"Join Cincinnati Imports on Monday, March 21 from 6-9 p.m. for a Happy Hour at MOTR Pub at 1345 Main Street. MOTR Pub is a newish bar and restaurant specializing in local music--they also have great beer and food.
All are welcome! Cincinnati Imports Happy Hours are low-key, and it's a fantastic way to meet new people.
MOTR is extending their awesome happy hour prices to 9 p.m., and they have great food, as well (with vegetarian options). Monday night has a $3 martini special, while Happy hour prices include:
$2.5 on select Draft
$3.25 Wells
$4 Wine"
Monday, March 21, 2011
Reminder: Cincinnati Imports Event Tonight - Monday March 21st at MOTR
Everyone is welcome to the Cincinnati Imports next event: happy hour at MOTR on 3/21, Here's the detail from the website:
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Cincy Playhouse Announces 2011-2012 Season
Rick Pender at CityBeat has the full rundown of next year's season at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, which is the 20th and final season for Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern, who is retiring.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Someone at the Enquirer is Pushing an Anti-Downtown Bias, Again
I think someone at the Enquirer needs to buy a map. This article, which is titled: Ham. Co. taxpayers subsidizing downtown parking, talks about how County Commissioners are considering selling parking garages, which are located Downtown. The article also talks about how those Downtown lots are cheaper than many other lots and some of those lots are required to be provided as part of the Stadium leases.
Monzel is quoted as saying they are "subsidizing" these spaces. Something he would say because he wants the cost of everything to go up. Monzel likely loves the headline, but based on quotes I read in the article I don't read him painting this as subsidy of Downtown. Still don't need a map, yet, just maybe they don't need to spin the story so much. But, hold on a second...
What the writing of the headline (again which read "Ham. Co. taxpayers subsidizing downtown parking") forgets is that DOWNTOWN IS LOCATED IN HAMILTON COUNTY. Downtown is NOT some foreign country. Downtown is NOT in Kentucky. Downtown is WHERE THE HAMILTON COUNTY COMMISSION MEETS. Do the Commission members park in lots that the County owns when they are doing County Business? I am betting they do. I wouldn't be surprised to learn they get free parking in county lots.
The headline, whether intentional or not, states that Hamilton County Tax payers are subsidizing Downtown. The grammar which the editor likely would point to may not have been intended, but I doubt that. There was no need to state in the headline where the parking lots were located. The context of the article did that quite clearly. All you would have to do is drop the word "downtown" and it wouldn't have been a problem. (At least not the headline.) There is an anti-City and specifically anti-Downtown elements in parts of the County and the headline makes a tax payer in Anderson Township or Montgomery (or even Westwood) more likely draw an unrelated conclusion that would build the anti-Downtown attitude. Too many non-city and non-urban (in the case of the some parts of Westwood) still will bad mouth Downtown, but we don't need the local media giving them false impressions feeding their hate.
I have repeatedly written about the need for headline writers to be VERY CAREFUL when they are writing. People far too often only read the headlines and don't pay attention to the grammar subtleties. Furthermore those who read the article are greatly influenced by the headline. People might think Monzel bad mouthed Downtown if they read that headline. I didn't read that in the body of the article, but you could have that impression. I don't doubt Monzel has a disdain for Downtown, which his votes in the past have shown, but we don't need bias in our headlines. Save that for the Editorial page.
Also, shouldn't the lead of the article been about parking rates at some county owned lots are going up? That was buried. That's odd.
Monzel is quoted as saying they are "subsidizing" these spaces. Something he would say because he wants the cost of everything to go up. Monzel likely loves the headline, but based on quotes I read in the article I don't read him painting this as subsidy of Downtown. Still don't need a map, yet, just maybe they don't need to spin the story so much. But, hold on a second...
What the writing of the headline (again which read "Ham. Co. taxpayers subsidizing downtown parking") forgets is that DOWNTOWN IS LOCATED IN HAMILTON COUNTY. Downtown is NOT some foreign country. Downtown is NOT in Kentucky. Downtown is WHERE THE HAMILTON COUNTY COMMISSION MEETS. Do the Commission members park in lots that the County owns when they are doing County Business? I am betting they do. I wouldn't be surprised to learn they get free parking in county lots.
