New Albany Eyesores

"Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.” ~ Oscar Wilde

2010-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Why was I compelled to post on this blog after such an extended absence, I can not answer that for sure.
But the absence has been indeed sweet. The separation of the political three ring circus of this quaint hamlet we call New Albany, and of myself has served a myriad of purposes. Chiefly of which that after months of non-participation, the wheels are still stuck in the same rut, on the same worn out road, with the same mechanics standing by, blocking the street, still arguing over whose tool is the best suited to get the wheel out of the rut. Meanwhile the haggardly old woman behind the wheel that is New Albany, is still spinning her wheels, slinging mud, and moving slower than a snail on the sticky side of duct tape.
The realization that so many countless hours foolishly thinking that a difference could be made by participation in such a drama riddled side show brings with it regrets. The time spend banging the ole' melon against the reinforced concrete wall that is NA politics could have been much better spend with loved ones, or in the garden, or on a path in the woods. Hell for that fact, the time could have been better spend collecting enough earwax to create a reproduction the white horse of Dover.
Interestingly enough, during the absence, the flowers in my yard still bloomed, the hummingbirds still came for their regular visits, the sun still rose, and the night still came with predictable regularity. But what did not happen was a constant barrage of insults, false allegations, high blood pressure, and headaches.
No arguments over TIF's, LOIT's, conspiracy theories of which council members where involved in this or that, and yet amazingly enough, I can still walk out my door and take a walk and enjoy the night air, and enjoy the walk with out looking for whose house is not quite up to par, who replaced a brass widget on a "historic" home with a knock off replica from Home depot and how offensive that is the preservationists senses.
In fact it has been quite wonderful to be honest. Maybe its a cup of tea best left for those to sip on who feel the need to be involved in something "bigger than themselves", and I say to them, drink up, and drink with zeal! Whilst you argue your positions, and rattle sabers in a little slice of electronic space, I will be enjoying the time I have with my wife, and my child, and my friends. I will be spending countless hours watching and photographing the butterflies that are morphing from the caterpillars that grew up on the flowers and planted, that were pollinated by previous generation.
The dirty politics and those always willing to point fingers at one another will always be there, and the topics will always be the same. So why waste such precious time on the process of nothing, when there is so much that can be accomplished in your personal life, to make the lives of your friends and family better by just being there....

Street Sweeper Oil Trail

2010-04-19T15:19:00.000-07:00

Aside from the trail of what looks like transmission fluid, the new yellow street sweeper leaves a bigger mess than was there before it came through...

Now for a civics lesson: Instead of calling the FBI, NSA, CIA and various other secret governmental law enforcement agencies claiming the street sweeper driver is a criminal, I did somethign VERY novel, we took pictures, and sent an email to the director of the street department letting him know there is a problem. And we managed to do it with out threatening to kill any one and burn down their houses. Its an amazing modern world we live in where we can communicate with resorting to barbaric tactics!

Now, be sure to comment how I didnt have a photo of the actual street sweeper leaking the oil. you anonymous shithead!

Resonding to anonymity

2009-11-16T08:23:00.000-08:00

Posted on Voice of the People, questions directed to me from another anonymous “community advocate”:

1) “We know it is neither healthy, wealthy nor wise to criticize Mayor England. We understand that.”

I can’t say I am friends with Doug England, and I can’t say that I don’t like him either, regardless, he holds no interest what so ever in any of my personal or professional holdings, as such I have nothing to gain, or lose by speaking for him or against him.

2) “Why do you not insist the Council be given their monthly printouts of the financials (as required by law) so they can do their job?”

This is not my place. This is the place for the Council President and councilmen to accomplish. They have tools at their disposal to get this taken care of. If the council wanted to reports enough, they could get them, and should. So this, in my humble opinion is a 50/50 split on fault. (50% admin for not providing them / 50% council for not aggressively seeking them)

3) “Why do you tolerate the excuses about the lack of code enforcement?”
Two answers to this:
A) How many signs are around screaming no new fees or taxes, how many forums are filled with damning statements against the Code Enforcement Personnel, how many letters and forum posting are their blasting the expenditure for the truck, the uniforms and the salary of the personnel? How quick would you be to act in good faith when the ONLY public statements made for you is damnation and chiding?

B) I personally have no issues with code enforcement, as I have seen a great improvement in services in my area. And like any other citizen, when there is a problem that needs attention, and the petty excuses flow from Hartman’s office, I picked up the phone, called CM’s Gonder, Zurchmede, and McLaughlin. McLaughlin and Gonder personally came out; Zurchmede participated through emailed pictures and documents. With in 24 hours, the property in question was under condemnation orders, and has since been worked on and boarded up by the owners under orders of Carl M. and the Building commissioners office. I do not accept excuses for failure to act, so I went to their bosses, was polite, professional, provided dated, detailed photos, and documents, and in doing so, the situation was resolved. It takes more citizen participation that calling downtown and yelling “what are you going to do about this”. The Question should be polite and ask “How can WE work together to solve this?”

4) “Why do you tolerate Carl M. and John R. resigned for 30 days and are now knocking down their pension and salaries?”
I have no personal knowledge of this, nor have I seen any documentation regarding this, as such I am not able to address this.

5) “Why do you tolerate a Mayor elected but not in his office and letting Carl M. run the City? Why do you tolerate the Mayor laying drunk (which is to his demise because of the heart surgery)?”

To the best of my knowledge The Mayor has not been arrested and charged with public intoxication, OWI, nor have I any knowledge of reports of him being at work intoxicated, so making this statement is speculation at best. As far as his absence from office due to multiple surgeries, (back, neck, heart), what are we supposed to do, have him removed from office due to illness? His surgeons have not seen fit to list him as “unfit for duties” (note there is a difference between unfit for duties and medical leave), say we remove him from office, do we then open the city up for very real and very large lawsuits for violations of the ADA, etc. As I had said before, for me personally, when I call for city services, (fire, police, street department, etc.) the city offices still respond, my life has not been altered by his absence, so honestly, I hope he is doing well and recovering properly. (Bottom line, he is human, he is sick, and I do have compassion)

6) Why do you tolerate claims being paid without supporting documentation? Do you know of any business/corporation who would pay your expenses without an expense report and supporting receipts?

What makes you thing I support this? Do I oppose this practice, yes I do. Did I read where the State listed this line item in the audit as criminal, unethical, or underhanded, no I did not. Is my opinion more informed, or legal than the State Government body in charge of conducting such audits and issuing reports, recommendations, and initiating investigations by the Indiana departments of Law and Justice who would oversee any investigations? No, it is not, so I leave that to them.

7) “Why do you tolerate the lack of sufficent infrastructure (i.e. sewers, dilapidated houses) in order to get businesses located in NA?We understand; you dare not to criticize the Mayor because of the opening paragraph here!”

I do not tolerate this, never have and never will. I have advocated at great length for more enforcement, more tools to fight the degrading infrastructure. As a side note, I will point out, that the “reformists” camp fought this like mad. Many of the same people whom share views with the “no new fees, no new taxes” camp were present at many of them meetings, sitting with Harrison, et al, damning any measures to take further actions against this. I had been physically threatened over my participation in this issue. My property had been vandalized, buried a very good Black Labrador Retriever over this. There are no grounds what so ever for any informed person to question my stance on enhanced code enforcement. I strongly feel that the qualities of the infrastructure directly relates to the quality of business that are willing to locate here, or remain here, I have said that from day one. Lastly, again, I do not have reason to fear and retribution from Mayor England, I have sent him letters and emails thanking him for seeing that certain properties were cleaned up, and transversely I have sent him scorching emails, letter and phone calls when he was in support of the variance proposal by CCE to relocate at 111 and Corydon Pike, and I encouraged others to do so as well. I am not claiming that my stance alone changed his mind, but I would like to think it played a part.

8)“But, never criticize the voters. This is not healthy, wealthy nor wise either.”

Dont forget, I include myself, my family and my friends in this as well. Again, the bottom line for any real or perceived problems with the administration of city government and its operations is the voters. There is no way around this. There are not enough people in the “progressive camp” to truly change election outcomes, and the realization that there are not enough in your camp either to do so. Fact is both camps are out numbered by a few 10,000 or more voters who just vote during elections and are not involved between elections.

9) “We can only hope the picking of a candidate by Baylor has PAID THEIR DUES within the Democrat party. This is a MUST. The party is comprised of County and City and County people have friends and relatives living in the City.I'm done preaching. It's obvious to me NAC, the progressives (or whatever you wish to call yourselves) are in it for the monies. As far as we are concerned, your arguments have no merit. That's MY OPINION.It did make for a good chuckle, LOL.”

