I'M GOING TO SOUND LIKE A HEARTLESS BASTARD

Several months ago, I wrote about frivilous lawsuits. Kind of tongue in cheek stuff...but then I see garbage like this and it sends me through the roof.

When St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock was killed in an auto accident last month, it initially seemed like a horrible tragedy (it still is, regardless of circumstances since). Now, four weeks later, his idiot father is suing everyone.

Sue the bar for serving Hancock! Sue the tow truck that his son drove into! Sue the owner of the stalled car that spun out on the interstate, necessitating the tow truck! Sue, sue sue!

Never mind that your son a) was drunk, b) was speeding, c) was talking on a cell phone at the time, d) was in possession of marijuana there in the vehicle, e) had already been in an alcohol-related vehicular accident within the previous week, and f) wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

If dad wants to be pissed off at the world, perhaps he should look in a mirror first and ask if he could have been a better parent, if he could have taught his son better, maybe he would have been a much better decision-maker and not met this terrible fate. But instead, let's play the blame game and try to reap some financial reward. Sick. And I guess I'm not the only one that feels this way.

WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

At virtually every school in the country, averaging 26 wins per season, winning 76% of your games, making ten straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight or further four times, and winning a national championship would earn you an automatic ticket to the Hall of Fame. That this coach does it with class and grace is icing in the cake.

At U.K., it gets you run out of town.

Somebody's fanbase needs to get a clue.

REVIVING DOWNTOWN NEW ALBANY, ONE STEP AT A TIME

Meg and I moved two doors down from the Culbertson Mansion last summer. In between us was Culbertson West, previously occupied by the Redmen (who make the best chicken 'n' dumplins at Harvest Homecoming, I might add). We immediately started noticing on Friday and Saturday nights a ton of activity there. Turns out there's an extremely impressive reception hall, very recently renovated, in the back portion of the building.

As it turns out, the two gentlemen that have assumed control of Culbertson West also have bought up four other properties in a five block stretch of Main Street heading out of downtown. That includes two bed and breakfasts (the former Widows Home and the Box Tree Inn) and another reception hall, The Parthenon.

The name of their business is Third Century Services and from everything I've seen and heard, they run a first class organization at very competitive prices. I would highly recommend them to anyone getting married, organizing a class reunion, or throwing any other similar bash. With New Albany's downtown set for a revitalization, these fellows are ahead of the curve and setting the pace.

I'm not taking any political stands here. I'm a registered Republican but I like to think of myself as someone who tries to look over all the evidence leading up to the elections before I start pulling levers/pushing buttons/making sure my chads aren't hanging.

However, I have to at least mention the Mike Sodrel campaign going on in the Indiana 9th District, a showdown with his predecessor in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Baron Hill. They've had close races in the previous two elections (separated by just 1500 votes last time) and this one is shaping up to be a barn-burner again.
I'm very interested in the race because a former fraternity brother and groomsman in my wedding, Cam Savage, is serving as Sodrel's chief of staff and is currently back in New Albany orchestrating the re-election campaign. He's got a background working with Richard Lugar and Todd Rokita in Indiana and has worked some really tight races in the past...I know his competitive juices are flowing as we hit the homestretch here. With Republican majority in the House at stake, this race is going to get a lot more national attention than usual and is shaping up to be more contentious the further along we go.

If I'm going to make any comment about the election other than supporting a good friend, it would be for everyone to get out and vote come Election Day. It was a great turnout in 2004 and we all need to take on some civic responsibility. And if you're in Chicago, vote often!

They call it Spaghetti Junction, but most of the residents of the Louisville area would consider it something closer to one of the more nefarious circles of Hell. It's the junction where interstates 64, 65 and 71 all come together at the Kennedy Bridge in downtown. Now, I've tried going to concerts at Deercreek on a Friday night and fighting with Indianapolis traffic as you leave 465 onto 69 on the northeast side, but for the sheer frustration daily of starts and stops, hurried moves to make quick connections, and a lot of potential for accidents.

This group makes a compelling argument for an alternative in downtown Louisville. It would remove a two mile stretch of I-64 on the waterfront, divert that interstate across a new bridge already in the works in eastern Jefferson County (and connect with I-265 in southern Indiana), with all sorts of proposed benefits. Of course, not everyone is a fan of either this plan or the bridges.

Interesting debates all around...

When America goes the way of the Roman Empire, it won't be nuclear war, invasion by the commies, or even moral decay from the inside caused by professional wrestling. I'm convinced that the Internet and all the entertaining ways it allows us to waste our days away is going to cause us to slip into further mediocrity. So sayeth the yahoo on the Internet blogging away.

Sites like YouTube have got to be right at the top of that list of sites that is going to accelerate this process. I have to force myself to limit time there to just five minutes or so a day. Too much more, and I'd find hours at a time slipping past me.

There's much better stuff on YouTube to be found than this, but several of these cartoons left me chuckling out loud and grateful that no one was around to hear my chortling. Call them inspired revisions of classic movies, and how they might have turned out with just a slight twist coming down the stretch. There are quite a few to choose from, but my favorites were Star Wars, Superman: The Movie, Saving Private Ryan, Se7en, and (without question, my favorite take) Lord of the Rings.

Chortle away.