UC 2008 Debate Site?

Seems like a logical choice to me. Sen Voinovich likes the idea too. How much of this is "political" in the sense that who is on the debate commission give out favors to those who lobby them most?

More Thugs

It is an odd comparison that thugs likes these are allowed to disrupt businesses, but when thugs who don't hold bibles in their hands do the same, they are rounded up. I wonder if anti-war protesters carried around a live man on a cross if they would be arrested. More to the point, I wonder if anti-war protesters carried around signs of dismembered soldiers and civilians if they would be arrested or made to stop? The government has convinced the media to sensor itself of such realities, what would stop the local police from doing the same?

MIAMI Wins MAC Tourney - Heads to Dance

Love and honor to Miami,
Our college old and grand,
Proudly we shall ever hail thee,
Over all the land.

Alma mater now we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this lay,
Love and honor to Miami,
Forever and a day.

What a game.

Drag the Mayor to the Fountain

Joe Wessels has a column today about the proposal for a unique ceremony for turning on the Tyler Davidson Fountain. It sounds a bit out there, but I really like the idea. As Joe writes, it is a throw back to other historical traditions, like British Parliament celebrates, where custom dictates that a when a new speaker is elected, they are dragged to the chair at the start of their first session. Very ceremonial, but fun. It makes civic society more human, than just figureheads.

The problem which may prevent this from happening is that City Officials and local leaders are far too stuffy to do something like this, except for Jim Tarbell. That is just such a shame. If people want to change the image of the city, it must include things are are fun, interesting, and don't happen anywhere else. It would be a great way to get media attention, preferable on a national or international level. It is unique, it is rare in Cincinnati, but also across the country. If there was a way to find a similar German tradition, it might go over more with old guard around town.

This kind of thing isn't going to hurt anyone, so why anyone would be opposed to it would be more of reflection on their inability to either have fun or to think beyond the simplistic. It is kind of ironic that to break out of a traditional bland image, we'd be creating an elaborate new tradition that hearkens back to over a hundred years ago. This kind of idea is why Bill Donabedian was hired to run Fountain Square. I say go for it. Maybe tone down the detail of the event, but if this is tied in with an opening day weekend every year, it is a connection to our past and creates a direction for the future to flow forward.

The Nati in Austin

Joe Hansbauer is blogging the SXSW Music Festival in Austin.

Reds Ban Smoking In Stadium

Ok, here's the story. I'm sure this will stir up the comments.

Big Dog Heading To The Tri-State

Later this month former President Bill Clinton will be in Cincinnati for a fundraiser to benefit his wife, Hillary.

Racism in the Warren County Commission

The level of contempt I feel for Warren County Commissioner Dave Young grew more the second time I read this Enquirer article about his desire to violate the 14th Amendment and deny birth certificates for children born in Warren County to illegal aliens. The article states that Young seeks to "challenge" the 14th Amendment. OK, lets review the relevant part of the Amendment:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

What's to challenge here? What part of "All" does Mr. Young not get?

You say there's more? Has Young read TITLE 8 CHAPTER 12 > SUBCHAPTER III > Part I > § 1401?

The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(a) a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof;

Let's see, people born in Warren County Ohio are born in the United States and if there are here they are subject to the jurisdiction of the State of Ohio and the United States of America. What kind of scum thinks of stuff like this? I say scum for two reasons. First its the obvious racism behind this. Sorry folks, there is no rationale for his desires other than keeping brown babies out of his county. The second reason his is scum is for daring to challenge the 14th Amendment on something so basic and simple and a foundation of American society. If you are born here, without question, you are an American. It doesn't matter where your parents came from, in the eyes of the law, you are one of us. Well, when I use us, I mean to say All Americans. For Mr. Young, the us he's looking for has a paler face.

In today's paper Young was told what's what:

Young had earlier proposed that the county Health Department withhold birth certificates of children born to illegal immigrants.

But he was told by the prosecutor's office that such a program would be unconstitutional.

Young said he's not advocating taking away health care or other benefits, but "you don't give them citizenship."

The level of racism, hate and bigotry on the Warren County Commission is ugly, but not a surprise.

Gary Burbank Retiring at End of Year

Does anyone reading actually care Gary Burbank is leaving WLW at the end of the year? Back in the day I would listen to Gary and Duke, but that was likely when I was at work and there was nothing else to listen to.