The headline, whether intentional or not, states that Hamilton County Tax payers are subsidizing Downtown. The grammar which the editor likely would point to may not have been intended, but I doubt that. There was no need to state in the headline where the parking lots were located. The context of the article did that quite clearly. All you would have to do is drop the word "downtown" and it wouldn't have been a problem. (At least not the headline.) There is an anti-City and specifically anti-Downtown elements in parts of the County and the headline makes a tax payer in Anderson Township or Montgomery (or even Westwood) more likely draw an unrelated conclusion that would build the anti-Downtown attitude. Too many non-city and non-urban (in the case of the some parts of Westwood) still will bad mouth Downtown, but we don't need the local media giving them false impressions feeding their hate.
I have repeatedly written about the need for headline writers to be VERY CAREFUL when they are writing. People far too often only read the headlines and don't pay attention to the grammar subtleties. Furthermore those who read the article are greatly influenced by the headline. People might think Monzel bad mouthed Downtown if they read that headline. I didn't read that in the body of the article, but you could have that impression. I don't doubt Monzel has a disdain for Downtown, which his votes in the past have shown, but we don't need bias in our headlines. Save that for the Editorial page.
Also, shouldn't the lead of the article been about parking rates at some county owned lots are going up? That was buried. That's odd.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Census Numbers Conflict With Voter Registration
Bill Sloat at the Daily Bellwether is reporting on a key problem with the 2010 Census numbers. Sloat reports the Adult vs Child population breakdown from the 2010 Census. The total City of Cincinnati Population listed is 296,943 of which 231,237 are adult, aged 18 or older. That leaves 65,706 children.
Now, let's compare this to the last few years totals of registered voters:
The % above is based on registered voters divided by the 2010 adult population of 231,237.
So, a few months before the Census time frame (April 1, 2010) we had approximately 98% voter registration. I had no idea we did that well. Similarly, seven months later we had 91% voter registration, a large drop, but it continued the normal drop from a presidential election, yet still very high.
What gives? We obviously don't have that high of a registration rate. We obvioulsy don't have that much voter registration error or fraud, no matter how many Republicans want claim such. We know both points are true because the article points out that similar rates can be seen county wide. We also know this to be valid if we look at some other municipalities within the County. As an example take Cheviot, not known as a liberal bastion, which has a 2010 population according to the census of 8,375 with 6,547 adults aged 18 years or more. The voting registration for Cheviot in November for 2010 was 5,293 or 81%.
So, I'm sure that Republicans are thinking, hmmm, that is 10% lower than Cincinnati, must be something fishy going there. Well, before you worry about Cincinnati, you might want to take a look at Indian Hill. The Village of Indian Hill (actually a city) has a 2010 population of 5,785 with adults over age 18 totaling 4,221. In the November election Indian Hill had a voter registration of 4,797. If you know your math, and I know you do, that would equal a registration rate of 114%. Sure, 500 kids could have turned 18 after April 1st, 2010, but before election day and they all could have registered to vote. I doubt that.
No, I'm not claiming voter fraud is occurring en masse in Indian Hill, nor am I saying our Board of Election is careless. Instead I suggest the census numbers are wrong. There is little doubt that the entire county was undercounted.
Now, let's compare this to the last few years totals of registered voters:
| Year | Registered Voters | % |
| 2010 | 209,259 | 90.50% |
| 2009 | 225,680 | 97.60% |
| 2008 | 229,413 | 99.21% |
| 2007 | 212,303 | 91.81% |
| 2005 | 212,202 | 91.77% |
| 2004 | 215,454 | 93.17% |
So, a few months before the Census time frame (April 1, 2010) we had approximately 98% voter registration. I had no idea we did that well. Similarly, seven months later we had 91% voter registration, a large drop, but it continued the normal drop from a presidential election, yet still very high.
