Friday, April 30, 2010



George Harrison - Plug Me In - The Apple Acetates

The Apple Acetates are out-takes from Harrison's album, All Things Must Pass. GeeBee forced me to steal this album as an initiation to his gang.
Then I took up printing.
The Legacy

Springfield News Sun writer, Andrew McGinn, has published a graphic novel (big comic book) called The Legacy. The story lampoons the dry & sterile newspaper comics pages.
Kinda sounds like a good reason to not make a cartoon character a vampire.....
LeStat meets Maus?
whatever, Noose Son story here.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

I would like to thank Google for deleting/moving the little Flash application I was using to post audio files for the last year or so. I would like to thank Microsoft for making things interesting. I would also like to thank Mozilla for just being weird.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

REPOST
The Fishwrap rereports about Councilman Bortz' possible ethics issues. A week ago, City Beat did too & in a little more detail. Below is a post with a bistro map I made last August. Luken & Smitherman & now Jeffre are grasping at straws.

The Plot Thickens

Cincinnati's NAACP has voted to address the Ohio Ethics Commission about Cincinnati City Councilmember Chris Bortz' alleged conflict of interest regarding the streetcar proposal. They are claiming his employer, Towne Properties stands to make out like a rat if the streetcar is installed.
I think this is the first time I have heard them say the streetcar will be effective aa an economic stimulator. The local NAACP president has stated he thinks a better investment for the city would be speed bumps & handouts to particular developers who can't finish their projects.
On the NAACP website they list the properties they claim will make Bortz fabulously wealthy.

Suspect Properties in Red

yeah, another one of my BistroMaps...
People have stated that the development spurred by the streetcar will have an effect out to 3 blocks from the track. I think that's pretty optimistic. I would guess it would trail off at two.
On the map you can see the suspect properties are not all directly on the route and a few are actually in the third block range. You could probably argue that the route almost avoids the Garfield Place properties.
Now, these properties aren't all owned by Towne. Some are only managed by Towne.

A Property Manager

I don't know how much Towne will get out of this deal. It would depend on how their contracts are set up. If they only receive flat fees, it won't do them any good at all.
The advantage of the streetcar initiative over the funding of the sports stadia is that, while the sports facilities depended on the goodwill of the 2 sports franchise owners, the streetcar relies on a large number of more diverse, middle class entrepreneurs. Directly on the route there are about 500 properties owned by about 400 entities. Expanding out a block and adding cross streets you can probably add close to 1,000 more properties. Expand further & get even more.
The NAACP president has complained that the stadia & the current Banks project have shut out black developers and contractors because bids were for large projects that required large contractors with plenty of credit. He argued that by breaking the projects down into smaller projects the poorer black contractors would have a better chance to compete. Of course poorer white, latino & female contractors would also have a better chance, too.
The Development along the streetcar route will be driven by these exact same middle class contractors & developers.
The NAACP should be concentrating efforts on seminars and workshops educating and training it's constituency on how to form businesses, get loans, learn about real estate development, etc., so they can catch the wave and be a part of the revitalization of the core of our community. Instead they continue in a long march of bombastics, obstructionism & demanding hand outs.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Voting Libertarian

When a guy tells you that government always fails you say, ok, whatever...
When the same guy says he wants your vote so he can participate in the failure, it's gotta make you wonder.
The Ohio Libertarians have worked hard for ballot access in their state & deserve credit for their success. In a recent interview on Newsmakers, Jim Berns & Jared Croxton, Libertarians seeking to run for the First Congressional seat, pretty much blew the best free publicity they were gonna get. As I stated before, it's easy to say you are going to not do anything except cut & slash programs & taxes, but what do you do after that? Neither candidate offered any private solutions let alone ways to implement them. Hurley, a historian, pointed out the past failures of private charities. The effects of The Great Depression seemed to be news to the young Croxton, a financial analyst. Berns advice to invest in the stock market seems to have missed recent economic meltdowns that erased years of investment in mere months.
Still, while I am interested in both Republican and Democratic candidates May 4th, the idea of donning my inkblot mask, letting loose the black flag, requesting a Libertarian ballot & telling the Republicrats that I am mad as hell & not going to take it anymore has some romantic appeal.
Maybe I will just employ Harvey Dent's decision making process.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Club Ritz v The Casino

