Winks and nods to LEO’s Fat Lip blog for pointing the way to this illuminating piece at The Huffington Post, which includes video.
Jon Stewart, Mike Huckabee Clash Over Gay Marriage
Fat Lip hooked me with a reference to Stewart as, “the modern-day Mencken.”
Now that’s credibility.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Open thread: What are your (local) predictions for 2009?
Earlier in the week, we considered 2008:
Open thread: What are the local stories of the year?
Today, as reader Daniel Short helpfully suggested and I promised, here’s your chance to get all Nostradamus-on-us.
To set the table, here are a few random predictions from the senior editor.
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City council president Jeff Gahan will relinquish his chair to Dan “Wizard of Westside” Coffey, whose shameless charm offensive in the waning months of 2008 finally bears fruit. As always, Coffey will accomplish little of substance, although he’ll be in a position to be louder about it than usual, and he’ll draw slightly more attention to himself, which of course is the real aim.
Having swapped seats, Gahan and Coffey will continue to be joined at the hip when it comes to their shared legislative imperative of defecating on the Constitution, v.v. a continuing unwillingness to redistrict. Coffey will toss the senior editor from at least one council meeting. Gahan, with one eye on the cash-engorged sewer utility and the other on the mayor, will just pretend NAC doesn't exist.
Former council presidents will remain challenged by epistemology.
Business owners within spitting distance of the new YMCA will begin to have minor epiphanies, realizing at long last that their neglected buildings suffer by comparison to the gleaming new downtown magnet, and concluding that they should uncover their windows, improve their facades, get a grip, and grab a seat on the train.
Of all the local restaurants, La Rosita will continue to enjoy the most success. Because people return to dine again and again, and because these same people tell all their friends in at least a hundred mile radius, Chef Israel and the family expands the operation.
Local McCain voters will continue to deny that race had anything to do with it.
After the budget crisis makes privatization of both police and fire departments inevitable, citizens are compelled to contract with a profusion of private companies for protection, leading to a nationally reported incident in which two private fire brigades arrive at the same burning house, are unable to decide which has jurisdiction, and eventually break into a fist fight which cannot be broken up because no one can decide which police department to call for assistance.
Attorney John Kraft, called upon to defend speeding tickets, zoning regulations, porno shops, sellers of novelty lighters, and random murder charges, responds to each with the same plea: Innocent, since all laws are unconstitutional, and can’t be enforced in New Albany without terminal hypocrisy.
Accordingly, city attorney Shane Gibson resolves to examine one ordinance per week in a desperate search to locate a single one that is deemed enforceable according to the Constitution and prevailing political will. At the year’s end, Gibson will have researched 52 ordinances and found precisely none that pass muster.
The city council will add another 52 unenforceable ordinances, and council president Coffey will demand to know why no action has been taken on any of them. His ensuing resolution will be tabled owing to an absence of information.
To assuage the criticism of taxpayer advocates like Gonepostalman, councilman Steve Price will introduce legislation requiring that all elected officials take a vow of poverty, limit themselves to 1,200 calories a day, rely on faith healing to avoid expensive health insurance, swap their cell phones for smoke signals, and begin patching their undies rather than buy new ones. The ordinance will pass.
Believing he's still in office, Larry Kochert will abstain and blame the county council.
The ordinance will not be enforced.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
A musical interlude with The Who.
My old pal Mark phoned from Maine earlier tonight to let me know that December 11, 2008, is the 40th anniversary of the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, originally a concert staged and filmed in London, but unreleased until 1996.
Legend has it that Mick Jagger was both disappointed in his own group’s performance and awed by the set played by The Who, and as a result, he withheld the show from public view for a quarter century. This may or may not be true. However, it is undeniable that The Who in its original incarnation was seldom better than here.
The song is “A Quick One,” which was Pete Townshend’s initial attempt to write an extended thematic piece made up of shorter segments. Roger Daltrey sings, and the irreplaceable rhythm section of John Entwistle (bass) and the beloved Keith Moon (drums) raises the roof. Moon the Loon has been dead for 30 years. It simply doesn't seem right.
How much does the senior editor appreciate YouTube? Enjoy.
Legend has it that Mick Jagger was both disappointed in his own group’s performance and awed by the set played by The Who, and as a result, he withheld the show from public view for a quarter century. This may or may not be true. However, it is undeniable that The Who in its original incarnation was seldom better than here.
The song is “A Quick One,” which was Pete Townshend’s initial attempt to write an extended thematic piece made up of shorter segments. Roger Daltrey sings, and the irreplaceable rhythm section of John Entwistle (bass) and the beloved Keith Moon (drums) raises the roof. Moon the Loon has been dead for 30 years. It simply doesn't seem right.
How much does the senior editor appreciate YouTube? Enjoy.
Meg Ryan plays the part of the chiropractor's trade association ...
... and Larry McAllister just diddles about.
I suppose we should be happy it's Meg Ryan, and not Professor Erika.
References:
Proposed income tax dies in Floyd; County Council fails to call it up for vote, by Harold Adams (Courier-Journal).
The world turned upside down, but life goes on within the confines of the Open Air Museum (NAC).
I suppose we should be happy it's Meg Ryan, and not Professor Erika.
References:
Proposed income tax dies in Floyd; County Council fails to call it up for vote, by Harold Adams (Courier-Journal).
The world turned upside down, but life goes on within the confines of the Open Air Museum (NAC).
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Will the proposed Grant Line Road detour be more or less safe than Baghdad?
Granted, I’m biased. While supportive of the plan to improve Grant Line Road and hurdle the railroad with an overpass, I know that the work is going to be highly disruptive to the businesses in my neighborhood, including my own.
Pay close attention to the proposed detour route described in the article.
Not only will the Plaza Drive detour route result in incessant, bumper to bumper traffic on a street unsuited to serve as an artery, and by doing so cut off the area parking for offices and retail establishments like mine, but it’s also slated to run right through an apartment complex. Will there be signals and crosswalks on Plaza Drive to help keep pedestrians from being auto fodder?
I'm not asking for policemen, mind you. Steve Price has already ruled that manpower out.
Noting that the detour route is the city’s call, and not the state’s, can we respectfully ask: How safe is this going to be?
Pay close attention to the proposed detour route described in the article.
New Albany businesses wait for answers on overpass project along Grant Line Road, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune).
... For businesses that will stay open, there is the question of revenue loss during construction. Federal law does not require payment to establishments for business deprivation.