By suggesting in any manner that person(s) have received kick backs for propping up candidates, or by hand selecting certain candidates, and embarking on a subliminal campaign to control the minds of the voters in order to further an agenda of progress in this city is ludicrous, ill-informed and rates right up there with the conspiracy theories of area 51. I am sure this will not be sufficient enough, and I will not play tit for tat, and pose my liat of questions, I will pose only one:

If you ahd your choice of walking down one of two dark alleys, in one alley you saw people you recognised and knew a little about them, or alley #2 where you could not see the people, noly hear them, they stayed hidden in the shadows, or behind masks.
Which alley would you choose to walk down?

Time for a change....

2009-10-13T09:56:00.001-07:00
Having recently had more than fill of the craziness surrounding the local political climate, I have completely decided to change directions as indicated in some recent posts.

As such I would like to announce the start up of a blog called "through the lens", a forum on local nature photography, bird watching, camping, paddle sports, and hiking.

I hope those interested in such things will join up and take part, as we do such things as local species counts, photo contests (for bragging rights), possibly group outings for some more spectacular migratory occurrences, and delve out little secrets, tips and tricks to ranging from when and where is the best place and time to catch a particular bird, the best area campsites at state parks, the best trails and when to hike them.

You can find the new blog at:

http://hoosierbirding.blogspot.com/2009/10/welcome.html

It is still under development, but I hope to bring on some other contributors very soon!

Political issues going to the birds...

2009-10-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you can, being on the edge of a fog covered field that encompasses acres and acres of green space. No garbage, no rundown slumlord houses, no political signs.

Imagine if you can, the dead silence of the dawn being broken by thousands upon thousands of calls of the majestic and graceful sandhill crane, interrupted only by the faint whistling of the wings of waterfowl as it flies unseen in the veil of morning fog the wraps around you.

Hushed whispers of those around you, not speaking of EDIT funds, brown fields, corrupts businesses and politicians. But the whispers of "what lens are you using", or "good morning, haven't seen you since last year, how have you been"

Then the sky erupts in an orange glow, and a soft cool breeze meets your face, the fog slowly begins to lift, and float away, and you are greeted with the awe inspiring sight of tens of thousands of birds, some as nearly as tall as you, literally dancing with one another in dew covered fields, singing to one another in a chorus that quickly rises to a level that would rival even the greatest of sound systems at the biggest of concerts. But with more energy. The energy of life, the start of a new day.

This is where I want to be, standing on the fog covered edge of Ewing Bottoms, playing witness to the annual migration of the glorious sandhill cranes. Not where I am at now in my mind. Surrounded by political turmoil.

The simple beauty of watching the sun lazily rise over a marsh, or taking the time to sit under a crab apple tree to watch a flock of cedar waxwings building their fat reserves to make their flight to warmer climates.

Or watching a group of River Otter playing tag in a wetland, chasing one another, splashing and making a slip and slide out of a muddy stretch of bank.

These are the places I belong, these are the places that I love, and these are the places and times that deserve my focus of attention, and my dedication to documenting and preserving to ensure that future generations have the ability to relish in the sights, sounds and smells of.

And as such, I am retiring "New Albany Eyesores" for a new blog. The new blog will be about the wonderful chances we have here in this area to experience a wealth of natural beauty that is often over looked in what can be considered "greener grass syndrome".

We are blessed with bald eagle, osprey, warblers with so many different sizes, shapes and colors to rival even the brightest of rainbows, and scenes of migration that rival those depicted on national geographic. One just has to slow down, and take the time to do something almost unheard of anymore, sit and wait, and watch.

To those who continue to try and fight for the betterment of our city, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours, and your tenacity, it is appreciated. As for me, its time to move on, and focus on what I know is the best thing not only for me, but for the environment as well.

Roger, on a personal note, I have promised myself to take up drinking, and I would like to issue you a challenge to find me a beer I like! (and in a show of how small of world it is, whilst hiking in the back marshes of Muscatatuck to photograph a pair of nesting bald eagle, I ran into gentleman from a company in Cincinnati that designs and manufactures tanks for beer breweries, and it would appear that NABC's reputation for creating quality craft beers can find its way into even a flooded, backwater, marsh!!)

Thats Just The Way It Is Sometimes

2009-10-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

Northern Flickers are one of my favorite birds, they are colorful, smart, and big, but sometimes, some one comes along who is smarter and bigger.... But thats just how nature is.

A young Coopers Hawk took this Flicker right out of hte air with a sickening thudding noise, dropped him to the ground and squeezed the life out of the woodpecker. It all happened so fast I barely was able to get this shot off!
Sorry Flicker, but thats why its called survival of the fittest!

2009-10-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

And now for another eyesore and a neglect of duty

2009-10-08T18:25:00.000-07:00
Click this link and take a look at the photos on the first two pages of the photo stream and then come back, go ahead I will wait.

The tenants of this house were packing up and moving out today after ten months of the landlord refusing to fix the leaking roofs, leaking plumbing, clogged sewer line, electircal problems, water heater problems, mold growing on the ceilings, the floors so bad tha the tenant actually fell through one as he was leading me through the house to take pictures.

Long story short, the building commisioners office was called a little bit before 3:30pm and told the tenants are moving out, and they want to make sure this slimlord is not able to put another family in this death trap of a house.

Building Inspector Ron Hartman all but flat out refused citing that he is supposed to get off work at 4:00pm.

I put the tenant on the phone with him, and he explained everything going on in the house, and how he will not be able to have access to the house after midnight, again, more concerned with getting off at 4:00pm than to get in the house while he has a chance, knowing full well once the willing tenant was gone, he could not enter the house with out the property owner asking him to come in (are building inspectores vampires where they can not cross a threshhold to a home unless invited?)

Thankfully, Pat Mclaughlin, John Gonder and Kevin Zurchmiede realized that their duties to serve this community does not necessarily end with a certain position on the dail of a watch.

I also hope these three take Hartman to task on his basic refusal to act.

more bars in more places...

2009-10-03T12:30:00.001-07:00

Adding a little Decor

2009-10-02T05:10:00.000-07:00

My Daughter, my Niece and a couple of friends decided to addd a little decoration to the front windows of the Family Health Center on Spring and Tenth for the parade Saturday.
A few hours and about $20 for poster paint and foam brushes, and the fate of my windows were sealed!
Question is do they still do this downtown for Harvest Homecoming?

First lines....

2009-09-22T12:53:00.000-07:00
Below are the first lines in some of my favorite books and stories, care to name them?
(no particular order of favoritism)

"Call me Ishmael."

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

"Not long after with my family to New HampshireI happened a path that into a wood on the edge of town."

"Barnardo: "Who's there?" "

" Lo! 'tis a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!"

"From my grandfather Verus I learned good morals and the government of my temper."

"When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods..."

Excellent Birding

2009-09-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Double-Crested Cormorant in Flight
Black-Crowned Night Heron
Capsian Tern In Flight

Osprey catching a fish

(please excuse the low quality of these photos, they are the raw product and have not been proccessed)
The processed photos can be seen HERE

The Falls of the Ohio is a hot bed of good birding opportunities right now. The young Osprey raised on the tower by the hydro-electric are pretty much full grown and very capable apex predators.

A small flock of Caspian Terns has taken up residence, taking advantage of the low water levels to target easily caught shad and Skip Jacks.

Like wise a very healthy population of both Black-crowned Night Heron, and Double-Crested Cormorants are doing very well in the shallower than normal waters catching fish and crayfish.

A large Beaver has also been spotted on multiple occasions, and is getting more accustomed to people, making him less reclusive.

A friend of mine has also photographed a perfect example of a Peregrine Falcon, and I have finally been able to capture a return of a healthy pair of American Kestrel. Unfortunately it has been since early spring that I last saw either the juvenile or mature Bald Eagles that were nesting in Loop Island Wetlands, and hunting the falls area for fish, ground hogs, opossums and the likes.

A New Project

2009-07-30T19:36:00.000-07:00
Praktica was never known as the cream of the crop when it came to 35mm SLR Cameras, but this one is VERY special.
This is the camera that replaced my dads Kodak Retina, a camera that my dad would curse and scream about and claim that he didn't care if he got it from my grandpa, and how worthless it was, little did he realize that Retina is a GEM, and a highly valued part of photography collectibles, but I digress, This battle worn, tired and damaged Praktica bore witness to countless family vacations, it has hiked on the Appalachian Trail, trekked through the Badlands of South Dakota, waded the Marshes of the Barrier Islands of South Carolina, driven the entire length of the Blue Ridge Mountains, shot twisters in the plain states, and the sapphire blue waters of Lake Superior and the head waters of the Mississippi river.
This old camera had shot graduations, weddings, births, a hand full of crime scenes, one horrific shoot out scene, it has captured the images of many loved ones, both friends and family who are no longer with us. And more importantly it is a link between a father and a son whose passion for photography is a skill that was learned by watching, listening and being shown step by step.

