There may be some people out there complaining that Panera will be opening a Fountain Square location. Please stop. This is a good thing for Downtown. Yes, it's another chain restaurant. I try to avoid chain restaurants, but not everyone can. It is just never going to be possible for local resturants to solely serve the public. Chains exist because they can provide meals more cheaply than stand alone resturants, in most cases. I would prefer there to be few chains, but no use to get ticked off as something that will create jobs and serve a significant number of customers. Panera will provide, hopefully, a consistent product served during consistent hours. Those hours will hopefully also include evenings and weekends.
Panera beats adding a McDonald's or Burger King.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Chabot Wants the City of Cincinnati To Fail
U.S. House member Steve Chabot has done nothing to improve the City of Cincinnati while in federal office. It is clear why. Chabot wants the city to fail.
No, that's not over the top. No, it's not just because he's against the Streetcar. He purposely by-passed due process and slipped in an amendment to a bill that specifically PUNISHES the people of Cincinnati, a large portion of which he is alleged supposed to represent in the US. House of Representatives. This was a personal/political action, not a policy action. He could have reached out to the people in his community, his constituents, and engage us on this issue. He could have held a meeting to hear why the Streetcar will help. Instead he did the political thing. He did what Republican political activists want to do, hurt the city and make the Mayor and the Democrats on city Council look bad.
Cincinnati was punished for being two things: Urban and Democratic. We don't subscribe to Chabot's brand of lifestyle that wants to mold the country into three types of places: Small Towns, Rural Areas, and Exurbs (suburbs). Cities, in Chabot's mind, must die.
Cars are still king and roads must feed them and that's Steve's mantra. Public Transportation is a city thing, so it's from the devil. (Not to mention it gives the poor a chance to visit his neighborhood.)
Chabot's action was so wrong I really feel like screaming at him. I won't, but when people act without honor, class, or common decency it is difficult to be civil to them. Chabot's actions were sleazy. He went after us. Those of us who live in the city and those of us who believe that Urbanism is the future of society (our only hope to survive) and those who view public transportation as a vital way to help save the planet. He intentionally tried to hurt people's futures. He wants the urban core to fail, so we'll all move to the burbs. There is no middle ground to try and position this act. Chabot's despicable amendment is a declaration taking a cold war of Republicans against the City, to a hot war.
Please note who started the war.
No, that's not over the top. No, it's not just because he's against the Streetcar. He purposely by-passed due process and slipped in an amendment to a bill that specifically PUNISHES the people of Cincinnati, a large portion of which he is alleged supposed to represent in the US. House of Representatives. This was a personal/political action, not a policy action. He could have reached out to the people in his community, his constituents, and engage us on this issue. He could have held a meeting to hear why the Streetcar will help. Instead he did the political thing. He did what Republican political activists want to do, hurt the city and make the Mayor and the Democrats on city Council look bad.
Cincinnati was punished for being two things: Urban and Democratic. We don't subscribe to Chabot's brand of lifestyle that wants to mold the country into three types of places: Small Towns, Rural Areas, and Exurbs (suburbs). Cities, in Chabot's mind, must die.
Cars are still king and roads must feed them and that's Steve's mantra. Public Transportation is a city thing, so it's from the devil. (Not to mention it gives the poor a chance to visit his neighborhood.)
Chabot's action was so wrong I really feel like screaming at him. I won't, but when people act without honor, class, or common decency it is difficult to be civil to them. Chabot's actions were sleazy. He went after us. Those of us who live in the city and those of us who believe that Urbanism is the future of society (our only hope to survive) and those who view public transportation as a vital way to help save the planet. He intentionally tried to hurt people's futures. He wants the urban core to fail, so we'll all move to the burbs. There is no middle ground to try and position this act. Chabot's despicable amendment is a declaration taking a cold war of Republicans against the City, to a hot war.
Please note who started the war.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
More News The Enquirer Missed
A nationally known group of Catholic nuns is touring the nation holding events to promote their view that the House Republicans Budget (the Ryan Budget) is wrong and goes against Catholic teaching. For a newspaper that does not miss a beat covering Catholic related events, the Enquirer didn't appear to cover either the Nun's rally held on Fountain Square on Sunday or the event outside House Speaker's Boehner's West Chester office on Monday.
Instead, police news upstart FOX19 covered the story.
Not even a few photos of the nuns? Come on, if nothing else nuns are great in photos. It wouldn't have to do with ignoring an issue that conflicts with local Catholic Republicans?
Instead, police news upstart FOX19 covered the story.
Not even a few photos of the nuns? Come on, if nothing else nuns are great in photos. It wouldn't have to do with ignoring an issue that conflicts with local Catholic Republicans?
Interesting Video From Ann Louise Inn Supporters
I generally agree with letting the Ann Louise continue to function and W&S's actions have not be good. I am concerned with the rhetoric used, however. I don't think it will work attacking W&S like this. I think it would be better to counter the lies of the W&S management with direct truth, not political style web commercials. This is still an interesting video.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Ignorance Begat a Trite Enquirer Photo Montage
Has the Enquirer reduced its news gathering staff to the point of putting recycled photo montages on the front page of their website? Apparently, yes, they have. It's complete with an dig at OTR. Drivel. Indeed.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Where is the Mug Shot?
