Whatever happened to @$*! ?

A couple of the offending pages from the latest issue of All Star Batman and Robin that has been pulled from the shelves so it can be reprinted.
The author, Frank Miller, the guy behind Sin City and 300 has, apparently, lost his mind. Likely the effect of spending too much time in Hollywood....

Kansas City Star story here.

Is the Barr Campaign Finished ?
In this article Libertarian Party founder, David Nolan says so.
"As of yesterday afternoon, Bob Barr's Presidential campaign is effectively over. There were signs of serious trouble even before yesterday, but his "no-show" at Ron Paul's Campaign for Liberty news conference -- followed by an insulting suggestion that Ron should join Barr on the LP ticket in the VP slot -- demonstrated just how out-of-touch the Barr campaign is, and how poor Barr's vote total is likely to be."
Video of the press conference pt 1, pt 2, pt 3.
The Libertarians know their candidates for president won't win. They use the process to promote their ideas and values. Their candidates are chosen with an eye towards their ability to communicate these messages. In this election cycle they chose a "celebrity" candidate in Bob Barr who is just not a Libertarian.
Sayeth Barr, "I'm not interested in third parties getting the most possible votes, I'm interested in Bob Barr as the nominee for the Libertarian Party getting the most possible votes."
I guess you could see this coming.
In the last election the Libertarian, Michael Badnarik and Green, David Cobb, almost seemed like a team on the campaign trail. Of course, Nader refused to debate with the third party candidates then. Will Barr be the holdout this time ? Will Nader be more forthcoming this time ? Will the next reality show on TV have people putting lipstick on barnyard animals ?
Stay tuned, Bat-Friends.

Wittenberg Invests in Cincinnati

Well, sorta.
A Wittenberg University investment club was recently profiled by TheStreet, a Wall Street Journal newsletter for it's success in bucking recent downwards market trends.
Notable investments in their portfolio included Cincinnati based Proctor and Gamble and a major employer in the Cincinnati area, General Electric.
Proof that investing in Ohio is a good idea.

Noose Son story here.

Haiti before the recent storms
Haiti has suffered poor land management for years.
Heck, Haiti has suffered poor management for years, period.
Deforestation, erosion and poor farming practices on a hilly terrain make Haiti's countryside susceptible to landslides, mudslides and flooding. A good rain can cause serious problems. Four hurricane strength storms in a month are devastating.
In the U.S. we have well built homes, a solid modern transportation, communications and power infrastructure, agencies like FEMA and a kick ass National Guard system that does a lot more than just kick asses.
Haiti has, virtually, none of this.
In the best of times, Haitians suffer poverty and malnutrition, hunger and disease. Roads and communication are spotty. Just keeping the power on day to day is a chore and some people never had power to begin with.
Haiti and the U.S. threw off the yolk of European oppression at about the same time. Haiti's yolk being considerably more oppressive than America's.
We should be allies in liberty in the western hemisphere.
Sadly, due to the political realities of just holding our own nation together, we were never much of an ally in the 19th century (when our nation almost fell apart). In the 20th century President Wilson entered Haiti to stabilize their government (invade, occupy and open the doors to American profiteers who looted the island nation in a way that makes Haliburton in Iraq look like the United Way).
While our governments can't seem to get along, there is no reason we, as individuals, can't help. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies lets you target your donations to the country of your choice.
Haiti has really gotten creamed in the last few weeks.