During the days when my dads health was failing, and he was feeling weaker, while climbing rocks to take a picture of God only knows what on the West Prong of the Pigeon River on the Chimney Rock Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, he lost his footing on what he loudly cursed as a "bastard of a snot rock" he fell and broke his camera, cracking the upper body and damaging the aperture selection wheel, he never got it fixed, as a few months later he got in the foot pursuit and fight at White Castles, where he felt he was having a heart attack, and the course of treatment for that led to the discovery of a small shaded area in his chest on an xray, and since then his camera has been silently sitting in a closet, waiting for the promise to be repaired.

Years and years and years later it has come to me, with a request that it take its place on my monument to borderline OCD with cameras, ranging from the late 19th century film plate cameras, through the first "daylight cartridge camera" in a new sized format of 35mm, which allowed the user to change film in broad daylight and take up to 24 shots in glorious black and white, (remember the Retina mentioned............), to the forerunners of what today are called SLR cameras (single lens reflex).

This Camera deserves more than to shield a shelf from collecting dust under its footprint, and it deserve more than bringing it down every now again and shooting a shot or two out of it as a novelty to say "look, this 80 year old camera takes just as good of shots as this Nikon D-slr"

This Camera deserves to be lovingly and completely restored, polished and fixed and brought back to the glorious photos I know it is capable of. Simple to operate for a full manual SLR, ergonomic in its design, with the perfect blend between rock steady mechanical operations aided with electronic guides, a relic of a now gone "country" the German Democratic Republic or Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), so with a little luck, some patience and a little elbow grease, the old mans baby will be working again in short order, and I would love to exact revenge on that bastard of a snot rock and take its portrait with my old mans camera that the snot rock tried to destroy........

The Ties That Bind Can Also Strangle

2009-07-24T11:09:00.001-07:00

George Rogers Clark

“Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.”
~ Mignon McLaughlin

There is no arguing the fact that our fair city is in a state of crisis. Crisis in the form of economics, infrastructure, politics and operations. Of that the vast majority of us can agree on.

The question is often asked “how did we get to this point?” or “Whose to blame?”. Some of us consistently point fingers and shake them blazingly in the face of our elected officials. Some of us blame other Joe Citizens who dare to express their concern or opinions. And others still feel it is prudent to keep slapping the surface of shit creek with the only paddles we have left by constantly attacking and belittling those who have valid points.

We can easily blame Colonial John Paul who purchased the land that is now New Albany from George Rogers Clark, who in turn let Joel, Abner, and Nathaniel establish the city of New Albany on this particular geographic location, or we can blame Mayor Alexander Burnett Sr. whose turn at wheel had seen the Indiana State Fair ground turned into Camp Noble, a civil war mustering grounds for Federal Troops. Or we can blame Mayor William Hart for being at the Helm when the last Steam Boat, the Robert E. Lee, was built in New Albany, sending the city into economic turmoil for a period. ( but the same railroads that some of curse is the one thing that saved this city from certain economic doom), or who can we blame for the city losing the American Plate Glass Company and its 2,000 jobs in 1893? Or what about blaming Jacob G. Hauswald for the devastating flood, which to this date is still the worst disaster ever to befall this city.

New Albany, Circa 1876

We place blame everywhere, and on everyone we can. The uncooperative business owners who bring blight and corruption to our neighborhoods, the shady slumlord who skirts his/her legal, moral, and ethical responsibilities to make a few bucks off of the backs of those who it has been said, “has no choice but to rent a place like that”.

We attack our Police and our Police Chiefs for not doing enough to deter crime, and yet other factions attack the same men and women for spending money to do their jobs.
Same with the Fire Department personnel. Blame and complain, blame and complain.
George Carlin put this best when he said: “Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?"

When we feel that we have begun to run out of figure heads to blame and complain about, we start on one another. What group are you aligned with? What Blog do you read? Who are your friends? Who are you related to?
The Reno Brothers Gang, Famous for the first peacetime train robberies, and for being killed by Lynch mobs in New Albany, the members of the Lynch mobs were never Identified or Charged with a Crime, the lynching creating an international incident, and international newpaper coverage. Yet today, factions in this city seem to think that sections of sidewalks being fixed is worthy of international protest.

Folks there is plenty of blame to go around, and there is plenty of situations going on that is worthy of placing blame somewhere, but in the end exactly where will that get you? It hasn’t worked in the last 30 years, and I doubt this game plan will start working anytime soon.

The ugly, undeniable truth is it is really easy to find who is to blame for all of these problems that are plaguing our city, and it doesn’t fall on the shoulders of the Mayor, nor does it fall on the shoulders of the City Council, the Code Enforcement Officer, or even the Police Chief, it doesn’t fall on the shoulders of the department heads of the building commission, street department, sewage department or private contractors who deal with our trash.

Steamers Robert E. Lee and the Natchez in the race from New Orleans to St. Louis, lithograph by Currier and Ives

If you want to find the people to blame, we need not look any further than our own mirrors. For generations now we, the citizens of this city, have sat back and complained and looked for people to blame, and each election that rolls around, we get wrapped up in the promises made, “elect me and it will be peaches and cream, and sunny days on easy street”, then we wait for the peaches and get the pits, and no one specified that it wasn’t going to be sour cream as we roast under the scorching sun on pothole riddled, cracked and broken Easy Street surrounded by run down rentals and mounts of yard debris.

Yes, its an ugly truth, and as the opening quote said: “Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.”, and that’s the problem, we are always on the verge, but never quite cross the line to making a difference.

Little victories have been accomplished, but the British kept winning victories during the revolution, and we all know how that turned out for them, which leads us right back to George Rogers Clark selling what is now New Albany to Col. John Paul.

The point of this is simple, New Albany has a lot of history, some good, some horrid. And yet the city has survived. We ALL have a lot to offer this city, unique skills, and talents, but above all else we all share one thing that is more powerful than any “crooked” politician, or ineffective council member, we each have a vote, and if we each use that tool wisely we can change the landscape of this community.

Though it has become readily apparent that my opinions do not mean a damn thing to CFA, I would suggest that we come together as a community, leave the politicians out of it (Sorry John Gonder, I know you are one of the good guys), and we work TOGETHER to come up with plan to bring about change.
On its trip through New Albany's neighborhoods north of downtown around 3:30pm, widespread death and destruction resulted across a 90-block area. Many homes were destroyed and blown away and 54 people lost their lives. Several children were killed as the storm destroyed a school on the northwest side of town. Damage in New Albany, in current dollars, amounted to nearly $19 million.

Profiles of Political Suicide

2009-07-15T11:29:00.000-07:00
Not to long ago, it seemed that a person could become involved in this community with out being subjugated to personal political attacks. It would seem to the misfortune of the entire community that this is no longer the case.

After having my fill of a "community activism" following the defeat of the toxic waste dump that was attempted to be placed in the Hoosier Panel lot, and the retirement of King Larry the Grand Poo bah of the council, I had dined at that buffet table for long enough and had my fill.

Spending the extra time that created with my pursuit of amateur nature photography, I found a niche I found rather comfortable, and even managed to get some things published.

Recently, with the cities intent to do business with CCE again, I found myself being drawn back in, and before I knew it, I was waist deep in waste. Police issues, political health care issues, budgetary issues, and so on.

Incredibly, those who would attack people from behind a mask of anonymity caught my scent and soon began the sucker punches.

More incredibly, is the fact that we ALL want the same things, we ALL want changes to our stagnant city. We want progress, we want balance between expenditures and services, and we all want transparency in Government operations.

Yet consistently this becomes a battle between citizens, and while we fight, the political landscape never changes, the bombs we drop only seem to hit the community advocates with the shrapnel.

Aristotle said "Man by nature is a political animal", and I guess that holds true over 2300 years later. Some of us are drawn into the web of politics light bugs to a street lamp. And unfortunately some of us are bats that swoop down from out of the night to scatter and destroy.

It is an unfortunate landscape when we as Country, and society have become to associate political activism with bulls eyes painted on the backs of the advocates where their personal lives, and every aspect of their character as free game for attacks, and as long as we continue to travel down that road, change will become more and more elusive. It is no big secret that I am not a very religious person, but in this instance the saying of casting the first stone comes to mind.

What damage is being done locally when the example that is being set is that anyone who is even remotely interested in community activism is subjugated to non-stop criticism on every level. Who their family is, where they come from, if they misspell a word, what hours they run their business, what business they operate, or what they have done in the spirit of giving to their community in the past. Who will fill the shoes of those whose intentions are truly that of positive change and progress? Will the void be filled with a new generation of those who feel that insults, immaturity and cowardly hiding behind fake names and organizations take over the chores of tending to the garden that we pick our elected officials from?

I kind of see it like this, Abraham Lincoln said "The ballot is stronger than the bullet.", and we all know how that turned out for him! Have we lost the ability to effectively and fairly conduct ourselves and chosen the bullet?

