidity and abject horror.

Rather, the author charts the course of the relative few, primarily in Great Britain, who objected to the war at the same time it was being fought. In a super-charged atmosphere of violence, vengeance, and survival of the fittest gone amok, there were people who tried earnestly to talk sense.

That these principled objectors were hounded, infiltrated, persecuted, harassed, imprisoned and sometimes murdered should come as no surprise to us. Perhaps the biggest shock is how few they really were, and the depth of futility they experienced while being denounced and vilified by virtually all elements of both polite and scatological society.

However, the protestors drew representation from the full range of social strata. Some were committed labor activists from the shop floor, and others (most prominently, Bertrand Russell) patrician academics. Many were female, one of whom was a general’s sister. The women protestors were subject not only to the standard rejection of patriots, but prey also to the abuse of the millions of mothers who’d lost their sons in the trenches.

Of course, the veracity of the objection depends on how accurately the nature of the threat can be established. Once the war had begun, and especially when it became clear how destructive it was going to be, propaganda relentlessly fed mass hysteria: It’s our side, the defenders of civilization, against the sub-human animals on the other side, and whatever it takes – poison gas, tanks, planes, aerial bombardment, and the loss of thousands dead every day as calculated attrition – that’s what we all must do.

Moreover, anyone second-guessing the war’s conduct was worse than a coward and a traitor, because he or she actively dishonoring the nobility of the dead and cheapened their ultimate sacrifice in defense of the royal family, God, country and robber baron capitalism. As the cycle of barbarism escalated, it became ever more axiomatic that the only truly valid way to honor the dead, and to redeem their sacrifice, was to triumph in the end even if it meant fighting to the last man – literally.

---

Hochschild does not neglect the war’s proponents, among them Rudyard Kipling, arguably the most persistent and persuasive advocate of British imperialism, militarism and triumphalism. His son was lost in France, and as was common, the body was never found, and although Kipling’s stridency was muted to an extent, it was never subjected to rigorous self-examination.

“To End All Wars” is by turns infuriating and deeply depressing, and yet it is necessary. We simply mustn’t forget, lest these idiocies be repeated, and as I stand periodically before the vapidity of the soulless exurb and watch as the masses file like lemmings into the air-conditioned comfort of Wal-Mart, there is comfort to be derived from such knowledge, however limited it may currently be.

It remains true in the case of the Great War, although as a musical Briton of a later generation observed, “No one was saved” – not Liberia, which declared war on Germany on August 4, 1916, and not the defeated and shattered Habsburg empire, whose last remaining crown prince, Otto von Habsburg, died just weeks ago at the age of 98.

No one was saved, neither the flagrant apologist Kipling, nor the first war’s sparse objectors, several of whom later aligned themselves with Bolshevism and fell victim to the purges in the Soviet Union.

Did we learn anything?

Do we ever?

Midtown walkability assessment to be discussed on August 16.

The walkability assessment presentation is coming to a special meeting of the Midtown neighborhood association on August 16 at the Cardinal Ritter house, and you can click here for the link to a more detailed explanation. The assessment itself can be viewed and downloaded from a link on the Midtown website.

Moss: "Downtown New Albany on the path to renewal."

Last week, it was Dale Moss on Paul Kiger. This week, the C-J's columnist remains focused on New Albany.

Downtown New Albany on the path to renewal

Dave Thrasher, who has an art studio on Market Street, said the downtown momentum reflects growing appreciation for a simpler, throwback kind of life. “It's energizing, but it's fragile,” he said. “We're still a work in progress.”

It's a good piece, but I must observe that a completely empty Farmers Market pavilion is an odd choice for a photo with an article that specifically mentions the large crowds to be found there on market days.

Then again, the C-J is a shell of its former self. At least there wasn't a pop-up ad.

"Bombers to host two Fan Appreciation Nights."

We're approaching the end of the Prospect League season, and I believe the experiment with NABC beer at League Stadium for Dubois County Bombers home games has been successful. Let's hope we're able to do it again next season. Until then, if you haven't made the trip to Huntingburg, the next two nights are a fine opportunity to experience good baseball at low prices.

Bombers to host two Fan Appreciation Nights

Huntingburg, IN
August 3, 2011

The Dubois County Bombers return home tonight for a double-header against the Hannibal Cavemen beginning at 6:15 pm EDT. Tonight's affair is the first of two consecutive Fan Appreciation Nights at League Stadium. Ticket prices for tonight and Thursday's game will be reduced by $4 across the board with red seats on sale for $3.00, orange seats for $2.00, and general admission tickets will be just $1.00!

