Saturday, June 06, 2009

Last Day for CincyFringe

OK, it is time to put up or shut up! I am seeing three Fringe Shows today and that will bring my total to 31 shows, which is all of them. You need to get out and see at least one show today. This is your last chance and you will regret it if you don't go.

Here again are my recommendations for today:

It Might Be OK - 2:00 PM
Sex, Dreams, and Self Control! - 4:30PM
Guns and Chickens - 5:00PM
Cinema Fantastique - 8:00PM
April Fools - 8:30PM
7 (x1) Samurai - 8:30PM
Assholes and Aureoles 9:15PM

Go to www.cincyfringe.com for all of the details.

Friday, June 05, 2009

2 Days of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival Left

There are two days left of Cincinnati Fringe Festival remaining and a ton of great shows to see. The Conveyor has show reviews. Here are shows that top my list and the times they are showing:

Friday:
The Edge - 7:00PM
4 Food Groups - 7:30PM
Gravesongs - 8:30PM
Empire of Feathers - 9:00PM
April Fools - 9:00PM
KAZ/m - 9:00PM
The Success Show - 9:15PM
7 (x1) Samurai - 9:15PM

Saturday
It Might Be OK - 2:00 PM
Sex, Dreams, and Self Control! - 4:30PM
Guns and Chickens - 5:00PM
Cinema Fantastique - 8:00PM
April Fools - 8:30PM
7 (x1) Samurai - 8:30PM
Assholes and Aureoles 9:15PM

See as many as you can and then hit the Underground at the Know Theatre for the Awards Show and finale party.

Thursday, June 04, 2009

Who Would You Honor?

The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners is considering inviting five "local civil rights pioneers" to enjoy the Civil Rights Game from the county's suite at Great American Ballpark.

Here's my question:  which local, living civil rights figure would you choose?  I certainly have my own preferences, which I'll keep to myself for now.

We'll Always Have Paris....

Well, I won't. Some of you may always have Paris, but I just wasn't hip enough to have heard the Paris-Hilton-is-coming-to-Cincinnati gossip.

It turns out she spent last night right next door to my apartment building. I couldn't figure out why Bang had a bigger-than-usual Wednesday night crowd, but now I know.

I've previously mentioned here that when Bang opened two years ago, I confidently predicted its quick demise. I figured it'd last about six months. I was wrong, and ultimately I'm glad I was. Even though I'm not young enough, pretty enough, or rich enough to be Bang's target audience, Cincinnati needs places like Bang and Bootsy's. (It also needs places like Madonna's and Nicholson's and Jefferson Hall (come back, J-Hall!); my point is that a diversity of club/bar atmospheres is a good thing.)

When the restaurant being built next to Bang (Boss Cox's) fell through, I wondered if Bang's owners were running out of cash. Apparently not: they're relaunching Bang as new club called Lush later this summer. (At least, I hope this is a real re-launch, and not simply a way to close up shop entirely without being embarassed about doing so.)

Paris: if you're still in town, give me a call or shoot me a text message. We'll hang out.

Cincinnatians Embark On Civil Rights Bike Ride (6/4 Bump and Update)

Originally posted 6/2/09.

Today, Cincinnati civil rights attorney Al Gerhardstein embarked on a 1200-mile bicycle ride from Mobile, Alabama, with his daughter, Jessica. Riding a tandem bike, the two intend to trace the Underground Railroad on their way back home to Cincinnati. They plan to arrive in time for the June 20 Civil Rights Game between the Reds and the White Sox.

You can follow Al and Jessica's journey on their blog, Civil Rights Bike Ride. As Jessica explains in her inaugural post, they are riding to raise money and awareness for the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. For those of you not paying attention, for some time now, OJPC has been leading the way in local criminal justice reform efforts. Most recently, OJPC has been working to eliminate the City's blanket prohibition on hiring convicted felons. Donation links are available either at the CRBR blog or OJPC's website (here's a direct link).

And if any of you are questioning whether a desk-bound attorney in his late fifties in really going to slog through a 1200-mile bike ride just as summer starts to heat up, don't worry about it. Four years ago, Al spent his summer vacation riding from the West Coast to the East Coast.

If you want to join in the fun, a group ride is planned on June 20 at 9:00 am, from Pendrey Park in Melbourne, Kentucky, to Sawyer Point. The suggested donation for the ride is $20, and there'll be help available to get you back to your car, if necessary. (The group ride anticipates people riding their own bikes, not one, really long tandem bicycle.)