Regardless, through other political endeavours, I have found myself the steward of millions of dollars of funds, all of which are earmarked to the betterment of care for the medically indigent of our local communities. The capital investments that are to come with these funds will bring our local clinics not only up to par in state of the art treatment and management of our patients, but in most cases we will surpass many of the for profit, insurance driven private practices.
Electronic Medical records, digital dental xray technology, the ability to instantly communicate lab results, and diagnostics with hospitals, specialists, and the government to help speed along disability determinations, and acquiring temporary medicaid to those who need it.

Some of the capital funds will also being going to improvements of the facilities themselves. Creating a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for our clients who for so long have been a victim of the Hollywood stigma of what a clinic should look like.

After all, some of our patients we are seeing now, 4 months ago were riding high on the horse, with 6 figure incomes, and now lucky to be bringing in $20k per year.

So I leave the community advocacy in the competent hands of the guys who have been doing this for much longer than I have. Keep your chins up guys, and don't let the anon hordes get you down.

Me and this disgusting taco burger

2009-07-13T13:48:00.001-07:00

Me and this disgusting taco burger
Originally uploaded by dsnhaus
An elusive photo of the Taco Tico Taco Burger by dsnhaus from flickr.

Its a chain, but OH MY GOD!!

2009-07-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

TACO TICO
Remember the Taco Tico Taco Burger?!! I do and my stomach regrets it.
What was for 20 years a pit stop in Corbin, Kentucky on the way to Knoxville and points south east, is coming back to New Albany.
Looks like they are moving in to the abandoned KFC on Charlestown road (you know the one that YUM! brands abandoned to build a new one a little over a mile away on the same road).
I had seen a company car out there a week ago, and an email sent to corporate confirmed that they plan to be open by September.
Okay, Okay, there are circles who do not like chains, and generally I am one of those people, but this goes back to the days of the Ohio River front taking an hour or more to drive from West 10th street to East 6th, Big hair and Glamour Rock. LA ROSITA MEXICAN GRILL.
Even though it is another "mexican fare" restaurant, I hardly think it rises to the level of competition to cause any concern to La Rosita, or even Taco Smell for that fact.
However in the world of gut rotting fast food fare, it rates up there with White Castles, or the hard to find Crystal Burgers Crystal pups...

And the Story Continues

2009-07-13T06:19:00.000-07:00
WORK AT NEW ALBANY SITE INVESTIGATED

Not too far back in the past, I got a bit of a sucker punch from a fellow "blogger" and local community activist for daring to say something about the SEJ neighborhood area receiving so much attention when our area of town had been largely ignored regarding a fight we had been fighting for nearly a decade now.
When I commented on that sucker punch by saying "nice jab", the person said something along the lines as " it wasn't as much of a jab as it was a counter punch". Since then there have been references made in posting about how certain people think its unfair that any part of the city get help as long as pet peeves are not attended to.

It would appear now that the pet peeve of mine, and about 150 other families has garnered the attention of Federal Agencies.

Story after story is pouring out regarding the illegal and immoral actions of CCE, inc and its owners. Council members are speaking out, the Mayor has reversed his position on supporting the move to 111 south saying in essence not in my backyard.

The more the stories come out, the more I am left to wonder, why is it such a big deal that some things have occurred on 111 south, and the media, and politician are all up in arms vowing to fight this to their last breath, yet the same violations are occurring every single day over on Silver Street, and there is no uproar in city hall?

Reports of the City still awarding this business contracts, and the land being owned by a certain real estate icon, whose business practices are questionable at best.

Folks its always the same names, time and time again....

And What of the Current Situation?

2009-07-08T07:18:00.000-07:00
Stories have been floating around in the local media regarding CCE inc. and its continual and flagrant violations of zoning and environmental laws.

stories linked below:
http://www.newsandtribune.com/floydcounty/local_story_188135850.html

http://www.newsandtribune.com/archivesearch/local_story_185214400.html
A search of the tribune

Coffey has rallied the troops to protest the potential move.
IDEM has cited the company for messing with a flood plane before he had permits
The mayor in his own words said “I don’t want him building behind my house,”

Hundreds of households have been fighting this company for years, generally with little or no help from the city, and our council Representative have been virtually absent through out all of it.

Once the intentions we made that the company planned on moving elsewhere in the city, all hell breaks loose. basically saying, keep that shit hole where its at, but don't you DARE let that business or that man anywhere near OUR part of town.

Meanwhile, it is still business as usual out at CCE, mountains of waste tires and shredded tires piled high, against city ordinances, as well as against IDEM permits. No word on the "lawsuit" against the company from the city.
Waste tires are still showing up in alleyways through the neighborhood, and CCE has started its old tactics of pulling themselves from the agendas when opposition is ready, and they will sneak it in when interest in them dies down. (this is a game they have been playing with us for years)

So now that the Mayor KNOWS what a shitty, irresponsible "neighbor" this company is, Will he move to have them shut down and fined for every single day that the property is in violation of Light industrial zoning laws?
The last three Administrations made promises that were never kept, should we expect More and better from this one?

Good days at the nature preserve

2009-07-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Some Cold Coffey over grounds

2009-06-24T09:55:00.000-07:00
http://www.newsandtribune.com/floydcounty/local_story_175111736.html

So what about the people who have to live with this mess for 8 years now?

One thing is for certain, The west end does not want Jeff Eastridge and this company over there either....

Why the city is letting this man and this business do anything in this city is beyond me.

BIO-BLITZ!!

2009-06-08T10:10:00.000-07:00
Taking a 3 day week end to get away from work, we found ourselves immersed in some work, but it was definitely fun!
Brown County State Park was having its inaugural "bioblitz", a cataloging of all the plants and animals that inhabit the 15,696 acre park.
Volunteers, professional ornithologists, entomologists, herpetologists, botanists, colleges, Scouts, all gathered together for 72 hours of nearly non-stop crawling, netting, scooping, photographing, GPS tagging, and sampling of all manner of living things in the parks borders.
At our time for departure mid sunday, the break down was roughly:

20 different Amphibian species
300 insect species
18 species of mammals
19 species of reptiles
200 different species of flowers, weeds and shrubs
dozens of tree species
17 species of fish
dozens of bird species from the tiny runy throated Hummingbird to the Great Horned Owl, and all manner of birds in between!

This also happenned during the final transition of life for toads, and the woods and trails were covered in thousands of baby toads, that had just finished morphing from tadpoles to toads. The miniature little boogers were no bigger then the diameter of a pencil eraser coming out of every pond, creek and puddle!

I know for a fact next year we will be back for this, and anyone interested in nature should keep their eyes peeled for the date of the next one as well.

What "Shops" would you like to see move in to downtown?

2009-05-18T10:07:00.000-07:00
As for me it would be the following;

1.) A photography and camera store with REAL cameras, film and digital, processing, and studio space to rent to photographers who need space for a shoot.

2.) a Dance supply store for all the kiddos in theater, dance lessons, etc. (have to go out in metro louisville now)

3.) a Small theater company (small scale plays put on by local actors)

4.) A locally owned and operated hardware store (yeah I know we have ace hardware)

What about you guys? What would be on the top of your lists?

A Special Thanks

2009-05-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

A special thanks to Mr.Kozarovich of the New Albany Tribune for taking the time to get in contact with me regarding the Floyd County V.F.W. Mens Auxiliary Post #3281 offer to replace the U.S. flag that was stolen from the front of our home.
The one thing about our community, is that when something bad happens, there is ALWAYS people out there willing to do what they can to make it right.
THANK YOU MR. MARTIN, from my wife, daughter and myself.

Submitted To The New Albany Tribune

2009-04-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

Thievery Hits A New Low In New Albany...

Sometime on April 29th, the thievishness elements of our fair city hit a new low. Aside from the all to common theft of bicycles, car stereos, and anything made of copper that is not under armed guard, a person or persons walked up to the front of my home and stole from us a monetarily inexpensive item, but an item of great sentimental value, the nostalgic value of this object is based in patriotism and remembrance of a recently deceased loved one.
Shortly before my Father-in-law passed away, he had given to me and my family a new American Flag to replace one that had been flown in front of my house for the better part of a decade. The tattered old Flag was retired, and the new flag had went up on a freshly painted pole.
The flag was mounted on the front brick column of my home, and at 6'2" I could barely reach the mount to place the Flag, and yet a kleptomaniac could not resist the urge to tresspass and steal a symbol of our country and a last gift to our family from a dying man. Shame on the person or persons who stole this flag, for what ever means they felt the need to steal it.
The ugliness of this crime is in the fact the perpetrator(s) do not stand to gain monetarily from this crime, and by choosing to steal this symbol of our Country, they have defiled the flag and everything that it stands for.

loathsome....