Thursday's game will be against the Nashville Outlaws and is set for a 7:15 pm EDT start.

There will be lots of fun and prizes these last two nights with season ending merchandise on sale. The beer is ice cold and the hot dogs are simply delicious! Don't miss out on all the fun and excitement at League Stadium these next two nights.

It's likely we're shooting fish in a barrel.

(Thanks to Wampla for the comment)

Earlier today, we considered the advent of Think Local Southern Indiana: I get no kick from champagne ...

At Facebook, in a major victory for non-deleted dialogue, I politely asked two questions and actually received two answers. Italics are mine.

Roger: Hi. Can you tell us whether this is a grassroots movement, and if not, reveal who or what is sponsoring this organization? Thanks!

Think Local Southern Indiana: Roger, this group is made up of representatives from several networking organizations in the Southern IN area, as well as local business owners.

Roger: Thank you. Is this the same concept being discussed by One Southern Indiana a while back? Can you provide the list of participating organizations? Thank you.

Think Local Southern Indiana: Yes, I believe it is likely the concept discussed by One Southern Indiana and they do have representatives on the committee. I have been participating for a few months b/c I lead the group Connect Clarksville. Other organizations involved... are Grow Jeffersonville, Develop NA, UPS Store, NuYale Cleaners, Insight Media etc. I know I am leaving some out....we will be posting a website soon which should also have info & businesses involved. ***IF you are involved and see this post, I didn't intentionally leave you out! Please feel free to add your name!!

Regular reader Wampla subsequently provided us with the fruits of cursory Internet research, which show just how "likely" the connection to One Southern Indiana really is.

About Us: THINKLOCALSOUTHERNINDIANA.COM

Registrant:
one southern indiana
4100 Charlestown
New albany, IN 47150
US

Domain Name: THINKLOCALSOUTHERNINDIANA.COM

Administrative Contact , Technical Contact :
one southern indiana
dawnb@1si.org
4100 Charlestown
New albany, IN 47150
US
Phone: 812-945-0266

Record expires on 20-Apr-2013
Record created on 20-Apr-2011
Database last updated on 20-Apr-2011

Wow. That's very likely, isn't it?

I get no kick from champagne ...

... but I'm always thrilled at exciting new concept launches that lead to blank web sites.

The blank page above comes to you from Think Local Southern Indiana, which is also on Facebook. Although we already know the answers, I've commenced asking the questions:

Hi. Can you tell us whether this is a grassroots movement, and if not, reveal who or what is sponsoring this organization? Thanks!

I'll take this opportunity to remind readers that to my knowledge, precisely one grassroots organization currently exists to bring together independent, small, local businesses in the city of New Albany, and unlike 1Si, New Albany First does not advocate oligarch enrichment policies (bridge tolls, exurban sprawl, et al) and pursue various other vapid appeasements that actually damage the very concept of thinking local.

New Albany First is on Facebook. I believe in it, and so should you.

In 1967, it was a "hot summer" in the GDR.

For more on cinema in the GDR: DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst - Cinema of East Germany

Return of the one-way caption contest!

What is Tiberius Severus Octavian Elagabalus Septimius Augustus Claudius Hadrian, the Protector of Pearl, Deliverer of all Downtown Datedness, Master of the Mercantile, and Guardian of the Gates, saying in this photo?

Autonomous visions experience unexpected Horseshoe board dissonance.

Non-transparent back room tactics succeeded in influencing the UEA's vote, albeit narrowly, but it would appear that that Horseshoe Foundation's board members didn't get the memo.

ON THE AVENUES: Brother, Can You Spare $12,500?

Clearly, the foundation board's balkiness is a rebuke to the executive director, who has taken the lead in negotiating this and other foundation commitments. All of it prompts a simple question, which I believe might already have been asked, although I cannot recall hearing the answer:

Why are we as a city constantly outsourcing ad hoc plans for historic preservation, downtown beautification and the use of the Riverfront Amphitheater to one vision (among many) to be funded by the Horseshoe Foundation?

Drive to save historic New Albany house slowed; Horseshoe board waiting on more detailed plan, by Daniel Suddeath (OSIN)

Jerry Finn, executive director of the Horseshoe Foundation of Floyd County, said an updated proposal will be brought to the board when it convenes Aug. 10 ...

... (Kevin) Zurschmiede said the Horseshoe board has not been involved in a restoration project such as what is being proposed before, and that it could lead to a situation where several organizations ask for money to rehabilitate dilapidated structures.