Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Lavomatic Cafe: New Website
A new website for LavomaticCafe :: Urban Food & Wine Bar In addition to the new website, there is a new name for the parent company: Relish Restaurant Group, renamed after Jenro departed the organization.
Furlough II at the Enquirer
CityBeat has the full story of the 2nd furlough for Gannett, which includes the Cincinnati Enquirer.
How is the news business going to survive? Are people just not bothering to pay attention? Do they care anything about knowing what is happening in their community? I honestly wonder how people are consuming local news. As we get less and less of it, are they going to notice when it is gone?
How is the news business going to survive? Are people just not bothering to pay attention? Do they care anything about knowing what is happening in their community? I honestly wonder how people are consuming local news. As we get less and less of it, are they going to notice when it is gone?
Monday, March 23, 2009
We Scooped the Enquirer!!!
Carl Weiser confirmed yesterday what we blogged over a week ago: Lemarque Ward is running for City Council. And all I had to do to get the story was show up to a parade....
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Chris Finney NAACP Lawyer?
I am getting the impression that the local NAACP and it's fearless leader Chris Smitherman have rid the city of all racism. I say that because they are wasting their time (again) on a Charter Amendment that is not needed and unwise, not to mention it has nothing to do with their mission.
Furthermore, they must believe Civil Rights no long matter if they are going to use Chris Finney as a lawyer. The Beacon ponders this as well.
Furthermore, they must believe Civil Rights no long matter if they are going to use Chris Finney as a lawyer. The Beacon ponders this as well.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Cincinnati is Becoming Bicycle Friendly
You know by now that I have a pretty de minimis standard as to what it means for a community to be "bicycle-friendly." Luckily for my two-wheeled friends, some of our leaders have much higher aspirations.
First, our newest Council member, Greg Harris, is pushing Council to pass a resolution that would require Spring Grove Avenue, set for some resurfacing this spring, to have a bike lane. It looks like this will be passed at tonight's Council meeting. Harris has been doing a good job of picking his spots and judiciously using the bully pulpit that comes with an office in City Hall.
Second, the Enquirer reports that the City will begin painting "sharrows" on some streets this spring. Sharrows designate lanes as shared space for both motorists and bicyclists. For a little more information (and a picture of what a sharrow looks like) check out this blog post.
I'm still not giving up my car (or the right to curse at bicyclists who ride in the wrong direction on one-way streets downtown), but I'm glad to see the City making it a bit easier for those who do.
First, our newest Council member, Greg Harris, is pushing Council to pass a resolution that would require Spring Grove Avenue, set for some resurfacing this spring, to have a bike lane. It looks like this will be passed at tonight's Council meeting. Harris has been doing a good job of picking his spots and judiciously using the bully pulpit that comes with an office in City Hall.
Second, the Enquirer reports that the City will begin painting "sharrows" on some streets this spring. Sharrows designate lanes as shared space for both motorists and bicyclists. For a little more information (and a picture of what a sharrow looks like) check out this blog post.
I'm still not giving up my car (or the right to curse at bicyclists who ride in the wrong direction on one-way streets downtown), but I'm glad to see the City making it a bit easier for those who do.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Rescue Me: Cincinnati Enquirer, or The National Inquirer?
Cincinnati firefighters are the new Bengals. They're always getting into trouble, and they're going to be subject to extra scrutiny even when they haven't done anything wrong.
But the Enquirer is going too far. A blog post by Jane Pendergrast links to a series of 92 photographs that someone posted to the website of a Fort Myers, Florida, newspaper. The pics are purportedly of Cincinnati firefighters on spring break.
I quickly went through the pictures, many of which are of bikini-clad beach-goers (okay, maybe I went through some of those more slowly). I'm not sure if all of the people pictured are supposed to be Cincinnati firefighters, just the men, some of the men, or what. I don't even know if any of the people who are allegedly Cincinnati firefighters really are Cincinnati firefighters--and the Enquirer doesn't seem interested in finding out.
I suppose this is the natural consequence of a newspaper attaching blogs to its website and recruiting its journalists to post. Ultimately, what the Enquirer staff posts there will be no better than what any other blogger posts on his or her own blog. The problem is compounded when the newspaper's website's front page links to blog posts in a manner indistinguishable from the manner in which it links to actual stories (the kind that appear in the print edition). So until you click the link, you don't know whether you've read a headline or a blog post title. Apparently, the Enquirer now considers the two to carry equal weight.
Besides the question of authenticity, Pendergrast's post raises the question of newsworthiness. Assuming some or all of the pictures are of Cincinnati firefighters, so what? These pictures are patently different from the "Real Men of Genius" videos publicized in the last few weeks. Those videos were apparently made inside firehouses and shown at an official event. Instead, in the pcitures, they're on vacation. They're not wearing CFD uniforms, or anything else that would identify them as firefighters. Firefighters are not elected officials. They're just municipal employees. Granted, they do a tremendously important job for the City, but they're still just employees in one of the City's departments. Are Parks Department employees now going to be subject to this level of scrutiny? Are we going to be treated to summer vacation pictures of snow plow drivers?
This reminds me of an odd moment I had the first time I visited Cincinnati. I wanted a local newspaper, and walked into a Walgreen's and asked for one. The clerk told me that the Enquirer was "over there." I didn't know what the name of the local newspaper was, and assumed she was referring to the National Inquirer. So I said again that I was looking for a newspaper. We went in circles a couple times before the poor clerk realized what a moron I am.
Given Pendergrast's post, I'm no longer sure there's such a big difference between the two publications.