2009-03-19T06:22:00.000-07:00
Breaking and Entering is perhaps one of the worst things a person can experience in their lives. The loss of the sense of security can weigh heavy on a persons mind for years after the incident.
But when a criminal piece of shit feels the need to break into a clinic that is there to help to poor who can not afford health care, smash the place up, bust the windows and walls with a brick, and scatter glass shards all over a children's table and books, well, in the interest of maintaining at least a PG-13 rating, I would get into name calling....
On March 18th at about 11:15 pm, person or persons unknown used a brick to break a window in the Family Health Center to gain entry to the waiting room area of the clinic, once inside they trashed the walls, kicked around the chairs, and ripped from the wall a television service that provided valuable health information to the patients. Fortunately the cleaning crew was actually in the building at the time, working in the basement and heard the commotion and called me right away, I instructed them to get out of the building and call 911 from their cellphones, and that I was on my way.
Hearing the cleaning crew leave the basement, the would be robbers fled... Thank GOD they chose to flee and not to do any harm to the husband and wife cleaning crew we employ, it bad enough the cleaners are elderly, and in the building alone late at night!
Being the gun toting "redneck" that I am, I strapped on my Sig .357 auto loader, and hit the road and arrived about the same time as JPD. A complete building search showed the perps were definitely gone, but the damage was done, and the cleaners very shaken.
Justice? Oh yes there is justice.... The "HDTV" is not an HDTV. It is a 32" HDM dedicated for the specific application provided by the commercial company that provides the health information programming. They did not even have the chance to get the power cord, and even with that, the HDM will not function unless attached to the specific equipment for the service.
IN YOUR FACE!! HA HA!!
After boarding up the windows in the rain, and paying the cleaning crew extra for helping to clean up the mess after pictures were taken and the police were done, I jumped in my jeep, soggy, aching, and tired and quite ready for bed since it was after 1am.
And when it rains it pours, I'm wet, I'm dirty, I have glass slivers all over my clothes, and I am damn tired. Jumping on Browns Station way, the dreamy thoughts of my comfy bed are filling my tired mind, when I see a sea of red and blue lights just across the silver street bridge in New Albany. Lo and Behold, I get stuck in the middle of an Indiana State Police sobriety check point.
Remember the inclusion of the Sig .357 auto loader???
So now I am wet, dirty, tired, ARMED, angry about the break in, surrounded by a dozen state troopers, exclaiming I am armed, and that I have my permit, and I wont make a single move unless they ask me to.
After checking my permit, and my drivers credentials, on my way again at 1:30am.....

IF ANYONE SHOULD HAVE ANY INFORMATION RELATED TO THIS BREAK IN PLEASE CALL THE JEFFERSONVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR CONTACT ME!
The money we have to pay for the repairs to walls, glass, etc is money that could have gone to paying for medications and labs for people with out insurance, and no financial means to pay for it themselves. (even though logic would indicate that this was done by a patient, unfortunately)

out and around (at least a little bit)

2009-03-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Arts V. Athletics

2009-03-09T06:14:00.001-07:00
First off, I admit in this posting, that I am biased, always have been, always will be. Yet it still seems to me, bias or not, something is just not right here.

How many people out there are aware that we have 4 girls at NAHS that are among the best solo vocalists in the entire state? (and not pop, rock, or R&B, we're talking classical Aria's here)

We also have a significant number of singers who had been accepted into the Indiana All State Honors Choir. Yet during the announcements at school, when it comes to celebrating the arts, and the achievements of the students who pursue them, all that can be heard is the rustling of papers between the announcements regarding athletics.

Recently our school system saw fit to spend millions of dollars on a new weight room, yet our performance choir can not afford to have their robes cleaned more than once per year. The Theater Department is in the red, participation in the music programs are low.

Stories in the local media regarding the bravery, the skill, the pride with our local athletics have nearly daily coverage, yet I challenge any readers to find the names of the girls who took gold and silver at the state level of vocals.....

No before any sports fans blow a gasket, I am not saying I am against High School Athletics, that is not the case at all. What I am saying is the school systems has seemed to lose sight of "cultural education", and so much emphasis is placed on competetive sports, and the students engaged in such activities are treated like stars, yet those who are interested in the arts and music seem to be treated with a mild interest, kind of like a cute stray dog who is thrown a scrap now and again...

2009-03-02T08:14:00.000-08:00

"You are all fundamentalists with a top dressing of science. That is why you are the stupidest of conservatives and reactionists in politics and the most bigoted of obstructionists in science itself. When it comes to getting a move on you are all of the same opinion: stop it, flog it, hang it, dynamite it, stamp it out."

~George Bernard Shaw

I have grown accustomed to having erred fingers pointing at me, accussing me of random things I had had not done. Hey, its part of my job to handle this.

But recently an anonymous troglodyte accused myself, Mr. Baylor, and Mr. Wimp of only wanting to remove the poor from the city of New Albany by forcing upon all landlords unequal standards of code enforcement.

And again, I ad my disclaimer here, not all landlords are slumlords, and few slumlords are landlords. A city does not notice the landlords.

I had responded in kind to one of these accusations that this is not about railroading the poor out of town, and this is not about going after every landlord in town either. Simply put, and it can not be put any simpler, yet there are those who can not seem to understand, if you keep your property up to minimum standards as set forth in city, state, and federal housing laws, then you need not lose a wink of sleep, or be over burdened with the city government demanding half of your rental income to keep "anything from happining to your property" (last bit spoken with a heavy mafia type accent)

Indeed, this measure is not only being pushed for the general well being of the city at large, but more for the "poor" than anyone else. Being of lower income should not mean that you have no choice but to rent from an unscrupulous slumlord who feels it is okay to profit from a structure with non-functioning plumbing, faulty electrical systems, no heat, and infested with rodents and/or insects.

OF INFESTATIONS AND HEALTH

http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=22&cont=312

It is no secret that the number of children and adults who are developing asthma and severe allergies from exposure to excrement from Cockroaches. "From 23 percent to 60 percent of urban residents with asthma are sensitive to the cockroach allergen".

And most who fall into this demographic are also medically indigent, or reliant on government programs to substidize their health care needs. When it comes to the needs of the indigent or substidized medical needs of this demographic, who indeed pays for the emergency room visits, the nebulizers, the inhalers, and daily oral medication to control this rapidly expanding population of asthmatics due to chronic exposure to infestations of cockroaches?

They pay with their health and well being, we pay with our taxes, and increases in costs related to our own healthcare as the hospitals scramble to make up for the expenditures they have to write off. And yet the slumlord continues to take money in, month after month, profiteering from the very practice that in the long run costs us all.

Chronic exposure to mold, mildew, rodent dander and excrement also add to this toll. (http://www.afhh.org/dah/dah_rodents.htm)

I knew a family who had rented from a notorius slumlord as they awaited the purchase and completion of their new home. They stayed in the house for a mere 6 months. The youngest child, who was no more than 3 years old at the time, had been a healthy girl. By the fifth month of being exposed to the present mold, and roach droppings, the child had developed asthma, and required regular intervention and medications. The owner of the property refused to have an exterminator survey the house, and refused to allow the tenants to do so, out of fear that no one would want to rent the property if there were insecticides in the home.
Needless to say they packed up and moved out, and basically threw out much of what they owned due to in creepy crawly pests. Years later the child still remains overly sensative to exposure to roaches. Fortunately this family had the means to out, and made a crucial mistake from who they rented from, most families do not have a choice.
If we were to set property value issues aside, and tax base issues aside, should we, as a community, at least not stand together against the practice of renting out homes that are known to be infested with rodents and/or insects?
Just some food for thought........

A voice of Gold

2009-02-14T08:41:00.001-08:00

CONGRATULATIONS MORGANNE!
On Valentines day my Daughter Morganne went to regional solo competition in Scottsburg, and sang Schirmer's arrangement of Antonio Caldera's ( 1670-1736) aria antiche "Alma del Core" (Soul of My Heart).
Being a natural soprano, with a shockingly clear, powerful voice, that still leaves family members with gaping jaws thinking " Is that our Morganne singing?", under the instruction of Ivana Conrad, and Mrs. Derungs from NAHS she nailed the Aria and took the gold at the regionals, next stop is the State solo competion in Indy the first weekend of March.
Congratulations Morganne, we are all VERY proud of you!

A big Burley surpise

2009-02-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

In a health care finance meeting, I learned some information that does not come as much of a shock. The tobacco tax hike that Governor Mitch pushed so hard for to provide health care for thousands of Hoosiers with the money raised from the taxes, has had some funny twists and turns on its way through the coffers.

According to the information I had learned, municipal hospitals funding from the state was cut by $50 million. They were then "awarded" $32 million dollars across the state, apparently the difference went into the HIP program (the miracle plan that would provide health care to thousands of Hoosiers with out insurance). Apparently the government also wanted to implement a program called HIP 2, which was contested by the municipal hospitals because of the abysmal failure and difficulties related to the original recipe HIP.