UPDATE: Al has made his first appearance on the blog. I gave pretty short shrift to explaining OJPC's mission or the purpose of Al and Jessica's ride. Al does a better job:
Read about OJPC. Quietly OJPC is challenging the status quo. A prison population that is 50% black is intolerable. A prison population that exceeds 55,000 in this state is intolerable. Treating as criminal many acts that are driven by drug dependence is intolerable. Sweeping into the criminal system drug addicts and mentally ill folks and then doing little to help them conquer their underlying problem is intolerable.
Go read the whole post. It's well worth the time.

36 Reasons Streetcars Are Better Than Buses

There are more than 36, I am sure, but the Cincy-Streetcar Blog has the list.

Monday, June 01, 2009

Totally Random Observation

Did anyone else know that in El Paso, Texas, there's a group of bars and clubs known as the "Cincinnati Entertainment District?" Apparently, it's so named because the bars are either on or near Cincinnati Avenue....

Another Transportation Alternative

A few weeks ago, a friend suggested a blog post topic: the need for some sort of transportation service that connects Cincinnati's entertainment districts. She was right. We really could use a shuttle or bus that connects downtown, Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park/Oakley, Mt. Adams, Clifton (perhaps), Northern Kentucky, and wherever people gather west of Vine Street (I'm kidding, West Siders....please no effigy burnings today!). This isn't an alternative to the streetcar, since the streetcar, even if it happens, will only connect Clifton and downtown. When we talked about it, I thought the most likely provider of such a service would be Metro, but that there'd be a lot of red tape to cut through at SORTA to make it happen.

My blog rantings have been pretty sporadic lately, and I never got around to it. But a couple weeks ago, this same friend linked to a new business on her Facebook page. It sounds intriguing: the CincyZipLine. They hope to open this July and aim to provide transportation to and from "designated hot spots" for three bucks per person on Friday and Saturday nights.

Cincy ZipLine is apparently too hip for an actual website, but they do have a Twitter feed and a FB page. My initial reaction is that it's a good idea. It reminds me of what, in college, we lovingly referred to as "the drunk van," a convenient way to get to and from establishments where alcohol is consumed without risking an OVI or worrying about parking. Of course, it appears that ZipLine will only ferry you between bars and clubs, and you'll be on your own to get home, but it's still provides a service presently lacking in the city.

Hamburger Mary's To Reopen

Great news for Cincinnati Hamburger Mary's is reopening this summer at the same location (909 Vine St.).

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

CincyFringe Kicks Off

Here is my first on the spot blog report from the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. The crowd is starting to wonder over from the Visual Fringe opening. The early word is that the Fringe Action News will premier to night.

Fringe Action News!



Something new at this year's Cincinnati Fringe Festival will be a nightly news cast brought to you live at 10:30PM at the Know Theatre's Underground (1120 Jackson St.). The hard hitting team of Fringe Journalists will be on the prowl for every bit of Fringe News. The Fringe Blog will surely be a source of tons and tons of leads, but if you have leads yourself, email the crack Fringe Action News Staff: actionnewstipline@knowtheatre.com with your leads, stories, gossip, secret documents you want to leak, or just funny stuff you think other blokes might find kinda funny.

Fringe Day One: Kickoff Party Tonight!

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is here! Get your ass to the Know Theatre tonight for the Kickoff Party! It features music from Eclipse, food from Mixx Ultra Lounge and Venice on Vine, finally beer specials from Christian Moerlein! The party begins at 9 PM at 1120 Jackson Street, after the Visual Fringe opening (6 PM - 8 PM) at Art Academy of Cincinnati. Suggested donation is $5.

There is still time to volunteer for the festival and get free tickets. Get the info here.

If you can't pick the shows you want to see, you can see them all! I am!

Finally, for Review of shows, behind the scenes posts from Staff, and all around bloggy good times at Fringe, check out the Fringe Blog at TheConveyor.com.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Milton Dohoney: Too Far Ahead of Us?

Last week, City Manager Milton Dohoney announced that he was appointing a non-resident of Cincinnati to a vacant spot on the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, or CMHA. The choice raised a few eyebrows, since the vast majority of public housing in this county is located within the city limits.