4/20/10 Cincinnati Public Safety Committee

The Broadway Commons casino is slated to be a 24hr entertainment spot. It may or may not get a 24hr liquor license. Thing is, if 24hr entertainment is going to remain an exception in Cincinnati, the after hours crowd will continue to be condensed into pockets and, as can be seen in the officer's testimony above, prove to be a problem for community safety.
If anybody could get a 24hr liquor permit the concentration issue could be resolved naturally but we Ohioans love to struggle with the unintended consequences of a puritanical mindset.
So, as after hours crowds converge on the casino around 3 AM, what will happen? Will Cincinnati threaten to pull liquor permits for the casino they are banking on to save the city's budget woes? Will they enforce a 2:30AM curfew? Can the city demand new management or will that have to be handled through an expensive state election?
There were a ton of citizens speaking at the last liquor permit renewal hearing in support of Club Ritz. One guy, somehow connected with ArtWorks, suggested that, given the number of night clubs in Roselawn, the city should invest in a "Roselawn Entertainment District" instead of shutting the businesses down. While I appreciate the need for a vital downtown, I wonder if the downtown establishments & Roselawn establishments will receive equal treatment.

Friday, April 23, 2010

No More Fords in Clark County !

There was a time when car dealerships were in cities & preferred being on bus lines. Now they don't care if you have to ride your mule 100 miles.
Seriously tho, who needs 'em when you have a place like Mershon's? They can always fix you up with a Mustang anyway.
Noose Son story here.
This Weekend in Rainy Northside, Ohio

99,000 things to do in Northside this weekend & of course, it's supposed to rain the whole time.....
Anyway, lots of free parking!
  Friday
Buffalo Killers / Nate Wilson Group

  Northside Tavern
  4163 Hamilton Avenue
Stained Glass Constructions by Ybette Inojosa
  NVISION
  4577 Hamilton Avenue
Ghostfinger / David Vandervelde / Super Stupid
  Mayday
  4227 Spring Grove Avenue
Styrene & BPA
  Art Damage Lodge
  4122 Hamilton Avenue
Movie Night  6:00 PM
  Off the Avenue Studios


  Saturday
Reduce Recycle Run

  7:30AM Registration
  9AM Run
  Spring Grove Cemetery
Let's Play With Clay
  10AM - 10:45AM
  Happen Inc.
  4201 Hamilton Avenue
Pizzario Heppenino
  11AM - 11:45AM
  Happen Inc.
  4201 Hamilton Avenue
Let's Play With Clay
  11:45AM - 5PM
  Happen Inc.
  4201 Hamilton Avenue
Stained Glass Constructions by Ybette Inojosa
  NVISION
  4577 Hamilton Avenue
Trans Am / Nice Nice
  Northside Tavern
  4163 Hamilton Avenue
Pop Empire / Throwing Stars
  Mayday
  4227 Spring Grove Avenue

  Sunday
Great American Cleanup

  8AM - noon
  McKie Recreation Center
  1655 Chase
Stained Glass Constructions by Ybette Inojosa
  NVISION
  4577 Hamilton Avenue
the Tillers
  Northside Tavern
  4163 Hamilton Avenue

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Is Torture the Answer ?

Dealing with the anti-social has been an issue since society began. They have been killed, maimed, shunned, re-educated, punished, imprisoned, exorcised......
Of course, what is anti-social has changed over the years. I always loved the T-shirt that said, "I used to be shocked, now I'm just amused".
Anyway, jail seems to have lost it's stigma. I have overheard a common conversation multiple times. It goes like this:
Larry - hey, man, have you seen Moe around?
Curly - no, man, he's in jail.
Larry - oh, ok

There is no shock, surprise or outrage. If I heard one of my friends was in jail, my response would be more along the lines of, "WHA? - What happened?", or, at least, "aw, fucking Moe. What did he do now?"
In recent police crackdowns the police have made efforts to make racketeering charges against nuisance criminals. The offenders expressed short jail sentences was just a part of doing business. When faced with harsher/longer sentences, they seem to take a little more notice.
The thing is, these anti-socials know what to expect - 3 meals a day in a very regimented environment. Every day people join the military expecting the same lifestyle & the prospect of being put in harm's way in the future. I'm not seeing a big difference.
Rehabilitation has not been too successful.
So what to do? I say, bring back torture. Potentially anti-social types would know that their punishment would not be 3 squares & lights out at eight.
To reinforce the understanding of the wages for anti-social behavior we could establish an elected office of Chief Torturer. Politicians would have public campaigns to promote the types of torture they would employ. People could vote for the guy who wants to flog or the guy who wants to brand. Anti-socialists would get a real clear picture in consequent Novembers.
uhBob - Well I say we should skin 'em alive!
uhClem - Well, I say skin 'em alive & salt 'em!
uhBob - Well, there you go again! Have you looked at the budget? We don't have any money for salt!