We also learned that the reimbursement rate for medicaide is going to drop an additional 5%, while the number of people added to medicaide is expected to raise, even more so when one considers that a proposed unemployment benefit will be enrollment in medicaide.

In essence, comprehensively care for more people, with less money.

Oh yeah, about those pesky tobacco taxes, that little thing where a minority of the population is expected to carry the lions share of the tax burden for the expenditures associated with state provided insurance assistance, According to at least one highly ranked local hospital administrator, the majority of that wonderful money that was to provide health care to the uninsured has went to fluffy feel good projects for anti-tobacco education and coalitions. Sure, lets take money away from community hospitals, give them a fraction of that back, institute program riddled with hurdles and problems to the point that any self respecting practitioner with a business to run, a staff to pay, supplies to buy, and still manage to earn a living, will stay away from because of the issues related to collecting dwindling payments with extra long waits to get reimbursed for services.

So, we raised the tobacco taxes, and promised the money would go to health care for the indigent, and instead we are paying for "be smart, don't start" T-shirts, and "Anti-smokey" the bear.

Don't get me wrong, intervention is VERY important-

BUT...

Each week we are adding 15 to 25 new patients in our Clark county office alone, losing maybe one patient per month from them getting insurance, or moving to more fruitful areas. And they are "sicker" patients with more serious health issues.

While the federal government is making strides in improving the network of FQHC's (federally qualified health centers) , the state is really dropping the ball here.

Just food for thought, all in all, what will you do when your boss comes around with your pink slip?

Mitch promised that the money from tobacco taxes would be there to care for those who need medical help, and in the end, it was all a lie.

So what is the point of this rant? The can be filed under the title of the hell if I know. I just know I am mad about it. If you are going to tax a particular section of the population based on untrue data (the health care costs related to morbid obesity is outpacing the health care costs related to tobacco use), then by God, at least make damn sure that the money goes to what you say it is going for. Put OUR money where your mouth is, stop the fluff and help people!

2009-02-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

2009-02-04T07:34:00.000-08:00
Taking some time out of my morning commute to stop and enjoy the sunrise along the Ohio River...

Cedar Waxwings

2009-01-31T16:28:00.001-08:00
Expecting only to get out and get a few shots of the ice and snow Saturday Morning, we were treated to a show by three cedar waxwings feeding on berries on a tree along the Ohio River.
These guys paid no attention to us, and allowed us to walk right up to them.

Getting out and around...

2009-01-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday!

2009-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Jan. 19, 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston
Happy 199th birthday!

A Dream Within A Dream
by Edgar Allan Poe
(published 1850)
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow --
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep -- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

2009-01-17T11:32:00.001-08:00

Photo highlights from 2008

2008-11-26T19:18:00.000-08:00

2008-11-22T06:10:00.000-08:00

A moment in time....

2008-11-19T06:36:00.000-08:00
A fleeting glimpse of a Yellow-Breasted Chat, the split second before a red-tailed hawk sinks it talons into its prey, 1/18th of second that for one means life or death, for the other means food or hunger. An old woman's time weathered, wrinkled hands cradling a baby bird that had fallen from its nest, or the smile on a child's face when they discover something new...
The hundredth second where lightning splits the air and washes the night in brilliant blue/white light, or the zenith of color painting clouds floating lazily in the evening sky from the setting sun casting hues of fire across the atmosphere. Things that will never, ever happen again, no matter how long you look you will never find the same thing again.
It all starts on a little star floating through space, and the light that bathes our planet, and provides the energy from all life 93 million miles away, we can sense it, we can feel it when it warms us, but we can not grab it, we can not out run it, we can hardly define what light it. It is particles, it is energy, it is waves.
But we can capture it. We can capture the life it creates, the energy it makes. We can capture the death it causes, we can capture its effects it has when the winds generated from light blows an autumn leaf across the sky. An infinite number of photons, all with different wave lengths and energies bounces off of, and passes through, or is absorbed by everything we see, and most of which we can not see. From Radio waves to Gamma rays, these photons surround us day and night, but I digress before I have to break out the physics equations like E=hf, which I admit I barely grasp! The speed limit of the universe is thought to be 186,000 miles per second, the speed of light. It is measured in time and distance, and we have the ability to stop both, at our will, and capture it all for as long as we choose to keep it.
The word photography comes from two Greek words that mean "writing with light." And photography is the poetry of three things: light, time and subject. Again, which will never be repeated on scientific level. This poetry can invoke fear, rage, sadness, joy, and love. And each persons perspective is different, what may make one person happy when they see a picture may enrage another.
So what is the difference between a photographer and someone who just takes pictures? Is it the equipment? Compared to my daughters pocket point and shoot camera, does my Digital SLR make me a photographer? Compared to the multi-thousand dollar digital SLR camera body a photo-journalist uses, does that make me a mere picture taker, and not a photographer?
Or perhaps it is in education and training. Is a person with a degree in visual arts more of a photographer than a person who has learned on their own and has an amazing ability to capture the perfect timing, light and subject just by their raw perception of what others find pleasing to the eye?
*"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter. " ~Ansel Adams

*"No photographer is as good as the simplest camera." ~Edward Steichen

*"I never question what to do, it tells me what to do. The photographs make themselves with my help." ~Ruth Bernhard

When photography is looked at in this perspective, we are all artists in our own rights. We can express our thoughts, our fears, our hopes and dreams in a medium that any person anywhere can comprehend. It shatters all barriers of language, and speaks to everyone, and each person gets a different message.
The ability to capture a moment in time is gift we should all enjoy. One of my favorite quotes about photography: "If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera." ~Lewis Hine

Waste Not or Hunt Not

2008-11-17T06:52:00.000-08:00
It is no big secret that I grew up hunting, practically every male in my family did. Duck hunting was the vast majority of it, and it was an annual reunion of guys in my family from all across the country, and it was more about the comradery and practical jokes, and occasionally we would get a duck, and we used the duck, nearly all of it. The feathers were used to hand tie fishing flies for trout fishing in the spring in the mountains....
We were brought up to respect nature, and to take ONLY what we would use, hunting was not for trophies to stick on a wall, and I admit, growing up there were times when hunting actually provided the meat for some members of our extended family that would otherwise go with out.
A few years back I traded in my shotgun for a Nikon, and I still duck hunt, I still dress in head to toe on occasion in camouflage, and trek through slushy marshes in 15 degree weather in the hopes of getting one good shot... Only now with a camera...
Which is why I am sickened by the behavior of a particular neighbor of mine, and I had taken pictures to post, be declined to do so.
For the Second year in a row, this "hunter" has taken a deer. (in this case the buck is so small it is more like a German Shepard with some twigs in its head) And for the second year in a row, this majestic, and beautiful creature has been laying in their front yard for 3 days now. Cut open and gutted, it spent two days draped across a picnic table with its legs stretched towards the heavens stiff as a board with its tongue dangling out the side of its mouth, and its fur drenched with matted blood from what is obviously a poor Field dressing job.
Last year, a doe, a deer, a female deer (could not resist singing the song in my head) layed out in the front yard for weeks partially covered with a ragged blue tarp, which did nothing to combat the smell of rotting flesh.
Aside from the sight of a dead, deer laying on a picnic table, abdomen butchered open, laying out for 3 days (and probably many more days to come), and the smell that goes along with it after it had been hung from a tree by hooks through its back legs, and the throat slit so all the blood can drain out it into the yard, the fact this guy has no intentions of using any of the meat (which went bad shortly after not being properly butchered the day it was taken) all he is interested in is placing another deer head on the walls of his house which are all ready covered in dozens of deer, opossum, racoons, coyote, ground hogs, fox, beaver, and a chicken (yes a taxidermy chicken graces the wall of the living room).
This wanton destruction of a life, for no reason at all outside of a cheaply and poorly done trophy, is the paramount of disgusting.
I always felt bad when I took a duck, or the occasional squirrel, but I used as much as possible of the animal, wasting very very little. What could not be consumed or reused was generally used to fertilize garden plots. (nothing makes 'maters grow better than burying left overs from cleaning fresh fish below where you will be planting the next spring, at least until the mercury levels got to high in our lakes and rivers)
My lovely wife, who had all ready had enough off seeing this poor deer by Saturday afternoon had went ahead and called the health department this morning, and was actually laughed at. Of course, the health inspectors will probably not be laughing too much when the come out next week and have to deal with the stench associated with 160 pounds of rotting meat. But if one were to ask the mighty hunter, the rotting process makes it easier to get the skin off of it so he can stuff the head and put it on his wall. Of course, the other 155 pounds of bone, skin, fur, meat will be tossed into his city garbage can after being chopped up with an ax so it can all fit in the can..

A helping hand?