But the pick is more surprising given the way the Board is constituted. Of the five managers, the City Manager picks only two. The HamCo Board of Commissioners, the HamCo Common Pleas Court, and the HamCo Probate Court each pick one other member. The selection process itself, then, would seem to guarantee a city/suburb equity of sorts in board membership. Looking at the break-down of who gets to appoint board members, one would think that whoever came up with the system assumed that the city manager would choose city residents. (In contrast, if the city manager picked all five board members, one would hope he would include at least one or two non-city residents in his choices.)

Dohoney's pick is, perhaps, part of a broader policy agenda. Since being named Cincinnati's city manager, Dohoney has made it clear that he favors regionalism. This latest nomination supports that goal; Dohoney believes good government happens when communities work together across municipal lines and leave old-fashioned turf wars behind. Perhaps the best example of this view is his commitment to the creation of a regional water authority. He'd seen such a system work in Louisville, and now wishes to bring it to Cincinnati.

I'm not sure, though, that Dohoney has made his case for regionalism to the rest of us. Particularly with respect to transfer of Cincinnati Water Works to a regional authority, both City Council and Cincinnatians in general are skeptical. The Water Works is probably the most reliable part of City government and operations. We're never sure when our streets will be plowed when it snows, but we know we'll have pleasant-tasting water at good rates.

Dohoney hasn't yet done the work needed to sell the public on the benefits of regionalism. (I'm certainly not sold, but what do I know?) I suspect this is in part due to our form of government. We've put major policy decisions in the hands of an unelected city manager. Dohoney doesn't campaign and doesn't worry about gaining broad-based community support; instead, to keep his job, he needs only to keep the mayor and the nine members of Council happy. Mayor Mallory has not made the creation of a water authority part of his election campaign, leaving him room to distance himself from Dohoney's work on the issue. He also can't be held responsible for the latest CMHA pick. As always, our "stronger mayor" form of government permits our elected leaders to use the city manager as a trial balloon and scapegoat.

Maybe regionalism really is the right way to go. Maybe it will bring us better, more cost-efficient government. But the City Manager hasn't been busy enough selling City residents on this premise. And until he does, he's going to continue to run into brick walls (and petition drives).

Looking For the Modern Rock 500 on WOXY.com?

Have no fear, the WOXY.com Modern Rock 500 will be going on this week, but this year they are moving to weekdays so more listeners can hear it online at WOXY Vintage. Here are the times:

Tues, May 26 @ 9am #500 - 376
Weds, May 27 @ 9am #375 - 251
Thurs, May 28 @ 9am #250 – 126
Friday, May 29 @ 9am #125 - 1


Each segment will be immediately repeated. Even modern rock traditions live on, just in new and improved ways. Now you can listen during Fringe!

Streetcars and Taste

I'd been trying to figure out what would happen to a Cincinnati streetcar during Taste of Cincinnati (and Oktoberfest).  The streetcar would cross Fifth Street twice, on Walnut (going south) and on Main (going north).  Both of these intersections are closed this weekend and during Oktoberfest.  Here's the answer from the feasibility study:

How will the system operate when there are street closures for special events?
The system will continue to run according to its normal route and schedule, except in areas that are temporarily closed. As the design progresses, optional turnouts may be designed to accommodate special event street closures. This will enable the streetcar to maintain service in the rest of the system during these brief special events.
How will that work, though?  Does this mean building a line connecting Walnut and Main via Sixth, Seventh, or another street north of Fifth?  The streetcars are designed to only travel one way on a particular track; you can't just have the streetcar come down Walnut to Fifth, stop, and reverse course.  (And even if you could, it would run into another southbound streetcar in a few minutes).

Anyone have a better handle on this?

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Cole Case Also Shows Dual Justice System

You've heard by now that Cincinnati councilmember Laketa Cole was recently involved in a traffic stop while riding her motorcycle and that during the stop, she contacted the City Manager and an assistant chief of police regarding the conduct of the police officers' who were issuing her and her companion tickets.  The media has insinuated that Cole abused her position in making these calls.

I'll accept as true the statements by Cole and Milton Dohoney that Cole sought no favors during her phone calls.  She got a ticket and her companion's motorcycle was impounded (and he was cited for a first-degree misdemeanor traffic offense).  I'll accept that Cole did not attempt in any way to improve her position or avoid a ticket.  But the case still illustrates that there's two justice systems:  one for a very small percentage with some sort of admission ticket to it, and one for the rest of us.

