Mythos Mania

Another new self proclaimed "middle-class" restaurant is opening on 4th Street in Downtown.

PSA for Sam Malone

I think Sam Malone needs to read this post in CityBeat to learn about how to be proper parent. If he learned that "Real Men Don't Hit" he might become a respectable human being.

Cranley Care

CityBeat is reporting that Councilman John Cranley is teasing the electorate with a health care plan that would provide a means for low cost health insurance for City Residents.

The plan on the first glance lacks enough detail to determine if it is just way to expensive or if it more of a pea shooter firing on an artillery range.

One of the problems that comes to mind first is what will happen when an employer wants to pull out of the insurance plan or if they can't afford to pay their portion or they just go bankrupt. If having a job is a requirement for the insurance, then it can help the working poor and working class, but if they loose their job, it doesn't help fill in the gaps.

The fact that the plan will not be "officially" brought forth until after the election makes this a massive trial balloon. Cranley is not in danger of losing the election next month. If he has his eyes on running for Mayor in 2009, then this might be a way to build up an accomplishment before a future election that at this point has many viable candidates being mentioned as running.

Bandwagon UC Fans

Ok, I am getting sick of the bandwagon UC fans who all of the sudden get upset about UC football. Hell, as a Miami fan, I bet I've been to as many UC football games over the years then a large portion of UC alumni.

If they were not ranked, few would have cared what was on Fountain Square (I think only a few care now). When UC is no longer ranked, they will go away. I really can't stand fans who jump on the bandwagon only when "their" team is winning. It is yet another thing wrong with sports today.

UDPATE: Paul Daugherty Chimes in.

CAC: Odili Donald Odita

Harris and Eby Cooperation

Something fairly new for Cincinnati, a Democrat and a Republican have come together to promote a plan for the city: Common Sense Cincinnati.

Cincy YP PAC Endorsements

The endorsements are out and the list is very underwhelming. I agree with logic behind Harris, Qualls, and Bortz. Cranley's prior mocking of YP groups does nothing to demonstrate he cares about the efforts of YPs to help the City. Cranley is a YP himself, which makes it more troubling. Berding, Cole, and Fisher all I feel are not championing the 5 issues Cincy YP PAC lists as the most important.

Joan Kaup clearly is one I would say is on the side of YPs, I would be interested in knowing why she did not make the list. I might trough George Zamary into that camp as well, with him being a much better choice to reach out to the Republicans than Pat Fisher.

Bottom line, I was very disappointed in the picks. Politically, if you are trying to spread your eggs into many different baskets, that has some logic to it, but in the long run helping the candidates who are not squarely in your corner will comeback to bite you in butt.

Louisville Dises Ohio

Via the Urban Louisvillian:
If any part of Kentucky really wants to compare cultures with Ohio, I think they are in way over their heads. And yes, we have plenty of women in Ohio with tattoos on their butts. The key difference is that they are not our sisters.

Ghiz' Westside Digs

A Hyde Park Republican, Leslie Ghiz, is having open house at her HQ located in Westwood, the heart of the Westside. Did the Eastsider locate her HQ way over there because she desperately needs to get every Westwood vote she can get, or was the short term office rent cheaper?

Charity for Charity's sake

Joe Wessels has an excellent post on the misguided "do gooders" are trying to do something, instead of doing what is best.

FOP Endorses Man Who Beat His Kid

It is remarkable that the Police Union in Cincinnati is so blind they overlooked Sam Malone's arrest on domestic violence charges (he was acquitted). Malone's son testified in court that his father repeatedly whipped him with a belt.

The Cincinnati FOP has ignored the actions of Malone and endorsed him for City Council.

Never mind that they endorsed nearly all of the Republicans running, which is a given with an organization that has recently be a shill for the Republicans. How can the union representing the law enforcement agency for the City support a man who has never denied he hit his son with a belt. It is disgusting that the representatives of the local police force would let a man who uses violence as tool to control his son represent the City in any capacity, let alone at its highest level.

The sad part, this isn't a surprise.

Roebling Point?

Will a new marketing plan help put the "other" Covington entertainment district on the map?

If He Were a Democrat....

Si Leis would be run out of town on a rail for this kind of crap if he was a Democrat. Talk radio would want his head. Peter Bronson would be calling for him to be put into jail. The Enquirer would be pushing for a recall vote.

What is sad, is that this has been Si Leis's style for years. It surely is not the first time he has done this. The problem now is that the far right wing in Hamilton County are against Leis on the Tax issue. That makes him a target and they have had this kind of dirt on him for years?Wwhy wait until now to bring it out? What people will do to put their political views forward on a tax issue is really remarkable.