The old subway tunnels would be a perfect venue for torture. People in the vicinity of Central Parkway could be reminded of their possible fate in the din of groaning & wailing punctuated by the occasional shriek.
This is a chance for Cincinnati to make a bold step forward & lead the country into the future.

Monday, April 19, 2010

כולם אוהבים כלזמיר

The Cincinnati Klezmer Project has been knocking around since 1993. That's why everybody knows about 'em. Klezmer is, of course, everybody's favorite form of dance music. Tracing it's roots is about like some Dan Brown conspiracy story but it's basically an evolution of Eastern European Jewish music. Of course the words to the songs are all in Yiddish. Fortunately everybody knows Yiddish. A Cincinnati Klezmer performance is part history lesson & a whole lot of kick ass music.
I have only been able to catch them playing at Spring Grove Cemetery's annual Lantern Lighting thingies. They frequently play private parties, weddings & Bar Mitzvahs & nobody in their right mind would invite me. My dancing is too advanced for most people.
The band also has a MySpace page just like all the cool death metal bands.
To buy their CDs, it's kinda low tech. You call the guitarist on the phone.
I love these guys. Many Klezmerites tend to modernize their music with electric bass & such. These guys keep it true to the roots.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Backyard Archaeology

One of the benefits of gardening is finding all sorts of weird shit in the yard.
This particular artifact, the Blogging Isn't Cool crack anthropology staff tells us, was used by ancient man in some sort of religious ritual celebrating spring.
One can only imagine the joy & happiness these people felt as the weather grew warmer & everything that grows commenced to growing again. This rare and exotic artifact just oozes with the positive energy of life.
Road Rights

Is driving a car a right or a privilege? Do bicycles belong on the road?
While pondering these questions I came across another question - Do we even have the right to travel?
Roads are the result of people beating a path through the wilderness. We generally assume these to be common public ground that would fall under roaming rights. Getting in & out of sovereign locales require traveling rights. The Magna Carta granted English citizens the right to leave & return to their nation in 1215. The original Articles of Confederation allowed citizens of the United States to travel freely between the states whose sovereignty was later eroded by the Constitution which grants no such right but gives the government some authority in inter-state commerce.
This was all well & good. In humanity's 6-10,000 year history traveling over land was accomplished by walking or riding / being pulled by a walking animal. Some etiquette of the road developed & some rules codified. Some of our current road rules date back to the horse & buggy that is largely absent from modern roads. Any licensing was pretty much for taxing commercial enterprises.
About 150 years ago, however, the bicycle was born. The bicycle runs on people power but it amplifies it. It was a bit faster than the pedestrian & a little more ungainly. The argument of allowing bikes on the roadways ensued & legislation here & there granted bicycles equal rights & responsibilities to the roads. Or the rights of citizens to freely choose their mode of transportation.
In the late 1800s the automobile started making it's presence known on the common roadways. This was a different beast altogether. It ran on it's own steam or battery or gasoline. It was faster & heavier than the previous modes of transportation that had served humanity well for millennia. The first "license" to permit an auto on the road wasn't due to it's dangers, however, Mr Benz' neighbors were complaining about the noise & smell. Some cities banned motorized vehicles entirely.
As more & more cars hit the roads, fatalities soared. It was deemed that a person wanting to operate one of these contraptions should prove sufficient skill & maturity to do so. Testing & licensing drivers began around 1910 in Germany & was quickly followed, due to public outcry, in the US. Municipalities started, then New York began licensing chauffeurs & New Jersey demanded licensing of all drivers in 1913.
So, it's pretty well established that people have an inalienable right to get around & sharing public pathways is pretty much a no brainer, but using these public thoroughfares carries responsibilities. Using big, fast machines to get around requires greater responsibility than walking. Using animals to get around carries unique responsibilities. :-)
Now, in our car-centric (addicted) society, the roadways cater to the machine more than the animal & drivers bear the brunt of maintaining the roadways. Modern roadways greatly benefit the cyclist. I would be glad to pay a tax to cover the wear & tear my bike puts on the roadway. Such a tax could be put on the bicycle itself at the time of purchase. If cyclists want signs & sharrows & special lanes such a tax should cover that, as well. Licensing cyclists or pedestrians is impractical.

sources, sources, sources, sources....