What gives? We obviously don't have that high of a registration rate. We obvioulsy don't have that much voter registration error or fraud, no matter how many Republicans want claim such. We know both points are true because the article points out that similar rates can be seen county wide. We also know this to be valid if we look at some other municipalities within the County. As an example take Cheviot, not known as a liberal bastion, which has a 2010 population according to the census of 8,375 with 6,547 adults aged 18 years or more. The voting registration for Cheviot in November for 2010 was 5,293 or 81%.
So, I'm sure that Republicans are thinking, hmmm, that is 10% lower than Cincinnati, must be something fishy going there. Well, before you worry about Cincinnati, you might want to take a look at Indian Hill. The Village of Indian Hill (actually a city) has a 2010 population of 5,785 with adults over age 18 totaling 4,221. In the November election Indian Hill had a voter registration of 4,797. If you know your math, and I know you do, that would equal a registration rate of 114%. Sure, 500 kids could have turned 18 after April 1st, 2010, but before election day and they all could have registered to vote. I doubt that.
No, I'm not claiming voter fraud is occurring en masse in Indian Hill, nor am I saying our Board of Election is careless. Instead I suggest the census numbers are wrong. There is little doubt that the entire county was undercounted.
Enquirer Covers Small Protest in Mason, But What About Thousands Downtown?
Yes, it is a good thing that the Enquirer covered a protest in Mason, even though it attracts a slue of idiotic comments. The protest had a few dozen people, so was it worth it in the big picture?
I ask if it was worth it because yesterday afternoon there were reportedly 3 to 4 thousand people on Fountain Square, protesting the Governor's plan to gut the State Budget in his plan to destroy many public services. I can't find a word about it online in the Enquirer. I understand this took place during part of the first play-in game for the NCAA basketball tournament, but I figured it would at least get mentioned in the politics blog.
700WLW has a Story on it. WVXU also has a story. Local Radio represents!
Local TV was pretty weak, but had some presence. WCPO had a story. FOX19 had a story, but claimed "hundreds", which by all other report was just incorrect. I found nothing on WLWT and nothing on WKRC.
We have local news events happening and we don't have local news reporters covering them. Our local media is failing, again.
So Radio ruled, local TV was weak, and the Enquirer cared more about a couple dozen people in Mason than thousands in Downtown Cincinnati.
The local media have starved themselves down to so few reporters they can't do the job. I am holding back from saying that the Enquirer purposely ignored this rally for political reasons, but just couldn't one editor have asked a reporter who maybe doesn't normally cover local politics to walk, just WALK, over to the rally a few blocks away and file a story? No one has to expense anything, but maybe one less sports story or human interest fluff piece gets printed. I know, a big sacrifice, but someone must bare it.
There wasn't even an AP story on this, but that I think falls to the Enquirer's failure.
P.S. If someone actually finds a story in the Enquirer on this, then someone over there needs to improve the search function or at least get it indexed in Google.
I ask if it was worth it because yesterday afternoon there were reportedly 3 to 4 thousand people on Fountain Square, protesting the Governor's plan to gut the State Budget in his plan to destroy many public services. I can't find a word about it online in the Enquirer. I understand this took place during part of the first play-in game for the NCAA basketball tournament, but I figured it would at least get mentioned in the politics blog.
700WLW has a Story on it. WVXU also has a story. Local Radio represents!
Local TV was pretty weak, but had some presence. WCPO had a story. FOX19 had a story, but claimed "hundreds", which by all other report was just incorrect. I found nothing on WLWT and nothing on WKRC.
We have local news events happening and we don't have local news reporters covering them. Our local media is failing, again.
So Radio ruled, local TV was weak, and the Enquirer cared more about a couple dozen people in Mason than thousands in Downtown Cincinnati.
The local media have starved themselves down to so few reporters they can't do the job. I am holding back from saying that the Enquirer purposely ignored this rally for political reasons, but just couldn't one editor have asked a reporter who maybe doesn't normally cover local politics to walk, just WALK, over to the rally a few blocks away and file a story? No one has to expense anything, but maybe one less sports story or human interest fluff piece gets printed. I know, a big sacrifice, but someone must bare it.