Change at CinWeekly

CinWeekly's Kari Wethington is moving over to the Enquirer to cover news in Northern Kentucky. This I believe is a plus for Kari and I hope helps her career. What she should be doing, at least part time, is writing about local music in Cincinnati on a regularly. The way the Enquirer has been assigning reporters, I find it more likely she will only have a geographical beat, not a topical one. This is an Enquirer trend that is not a wise way to build up the skills of reporters. It is instead a way to use them as machines to churn out copy.

Furthermore, I hope CinWeekly does not drop coverage of the local music scene. We didn't have a local blog coverage this year from Cin on Midpoint. I would surmise that Kari's move caused a gap that left open the coverage. Cin needs to step up to the plate and continue the level of music coverage Kari was providing. They could still do more! The Enquirer has no care about local music or much of any local news. Cin has many issues, but one of their highlights has been Kari's music coverage over the last few years. I for one will miss her weekly column. I do wish her well on her new job.

Over Kill?

I think the issue here is that some kids are acting like jerks and not getting out the way of the car. I mean, where did "Car! Game On" come from? As a kid we played whiffle ball and football in the street all the time. We did it on side streets and we got out the way when cars came down.

All you need to do is get a few of the kids parents to drive by and give them crap for not getting out of the way. This is a parenting issue, not one the city should be worry about.

The exception is on busy streets. It should be a rule already that you just can't be out on medium to high volume streets. That is simply a safety issue. Practically, no one is foolish enough anyway to be out playing touch football in the middle of Reading Road.

How?

Winburn has started his campaign of fear. I've not seen the ad, but the article claims he wants to bring down violent crime. Again in the article is states violent crime is down 12.6% from last year. What magic bullet does Charlie Winburn have to get crime down? Is he going to perform a mass exorcism to rid the City of violent demons or something?

Blog Debate

The Enquirer's Editorial Page Blog is holding what can best be described as a blog debate among candidates for Cincinnati City Council. I'm confused how this is going to work efficiently, but it should be interesting.

Forget Cassettes at MidPoint

Here are a few shots from the Forget Cassettes pre-party.

Ding Ding

The 'Nati Life reviews last nights Streetcar meeting.

MidPoint Debate

I don't have the time or the energy to debate the structure, style, motive, themes of MidPoint. It is not time to be MidPoint. I will be discussing the issues discussed in CityBeat and in the two blog posts from Each Note Secure Here and Here.

There is much, much, much to say about this, but not now! Look for comments after 2 AM later Saturday night. Well, not really until later on Sunday, if that soon, but anyway.....

Doing the MidPoint Thang

I'll be blogging Midpoint over at The Conveyor all weekend, as wifi alows me it will be live. Otherwise, look for my recaps in the morning.

"Pro-Life" Bronson Loves Him Some Death Penalty

An example of the duality of the answer man. His answers change depending on the situation. Something conservatives label as a weakness.

Coco's Closed

Well, this throws out the contention that having smoking in Covington would increase business from Ohio.

Midpoint Begins!

Tonight head down to Fountain Square for the official kickoff and CD Release for the 2007 Midpoint Music Festival.

The showcases start tomorrow. My top picks are Here on the Conveyor. I also have my top picks for local bands.

For everything offical about Midpoint, including schedule updates, head over to www.mpmf.com for details.

Bortz Ads on MySpace

Councilman Chris Bortz is the first local politician I've seen who is hitting Myspace with banner ads.

It is always a little creepy when they can read your zipcode on Myspace, or town I guess. I am not sure how affect it will be to advertise on Myspace, as opposed to using it as a tool to get your message out more directly.

Midpoint Tech Tools

Midpoint has has an entire suite of tech tools to enhance your festival experience. The most interesting to a data smasher like myself is the Excel scheduler.

I will be putting the Wifi to its max used while out at Midpoint. I'll be lugging around laptop at least one night for some live blogging.

It will be all over on theconveyor.com in our special Midpoint page.

Fear and Loathing in Cincinnati

Is Charlie Winburn out to get 'white' votes by scaring people? If the reports of his commercials are correct, he will fuel the misplaced fear people have about the City. Winburn appears to be trying to get elected by denigrating the city and driving people out. How is that leadership? That sounds like opportunism, that comes at the expense of the City's economy.

The classic thing form the post had Jane Prendergast asking Sam Malone for thoughts on Winburn's ad. Where's Sam's Ad? Here's what I think his commercial should include. I'm thinking Sam should just be pictured looking in the camera. The shot widens to show him standing in his living room. He takes the belt off his pants and says "Vote for me, and I'll beat this city into shape!"