Being stopped by the police, even for a traffic offense, makes many people quite nervous.  A lot of people, armed with cell phones, will call someone during the stop.  Usually, though, it's family or friends.  Some will even call an attorney.  Cole, though, is lucky.  She's part of Cincinnati's power structure, and had other members of the power structure on speed dial.

Sure, the average citizen could dial 411 during a stop, get the number to City Hall, and try to get the City Manager, an assistant chief, or even the mayor on the line to talk about what was happening.  But would their call be taken at the particular moment?  Probably not.  Once again, we see that people with money or power (and my sense is that Cole primarily has the latter) are able to access resources unavailable to the rest of us.  Cole wanted to make sure officers called the right kind of tow truck to haul away her friend's motorcycle (other than with a flatbed, how can you tow a crotch rocket?).  She made a call to make sure that happened.  It was a natural reaction.  But the rest of us would have simply been at the mercy of police to do their jobs properly (which, quite frankly, they generally do).

Was Cole wrong to make the calls she made that day?  I don't know.  Probably not.  But it's telling that she was able to get attention to which 98 percent of motorists in a similar predicament wouldn't have been entitled.  This isn't about a particular city official or politician, but is instead about our system of government and justice.  Such access should be available to everyone or no one.  I'm not sure how to fix the disparity--or even that it's fixable--but I'm quite sure it's not one we should be proud of.

Widmer Case Illustrates Dual System of Justice

When former Bearcats coach Andy Kennedy was arrested late last year, I argued that the manner in which the case was proceeding was an excellent demonstration of justice for sale in America:  in other words, people in the criminal justice system often get exactly as much justice as they can afford.

To an extent, the Ryan Widmer case also serves as a stark example of our dual system of justice.  Leave aside the pre-trial and trial proceedings.  Widmer was able to afford high-priced private counsel, as well as a nationally-known forensics expert.  (Indigent defendants only get access to such experts when the court approves it, and then must sometimes demonstrate to the court a "need" for such experts.)  Forget all that, for the moment.  Focus instead on what's happened since Widmer's conviction.

Look at recent events.  The press coverage has been extraordinarily sympathetic to Widmer, who is now a convicted murderer.  (It helps, perhaps, that Sarah's family seems to have no interest in engaging the media.)  Hundreds have attended a candlelight vigil to "support" Ryan.  One expects, of course, Ryan's family and close friends to be heartbroken and moved to action by the verdict.  But people who have no discernible connection to Widmer and who certainly didn't sit through the trial or read the transcript are publicly lamenting the verdict as well.  What's more, before the ink was even dry on the verdict form, two high-powered appellate attorneys (including the director of the Ohio Innocence Project) had signed on to the defense team.

If Widmer weren't so upper-middle class, young, attractive, and white, would we see this outpouring of support for him?  I certainly don't mean to make race the sole factor here, as this is probably driven at least as much, if not more, by economic and social class.  (No one showed any sympathy a few years ago for Liz Carroll, although there was evidence that of the three involved in her foster-son's death, she was the least culpable yet received the harshest result; Liz was poor and white.)  And I don't mean to question the appellate attorneys' motives (OIP has been a tremendous force for reversing wrongful convictions in its few years of existence, and the other attorney involved devotes a significant portion of his practice to indigent criminal appeals).   But would the media coverage have been quite so favorable if the alleged murderer were poor or black (or both)?  Would the injustice of the conviction even showed up on the community's radar screen?

I have no idea whether Ryan Widmer murdered his wife.  I didn't sit through the trial and didn't read a transcript of it.  I'm bothered by the revelation of juror experimentation.  But the case leaves me wishing that the State was subject to such scrutiny in all criminal cases, not just the ones where the defendant is a young, affluent, white suburbanite.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Haap and Jeffre Alter Position on Anti-Streetcar Petition

In a surprise move, Jason Haap and Justin Jeffre have published a blog post where they state they believe the language of the existing petition to amend the City Charter to force a public vote on all passenger rail transit goes too far. I guess Haap and Jeffre didn't read the language before they threw their support behind it. Recent reports, including an opinion from Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune, believe that the language on the ballot measure would prevent the city from participating in the high speed rail plan put forth by the Federal Government.

Due Diligence is far too often skipped when emotion and ego are the guiding force of action.