There wasn't even an AP story on this, but that I think falls to the Enquirer's failure.
P.S. If someone actually finds a story in the Enquirer on this, then someone over there needs to improve the search function or at least get it indexed in Google.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Interesting Question: 'Why are symphony concerts selling out?'
The Enquirer's classical music reporter, Janelle Gelfand, asks a very good question: Why are symphony concerts selling out? I really enjoy the symphony, but haven't had time to go yet this season, but a ton of people are going, with ticket sales up 16% over last years so far. Keep it up! And while you are thinking about art, check out Artswave and donate! I did!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Figure Out How to Close the 8 Billion Dollar Budget Gap by Using This Gadget
Cleveland.com has published a cool tool with a long list of ways to fill the eight billion dollar budget gap. You can cut spending and raise revenues in many creative and fair ways and some very draconian ways. It isn't that difficult to figure out how to do it. I'd like to see a similar gadget used for Cincinnati's budget gap at the end of this year.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Western & Southern Adding 100 Jobs Downtown
WLWT is reporting even more good news for Downtown with word that Western & Southern is adding up to 100 more jobs over the next few months to its Downtown Headquarters. The article reports that the jobs will mostly be in the Insurance and Information Services areas.
City Reaches Deal to Add 55 Jobs Downtown
The Enquirer is reporting that the City has a deal to keep First Financial Downtown for 12 years and add 55 more jobs by 2014. According to the article, First Financial Plans to invest 4 million dollars in its Downtown facilities.
We needed some positive news for the City, so this helps a little.
We needed some positive news for the City, so this helps a little.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Who Is Running For Cincinnati City Council? An Update:
With the Republican slate set, the time to choose is here for candidates to make up their minds on running for Cincinnati City Council. For new candidates, the time honestly came and went. For prior candidates the time is now. Here's the latest on who is or believed to be running for Cincinnati City Council in 2011:
Incumbents:
Leslie Ghiz
Amy Murray
Roxanne Qualls
Laure Quinlivan
Cecil Thomas
Charlie Winburn
Wendell Young
Previous Candidates:
Nicholas Hollan
Kevin Flynn
New Candidates:
Wayne Lippert Jr.
Jason Riveiro
Chris Seelback
P.G. Sittenfeld
Catherine Smith Mills
Yvette Simpson
Unknown Status:
Chris Bortz
Christopher Smitherman
Bernadette Watson
Is there anyone missing?
Incumbents:
Leslie Ghiz
Amy Murray
Roxanne Qualls
Laure Quinlivan
Cecil Thomas
Charlie Winburn
Wendell Young
Previous Candidates:
Nicholas Hollan
Kevin Flynn
New Candidates:
Wayne Lippert Jr.
Jason Riveiro
Chris Seelback
P.G. Sittenfeld
Catherine Smith Mills
Yvette Simpson
Unknown Status:
Chris Bortz
Christopher Smitherman
Bernadette Watson
Is there anyone missing?
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Dear Jeff Berding: Hurry Up and Resign Already
City Council Member Jeff Berding announced back on January 27th that he would be resigning in a matter of weeks. Well, it is going on six weeks later, and he's not gone yet. It's time for him to hurry up and resign. No one likes long goodbyes.
Monday, March 07, 2011
WCPO's Coverage of the 10th Anniversary of the Riots Begins
WCPO will have 30 days of coverage leading up to April 7th anniversary of Timothy Thomas' death, starting Today, March 7th.
Has Wendell Young Killed the CPD-Sheriff Merger Until After the Election?
If you take the mayor's threat serious to veto any effort to outsource to or merge the police department with the Hamilton County Sheriff's office, then you need a veto proof majority to pass any such ordinance. With Wendell Young basically coming out against a merger, does that kill any plan until a new council is sworn in on December 1st? I am going to say, yes, that kills the idea for now.