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Monzel Keeps it Classy

Apparently Monzel, the "Son of the Suburbs", has decided to have a jr high student, or, maybe, the goonball at the Whistleblower, handle his county commissioner campaign advertising.
waytogo, dude - classy
Cincinnati - Bicycle Friendly ?

The city is closing in on making Cincinnati a more bike friendly place. sort of
They plan on posting signs & painting lines & pictures on the road. You can read about what they are up to here.
Will these images resonate in the skulls of the Cincinnati cage pilot? Given their inability to grasp the concept of lanes marked by painted lines, I doubt it. The common belief that electronic traffic signals mean "accelerate" when yellow & red are displayed further reinforces my skepticism.
Forgetting socio-economic & racial prejudice, education of the motorist seems to be the single most important thing. (Drivers have just continually gotten worse since driver's education was taken out of the schools.)
Slow moving vehicles are supposed to move to the right. You are supposed to adhere to the lane that takes you where you want to go. This means that a cyclist will frequently be out in the middle of "the road" pavementwise but is actually on the right side of "the road" lanewise while making left turns or going straight where there is a right turn lane. This frequently freaks out the cage pilot. With the additional signage & strange road runes proposed, the poor motorist, who doesn't understand the existing lanes, is likely headed for an aneurism.
Signage would be nice for highway exit ramps so motorists know they have to merge with slow bicycles on the surface street while they try to extend the highway speed limit just a little farther. I haven't seen anything about that but it's definitely needed along the interstates. Maybe in the Revive I-75 plan.....
The next & final open house is May 5, 2010 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Avenue.
Issue 2
Who Could Have Seen This Coming ?

So we pass a state constitutional amendment to create casinos with municipal monopolies & now we have to vote statewide to make local changes. Is Columbus making a real effort to convince Ohioans of the need for the address change? Not really. Will the new location be on the 3C train route? All we are told is that the new location sucks.
stupid....
Issue 2 website
Cincinnati suburbanites want to be able to vote on Cincinnati municipal issues. Now is their chance to vote on Columbus municipal issues. Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution supporting Issue 2. I say we seize the chance by the horns & vote no just for the sake of being assholes. Yes, we CAN cut off our noses to spite our faces.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Star Trek
v
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

I have been watching Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. A comparison to Star Trek is inevitable. What's amazing about these shows is their 180 degree approaches and the fact that they overlapped each other in TV history. Voyage ran from 64 to 68 while Trek ran from 66 - 69.
The Enterprise was well armed but it's mission was exploration while the Seaview was promoted as a research vessel but was "really" secret weapon. The enemies in Voyage were bald, bearded foreigners who smoked pipes or used cigarette holders. The Seaview crew was 100% white male Americans. The only ethnic character was Kowalski who was probably from exotic Cleveland. In Trek the enemies frequently weren't enemies & the drama was frequently more of an inner turmoil thing. The crew, just on the bridge, was American, Russian, Japanese, Scottish, African & even a friggin alien. Well, semi alien with a half breed Vulcan. The African was a chick to boot.
Star Trek took place around 2260 while Voyage was placed in the far off futuristic realm of the late 1970s.
Home for both shows was in SoCal, Trek in San Francisco & Voyage in Santa Barbara.
The biggest difference is the attitude. Voyage has a heavy ominous feel with danger lurking at every turn while Trek is a hopeful adventure with new worlds & new civilizations. Voyage seems more topical, nowadays with it's themes of terrorism & nationalist paranoia. Star Trek's fluffy optimism seems almost quaint. I think I like the Star Trek universe a little more than Voyages. FWIW, as paranoid as the Seaview crowd are, their security sucks. In the first episode the new captain sneaks onboard through a door hangin' wide open on the Seaview. Forget security, isn't making sure the doors are shut a priority on a submarine? I was laughing at the smoking going on in the sub but, poking around, I found smoking actually has been allowed on subs. So, how come 300 years later you can't have open flames on the Enterprise? Unless you are a half breed Vulcan, of course.
Both the Seaview & the Enterprise are ridiculously huge! I have been on the USS Cleveland. It is not a place for the claustrophobic.
So, ultimately, one has to ask, who'd win in a fight? While the Seaview might be able to elude the Enterprise, it certainly couldn't win with it's antique tech, although the Flying Sub might give the Galileo a run for it's money. A better match up would be Lee Crane v James Kirk. So, given equal vessels who would win? Poll at top right.