While the city and state ironed out a detour route that still depends on property acquisition, many businesses stand to lose revenue in the project’s wake because of difficult accessibility.
The likely detour will be from University Woods Drive to Plaza Drive to Unruh Court to McDonald Lane, if property can be purchased in order to build an access road connecting Plaza and Unruh.
The city is handling the right-of-way purchases for the access road and detour route.
The state’s official detour route will be to take Interstate 265 to Interstate 64, and then connect back with Ind. 111.
INDOT wants to have the project finished in one construction season, weather permitting.
Not only will the Plaza Drive detour route result in incessant, bumper to bumper traffic on a street unsuited to serve as an artery, and by doing so cut off the area parking for offices and retail establishments like mine, but it’s also slated to run right through an apartment complex. Will there be signals and crosswalks on Plaza Drive to help keep pedestrians from being auto fodder?
I'm not asking for policemen, mind you. Steve Price has already ruled that manpower out.
Noting that the detour route is the city’s call, and not the state’s, can we respectfully ask: How safe is this going to be?
Open thread: What are the local stories of the year?
The following is a non-comprehensive, off-the-cuff listing of big stories in New Albany during the past year. I intentionally avoided combing the archives, so feel free to offer your own, along with comments and discussion.
What have I missed?
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Council president Gahan commandeers the body’s troglodyte faction to urinate on redistricting and the U.S. Constitution.
YMCA opens to rave reviews and flagrant (but typical) Kocherto-Schmidtian hypocrisy.
A Chicago newspaper helpfully outs a New Albany racist, inspiring other local racists to side with Kentucky in opting for John McCain, while Barack Obama captures both Indiana and the presidency.
Greenway work and downtown beautification make things look better even if too many windows remain covered in buildings owned by people who know better.
Veteran Indiana representative Bill Cochran is defeated by political newcomer Ed Clere with the help of a controversial ad campaign.
In rare legislative triumph, New Albany’s city council unites to ban novelty lighters for fear that one might be lit near a meth lab.
Developers continue to show interest in downtown despite a bad economy and the best efforts of Dan Coffey to scare them away.
Hurricanes and earthquakes added to the usual local weather threats of flooding and tornadoes, as global warming continues to be a myth among non-readers.
With dozens of pressing matters left unexamined, the city council wastes an entire month enacting an indoor smoking ban that bitterly divides an already dysfunctional city, and is eventually vetoed by Mayor Doug England.
Third district uncouncilman Steve Price declares Grandma’s cookie jar to be empty, flies white flag, and advocates a mix of wood shavings and potato peelings as a viable coffee substitute.
Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaign in New Albany, and as opposed to the time that George W. Bush came to town, One Southern Indiana refrains from choosing sides.
Classy II Horseshoes titty bar embarrasses the mayor and exposes city’s non-enforcement regime to renewed public scrutiny, while the city attorney continues to search for one enforceable statute among the thousands in the book.
Accordingly, slumlords yawn more loudly than usual as code enforcement continues to languish on the eternal backburner at City Hall.
What have I missed?
---
Council president Gahan commandeers the body’s troglodyte faction to urinate on redistricting and the U.S. Constitution.
YMCA opens to rave reviews and flagrant (but typical) Kocherto-Schmidtian hypocrisy.
A Chicago newspaper helpfully outs a New Albany racist, inspiring other local racists to side with Kentucky in opting for John McCain, while Barack Obama captures both Indiana and the presidency.
Greenway work and downtown beautification make things look better even if too many windows remain covered in buildings owned by people who know better.
Veteran Indiana representative Bill Cochran is defeated by political newcomer Ed Clere with the help of a controversial ad campaign.
In rare legislative triumph, New Albany’s city council unites to ban novelty lighters for fear that one might be lit near a meth lab.
Developers continue to show interest in downtown despite a bad economy and the best efforts of Dan Coffey to scare them away.
Hurricanes and earthquakes added to the usual local weather threats of flooding and tornadoes, as global warming continues to be a myth among non-readers.
With dozens of pressing matters left unexamined, the city council wastes an entire month enacting an indoor smoking ban that bitterly divides an already dysfunctional city, and is eventually vetoed by Mayor Doug England.
Third district uncouncilman Steve Price declares Grandma’s cookie jar to be empty, flies white flag, and advocates a mix of wood shavings and potato peelings as a viable coffee substitute.
Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton campaign in New Albany, and as opposed to the time that George W. Bush came to town, One Southern Indiana refrains from choosing sides.
Classy II Horseshoes titty bar embarrasses the mayor and exposes city’s non-enforcement regime to renewed public scrutiny, while the city attorney continues to search for one enforceable statute among the thousands in the book.
Accordingly, slumlords yawn more loudly than usual as code enforcement continues to languish on the eternal backburner at City Hall.
Monday, December 08, 2008
New Tribune guest columnist in January.
Last Friday afternoon I met with Steve Kozarovich, publisher of the New Albany Tribune, and agreed to write a 900-word column on a weekly basis, beginning Thursday, January 8, and running on Thursdays thereafter. It is a (modest) for-pay gig, joining paid columns I write biweekly for LEO and quarterly for Food and Dining magazine.
This announcement is provided as a courtesy to the publisher, who now has the opportunity to begin fielding complaints before the column actually appears.
The column will be of general interest, including beer, travel, local events, and plenty of atheistic, progressive, left-wing rabble rousing. It seems the advent of Barack Obama is the perfect time to torment the local yokels in such a fashion. If there aren't periodic letters of outrage emanating from Greenville and Dewey Heights, then I'll not have been doing my job.
I've been writing as much as possible lately, both here and at my other blogs. Part of the reason is the possibility of the column assignment. It's like going into training and building up seldom-used muscles for the task ahead, and similar to spending a year learning to communicate with bankers and others whose dialects are unfamiliar.
After all, there's still a brewery to build. More on that later in the week.
To know me well is to know that the art of communicating through the written word is dear to my heart, and throughout my life, the ability to write has constituted perhaps my most fundamental link to the world outside my consciousness.
There have been written successes and disappointments along the way, but the compulsion has become far clearer to me this past year, as I've actively engaged my upbringing and can see now that my commitment to education and knowledge was a reaction to a blue-collar father whose ability to express emotion was limited primarily to anger and annoyance. My way of rebelling was to become good at the things he wasn't (writing is one) while remaining true to the indignation.