The study should still be done, however. We need to talk about this plan, if nothing else, especially if this becomes an issue in the campaign. With all of the Republican union bashing it will be fun to see the hypocrisy from the likes of Republicans Ghiz and Winburn. Both have been pretty much silent on SB 5, the State Bill that will strip away collective bargaining rights for public sector unions, included in FOP, making a police/sheriff merger less of a need. You don't need to bust a union that already been crushed by the Governor.
The study should still be done, however. We need to talk about this plan, if nothing else, especially if this becomes an issue in the campaign. With all of the Republican union bashing it will be fun to see the hypocrisy from the likes of Republicans Ghiz and Winburn. Both have been pretty much silent on SB 5, the State Bill that will strip away collective bargaining rights for public sector unions, included in FOP, making a police/sheriff merger less of a need. You don't need to bust a union that already been crushed by the Governor.
Friday, March 04, 2011
'Full' Slate of GOP Council Endorsements Are Out
CityBeat's Kevin Osborne has the full list of Republican endorsements for Cincinnati City Council. There are Five:
Incumbents:
Leslie Ghiz
Amy Murrary
Charlie Winburn
New Comers:
Wayne Lippert
Catherine Smith Mills
Yes, a short list yet again. I am glad to see some new people in the mix, but what holds the Republicans back from even fielding enough candidates to over-ride a Mayoral veto?
Incumbents:
Leslie Ghiz
Amy Murrary
Charlie Winburn
New Comers:
Wayne Lippert
Catherine Smith Mills
Yes, a short list yet again. I am glad to see some new people in the mix, but what holds the Republicans back from even fielding enough candidates to over-ride a Mayoral veto?
Wayne Lippert Receives Republican Endorsement
Based on a Facebook status post to his page, Wayne Lippert, candidate for Cincinnati City Council, got the Hamilton County Republican Party endorsement last night. I've not see a press release on this yet, nor have I heard who else got the endorsement. It will be interesting to see if the GOP puts up enough candidates to fill a super-majority of seats on council or not. In the past, they haven't had the candidates to do so.
Indiana Republican SOS Indicted On Voter Fraud Charges
It would appear that our neighbors to the West have a really big problem with the man in charge of elections. Talking Points Memo is reporting that Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White was indicted on voter fraud charges. Yes, you read that correctly, the man in charge of elections for the State of Indinana, who was just elected last November, has been indicted for Voter Fraud. I don't know if Irony can't be exemplified better, at least not in politics.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
2011 Bockfest Kicks off on March 4th!!
What you need to do during Bockfest:
- Go to the Bockfest Parade on Friday night. It starts at 5:30 PM at Arnold's and goes up Main Street and left on Liberty. This is a can't miss event with lots of goat leggings sightings
- the Beer Blessing: Once the parade reaches Bockfest Hall, their will be a blessing by a real live priest, usually with holy water, something different for us non-Catholics. Don't worry, this isn't for the religious only, just don't tell anyone you are not a Christian, they might make your chug a beer.
- Visit Bockfest Hall: I'd go Friday and/or Saturday night when things are rowdiest. Jake Speed plays on Friday night and the Sausage Queen finals are Saturday with the Kentucky Struts playing after.
- Eat lots of food: Bock beer is stronger than most beer, so drinking 3 large beers is not like drink 3 large Bud Lights. This stuff will take its toll. That is why you need lots of food to keep you closer to being sober, than not. If you smell food, I'd go find the line and buy something!
- Check out some interesting places like the Know Theatre for special Bockfest events.
- Check out some of the unique events and tours (if you can get tour tickets), check out www.bockfest.com for more.
MPMF: Midpoint Website Redo and Showcase Submissions Open
Check out their new website at MPMF.com. Bands, you better act now and submit your media packet to Sonic Bids, so you can find out if you have what it takes for MidPoint. Go to the website for all of the details. You have until May 16th, but why avoid the rush?
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
A Republican is Lying About Union Protestors
Yes, this is a 'water is wet' type of story, but the Enquirer is reporting it, so it must be pretty egregious. Lie about the purpose of Senate Bill Five, you don't get noticed. Lie about taking a crap, you get noticed.
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