Friday, April 09, 2010

Emotion & Commotion - Jeff Beck

This was listed for release on the 24th - now the 13th ?
But NPR has posted it already.
whatever.....
Games Gone Wild

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Improving The Enquirer's Commenting

Anybody who reads the Fishwrap's comments or, even the Letters to the Editor, knows that SW Ohio is batshit crazy (not to mention clairvoyant). While I try to bring some semblance of order to the boards,


I frequently feel like I am playing a Bob Kane's Oliver Wendell Douglas in a Marquis DeSade's Hooterville.
Short of requiring Rorschach tests before posting or installing breathalyzers on poster's computers, I think a few other measures could be taken to improve the commenting on the Fishwrap boards.
First off, improve the censoring. It appears to be done by MCSEs. Law students may not be any better. Dunno if theologist types would be any good, either. maybe chickens....
Second, require the poster to answer a question about the original article before posting. This will stop the poster from posting a knee jerk reaction to the headline (which was meant to be elicit a knee jerk reaction in the first place).
Third, post comments in the order posted. If there are more than two pages of comments, require the aspiring poster to, at least, click through them before posting. While this wouldn't guarantee the poster reads the preceding comments, it would be a start.
Fourth, a "Are you SURE you want to post this drivel ?" challenge after hitting the submit button would be in order. A second one could be implemented if certain keywords are detected in the post (or, heck, just automated spell checking).
Fifth, make poster's links active. References are important in social/political discourse. You can make the link open in a frame if you don't want readers leaving your site.
Finally, if a commenters comments are deleted 99% of the time (Lee Greewood ?), just ban the sucker.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Liquor Permit Renewal Hearings
Liquor permit renewal challenges started April 6. Next meeting is April 20 in the evening. About a dozen bars were affected in Northside, Evanston, the West End, Roselawn, Price Hill..... These hearings are interesting. They become a he said/she said sort of affair where, frequently, the police don't exactly come off as the good guys, not to mention organized or even credible. In the above selection of a few of the hearings an officer, presumably an "expert witness", responds to councilwoman Qualls in regards to a question asked by councilwoman Quinlivan. One thing councilwoman Cole introduced was the police documenting what activity happened where in relation to the establishment in question. The police instituted such a procedure & managed to make it confusing. Anyway, any incident near a bar is counted against it. Police routinely tell bar owners/workers to call the police for anything. This tactic was used famously to cream The Phoenix Cafe downtown. Bar owners frequently cite nearby businesses & organizations for the problems & frequently cite the neighborhoods as being a problem leaving their establishment as small oasis of heaven. In the case of Club Ritz, the owner blamed everybody that used the nearby highway exit. One bar owner's lawyer cited the un-court like method of the hearings (which really just result in recommendations to the state) in not providing evidence prior to the hearings. She claimed her client had been fined $500 when a fella ran into the bar & dropped a bag of dope on the floor. The police came in in hot pursuit. This scenario was brought up a couple times, in one instance, the fella ran in & locked the door. That owner reported he had faced retaliation for trying to comply with police recommendations. his car windows had been busted out. Bar owners are told to hire security if there are a lot of crimes in the area. One police officer pointed out bars will hire county deputies but the police have no idea how many arrests the deputies make because the sheriff's department is uncooperative in such issues. Wasn't inter-agency communication supposed to be a big priority after 9/11/01 ? In these hearings, bar owners brought some of their employees, one guy brought a neighborhood minister. In the past, it has not been uncommon for bar owners to bring their patrons. Probably not the best idea for some folks. It's amazing some of the bar owners can stay in business. I certainly wouldn't hire a majority of them. It's amazing how unprepared & unorganized the police frequently are. It is, without a doubt, some the best TV going. My favorite part of this go 'round? Ms Decatur suggesting she may have influenced the age of the clientele. :-) Pre hearing Fishwrap story here Post hearing Fishwrap story here.
The Takeover Begins !

The Governor's Office has published the names of people appointed to the new Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. We were warned that the board would be stuffed full of power hungry Corpo-Ag slimeballs. I'm not seeing it.
This, of course will not slow down the radical animal rights groups who are already working on another ballot initiative to "guide" the new board.

Fishwap story (with HSUS rantings), here

Governor's Site here.

Monday, April 05, 2010

Where is the Outrage ?