I laughed while writing that, by the way. Like my father before me, expressing irritation has never been a problem for me.
During what has amounted to a professional career in beer, I may have become infamous in other fields, yet writing remains the prime defense mechanisms of choice, and a means of articulating and explaining myself when the spoken word fails.
And, while there has been a love-hate relationship with myself and the newspaper these many years, I can state without hesitation that had the Tribune not improved recently, I wouldn't even consider doing this.
Wish me luck. More importantly, wish me improved work habits. I'm going to need them. When the columns begin flowing, I'll come up with a way to link or reprint them here or elsewhere. Also note that your ideas are appreciated. Ideas hatched here are fair game for exploration and improvisation at newspaper column length.
It's going to be fun.
This announcement is provided as a courtesy to the publisher, who now has the opportunity to begin fielding complaints before the column actually appears.
The column will be of general interest, including beer, travel, local events, and plenty of atheistic, progressive, left-wing rabble rousing. It seems the advent of Barack Obama is the perfect time to torment the local yokels in such a fashion. If there aren't periodic letters of outrage emanating from Greenville and Dewey Heights, then I'll not have been doing my job.
I've been writing as much as possible lately, both here and at my other blogs. Part of the reason is the possibility of the column assignment. It's like going into training and building up seldom-used muscles for the task ahead, and similar to spending a year learning to communicate with bankers and others whose dialects are unfamiliar.
After all, there's still a brewery to build. More on that later in the week.
To know me well is to know that the art of communicating through the written word is dear to my heart, and throughout my life, the ability to write has constituted perhaps my most fundamental link to the world outside my consciousness.
There have been written successes and disappointments along the way, but the compulsion has become far clearer to me this past year, as I've actively engaged my upbringing and can see now that my commitment to education and knowledge was a reaction to a blue-collar father whose ability to express emotion was limited primarily to anger and annoyance. My way of rebelling was to become good at the things he wasn't (writing is one) while remaining true to the indignation.
I laughed while writing that, by the way. Like my father before me, expressing irritation has never been a problem for me.
During what has amounted to a professional career in beer, I may have become infamous in other fields, yet writing remains the prime defense mechanisms of choice, and a means of articulating and explaining myself when the spoken word fails.
And, while there has been a love-hate relationship with myself and the newspaper these many years, I can state without hesitation that had the Tribune not improved recently, I wouldn't even consider doing this.
Wish me luck. More importantly, wish me improved work habits. I'm going to need them. When the columns begin flowing, I'll come up with a way to link or reprint them here or elsewhere. Also note that your ideas are appreciated. Ideas hatched here are fair game for exploration and improvisation at newspaper column length.
It's going to be fun.
The world turned upside down, but life goes on within the confines of the Open Air Museum.
Just in time for Christmas, Erika’s come tumbling out of the closet, and has at long last become non-pseudonymous.
Stop making it personal? Okay, but back at Freedom to Screech, it’s troglodyte business as usual as the postal man gets personal with the city council.
I'm trying to recall if I've ever included the cost of my health insurance as part of wages and salary when compiling the annual tax form. Anyway, Erika spells her contributing postal man’s name wrong: It’s Roudenbush, not Rodenbush.
Heck, what's a little "u" between accomplices?
Speaking of "u", as in u-turn, none of the raging LOITophobia matters, because the county council’s president and resident contortionist has reversed field so many times that the chiropractor’s organization has emitted a collective orgasm.
Meanwhile, some people believe that the only constant is change. Those people don't live in the Open Air Museum, do they?
DENHART: Vote ‘No’ on LOIT tax, by Vicki Denhart, Local Guest Columnist (Tribune).
I am writing in response to Detective Paul M. Haub’s article on Nov. 21. First of all, no one in our city is against the police and fire department. Some city and county employees need to stop making this a personal issue.
Stop making it personal? Okay, but back at Freedom to Screech, it’s troglodyte business as usual as the postal man gets personal with the city council.
TAXPAYER FIGHTING BACK....
This year the City Council gives itself a huge raise.
I'm trying to recall if I've ever included the cost of my health insurance as part of wages and salary when compiling the annual tax form. Anyway, Erika spells her contributing postal man’s name wrong: It’s Roudenbush, not Rodenbush.
Heck, what's a little "u" between accomplices?
Speaking of "u", as in u-turn, none of the raging LOITophobia matters, because the county council’s president and resident contortionist has reversed field so many times that the chiropractor’s organization has emitted a collective orgasm.
LOIT looks like dead issue, by Chris Morris (Tribune).Whoa ... let's stop and count the votes before anything drastic occurs.
“I’m telling people I’m voting no,” said council President Larry McAllister, who voted for the tax last month.
Meanwhile, some people believe that the only constant is change. Those people don't live in the Open Air Museum, do they?
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Upcoming events at Connor's Place.
Straight from Dave Himmel's command center, here are a few of the upcoming events at Connor’s Place in downtown New Albany, where two of NABC's beers customarily are on tap. The pub is located at 134 East Market in downtown New Albany. If you haven't seen Dave's remodeled new digs, come and take a look. It's comfortable and convenient to other downtown spots.
Wednesday, December 10
World Class Beverages Holiday Beer Tasting
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, December 12
Live music: Da Mudcats
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Friday, December 19
Rib Tip Dinner, featuring Rib Tip Tony
Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 20
Live music: Da Mudcats
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Friday, December 26
Live music: Louisville Blues
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Wednesday, December 10
World Class Beverages Holiday Beer Tasting
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Friday, December 12
Live music: Da Mudcats
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Friday, December 19
Rib Tip Dinner, featuring Rib Tip Tony
Starts at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 20
Live music: Da Mudcats
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
Friday, December 26
Live music: Louisville Blues
8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
The eternal Trabant.
Trabants are back in the news, at least in these three articles in the New York Times.Where Have the Trabis Gone?
A People’s Car as Flawed as the People’s Paradise
A Red Menace That You Can Drive Yourself
HOW many workers did it take to build a Trabant? Two — one to fold and one to paste.
How do you double the value of a Trabant? Fill its gas tank.
How do you measure a Trabant’s acceleration? With a diary.
East Germany's infamous Trabant was a cuddly bundle of rough-hewn metal and socialist asbestos powered by the equivalent of a two-stroke lawn mower engine, for which creative types could fashion replacement parts from discarded tin foil and baling twine in the absence of auto care superstores.