Smoking Ban in NKY?

The Enquirer reports on this study that included this gem:

Ohio voters adopted a statewide ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and other public places last year.

No one’s calling for such a measure in Kentucky yet, but Stricker said he’d like to see such legislation in Northern Kentucky, at least.

Consumers who don’t smoke don’t like smoky environments in Northern Kentucky restaurants and bars, and it’s costing the area business, he said.

“My guess is they’re going to Cincinnati, ‘cause they hate the smoke. I know we’re losing business because of it,” he said.

Yea, there's not much I can say, so I won't spoil it.

6 Votes?

Six to Ten votes is what I count the tally to be so far. I don't see this as newsworthy, but, yes, look at source.

MidPoint Week!

This is Midpoint Week. The Enquirer started it off yesterday with a story on the background of music festival on the sixth annual event.

This are a little smaller this year. Main Street is in total transition right now. Three venues are opening up this week and hopefully they will stay open. Jardine is way behind their prior announced opening. The rumor is that Q and Speakeasy are going to be open past Midpoint. For a couple of them they will need some work to be functional. Pizza Bar is also opening, but I've heard only vague rumors about it staying open beyond this weekend.

Stay tuned to the blog and to The Conveyor for Midpoint coverage this week. I'll be listing my picks of bands by Wednesday, so make sure you get you three day wristband. For more information and to buy said wristband, hit www.mpmf.com.

5th and Race Theatres?

The plan to move Playhouse and the Children's Theatre of Cincinnati to a new Theatre complex at 5th and Race Street still is in the works. This move would put a mammoth cultural in the heart of downtown. A shot to the heart of downtown such as this would solidify the growth we are seeing now.

Drink More Beer

Get out the waders and loosen the belt a little, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is here.

Things to look for: Which politicians are out in force. The sticker test is always a fun way to watch the political message flow through the crowd.

OK Corral

In an interesting twist the Enquirer has two articles today where they chose a description of Gun Fights in different ways. What I find interesting is how they defined things. Compare Running gunbattle covers four blocks with the headline Shootout passenger gets prison. What makes a gun fight a shootout and what makes a gun fight a gun battle?

Screw the Poor and Screw the Environment

The logic of the City of Mason appears to be as clear as I-71 during rush hour. They refuse to subsidize bus service that brings workers to Mason and the surrounding area. Who do think can afford to work at Kings Island or work at the fast food restaurants along Mason-Montgomery Road and own a reliable car? Few can. A big reason people move to the exurbs is to avoid the poor, but honestly, do they think they are going to get conservative housewives to flip burgers? When you drive out the Latinos with a horrid witch hunt, then you vote to keep bus riding workers out of your community, what kind of economic development, or for that matter just keeping businesses running, can occur when wages go sky high to attract workers over qualified for lower jobs?

Furthermore has anyone on Mason City Council noticed the clogged roads during rush hour? Do they care a lick about reducing the amount of traffic, and fuel used? I guess they drive their SUVs around the Deerfield Town Center, AC on and windows down.

Northside Candidate's Forum

Nate Livingston gives his take on how the candidates did at the Northside Community Council's candidate forum. Anyone else go with a different take? How are the candidates doing on the trail?

Is Bates Toast?

As a challenger, Melanie Bates was fighting an up hill battle, but does losing a key conservative endorsement dry up a key demographic Bates was counting on?

Bates' campaign was based on crime and her personal experience with it, after the murder of her husband. That was alone a hallow campaign, but what makes it more difficult is that the Democrat turned Charterite had to appeal to the conservative West side. POWR PAC is a key influence on Westside opinions. With the loss of their endorsement, the opinion of Bates on the Westside has just dropped to a point that likely will eliminate any change she had of getting elected.

Antioch Appears to Have a Future

Antioch College in Yellow Springs has a potential new future. Administrators had announced the college would closed at the end of the current school year because of financial issues, but Alumni have come together to raise 12 million dollars to keep the school going.

Chicago Notes Good Things Are Happening in Cincinnati

Carol Coletta President of CEOs for Cities and Bold Fusion keynote speaker comments on her day in Cincinnati and starts it out by being surprised. Her blog post provides a prime example of the main problem that hurts Cincinnati: perception. She was surprised at what she found was happening here. I think most people would be surprised what is happening here, if they could see their their misconceptions and explore Cincinnati for themselves.

This goes not just for people who don't live here, but more importantly those who already live here.

Midpoint Needs Volunteers

Midpoint needs people to make it work. If you want to work a shift and get free stuff (like entry to the festival), click on this link and sign up.