I fully expect that WLW will fill the afternoon drive with some hack of epic stature or at least with some kind of national following. After all, local radio, outside of sports, is dead in Commercial Radio. Public radio is not ideal on local coverage either, but the quality is just so much better, they can make up for it.

YP's and Promotion

Getting YP's to attend an event has always been a challenge, so the Taft Museum is trying the Myspace route, and the claim good results. I'm torn on the use of Myspace. The idea of social networks are a good way to market to a large number of people. It isn't a great way to express yourself or share in depth ideas. The website's technology is also very unreliable. It is popular, however, so I use it.

Side note, the above article provided a nice mention for Cincinnati Advance.

Chris Monzel - Ignorant Boob

Chris Monzel obviously lacks the historical knowledge and perspective to comment on the Iraq war:

Mr. Crowley asked the other day, who supports the war and no one responded. Well, just like the Greatest Generation of WWII, I do…I support fighting for freedom and against tyranny…it was Hitler and Mussolini in WWII, today it’s militant Islam, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Iranian President Ahmadinejad, who by the way recently hosted a conference about how the Jewish Holocaust did not happen. How can we stand by and say it is okay for other nations to call for wiping the nation of Israel off the face of this earth. Over 6 million Jews lost their lives during WWII…how many more deaths will happen on our watch. We cannot crawl into a shell and forget about it or wish it away.

It's so very ignorant for anyone to try and compare WWII to the war in Iraq. What is worse here is that Councilman Monzel is so ignorant that he just lumps in the fight against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan into the mess in Iraq. Everyone who either has a brain or finally awoken from the lies of the Bush Administration understands that the war on Terrorism has nothing to do with Iraq or Israel. Jeesh, is Chris looking to gain Jewish votes with this speech or what? It is a very clever way to tap into the anti-Muslim attitude without actually being anti-Muslim.

HD Radio

I love radio, but not enough to shell out the cash for a HD radio. Has anyone listened to the digital stations available locally? Worth it? Is satellite radio a better bet?

It's Double Media Mention Week for CincyBlog

Must have been a full moon or something, but not only did I get a mention in CityBeat's Media, Myself & I column, where they spelled my website incorrectly in the online version, (Show me some love!!!!) but I was listed as one of the "Other great Cincinnati blogs" in this week's CinWeekly. Their entire cover story was on local blogs.

UPDATE: Thanks to CityBeat for fixing the link in the online version of the article.

Good, But What Would You Find At A Mall?

If police did a sweep for truants at Tri-County Mall at the same time of day, how many would they pick up?

Larry's Sky Is Falling

Larry Gross once again shows he seeks failure of the city. Does Larry Gross or his ditto head gaggle understand anything about the restaurant business? Does he know how many restaurants close or change hands and reopen as something else? Did Larry bemoan the death of Northside when the 5th Amendment closed and reopened? What about when Pot Luck become the Hideway? Is that the end of the world as we know it?

I think Larry does know things change, but he hates change and is bent on putting the city down. My opinion is that he has some political or psychologically twisted reason to try and make people believe the city's falling down. If you don't know the history, read up on it.

Columnist Swap, Anyone?

Peter Bronson wants to just does what Heir Leis wants. I propose we take Bronson's column to the max. Let's Bring in E. J. Dione for a few months to write columns for the Enquirer. Someone might actually learn something of importance, instead of being exposed to Bronson's years old suburban pop culture references.

In turn, the Washington Post might teach Peter a few things about being a columnist, like say doing more research and stop being a shill for the GOP.

Joe's Post on the Post

Joe Wessels shares his views on the recent coverage of the last year of the Cincinnati Post.

New Retail Coming to OTR

Late this spring a new store called Park+ Vine plans to open at the corner of Central Parkway and Vine street. They have a survey asking for what people want the story to carry. Products will likely rain from clothing, to personal care productions, to some furnishings.

[Via Joe Wessels in the Post]

Government Square Problems

Calls are being made for more police to patrol Government Square. My question is why should it be a huge issue controlling 15 year old kids fighting?

Cincinnati News Still in Motion

Joe Wessels has a post about a new website: Cinplify.com. The website defines itself as follows:

Cinplify is a content management system for news throughout the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. On Cinplify, users store links of Internet resources that they find worthy of sharing with other users. Their links are accessible to the public and other people with similar interests can view the links by category, tags, or even randomly and vote on the links.

Also in Joe's post he mentions word of the impending end of CincyNation. I am too lazy to write about it, so I'll just link to the oral services being performed here.