Lest we forget, Reagan asked Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, but it was opportunistic Ossies piloting their Trabants across the porous Hungarian border in the summer of 1989 that finally did the trick.
Check out this clip: 1960’s-era Trabant advertisement at YouTube.
Also: Everyday Life with the Trabant.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
The 2nd Annual 8664 Forum is on Wednesday, December 10.
The 2nd Annual 8664 Forum, a free event, takes place next week. I spoke with Tyler Allen yesterday, and with luck, the New Albanian Brewing Company will be one of the forum's sonsors.
---
8664 Forum
Muhammad Ali Center,
144 North 6th Street
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
5:30 p.m.: Reception
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Presentation and Q&A
Featured speakers include:
Cary Moon, Director
People's Waterfront Coalition
Seattle, Washington
John Norquist, President
CNU.org
Former Mayor of Milwaukee, WI
Please RSVP TODAY!
---
8664 Forum
Muhammad Ali Center,
144 North 6th Street
Wednesday, December 10th, 2008
5:30 p.m.: Reception
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.: Presentation and Q&A
Featured speakers include:
Cary Moon, Director
People's Waterfront Coalition
Seattle, Washington
John Norquist, President
CNU.org
Former Mayor of Milwaukee, WI
Please RSVP TODAY!
Friday, December 05, 2008
Open thread: Can you name one?
Yesterday's posting, "By request: Further non-boring discussion about strippers.", generated only a few responses, but two were especially pithy.
Quoting the Tribune's news story, B.W. Smith wrote:
The reader identifying the most enforced ordinances gets to remain in New Albany for another year.
Second place: That's two years, of course.
Quoting the Tribune's news story, B.W. Smith wrote:
"City Attorney Shane Gibson does know about it, but said the standing (adult entertainment) ordinance would likely fail in court if the city attempts to enforce it …"An excellent question, and promptly followed by an even better one from na girl:
The City doesn't attempt to enforce anything, so why even go through the academic exercise of evaluating the ordinance?
Does anyone know of any city ordinance that is actually enforced?Indeed. There's bound to be at least one, right? Can you think of any?
The reader identifying the most enforced ordinances gets to remain in New Albany for another year.
Second place: That's two years, of course.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
By request: Further non-boring discussion about strippers.
Yesterday, almost two weeks after NAC broke the II Horseshoes strip club story and examined the contents of the seven-year-old ordinance that supposedly regulates economic development of this sordid variety, the Tribune provided City Hall with a de facto forum to declare its impotence when it comes to enforcement of its own laws.
Is there a type of Viagra to assist in this sort of dysfunction? Stupid question, I suppose, considering that we wouldn't be able to afford it even if Steve Price didn't vote against it.
When your civic motto is, “we can’t,” it makes perfect sense for common councilmen to write an unenforceable, perhaps unconstitutional law, then for all to obliviously sit tight for as long as it takes for an enterprising individual or company to learn that it’s little more than shadow puppetry, and to violate it with impunity.
To do otherwise would come dangerously close to the quality widely known as “pro-active,” which was banned from the city limits of the Open Air Museum at some point prior to the Civil War. The disgraced Millard Fillmore may have had some role in it ... or was that Aaron Burr?
What has yet to be explained in this latest sad episode of jaw-dropping municipal flaccidity is how the II Horseshoes case came to land atop the city attorney’s desk in the first place.
Understanding that no one wants to make this point aloud, but persisting in the belief that transparency in the best policy in the arena of governance -- especially coming from an administration that the author supports -- permit me to note that until this chronology is explicated, there remains the appearance that the longtime friendship and political alliance between Mayor England and the club’s ownership had something to do with the ordinance’s vetting prior to any effort at compliance.
There’s probably nothing to it, right? But for the sake of honesty and communication, wouldn’t it be better to acknowledge the awkward nature of the situation, and aggressively head off the criticism rather than permit blogs and the local newspaper to expose it for you?
Pro-active. Transparent. Communicative.
Is it really something in the water hereabouts that suppresses the gag reflex at times like this?
---
Previously at NAC:
Did he do it? Can they do it? Do it to us one more time?
Live adult entertainment ordinance: The words stir passions, but is foreplay enough?
Is there a type of Viagra to assist in this sort of dysfunction? Stupid question, I suppose, considering that we wouldn't be able to afford it even if Steve Price didn't vote against it.
Attorney Gibson’s reasoning is impeccable within the constraining framework of the city’s traditional mantra of despair in the face of heavy lifting.Strip club doesn’t meet New Albany city ordinance, by Daniel Suddeath.
… (New Albany City Councilman Dan) Coffey figured he would know about II Horseshoes Gentleman’s Club, which opened two weeks ago at 1720 Old River Road, since a 2001 ordinance passed by the council
requires adult entertainment clubs to pay heavy fees to locate in the city.
“Something like this doesn’t happen without somebody knowing about it,” he said.
City Attorney Shane Gibson does know about it, but said the standing ordinance would likely fail in court if the city attempts to enforce it …
… Gibson said the ordinance was patterned after laws from other cities. The only problem is many of those cities have lost court cases trying to
uphold those measures, according to Gibson.
“I think most people who would look at the ordinance would say it clearly restricts freedom of speech,” Gibson said, adding he consulted other legal experts about the ordinance before deciding not to pursue the fees from II Horseshoes.
Gibson believes there are 10 areas in the ordinance that wouldn’t be upheld by courts. He said in tough economic times for the city, risking losing money in a shaky legal case wouldn’t be wise.
When your civic motto is, “we can’t,” it makes perfect sense for common councilmen to write an unenforceable, perhaps unconstitutional law, then for all to obliviously sit tight for as long as it takes for an enterprising individual or company to learn that it’s little more than shadow puppetry, and to violate it with impunity.
To do otherwise would come dangerously close to the quality widely known as “pro-active,” which was banned from the city limits of the Open Air Museum at some point prior to the Civil War. The disgraced Millard Fillmore may have had some role in it ... or was that Aaron Burr?
What has yet to be explained in this latest sad episode of jaw-dropping municipal flaccidity is how the II Horseshoes case came to land atop the city attorney’s desk in the first place.
Understanding that no one wants to make this point aloud, but persisting in the belief that transparency in the best policy in the arena of governance -- especially coming from an administration that the author supports -- permit me to note that until this chronology is explicated, there remains the appearance that the longtime friendship and political alliance between Mayor England and the club’s ownership had something to do with the ordinance’s vetting prior to any effort at compliance.
