Double-Entendre

Ok, it's now past X-Mas, but I can't help but point out this CityBeat column laced with a crypto-racist title.

The column rips into the concept of Santa and gifts and the obsession with them as being a problem with America. Ok. I can see some merit to that. Celebrating greed is bad. Having fun is not, so the fat guy in the suit, the stockings, the cool presents are not wrong. As one who doesn't celebrate the religious accepts of Christmas, I don't care about Virgin birth or Gold, Frankincense, and Mir, but I see no problem with revelry, and part of that is a little extravagance.

Question: what does race have to do with this?

About Freakin' Time

The Enquirer Editorial Page in its subtle manner actually is trying to dispel some of the myth the newspaper as a whole has helped to create.

They act like we all have to walk around with bazookas," he said. "It's all perception. I just wish the community would grow up and move forward."

With this being the holiday, Editorial Board member Byron McCauley is giving his personal take. I thank him for it, but that means that I don't expect this type of tone to be part of a New Year's Resolution for the rest of the Enquirer to stop creating a false perception of the City and Downtown.

Banned at the Airport

Today is a travel day and I am waiting in the Sarasota Airport for my Noon flight back to Cincinnati. It is great that the airport offers free Wifi, which is allowing me to post. What I don't get is that I can't read my own blog, because it and it appears all Blogspot blogs are blocked. I can get to blogger, but not Blogspot, very strange. I can get to most other news sites, including Wordpress blogs, like CityBeat's Blog, but I guess Blogspot has too many spammers? That seems a bit draconian. Since it is free, I won't complain outside of this post.

Keep the snow away, at least for today!

Fighting 'Food Insecurity' in Cincinnati

NPR had a story yesterday on food banks and used Cincinnati as an example.

Cranley to Columbus?

This tid bit from the Enquirer's Blog is a few days old, but it opens a question, could Cranley be appointed to office in Columbus? Mum is the word for now, will we hear something after the Holiday?

Pepper People, Parks, and some Bonuses

Joe Wessels' first column is in print and he holds nothing back with the back story on the details of who County Commissioner-Elect David Pepper has hired for his staff. Bridget Doherty and Travis Hines will hopefully not be attacked by the anti-Pepper trolls out there. I say that with full knowledge that all the hope in the world will not keep the trolls from making fun of others. Deep down, most of the trolls who attack are doing so because they are jealous and very petty people. When you lose elections, the pettiness tends to come to the surface.

Monzel appears to be continuing his crusade against the 'homeless' by targeting Washington Park cosmetics. The way to clean up Washington Park is by moving the Drop In Center to a location like Queensgate. The bums need help, but the are not helped by being an unwitting roadblock to progress in OTR. What you do with the sidewalks may improve the look of the park, but it will not keep the bums away.

Finally, this is interesting:

Mayor Mark Mallory said a recent Post story outlining bonuses for City Council aides upset him - because he was left out. Mallory had not given bonuses, but thought his staff deserves extra cash, too. So he gave it to them. Carla Walker, Jason Barron, Shawn Butler, Tiffany McCarter and Ryan Adcock: Happy Holidays! You get an extra $1,691.08. You can thank me later.

What I find interesting is that the Mayor can be influenced that much by the media. I am sure his staff wish they had that kind of influence on their income more often.

As a side note: Ryan Adcock, a Mallory Staffer, is also a great singer/songwriter. Check out some of his stuff.

More Positive Downtown Discussion

Again, I wasn't the only one to dislike the Enquirer's negative comparisons of Cincy to Indy, Kelly Leon spoke her views in a guest column.