2008-11-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.newsandtribune.com/homepage/local_story_318132012.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

Every one who followed this blog for a while is familiar with the story of the "Family" where members of the local blog sphere came together to help the poor family who were on the verge of losing everything.
A free education was donated to the mother as a dental hygienist, and a good paying job was simply waiting on the final state exam for dental assistant, which the mother passed all of the practice written and practical exams with all aces...
Lo and Behold, the day of the final state exam, which was less strenuous than the practice tests, she dropped out of the class, the reason, things were busy with her job as taxi driver...
A little later on my wife and I had learned, to our disgust, the money raised to help cover rent and deposits, utilities, and groceries were completely wasted on booze and cigarettes for the parents, and reportedly a substantial portion of clothing for the 3 children were returned to the stores either for cash, or if the stores offered in store credit and sold cigarettes and booze, the clothing changed from coats and jackets to Marlboro's and Miller Lite. (not even good beer!)
Today to my surprise, the front page of the evening news is a sprawling picture of the mom, seated outside the emergency shelter in Jeffersonville, talking about how she is going to continue feeding and sheltering her children if the emergency shelter goes under at the end of the year as predicted. A horrible situation for the children to be in, and yet, there she is, smoking a cigarette while wondering how to feed and clothe her children...
HELLO!! WHAT ABOUT THE FREE EDUCATION YOU PISSED AWAY AND THE JOB THAT WAS WAITING ON YOU WITH FULL BENEFITS, GOOD PAY, AND A FUTURE?
Listen, my attentive audience of 4 or 5 readers, I have been around the block a time or two. Worked 8 years as a reserve police officer in New Albany sometimes putting in 40 hours a week on top of a regular job, I have worked EMS, both public and in private injury prone industries, and have been chin deep in social work for nearly 10 years now, and I have NEVER seen anything that sickens me more than this story.
To see them on the front page of the paper, outside the emergency shelter, talking about the trials and tribulations of have to feed and provide shelter for the children, but making damn sure you have a cigarette hanging out of your mouth!

VETERANS DAY

2008-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."
~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Good Day at the Zoo!

2008-11-01T17:57:00.001-07:00

Fall Mornings

2008-10-24T07:54:00.000-07:00
Politics suck, they can drain the life right out a person. All of the he said, she said, finger pointing and mudslinging....
Fortunately an escape is close by, find a lake in the country on a misty morning and just sit and watch the sun rise........

Oh deer!

2008-10-20T05:53:00.001-07:00

Perhaps the city is planning on using it for a cool Halloween prop, or perhaps its because of budgetary constraints, what ever the reason, I find it a little disturbing that a large doe was hit by a car on 8th street just south of the railroad underpass several weeks ago, and its bloated dead body is still lying next to road.
This is not a random opossum that will dry out and flatten out to the point it could used as a Frisbee in few days, we are talking about a DEER!
Of course, I do truly feel sorry for the poor sap sent to clean up when they do get around to it, another halfway warm day or so and she will be ready to pop!

Open House!

2008-10-15T08:02:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday October 29, 2008 between the hours of 11:00am and 1:00pm the Family Health Center of Clark County will be hosting an open house at the new facility located 1319 Duncan Avenue in Jeffersonville. (adjacent to Clark Memorial Hospital).
The Public is invited to stop by and have a look around!
Also, interested persons can purchase raffle tickets for the above pictured handmade rug called "celebration" where the proceeds go towards funding for the centers BCCP program (breast and cervical cancer program). The drawing will be held during the open house, for more information you can call 812-283-2308.

Sunday Morning Muscatatuck

2008-10-05T18:10:00.000-07:00
I'll just let the pictures say everything...

Loop Island (Thanks Steve, Ann & Rosie)

2008-09-28T19:05:00.000-07:00
After a tip from the kind folks over at Diggin in the Dirt, we ventured down to Loop Island wetlands Sunday Morning, and it was definately worth it:
Humming Bird By Charity

Double Crested Cormorant taking off
Great Egret Flying
"Shore Party!"
Great Egrets, Blue-winged teal, Great Blue Herons, and Hen Mallards

Killdeer

Fall is here....

2008-09-24T05:51:00.000-07:00

By far my favorite season! I would suggest to the few followers of this blog to take the time to get out there in the world, and you don't have to drive far to experience some of the best mother nature has to offer....

And sometimes, more often than it should happen, we get not so subtle reminders that we are but stewards of this amazing world, it does not belong to us, we only borrow it from our children and the animals which live here with us, and we are NOT doing a very good job....

" Do I leave Animal Carcasses in your living room?"

2008-09-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

2008-09-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Other blogs have covered the damage of the windstorm rather well, and I too, had made the tour with camera in hand, but this I absolutely loved. A lot of people know about the herd of deer at the radio towers on grant line road (if you dont, all you have to do is drive by right before the sun goes down, and usually you can three to eight deer, bucks, does, and yearlings)
This particular group of deer pictured above can be found in the early morning hours on Coes Lane, just off of Charlestown road. I have never seen them after 7:30am, but have seen them more often than not if I drive down Coes lane before 7:15. Look for them on the left side of the road if you are driving away from Charlestown road just before the first bend in the road.
Another scene, which of course, I did not have my camera for this morning were three raptors all in a row, lined up from big to small, a red tailed hawk, a red shoulder hawk, and an American Kestral. Reminded me of one of those commercials "more bars in more places".
Hope the clean up is going well for everyone, and please try and help out a neighbor!!

Every Cloud...Er wind has a silver lining

2008-09-15T15:51:00.000-07:00

5 large grills filling the electric free air with the wafting aroma of steak, burgers, BBQ chicken, sausage, hamburgers and dogs....
Children laughing and playing, adults talking and relaxing, and EATING like there was no tomorrow.
From about 5pm to late into the night that was the scene here in the neighborhood. The meat from freezers that was about to be lost was lined up, seasoned, and slapped on charcoal and gas grills, before too long, what started off as a way to be able to keep the meat a little longer should the power not come back on, turned into a no-electric post hurricane winds, block party.
After the trees blocking the street were cleared, and the fireworks provided by the exploding transformers had banged its last bang, it was time to relax, and what the hell, there was no TVs with the exception of two small battery powered TVs, a battery powered radio.
What could have been a total disaster, at least in this neighborhood turned into something good. Connections were made, dialogs were started, and a few running problems were solved over paper plates full of steaks and hot dogs.
By the time the last chunk of cow came off the grill, and no one could possibly eat anymore, everyone was relaxed, and ready for bed. At least if nothing else, it knocked quite a few hours out of what was to be a long and VERY dark, and eerily quiet night. Some of the neighbors hung outside until about 2am or a little later, and when the sun came up, we were all back out there helping each other clean up.....
Its just a shame it took a storm like this to bring this neighborhood back together, but at least it happened....

St. Mary of the Annunciation

2008-09-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Built in 1853, it would appear that the remnants of Hurricaine Ike has severely damaged one of New Albanys most beautiful churches, the steeple as of monday at 2:30 was being held up by a pair of cranes and was leaning badly towards 8th street.
For more information on the church: http://www.stmarysna.org/index.html

First Real Day Out In A While

2008-09-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Its been a little while since I could go out trekking around on foot for hours taking a hike with my camera, and the wait was rewarding today....

Photo #1 A Juvenile Osprey, one of Five currently hanging out at the falls of the Ohio.
A Black Vulture, one of hundreds who have been down there, this guy was nearly close enough to reach out and grab.
A double crested Cormorant Juvenile, one of a pair who was swimming and flying around. Usually these guys are extremely wary of people and do not often get close enough for a good shot.
My all time favorite "shore bird", the green heron, he and I ended up playing a game of Hide and Seek, he decided if he hid in a cherry tree I would not be able to find him.
One of the neatest things I have seen in a long time, this wood spider was trudging her brood of young across the fossil beds of the Falls of the Ohio. Every time she would stop dozens of baby spiders would crawl off of her back and scurry around, when it was time to move on, they would all climb on her back and she would run off, I watched her do this for about 25 yards.

Preparing for Enhanced Code Enforcement Opposition

2008-09-10T06:51:00.000-07:00

Photo Ops

2008-09-06T19:14:00.000-07:00
The evenings are cooling off, and the flocking and migration of the birds have begun, which affords excellent opportunities to get some pictures of birds that are refreshingly greeted like friends who only stop by once a year:
The Number of Raptors hanging out should start increasing as fall approaches, this red-shouldered hawk will be in the same place nearly every morning on the way to work. When he is not out, a red tailed hawk more than likely will be....

Wood Duck and teal will start increasing in numbers, though the wood duck will not be in their best dress, they are still none the less a very beautiful bird....
Common Nighthawks are passing through now, where you find Chimney Swifts and Swallows twisting and turning in the air, right now you will probably find these guys as well. A very Aerobatic bird, their speed and grace is amazing. Look for them in in and among the previously mentioned birds, they will be about the size of a blue jay, with very distinctive white bands on the outer edge of their wings...
The Great Egrets will be passing through as well, and soon following them there will be a return of the large numbers of Great Blue Herons, followed by my favorite migratory birds who come to southern Indiana, the massive flocks of Sandhill Cranes that will cover Muscatatuck and Ewing Bottoms outside Seymour....