Every explanation I have read about the merits of Proportional Representation voting (PR) have involved a notion that everybody is a racist and when a race is in a minority, their racist agenda cannot be realized. The idea that people don't enter the voting booth (or whatever you call those things nowadays) and that elected officials won't rise to the occasion is petty and small minded. Actually, it's downright un-American.
I have never felt councilmembers I have and haven't voted for, Leslie Ghiz, Roxanne Qualls, Laketa Cole and Cecil Thomas have ever thought any less of me because I have a white penis. The idea that populating our city council with vaginas and black flesh will make for better governance is ridiculous.
PR is credited with getting a mulatto son of an immigrant nominated as a corporate party's candidate for president, but it also shut out a woman whose American heritage runs generations deeper. Women make up a greater proportion of the country. Children of immigrants certainly don't make up a majority. How is this more fair ?
Further, if we want to make sure our demographics are equally represented on the council, we will need to make sure we have the proper number of black and white men and women. The notion gets even crazier when you take in things like religion, economic class, education, age, sexual orientation, handicaps and so on. Indeed, I would think wealth and education would be a better standard for a candidate than race or sex (obviously ideas don't count).
The cost to implement this goofy plan has been estimated to be somewhere between $20,000 and $3,000,000. For the lowball price we get hand counting that will lend itself to fraud, take about 2 weeks to get a result and cost us accreditation from the Federal government. Then, if it doesn't work the way we want - what plan will we try next ? At what cost ?
The best explanation I can find for why Cincinnati abandoned this method of voting in the 50s is that The White Man is an Evil Racist Scumbag.
yay
Only one other city in the US uses this method of voting. Why ?
I guess that after we get this convoluted mess in place, we can work on quotas for juries.

In my time on the planet, Springfield has struggled with bus service. At some times it just hasn't existed. There was a point they considered little buses. To get around, many young people would hop trains that slowed down as they rolled through town. I remember when they got their first air-conditioned bus. It was a big deal.
sigh
Anyway, while their current bus service, SCAT, is limited to weekday dayshift riders, their ridership has been steadily growing of late due to gas prices as well as new and adjusted (improved) routes.
Still, if you are healthy, with an hour wait between buses, you could probably walk most of the way to most anywhere in town.

Noose Son story here.

What is wrong with this picture ?

Will the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport become the airport of choice for Dayton and Columbus travelers ?
I doubt it.
Skybus founder, John Weikle, has been talking with city officials about recreating the low budget passenger airline and basing it in the Springfield airport.
It won't be cheap. Upgrades needed would include improved and expanded taxiways, aprons, hangars, terminal areas, baggage handling, parking and security.
There is an Air National Guard base at the airport now. There was a cargo airline that operated out of the airport decades ago.
It would be a kind of odd drive for Columbusites and Daytonistas to the airport kinda hidden between 68 and 72 on a narrow little road about midway between Springfield and Yellow Springs.
I would say Mr Weikle's assertion that, "I would not be surprised to see (Springfield) eventually become the airport of choice for Dayton and Columbus travelers" is pretty far fetched.
Still, it could be a real boon to Mayberry's Mini Mart.

Noose Son article here.

WOOHOO !
Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic garners over 10,000 attendees !
Suck on that, neocon bitches !

Knowlton's Corner, intersection of Hamilton Avenue, Spring Grove Avenue and Hoffner Street
The Cincinnati Perservation Association offers a series of walking tours that explore various parts of the city. On this year's list is a walking tour of Northside.
Looks like the weather is going to cooperate, too !
From the Cincinnati Preservation Association website:
The Specially offered Northside tours will start at 11:00 a.m. at the BP station at Knowlton's Corner (intersection of Hamilton Avenue, Spring Grove Avenue and Hoffner Street). There is public parking just 1/2 block up Hamilton Avenue past Wizard Computers at 4024 Hamilton. The price of the tour is $10/adult; $5/child. The tour is approximately 2 hours, 2+ miles and will feature more than 30 sites in the area.