There’s probably nothing to it, right? But for the sake of honesty and communication, wouldn’t it be better to acknowledge the awkward nature of the situation, and aggressively head off the criticism rather than permit blogs and the local newspaper to expose it for you?
Pro-active. Transparent. Communicative.
Is it really something in the water hereabouts that suppresses the gag reflex at times like this?
---
Previously at NAC:
Did he do it? Can they do it? Do it to us one more time?
Live adult entertainment ordinance: The words stir passions, but is foreplay enough?
More on the C-J's layoffs from LEO's Stephen George.
LEO’s Stephen George considers the week’s layoffs at the Courier-Journal, and provides much needed context in the newspaper’s continual decline during the Gannett era.
Buddy saw this coming some years back, so it isn’t as if he re-enters the job market entirely unprepared. He recalls the very first company meeting under Gannett control, circa 1986, and the new management’s response when asked how to pronounce the name: “Gan-NET – as in NET profit.”
The thing that struck me while reading the timely coverage of the layoffs provided by the The ‘Ville Voice blog was the sheer number of comments from people doing a Hitlerian victory jig because the accursed left-wing liberal newspaper finally is sinking beneath the waves.
That’s profoundly odd, if not entirely unexpected given the propensities of the region. After all, most of what Gannett has done in its two-decade-long clearchanneling of the C-J has been for the benefit of the fascist fringe's carnivorous demand to be spoonfed material that reinforces preconceived superstitions and bile, not news in any sense of journalism.
If anything, my complaint would be that the C-J’s not been liberal enough since, say, 1985.
Then again, I'm an atheist, and not to be trusted.
Guillotine day at the C-JAs Bluegill previously noted, Floyd County beat reporter Dick Kaukas is numbered among the voluntary layoffs. I learned yesterday that another of them is my old friend, high school classmate and former Public House bartender Buddy Sandbach, who departs the newspaper with just under 30 years of service. He gets a half-year's pay a benefits in return for cleaning out his desk.
My fundamental antipathy to Gannett notwithstanding — from USA Today to the C-J and its ancillaries, this company has perpetrated some unspeakable atrocities on the Fourth Estate — I really do feel bad about this, not only because some good people will lose their jobs, but because a dying newspaper suggests so many bad things for a city.
Buddy saw this coming some years back, so it isn’t as if he re-enters the job market entirely unprepared. He recalls the very first company meeting under Gannett control, circa 1986, and the new management’s response when asked how to pronounce the name: “Gan-NET – as in NET profit.”
The thing that struck me while reading the timely coverage of the layoffs provided by the The ‘Ville Voice blog was the sheer number of comments from people doing a Hitlerian victory jig because the accursed left-wing liberal newspaper finally is sinking beneath the waves.
That’s profoundly odd, if not entirely unexpected given the propensities of the region. After all, most of what Gannett has done in its two-decade-long clearchanneling of the C-J has been for the benefit of the fascist fringe's carnivorous demand to be spoonfed material that reinforces preconceived superstitions and bile, not news in any sense of journalism.
If anything, my complaint would be that the C-J’s not been liberal enough since, say, 1985.
Then again, I'm an atheist, and not to be trusted.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
No Scrooge Zone: Food and clothing drive at NABC, Saturday, December 6.
NABC's inaugural holiday food and clothing drive takes place this Saturday (December 6) from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Prost special events wing.We'll be accepting clothing, toys, canned goods, and winter coats, with proceeds to benefit Wayside Christian Mission and other local charities, including Haven House.
(Thanks to CM Steve Price for convincing me that a cash donation to Haven House is a good idea.)
There'll also be live music in an "open mic" format -- just bring an instrument, show up and jam with us to raise money, clothing, food, and awareness. Specific invitations have been extended to some of NABC's musical friends, but there are no limitations, and the more playing, the merrier.
A silent auction is being assembled, with items to include breweriana from (among others) the archival NABC collection and World Class Beverages via our ever industrious rep, Tisha Dean. There'll also be gift baskets (one from Huber Winery already is in place) and area gift certificates.
Contact John or Reva for more info.
Dare WE loiter on LOIT? (Part 2).
Previously, and including a lengthy discussion: Dare WE loiter on LOIT? (Part 1).
To continue the discussion concerning the Local Option Income Tax (LOIT), I’d like to address the if’s, how’s & why’s of the benefits for the citizens of New Albany/Floyd County.
Having just completed the 2009 budget process for the city, which left us all spitting cotton and wondering whether or not there’ll be any point in calling 911 next year, the Safety Tax portion of the option seems to be a no-brainer.
But then one has to have ‘em in order to use ‘em.
For three years or longer both police & fire departments have been attempting to hold the line with less live bodies than recommended by any study I’ve seen to date. Yet the selfsame councilmen who readily pass along complaints from their constituents about the lack of protection & service are just as quick to target those departments as the prime culprits of wasted tax dollars.
“Park the cars!” “Take away their cell-phones!” “Cut out overtime!” “Put off maintenance!” All of these and more are the constant battle cry of those who at the same time demand and expect an immediate response to a need, be it real or perceived.
The local newspapers have run several articles during the last several days depicting views from various individuals on both sides of this issue.
FOP President and New Albany Police Detective Paul Haub presented what I thought was a good argument for passing the LOIT based on the ever increasing crime rate in our city.
Floyd County Republican Party Chairman Dave Matthews followed with an admonition that local government needs to trim even more from their budgets.
NAFC Chief, Matt Juliot expressed his concern about providing the quality of service that we’ve all come to expect from our fire department with no funds in his 2008 budget for overtime.
Then, to further confuse the argument, an article in Sunday’s Courier-Journal reports that the Indiana legislators are split on whether to make Their Man Mitch’s property tax cuts permanent, or take a “wait & see” position.
So, from the feedback I’ve gotten so far, the choice locally seems to be rolling the dice and taking our chances.
I’ll grant that’s the politically safe thing to do and I suppose that’s OK as long as it’s an acceptable risk that one's house doesn’t catch fire, one's family isn’t burglarized, or one's grandmother doesn’t need an ambulance or other services.
The question becomes: Now that the citizens have more money in their pockets, do our local leaders have the intestinal fortitude to pass the insurance policy (LOIT) that the state provided, or are they going to gamble our safety and security in hopes of a vote come next election?
Is it really a wise decision to "wait & see" how many homes get broken into or burned to the ground, or worse yet, how many helpless citizens die waiting or an ambulance to arrive?