More specifically, Midpoint also needs MCs for the showcase stages. Here's their blurb:

MidPoint Music Festival is looking for emcees to host each venue.
You will introduce bands, keep the crowd pumped, and have a great time. Free admission for the night you mc, free t-shirt, and free compilation CD. If interested, please contact Dale at dale@mpmf.com or 513.403.8258.

If you have a voice and a little cool charm, give it a go!

Textbook Red Herring

It hasn't been more clear in a while how much the Right Wing does not care about Iraq Policy. Instead of discussing the lack of long term policy of the Bush Administration, the Republicans are worrying about a newspaper ad that very few people read.

The attack plan is to divert attention from the self made statement from Bush that he is punting the fate of Iraq to the next President and divert attention from the fact that Bush has no new policy and is just staying the course. Finally, the plan is to divert attention from the fact that Iraq has no effective army or police force and a government that has no control. Those facts are something the Peter Bronson just don't care about. They worry about Hollywood.

I guess Peter Bronson is not voting for Mr. Hollywood himself, Fred Thompson.

What Peter Bronson should know is that the term "Jump the Shark" did indeed "Jump the Shark" about 3 years ago.

Green City

How effective will Mayor Mallory's energy saving efforts go? What is most interesting is that I would think anyone who cares about saving money (hint hint to the Republicans), that they would be behind this effort 100%. Are any of the Council Candidates putting their efforts behind this program?

YPKC Shakeup

It has a been a year since the Mayor's YP Kitchen Cabinet was announced and the news is that new leadership for the organization and a call for new members. Coby Williams and Clara Rice move up a couple of positions to President and Vice-President respectively. No reason was given why Candace Klein is no longer the President. If you are interested in being in the cabinet, you can get an application here (pdf).

The Mayor's Press release is here (pdf).

Kelly Is a Pussy

The UC Football coach is hiding behind the skirt of his superiors because he fears playing Miami in Oxford. If your football is as great as you claim, you should have no problem winning on Saturday. It is also pathetic that a coach would not care a damn about history and tradition with even his hint at scrapping the series. His statement to the contrary was as hallow as it could be. He hated losing to Miami when he coached at Central Michigan, so fears are founded in his past.

Grow a pair, Kelly!

Council Predictions

I still see the field wide open. Natelists his updated predictions. Nate is placing heavy emphasis on prior indicators of who will contend (money, name recognition). I still think things have lots of room for new face on council, with few incumbents safe and few locks for challengers. I would agree that there will be 4 to 5 easy predictions for council, but who that will be won't be set until October. At the same time we'll know who of those with a chance now, will have lost their chance based on how their campaign stand closer to the election.

Tarbell Can't Run as a Write-In Candidate

I never knew it was Ohio law that individuals who try to get on the ballot, but fail, can't run as write-in candidates. I don't know why this would be needed? What is this law trying to prevent? If you failed to get on the ballot because of fraud, then sure, I see why you should be a write-in candidate. If you just turned in signatures and didn't get enough, why should you not be allowed to file as a write-in candidate?

Drunken Fools

I myself took in most of the game while at Fountain Square last night and I walked right behind the WKRC van parked on Vine near the Square. I walked by on my way home early in the 4th Quarter. It had it's remote satellite hook up hoisted up in the air and was running.

It really sounds funny that some drunk guy tried to steal the van, I say he was drunk because real thieves would know better than trying to steal a TV van. In the end some normal guy with a job will likely face jail time.

Bold Fusion and Agenda 360

Yesterday many gathered for Bold Fusion. I've not be a fan of the event in the past, but this year the inclusion of Agenda 360 is something with actionable ideas, not just more talk about talking with same people who always to the talking.

Did anyone go? What's your take on the event and on Agenda 360?

On Time???

Someone thinks the Banks Project is on time?

Journalist Creep

In this article in the Enquirer: NAACP says sentencing in dog case was racist, there is not a quote from anyone in the NAACP saying the ruling was "racist." One could infer that from part of the article, but did anyone from the NAACP or even at the rally say that for the record? If they didn't use the term "racist," then why did the Editor at the Enquirer add that to the story? Do headlines with the NAACP calling someone or something racist catch more eyes?

If the NAACP did in fact make that claim, why didn't the article include a quote? Calling someone or something a "racist" is a pretty harsh claim, even for hyperbole rich Chris Smitherman (the King of Grandstanding in Cincinnati). It sounds like the editor was looking for the situation to creep up into a full borne racism debate, one that makes for better eye catcher.

Unoriginal Schmidt

Rep. Jean Schmidt allegedly copied word for word a document prepared by an Ohio State Highway Patrol Officer, without giving the officer credit. A Blog first identified this, Kudos to the Daily Bellwether.