But the Enquirer is going too far. A blog post by Jane Pendergrast links to a series of 92 photographs that someone posted to the website of a Fort Myers, Florida, newspaper. The pics are purportedly of Cincinnati firefighters on spring break.
I quickly went through the pictures, many of which are of bikini-clad beach-goers (okay, maybe I went through some of those more slowly). I'm not sure if all of the people pictured are supposed to be Cincinnati firefighters, just the men, some of the men, or what. I don't even know if any of the people who are allegedly Cincinnati firefighters really are Cincinnati firefighters--and the Enquirer doesn't seem interested in finding out.
I suppose this is the natural consequence of a newspaper attaching blogs to its website and recruiting its journalists to post. Ultimately, what the Enquirer staff posts there will be no better than what any other blogger posts on his or her own blog. The problem is compounded when the newspaper's website's front page links to blog posts in a manner indistinguishable from the manner in which it links to actual stories (the kind that appear in the print edition). So until you click the link, you don't know whether you've read a headline or a blog post title. Apparently, the Enquirer now considers the two to carry equal weight.
Besides the question of authenticity, Pendergrast's post raises the question of newsworthiness. Assuming some or all of the pictures are of Cincinnati firefighters, so what? These pictures are patently different from the "Real Men of Genius" videos publicized in the last few weeks. Those videos were apparently made inside firehouses and shown at an official event. Instead, in the pcitures, they're on vacation. They're not wearing CFD uniforms, or anything else that would identify them as firefighters. Firefighters are not elected officials. They're just municipal employees. Granted, they do a tremendously important job for the City, but they're still just employees in one of the City's departments. Are Parks Department employees now going to be subject to this level of scrutiny? Are we going to be treated to summer vacation pictures of snow plow drivers?
This reminds me of an odd moment I had the first time I visited Cincinnati. I wanted a local newspaper, and walked into a Walgreen's and asked for one. The clerk told me that the Enquirer was "over there." I didn't know what the name of the local newspaper was, and assumed she was referring to the National Inquirer. So I said again that I was looking for a newspaper. We went in circles a couple times before the poor clerk realized what a moron I am.
Given Pendergrast's post, I'm no longer sure there's such a big difference between the two publications.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Good Eats: Gilpin's Bagel and Deli
Last month, I mentioned that someone was working to open a new restaurant on Seventh Street between Vine and Walnut. Gilpin's Bagel and Deli is now open for business; they opened a few days ago. I believe this is what's called their "soft opening," as they have some Grand Opening festivities planned in the future.
I stopped in today for lunch, and wound up with a bagel sandwich (turkey, cheddar, and a garlic-herb spread on a sesame bagel) and a cup of soup. The staff was friendly and the food was good. I chatted with the folks behind the counter as I waited for my sandwich, and learned a little bit.
Giplin's steams its sandwiches. The machine on which this happens looks like a panini machine, only with steam billowing out from time to time. The result is quite good. The place is loosely modeled on a similar bagel shop in Oxford. (Maybe Griff can compare the two for you sometime--the only place I ever visit in Oxford is Area I Court.) But apparently, there are significant menu changes from the Oxford restaurant, and there's no affiliation between the two.
Gilpin's will be open for pretty long hours, planning breakfast, lunch, and after-hours service. In a few weeks, they'll have finished up an area upstairs where you can enjoy your meal while watching a game on TV. And they also have a catering service available. It all seems quite ambitious, but the folks running Gilpin's seem young and eager--aren't they supposed to be ambitious?
The menu seemed a little cumbersome at first. I grimaced a little when I was told that ordering a non-vegetarian sandwich is a "simple six-step" process, but it turns out that all of those "steps" merely involve choosing your bagel, your meat, your cheese, your spread, your cream cheese, and your veggies. They were very generous with the amount of turkey on the bagel. And the soup (chicken with rice) hit the spot. (Although given the size of the sandwich, it all would've been too much for lunch had I not waited until after 2:00 to eat.)
Anyhow.....the concept is cute, the staff is friendly and energetic, and the food is good enough for a return visit, especially at Gilpin's quite reasonable prices. So help stimulate the economy and go check it out!!!
I stopped in today for lunch, and wound up with a bagel sandwich (turkey, cheddar, and a garlic-herb spread on a sesame bagel) and a cup of soup. The staff was friendly and the food was good. I chatted with the folks behind the counter as I waited for my sandwich, and learned a little bit.
Giplin's steams its sandwiches. The machine on which this happens looks like a panini machine, only with steam billowing out from time to time. The result is quite good. The place is loosely modeled on a similar bagel shop in Oxford. (Maybe Griff can compare the two for you sometime--the only place I ever visit in Oxford is Area I Court.) But apparently, there are significant menu changes from the Oxford restaurant, and there's no affiliation between the two.
Gilpin's will be open for pretty long hours, planning breakfast, lunch, and after-hours service. In a few weeks, they'll have finished up an area upstairs where you can enjoy your meal while watching a game on TV. And they also have a catering service available. It all seems quite ambitious, but the folks running Gilpin's seem young and eager--aren't they supposed to be ambitious?
The menu seemed a little cumbersome at first. I grimaced a little when I was told that ordering a non-vegetarian sandwich is a "simple six-step" process, but it turns out that all of those "steps" merely involve choosing your bagel, your meat, your cheese, your spread, your cream cheese, and your veggies. They were very generous with the amount of turkey on the bagel. And the soup (chicken with rice) hit the spot. (Although given the size of the sandwich, it all would've been too much for lunch had I not waited until after 2:00 to eat.)
Anyhow.....the concept is cute, the staff is friendly and energetic, and the food is good enough for a return visit, especially at Gilpin's quite reasonable prices. So help stimulate the economy and go check it out!!!
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