The stuffed shirts in Indianapolis may be quite willing to take that risk.
I hope our local leaders have more concern for us than that.
To continue the discussion concerning the Local Option Income Tax (LOIT), I’d like to address the if’s, how’s & why’s of the benefits for the citizens of New Albany/Floyd County.
Having just completed the 2009 budget process for the city, which left us all spitting cotton and wondering whether or not there’ll be any point in calling 911 next year, the Safety Tax portion of the option seems to be a no-brainer.
But then one has to have ‘em in order to use ‘em.
For three years or longer both police & fire departments have been attempting to hold the line with less live bodies than recommended by any study I’ve seen to date. Yet the selfsame councilmen who readily pass along complaints from their constituents about the lack of protection & service are just as quick to target those departments as the prime culprits of wasted tax dollars.
“Park the cars!” “Take away their cell-phones!” “Cut out overtime!” “Put off maintenance!” All of these and more are the constant battle cry of those who at the same time demand and expect an immediate response to a need, be it real or perceived.
The local newspapers have run several articles during the last several days depicting views from various individuals on both sides of this issue.
FOP President and New Albany Police Detective Paul Haub presented what I thought was a good argument for passing the LOIT based on the ever increasing crime rate in our city.
Floyd County Republican Party Chairman Dave Matthews followed with an admonition that local government needs to trim even more from their budgets.
NAFC Chief, Matt Juliot expressed his concern about providing the quality of service that we’ve all come to expect from our fire department with no funds in his 2008 budget for overtime.
Then, to further confuse the argument, an article in Sunday’s Courier-Journal reports that the Indiana legislators are split on whether to make Their Man Mitch’s property tax cuts permanent, or take a “wait & see” position.
So, from the feedback I’ve gotten so far, the choice locally seems to be rolling the dice and taking our chances.
I’ll grant that’s the politically safe thing to do and I suppose that’s OK as long as it’s an acceptable risk that one's house doesn’t catch fire, one's family isn’t burglarized, or one's grandmother doesn’t need an ambulance or other services.
The question becomes: Now that the citizens have more money in their pockets, do our local leaders have the intestinal fortitude to pass the insurance policy (LOIT) that the state provided, or are they going to gamble our safety and security in hopes of a vote come next election?
Is it really a wise decision to "wait & see" how many homes get broken into or burned to the ground, or worse yet, how many helpless citizens die waiting or an ambulance to arrive?
The stuffed shirts in Indianapolis may be quite willing to take that risk.
I hope our local leaders have more concern for us than that.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Kaukas leaving the C-J
The 'Ville Voice is reporting that the C-J's Dick Kaukas is one of several of the paper's employees to accept a buyout offer as Gannett's effort to relieve itself of actual news reporting duties continues. Byron Crawford's gone, too, as 10% reductions come to a head today.
As more names of the soon-to-be unemployed are released, those of us who remember the NAC early days when Ben Hershberg used to call King Larry for his take on meetings that neither he nor Kochert attended and act as if was journalism will be anxiously awaiting news of who might pick up Dick's New Albany beat.
I was just getting to know him a little, but Dick impressed me as a solid guy. He'll be missed.
As more names of the soon-to-be unemployed are released, those of us who remember the NAC early days when Ben Hershberg used to call King Larry for his take on meetings that neither he nor Kochert attended and act as if was journalism will be anxiously awaiting news of who might pick up Dick's New Albany beat.
I was just getting to know him a little, but Dick impressed me as a solid guy. He'll be missed.
"Pole Dancing at the Homeless Shelter", and other songs of unintended mirth from the Same Song Singer.
I strolled into last evening’s council meeting just in time for the commencement of the public hearing on A-08-19, an ordinance to set salaries for elected officials.
Settling into the creaky metal chairs that we can’t afford to replace, I listened as Gonepostalman launched into pointed criticism of what sounded to me like an optional program of healthcare benefits available to local elected officials.
The decrepit sound system crackled.
In the speaker’s eyes, this option amounts to a 180% raise if exercised – something positively scandalous in a country where people like the Gonepostalman customarily resist the siren's call of universal health care like that widely enjoyed in functional countries they loath for not being as American as we are.
Of all people, it was none other than Dan Coffey who effectively lanced the boil by asking the U.S. government’s taxpayer-sponsored snail mail delivery technician to describe the history of his own pay raises and benefits, but not before Steve Price served notice that if a shameless Checkers speech was good enough for Tricky Dicky, it’s good enough for the downtrodden constituents that CM Price drives (not walks) constantly on his own gasoline dime to visit, drink Folger’s, and assure that their prospects won’t be permitted to improve on his watch.
CM Price noted that alas, he was one of the council members who had signed up for the health care bonanza, not for himself, mind you, but after friends phoned him anonymously late at night and said that some doctorin’ now and then might be good for his daughter … and now that Gonepostalman had rightly pointed out the error of his ways, a contrite Price could see that thinking about his family was selfish.
“I put her before the common good of the city of New Albany, and that was wrong,” said Price.
Instinctively, I reached for my hankie … to wipe the shit off my shoes.
Put 'em to work breaking up rocks.
As C-J reporter Dick Kaukas informs us, the council approved a $25,000 tithe to Jeffersonville’s Haven House homeless shelter, primarily as a conscience-salving means of avoiding a comprehensive consideration of New Albany’s own problem with homelessness, and yet, as Price noted during an interminable, pre-schoolmasterly grilling of Haven House director Barb Anderson, it isn’t that most of those homeless people really want to work, anyway, something Price gleaned from his personal experience with a deadbeat rental property resident who stiffed the councilman and fled to the shelter at his first opportunity, presumably exhausted by daily mandatory Dave Ramsey recitations.
Remarkably, the primary rationale for Price’s hectoring of Anderson was revealed to be “red flags” raised by mysterious (different) callers phoning the councilman to complain about Haven House’s management, while refusing to come on down to the council chambers and put their comments on the record, with not even a Nixonian doctored transcript as proof of their existence.
The Haven House debate continued, with Coffey forcefully upholding the need to fund help for the homeless, and suddenly the gallery gasped as Price made another shocking revelation.
Who told you THAT?
Not only would there be no overtime for firefighters and a potential City-County Building rent snafu, but all of it had come to him “ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPER,” not via more obvious and conventional methods like his person being seated twice monthly on a council that deliberates on such matters in spite of never receiving information that isn’t passed on to them by cub reporters and red-flag-wielding chatters.