When I read about someone being arrested by the Cincinnati Police Department, I usually see a mug shot of them. When I read about a Cincinnati police officer being arrested on charge of attacking his girlfriend, I was surprised not to see his photograph with the article.
Why would there not be a photo? Was it left out on purpose by the Enquirer? Did the police department not make it available? Is it a timing issue? Am I missing a simple fact that would explain why police officers are treated more kindly when they are arrested for allegedly beating up their girlfriends? By kindly I mean not having their photo attached to a newspaper story describing their arrest.
Why would there not be a photo? Was it left out on purpose by the Enquirer? Did the police department not make it available? Is it a timing issue? Am I missing a simple fact that would explain why police officers are treated more kindly when they are arrested for allegedly beating up their girlfriends? By kindly I mean not having their photo attached to a newspaper story describing their arrest.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Why is the Enquirer Mixing a Murder in North OTR with Development Efforts?
The Enquirer's article online about the tragic murder of a 15 year old girl fails to be nothing more than pointless quotes cobbled together and a transparent ploy to gain attention. The first problem was the sensationalism, with two headlines: one on the article itself:
What is the more disappointing problem with the story is it's structure. What I get from it is that the reporter walked down Vine Street over a half mile from the murder scene and talked with some of the businesses in the newly developed area (right where I live). The article added pleasant quotes from employees at a couple of the businesses. He then walked West towards Washington Park in the quasi-narrative and invoked quotes from the usual suspects that were not really relevant to the point of the article, which was talking about the divide of the neighborhood, or was it the violence, or was it the drop in crime, or was it the resilience of the new residents?
If the article was going to be about something, it needed to be one of three things. First: Tell the story of the crime and/or the victim. We got little about who she was, why was she there, what happened. Second: Talk about the situation of the Street Violence that affects many neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Was this a stray bullet from a drug deal gone bad? What she standing next to people who are involved in the drug trade? Was this just an accident of some foolish person handling a gun? Third: Tell of the divide between Northern OTR and the development South of Liberty. This would surely have been most of what Josh Spring would have talked about. His quote was filled with a big lie, but that's another blog post. One of the three would have work as an article and been relevant. Instead we get a mess.
This article had many contributors, so that likely added to the hodgepodge feel, but the lack of editing just beams like a beacon a top a tall radio tower. It is like there could have been three different stories written and either the reporters were not able or allowed to do enough reporting for those stories, or more likely the story was only given so many lines of space. It would seem to me that the Newspaper should stop structuring their articles for newspaper print and focus on writing for the web. On the web, there isn't much of a space limitation. Also, other than organizational limit, the number of articles shouldn't be an issue, so write three stories instead of one. Put the out of town copy editors and layout people to the test!
Girl's blood marks Over-the-Rhine dividing linethe other on the front page preview:
Girl's death a 'black eye' on OTRThe thought of trying to link violence with the neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine (OTR) is not a new thing, obviously, in Cincinnati. OTR still brings up the idea of violence and crime to the average suburban/exurban resident of the metro area who have been here for at least 10 years. Today, that crime and violence has decreased at a massive rate. This has helped changed the image of OTR. We (I live in OTR) don't have the automatic fear factor present itself, as often, when we mention OTR in conversation, except by the most anti-urban conservatives around town. This link, however, sells newspapers. The Enquirer makes money selling papers to people who have lived in Cincinnati for all of their life and their ignorance doesn't like to be challenged, so the newspaper feeds that ignorance with the same old story: crime happens where it is supposed to happen. To the ignorant person that place is OTR. Selling it with emotional tugs is just the means. If you can get quotes that bash 3CDC and the development in OTR, then that just appeals to a newer potential Enquirer Reader that wants their ignorance fed. That group tends to be one left, as opposed to the right wing anti-urban knuckle-scraper.
What is the more disappointing problem with the story is it's structure. What I get from it is that the reporter walked down Vine Street over a half mile from the murder scene and talked with some of the businesses in the newly developed area (right where I live). The article added pleasant quotes from employees at a couple of the businesses. He then walked West towards Washington Park in the quasi-narrative and invoked quotes from the usual suspects that were not really relevant to the point of the article, which was talking about the divide of the neighborhood, or was it the violence, or was it the drop in crime, or was it the resilience of the new residents?
If the article was going to be about something, it needed to be one of three things. First: Tell the story of the crime and/or the victim. We got little about who she was, why was she there, what happened. Second: Talk about the situation of the Street Violence that affects many neighborhoods in Cincinnati. Was this a stray bullet from a drug deal gone bad? What she standing next to people who are involved in the drug trade? Was this just an accident of some foolish person handling a gun? Third: Tell of the divide between Northern OTR and the development South of Liberty. This would surely have been most of what Josh Spring would have talked about. His quote was filled with a big lie, but that's another blog post. One of the three would have work as an article and been relevant. Instead we get a mess.
This article had many contributors, so that likely added to the hodgepodge feel, but the lack of editing just beams like a beacon a top a tall radio tower. It is like there could have been three different stories written and either the reporters were not able or allowed to do enough reporting for those stories, or more likely the story was only given so many lines of space. It would seem to me that the Newspaper should stop structuring their articles for newspaper print and focus on writing for the web. On the web, there isn't much of a space limitation. Also, other than organizational limit, the number of articles shouldn't be an issue, so write three stories instead of one. Put the out of town copy editors and layout people to the test!
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