A new business model for food vending has arrived in Cincinnati. Food Trucks are nothing new nationally but are new to Cincinnati. Their arrival has got lots of people excited. Naturally, the foodies are into it and young urbanisto types are into it, too. Those younguns tend to fall into the category of liberal/progressive. Their love for big government knows no bounds, of course, so when Cincinnati City Solicitor commented that the city has no specific regulations for the food trucks but that they will be looking into it, you would think some alarms might go off in some people's heads. It raised Julie's eyebrows & elicited some concern over here. Nothing public from the Chamber of Commerce. The Business Courier Notes their arrival, but no mention of new regulations.
But, where is the outcry from the other side? The folks who promote smaller government, lower taxes & deregulation? Between COA T, The Libertarians, The Tea Party & the (cough cough) Republican Party, I haven't heard a peep.
The Libertarians tend to be more reactive, so their current silence is understandable.

Libertarians helped save the Gamble's house

The Cincinnati Tea Party hasn't done what it does best, protest with angry shouting, raised fists & a plethora of misspelled signage. It might be under their radar, however, since it is a Cincinnati issue & apparently, their only real connection to Cincinnati is their name.
The GOP ? While they pay lip service to entrepreneurs, they serve well monied corporations first & usually last.
The region's A#1 Wolf Criers at COA T, who routinely predict the falling of the heavens & predict (usually incorrectly) the malicious actions & intentions of elected officials (of the Democratic persuasion) haven't even been making any public pronouncements on the issue. Given their anti business attitude, I guess it is no surprise.
People criticize the faux outage intended only for political gamesmanship. They have a point.

PS - yeah, I know my taco truck sucks. Got tired of screwing with it as did the software LOL. The Caddies are pretty cool, tho. They were made by this guy.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Night of the Chocolate Bunny

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, April 02, 2010

More GOP Flip Flops ?

After Republicans voted against amendments they made in the health Insurance mess, state Republicans threaten to derail the rail program they originally endorsed in Ohio.
These guys are just getting weirder by the day.
"Republicans threatening to reject federal stimulus money for project the GOP originally endorsed."

Noose Son story here.
More Old Crap

Led Zep - Since I've Been Loving You
Somewhere in Germany - 1973

Once again, thanx to GeeBee & his tireless pursuit of the best in bootlegged rock-n-roll.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

The Urban Landscape is Messy

There's been a few posts in the local blogaverse about the aesthetics of the urban landscape. An old way of communicating is sticking a notice on a telephone pole. In areas with bars that host bands flyers are pretty common & frequently show a good bit of creativity. Bands doing original music? Artists doing original art? Sounds nice to me. Sounds like something we should foster.
I like Northside. I like it a lot. I don't relate to a lot of it. I have no idea why anybody would go to a coffee house. The teenagers are weird & frequently obnoxious. I could do without the rock throwing & willy nilly gunfire. But I certainly like the weirdness & the creative aspect.
But I could also do without people who want suburbia in urbia. That is - it's not going to be neat, sterile & homogenous. People claim they want a "diverse" community. This seems to mean, I want some black people living on the next block. I want art & culture but it has to be ok with NPR.
Art Damage is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year. Seems like just yesterday I was listening the the show on WAIF while working alone on third shift in the nation's most dangerous neighborhood. In that time they have, essentially become a Cincinnati art institution. They have progressed from just a radio show to having a space for experimental performers & movie makers.

What do they get from the neighborhood?
grief

In this post on the Northside BB, a poster complains about Art Damage specifically for posting flyers on phone poles. The neighborhood liason police officer is quite happy to jump in. This kind of pisses me off since I post annually that it is city law to clear your sidewalk of snow & I never got a response from Cincinnati's finest. Of course a snowy icy sidewalk is dangerous - flyers on poles assault our sensibilities & tastes. priorities....

It's not just Art Damage, of course

Now, while people in "eclectic" Northside are griping about contemporary graphics advertising experimental music, the neighborhood hosts an "installation" Shepard Fairey work.

Fairey, of course got his start doing, essentially "street art". But he's been on NPR, so it's ok.
One of the complaints is that the flyers contain profanity from time to time. While this is a semi-legitimate complaint, the flyers are usually posted at the eye level of an adult, so I don't really see a problem there.

an offending flyer ?

Now, I have to say that advertising to the people walking through the Northside business district has it's limits. Blanketing the 3-4 blocks is probably not too productive. Some strategy is worthwhile.
The issue is up in the air. Hopefully the AD folks will just be told to take down flyers after the events. That would be a good idea anyway as old ads would distract from new ads.
Clicking on these thumbnails will display some of the older Art Damage flyers.


Art Damage can also be found on FaceBook.
An alternative Art Damage page with a history lies here, but navigating there sets off all sorts of warnings about how it will melt your computer. No problems here.