Don’t touch that rotary dial, folks … there’s more.
Outgunned, and with most of his ammo actually cheap Wal-Mart blanks, Price adeptly reversed field and decided to feign some measure of concern about the homeless, extemporaneously offering his venerable, three-minute old personal plan for the city to do something positive about the problem of people who refuse to work.
(a) House them in the Tabernacle building on 4th, presumably because its engaging patio-style rooflessness would simulate natural conditions out on the street, or …
(b) House them at the Rustic Frog/II Horseshoes, since to do so would be an improvement on the go-go dancers there now, and with an added benefit of the homeless being housed out of view by the floodplain, where they would be invisible to taxpaying citizens disturbed by their shiftlessness.
Perhaps the owners of the property will give it to the city.
Believe it or not, but it wasn’t over yet.
Having approved the Haven House funding resolution by a count of 8-1 (guess who), and with little further debate in the offing on the first reading of the salary ordinance, the increasingly apocalyptic (not to mention apoplectic) Price threw a final gem of observation into the recessionary gloom pervading the vicinity of Dewey Heights.
How bad is it, Steve?
Well, it’s so bad that the uncouncilman personally knows of people who’ve been forced to dispense with cable television to make ends meet.
The soiled hankie was of no further use, so I buried my head in my raggedy sweatshirt. The humanity … the humanity … hmm ...
Wonder if they’ve got cable over at Haven House?
Settling into the creaky metal chairs that we can’t afford to replace, I listened as Gonepostalman launched into pointed criticism of what sounded to me like an optional program of healthcare benefits available to local elected officials.
The decrepit sound system crackled.
In the speaker’s eyes, this option amounts to a 180% raise if exercised – something positively scandalous in a country where people like the Gonepostalman customarily resist the siren's call of universal health care like that widely enjoyed in functional countries they loath for not being as American as we are.
Of all people, it was none other than Dan Coffey who effectively lanced the boil by asking the U.S. government’s taxpayer-sponsored snail mail delivery technician to describe the history of his own pay raises and benefits, but not before Steve Price served notice that if a shameless Checkers speech was good enough for Tricky Dicky, it’s good enough for the downtrodden constituents that CM Price drives (not walks) constantly on his own gasoline dime to visit, drink Folger’s, and assure that their prospects won’t be permitted to improve on his watch.
CM Price noted that alas, he was one of the council members who had signed up for the health care bonanza, not for himself, mind you, but after friends phoned him anonymously late at night and said that some doctorin’ now and then might be good for his daughter … and now that Gonepostalman had rightly pointed out the error of his ways, a contrite Price could see that thinking about his family was selfish.
“I put her before the common good of the city of New Albany, and that was wrong,” said Price.
Instinctively, I reached for my hankie … to wipe the shit off my shoes.
Put 'em to work breaking up rocks.
As C-J reporter Dick Kaukas informs us, the council approved a $25,000 tithe to Jeffersonville’s Haven House homeless shelter, primarily as a conscience-salving means of avoiding a comprehensive consideration of New Albany’s own problem with homelessness, and yet, as Price noted during an interminable, pre-schoolmasterly grilling of Haven House director Barb Anderson, it isn’t that most of those homeless people really want to work, anyway, something Price gleaned from his personal experience with a deadbeat rental property resident who stiffed the councilman and fled to the shelter at his first opportunity, presumably exhausted by daily mandatory Dave Ramsey recitations.
Remarkably, the primary rationale for Price’s hectoring of Anderson was revealed to be “red flags” raised by mysterious (different) callers phoning the councilman to complain about Haven House’s management, while refusing to come on down to the council chambers and put their comments on the record, with not even a Nixonian doctored transcript as proof of their existence.
The Haven House debate continued, with Coffey forcefully upholding the need to fund help for the homeless, and suddenly the gallery gasped as Price made another shocking revelation.
Who told you THAT?
Not only would there be no overtime for firefighters and a potential City-County Building rent snafu, but all of it had come to him “ACCORDING TO THE NEWSPAPER,” not via more obvious and conventional methods like his person being seated twice monthly on a council that deliberates on such matters in spite of never receiving information that isn’t passed on to them by cub reporters and red-flag-wielding chatters.
Don’t touch that rotary dial, folks … there’s more.
Outgunned, and with most of his ammo actually cheap Wal-Mart blanks, Price adeptly reversed field and decided to feign some measure of concern about the homeless, extemporaneously offering his venerable, three-minute old personal plan for the city to do something positive about the problem of people who refuse to work.
(a) House them in the Tabernacle building on 4th, presumably because its engaging patio-style rooflessness would simulate natural conditions out on the street, or …
(b) House them at the Rustic Frog/II Horseshoes, since to do so would be an improvement on the go-go dancers there now, and with an added benefit of the homeless being housed out of view by the floodplain, where they would be invisible to taxpaying citizens disturbed by their shiftlessness.
Perhaps the owners of the property will give it to the city.
Believe it or not, but it wasn’t over yet.
Having approved the Haven House funding resolution by a count of 8-1 (guess who), and with little further debate in the offing on the first reading of the salary ordinance, the increasingly apocalyptic (not to mention apoplectic) Price threw a final gem of observation into the recessionary gloom pervading the vicinity of Dewey Heights.
How bad is it, Steve?
Well, it’s so bad that the uncouncilman personally knows of people who’ve been forced to dispense with cable television to make ends meet.
The soiled hankie was of no further use, so I buried my head in my raggedy sweatshirt. The humanity … the humanity … hmm ...
Wonder if they’ve got cable over at Haven House?
A multitude of local beer events for the month of December.
There are so many first-rate beer events taking place in the first half of December that I'm unable to keep track. Consider the following a note to both myself and our readers. Look for my bi-monthly LEO column on December 10, in which there'll be more to say about the seasonal beer creations of our local brewers.
---
Friday, December 5
Prohibition Repeal Party at Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Shelbyville Road)
Bluegrass Brewing Company (Shelbyville Road in Louisville) will celebrate the repeal of Prohibition on Friday, December 5th, with nickel beers from 6 :00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The festivities will include a free soup kitchen, BBC employees dressed in 1920’s apparel, and 1920’s era music to help set the ambiance.
This annual celebration is one of Bluegrass Brewing Company’s most popular events so come out and join in the festivities. For more information please contact BBC at 899-7070.