Sad....

2008-09-03T11:18:00.000-07:00
I feel really guilty, the last time I saw Jim Hollis at the "corner store" near our neighborhood, I ducked out before talking to him, and I did so on purpose, as I was running late to work.
Mr. Hollis died this past Saturday, and his funeral is tomorrow. A long time council member, and a contender in the last primary elections, and he was a contender with his home made election signs. The little man could talk the ears off of a mule, but he always did so trying to do his best to serve the interests of this city. He was an old school politician who believed in face to face one on one campaigning, and he seemed to actually care.
Sorry I snubbed you last time I saw you Mr. Hollis, may you rest in peace.

The Next Great Debate

2008-09-02T05:48:00.001-07:00
Soon, I am sure the great debate of Take Home Patrol Cars will come up in the great chambers of city hall. And there are many people who feel that the very act of a police officer having a 24 hour patrol car is an abuse of authority, and waste of tax payer money, etc.
But let me relate to you a little story, and we will have to reach back into some antiquity to set the stage right.....
One summer night, what seems like a lifetime ago, two police officers had just finished their tour of duty on second shift. One of them the shift Sergeant, the other was the shift Corporal. Just as they had done for God knows how long, they went to the police headquarters to turn in the patrol car, the huge bulky two way radios for the next shift to use. The climbed into a soft top 1976 Jeep CJ-7, grey with silver stripes, they carpooled to work as these two officers lived right down the street from each other.
On the way home, they stopped at what was then "the state street store", to pick up a few things. The walked through the doors of the store right into the middle of an armed robbery. Now this was back in the days before our officers had bullet proof vests, semi-automatic pistols, etc...
The Sergeant was reportedly greeted with 12 gauge shotgun, and immediately gunfire broke out, thankfully, neither officer was hit, nor was the store clerk, but if memory serves me correctly, all three suspects were wounded, one with a shot to the face, one with multiple shots to his upper leg, and the third, memory eludes me as to his injuries.
In the moments after the shooting, and right before the shooting these two officers were alone, no radio to call for backup, no patrol car with a 12 gauge of their own to match firepower, no extra ammunition outside of the 18 shots, 6 in the revolver, and 12 on the belt.
It took a little while for back up to get there, to seal the scene and get the wounded to hospital, it takes time to match up a set of keys on a peg board to a car parked outside the station, precious seconds that can cost lives.
These two Officers were Sergeant Bruce Drake, and Corporal Mike Helms, both of which are gone now, if they were here, they could both attest to the importance of take home cars. Because not too long after that incident the city had purchased a handful of used dodge aspen 6 cylinder cars slapped some monstrously large light bars on the top and dressed them up with the insignia that clearly labeled them as New Albany Police cars, brandished with a proud "24 Hour Patrol" on the sides.
Nothing truly of note happened in the years following the shooting, a few major accidents of the highways, severe weather incidents, large fires which required extra officers to ensure that the city was properly covered.
That is until July 27Th, 1996 John Ingle walked into Tommy Lancaster's restaurant and shot his wife, Debbie, to death with a .45 caliber handgun. Officer Russ Witt responded to the scene and had went after the suspect on foot. Officer Witt was shot 5 times with that .45 caliber pistol, and was left basically to die.
This time around, there WERE take home cars, and the turn out of Officers was immediate, Officer Witt was taken to the hospital were he eventually recovered from his wounds, with the exception of on .45 slug that had to stay in his back.
An intensive man hunt began, and the area was effectively sealed off, leaving virtually no escape route for Ingle, who was soon captured.
We have had other incidents in this city where Officers have needed immediate assistance, and the community needed more than the four or five officers on the street to resolve the situations, The stabbing of Officer Laura Shook, the shooting of Officer Dannie Price, and the Murder of Officer Denzinger and serious wounding of Officer White, both from the Floyd County Police Department.
Yes, it costs money to have take home cars, and yes there will always be those who criticise everything the police do.
But we do not even have the luxury of having a police force that has the proper number of Officers as that relates to the population, and quite frankly shit happens. What is the cost this community is willing to pay to save money? An officer being wounded, or killed, or people who need help right at shift change having to wait for officers to find their assigned patrol car, transfer all the equipment that modern law enforcement requires into the car?
Those who would seek to do away with take home cars would probably be the first to raise holy hell if their call for help was delayed, or if their loved one was in need of immediate assistance, and in an effort to save money, there simply were not enough officers available to get the job done.........

Out Of Commission

2008-08-27T15:17:00.000-07:00
A few million of my platelets in my bloodstream decided they were bored and decided to get together to hang out in a vein just off of the greater saphenous vein in my upper right leg.
As a result of this platelet party, I have been ordered in bed for the next few days or so.
Not that rational thought is easily obtained with plenty of vicodin on board. (Hate that damn stuff, but this is one attitude having phlebitis)
Be back soon, that is if Floyd memorial does not require my soul as payment for the services rendered.

Enhanced Code Enforcement Meeting

2008-08-23T09:38:00.000-07:00
The first true "discovery" meeting regarding enhanced code enforcement has occurred, and I actually feel encouraged of the perspective changes this committee will bring to our city.
My hopes are that the rental collective who were there, collecting names and numbers to have other investment property professional join ranks with them, are not going to fight every measure, every step of the way. Indications from the statements made by Harrison would indicate that they may in fact do so.
I did take particular note of Councilman Prices comments referring to our code enforcement officer as "a Barney Fife with a clip board and pen"... That too is a little discouraging.
What the members of this committee need to realize and focus on is the laws are all ready in place, well seasoned and have stood the test of time. What fundamentally has been lacking, which has brought us to this point, is the enforcement of such codes by the various governmental departments whose job it is to do so.
Inevitably, this will again lead to the need of a City Court, where the work of Pam Badger, and the yet to be named Second Code Enforcement Officer can be followed up on, and proper fines dispensed, or further legal actions taken if need be. We can no longer rely on a system where repeated letters are mailed, trying to threaten a neglectful property owner into compliance.
And yes a VERIFIED registration program for rental properties will help some, until they start realizing some of the registers are no more than intangible ghost names. There also needs to be inspections done, if the property is keep up to minimum codes, the property owners have nothing to worry about, if it is NOT up to code, the subsequent re-inspections is where fees should be instituted. Let the Slumlords pay for the program, NOT the law abiding Landlords who keep their properties clean , safe and inhabitable.

Be the Change...

2008-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00
"You must be the change you want to see in the world. "
~ Mahatma Gandhi

New Albany eyesores was launched years ago to chronicle the ins and outs of battling what seemed an impossible task, one slumlord with one house, and an entire block trying to fight him to get the place cleaned up to at least minimum standards. Years worth of posts, photos, etc were lost when the blog crashed a month or so ago.
The long and the short of it is: our block went through hell, many homeowners simply left rather that have to deal with the constant threats to health, peace and quiet, the occassional drug dealers and thugs who would rent from the slumlord for 6 months and move on leaving the property worse than it was before.
NA eyesores chronicled the debacle of the basement being flooded with fermenting human excrement, and the subsequent death of Ranger, our family's 8 year old Black Lab when the sewage was pumped out into the ajoining yards. Not to mention the garden pond full of Koi which died, and hundreds of dollars worth of landscaping which was ruined. The City took no action, no fines for such flagrant and illegal actions.
In the end, the property has been cleaned up, and with little or no thanks to the city with the exception of Pam Badger who did all she could do, but the attorney or his henchmen would only wad up her violation notices and throw them in the street.
In the end, constant pressure, phone calls, letter, videos, photos, etc. had won out, and with a little nudge of the immediate threat of a lawsuit against the property owner, not only from me, but two sets of former tenants, the place got turned around.
But it was too little too late, no less than 5 decent families gave up the fight, moved out, some simply letting the banks foreclose the homes when they would not sell, those homes have now been bought by one of the most notorious slumlord names in this city, whos blight still goes unchecked, and our block has went from a quiet little street where neighbors once congregated on porchswings and just talked about the weather to a garbage strewn, noisy, den of theivery with a few exceptions scattered through, but that tide is once again turning as well, and rather quickly. Which is a story for another time perhaps, to share the tips and tactics that work, as well as the ones that backfire.
The Tour De Farce of the city council meeting proved one thing above all else, we can not rely on our elected (save 4) to do what is right for this city and to realize that there are priorities. A situation which may indeed spur me to re-retire from local political issues, at least until 2010 in the 4th district....
If we want change in this city we must do it, and not rely on those who are supposedly our representatives, or at least until a point where the concerns of ALL are taken with equal consideration, and comprimises are sought, and all are treated with equality and due consideration and respect.