----
Saturday, December 6
Food and Clothing Drive at NABC
NABC's inaugural holiday food and clothing drive takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Prost special events wing.
We'll be accepting clothing, toys, canned goods, and winter coats, with proceeds to benefit Wayside Christian Mission and other local charities.
There'll also be live music in an "open mic" format -- just bring an instrument, show up and jam with us to raise money, clothing, food, and awareness. Specific invitations have been extended to some of NABC's musical friends, but there are no limitations, and the more playing, the merrier.
A silent auction is being assembled, with items to include breweriana from (among others) the archival NABC collection and World Class Beverages via our ever industrious rep, Tisha Dean. There'll also be gift baskets (one from Huber Winery already is in place) and area gift certificates. Contact John or Reva for more info.
----
Friday, December 12
Saturnalia Winter Solstice Fest at NABC
It's NABC’s annual celebration of winter seasonal and holiday drafts from America and the world, and my favorite festival of all the yearly promotions we do, primarily because so many people I haven’t seen in a while come back for the holidays, and these beers provide the ideal accompaniment to the joys of reconnecting with old pals, sharing the war stories, and remembering the ones who no longer are with us. Here are the links to Saturnalia information:
Saturnalia explained: Festive draft beers for the winter solstice, coming December 12.
American micro draft lineup, descriptions, links for Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMVIII (begins December 12).
Imported draft lineup, descriptions, links for Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMVIII (begins December 12).
Roger's believe-it-or-not: Saturnalia's planned and ready, a full month ahead of opening night.
----
Saturday, December 13
FOSSILS Homebrewing & Beer Appeciation Club's 19th Annual Holiday Party at NABC.
Complete details can be found here: Hallelujah! FOSSILS annual holiday bash scheduled for Saturday, December 13. While the party obviously is intended for club members, guests (21 and over) of current members are welcomed, and the gathering is the natural opportunity for you to give yourself the gift of a membership. A headcount is needed, so questions and RSVP should be directed here: Mail.
----
Saturday, December 13
NABC Winter Release Party at Flanagan's Ale House (Baxter Ave., Louisville)
The New Albanian Brewing Company will be on hand at Flanagan's Ale House (934 Baxter Avenue in the Highlands; in the Red Room) for a Winter Release Party on the 13th from 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. We'll be tapping the only kegs of NABC Naughty Claus (taps at 7:00 p.m.) and NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries (5:00 p.m.) slated to cross the river in 2008, but there'll also be other NABC beers on tap as well as live music: Rebecca Williams, Luke Asher, Ben Traughber, and the River Rat String Band. Music starts at 5:00 p.m.
----
---
Friday, December 5
Prohibition Repeal Party at Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Shelbyville Road)
Bluegrass Brewing Company (Shelbyville Road in Louisville) will celebrate the repeal of Prohibition on Friday, December 5th, with nickel beers from 6 :00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The festivities will include a free soup kitchen, BBC employees dressed in 1920’s apparel, and 1920’s era music to help set the ambiance.
This annual celebration is one of Bluegrass Brewing Company’s most popular events so come out and join in the festivities. For more information please contact BBC at 899-7070.
----
Saturday, December 6
Food and Clothing Drive at NABC
NABC's inaugural holiday food and clothing drive takes place from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Prost special events wing.We'll be accepting clothing, toys, canned goods, and winter coats, with proceeds to benefit Wayside Christian Mission and other local charities.
There'll also be live music in an "open mic" format -- just bring an instrument, show up and jam with us to raise money, clothing, food, and awareness. Specific invitations have been extended to some of NABC's musical friends, but there are no limitations, and the more playing, the merrier.
A silent auction is being assembled, with items to include breweriana from (among others) the archival NABC collection and World Class Beverages via our ever industrious rep, Tisha Dean. There'll also be gift baskets (one from Huber Winery already is in place) and area gift certificates. Contact John or Reva for more info.
----
Friday, December 12
Saturnalia Winter Solstice Fest at NABC
It's NABC’s annual celebration of winter seasonal and holiday drafts from America and the world, and my favorite festival of all the yearly promotions we do, primarily because so many people I haven’t seen in a while come back for the holidays, and these beers provide the ideal accompaniment to the joys of reconnecting with old pals, sharing the war stories, and remembering the ones who no longer are with us. Here are the links to Saturnalia information:
Saturnalia explained: Festive draft beers for the winter solstice, coming December 12.
American micro draft lineup, descriptions, links for Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMVIII (begins December 12).
Imported draft lineup, descriptions, links for Saturnalia Winter Solstice MMVIII (begins December 12).
Roger's believe-it-or-not: Saturnalia's planned and ready, a full month ahead of opening night.
----
Saturday, December 13
FOSSILS Homebrewing & Beer Appeciation Club's 19th Annual Holiday Party at NABC.
Complete details can be found here: Hallelujah! FOSSILS annual holiday bash scheduled for Saturday, December 13. While the party obviously is intended for club members, guests (21 and over) of current members are welcomed, and the gathering is the natural opportunity for you to give yourself the gift of a membership. A headcount is needed, so questions and RSVP should be directed here: Mail.
----
Saturday, December 13
NABC Winter Release Party at Flanagan's Ale House (Baxter Ave., Louisville)
The New Albanian Brewing Company will be on hand at Flanagan's Ale House (934 Baxter Avenue in the Highlands; in the Red Room) for a Winter Release Party on the 13th from 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. We'll be tapping the only kegs of NABC Naughty Claus (taps at 7:00 p.m.) and NABC Bonfire of the Valkyries (5:00 p.m.) slated to cross the river in 2008, but there'll also be other NABC beers on tap as well as live music: Rebecca Williams, Luke Asher, Ben Traughber, and the River Rat String Band. Music starts at 5:00 p.m.
----
Monday, December 15
Belgian Beer Dinner at the Come Back Inn in Jeffersonville
Owner Chris Smith and company are partnering with World Class Beverages, with the majority of beers coming from the Wetten Importers portfolio (the only exception is the Chimay). The beer selection includes the relatively rare St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition, and overall, I'm more excited than usual about the choices, primarily because the September beercycling adventure took in all three of the breweries handled by Wetten (thanks again, Pete).
The Curmudgeons will be there. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., and there'll be six courses and seven Belgian beers, with a souvenir glass included. The price is $70 (service non compris), and reservations can be made at 812-285-1777 (credit card hold). For beer information, visit the sites of Wetten Importers and Chimay.
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