Does Ohio Need Casinos ?
No
Leave the casinos to Las Vegas. They do it right. Low end casino towns, like Deadwood suck.
If you just want to gamble, get a game going with your friends or coworkers.
The latest push for a casino in Ohio is coming out of Wilmington, which is getting creamed by the abandonment of a major employer, DHL.
Las Vegas was built into a success a long time ago by people that Wilmingtonians would not want for neighbors. Las Vegas, today, is a result of that success built upon by big entertainment corporations. What Wilmington, or any location in Ohio, would get with a casino, is, basically, a bone from the entertainment moguls that would provide low paying jobs to locals and siphon off the lion's share o the cash while leaving Ohio and Wilmington holding the bill for infrastructure improvements and public services.
A smarter location in Ohio would be on Ohio's northern lakefront, southern riverfront or in south east Ohio's hills. That is, areas that have natural attractions tourists want. But the tiny profit and large headaches would still be the same.
If Ohio really wants to succeed in the tourist trade, it should legalize marijuana. Still, most of the jobs in the tourist industry just don't pay all that well and, frequently don't provide much in the way of employment for older people.
Ohio, and it's cities need to focus on using and marketing their resources. Cincinnati is right to have a major focus on the downtown areas of OTR, CBD & the Banks. OTR, in particular represents an old neighborhood that is still salvageable but would be impossible to re-create.
Ohio should focus more on new industrial jobs. First Solar has recently announced plans to expand and add jobs in Perrysburg. Renewable energy would be a great industry for Ohio. It would create jobs, it's adoption could lower energy costs, making the cost of living and doing business in the state more palatable. A cleaner environment would aid in tourism, the agriculture industry and cut health care costs.
Expanding and diversifying our agricultural industry (what Ohio was built on) is crucial. Agriculture for energy is one idea, focusing on specialty stuff like Alpacas is another.
I offer no quick fixes, no "jackpots", but with some work, dedication and investment in things that are already somewhat in place, Ohio can do a lot better in the long run than by looking to casinos for band-aids.

Around my house, it's Halloween pretty much 365 days a year, 24 hrs a day. My last post should be of some testament to that.
Anyway, even tho it's more than 2 months out, Clark County's dancing sheriff has decreed Beggar's Night to be Oct. 30 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Glad to see somebody has their priorities in order.
From the Noose Son:
"Springfield, Ohio — Beggar's night in Clark County will be Thursday, Oct. 30, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sheriff Gene Kelly has announced.
The date and time is expected to be observed county-wide, said Kelly."

My latest favoritest band in the world.
Zombina and the Skeletons

Where's Groucho when you need him ?
This sounds too much like the flap between the Warners v the Marxes over the title "Night in Casablanca".
"Warner Bros. has filed a lawsuit against Mumbai-based producer/distributor Mirchi Movies related to the title of its upcoming film "Hari Puttar -- A Comedy of Terrors," which Warners feels is a tad too similar to its franchise about a certain young wizard."
Story here.

Metro wants to know "Where You Want to Grow"
Take the survey here.
It's kind of a pointless survey. They could have just asked where you live and where you go. Anyway, they're trying.

Security for the conventions ?
Unfortunaetly, I don't think they will need it. The Republican convention could be interesting with Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic (with almost 10,000 tickets sold !) going on next door.
Foolish corporate parties - seems like giving us a riot to watch on tv is the least they could do.
UPDATE !
Denver doesn't disappoint !
"Police in riot gear used pepper spray on protesters about a mile from the site of the Democratic National Convention on Monday night."
Story here.
Toss in a half assed assassination attempt and the Republicans are going to have a hard act to follow !
(note the URL cites an "assisination" plot)

New Team in Town
When I attended the now defunct Springfield North High School, a social studies teacher tried to organize a soccer program. One of my best friends grew up near Leeds and had played soccer from about the time he could walk and he encouraged me to go out for the team with him.
never mind that we were two of the more notorious dopers in the school.....
Some weird guy who was skinnier & less jockish than myself showed up and a bookish guy who had been an exchange student in Germany for a year showed up.
That was the team.
ok, it wasn't a team, the coach rolled his eyes, sighed and called it a day.
North is gone, now, replaced by a new Springfield High and while the school still hasn't opened yet, they have a real soccer program that has just started playing - and losing. But they are doing better than my class ever did - they are making it to the field !
Good luck to coach Kohl & the Wildcats.

Noose Son story here.

Learn How to Ride the Bus
From the Fishwrap:
"Commuters thinking about switching to the bus can take a close look at a Metro bus, ask questions, pick up schedules, test an online trip planner and register to win a free monthly pass Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Walnut Street side of Fountain Square."
Seriously, HOW HARD IS IT ?
Granted, teenagers have a hard time with it, but what are our expectations of teenagers ?
One of the biggest things you need to learn on Metro's newer buses is how to be under 6 foot tall, because you ain't gonna fit if you are taller. If you need to stand near the rear, you need arms (at least one) that are about seven feet long to grasp the overhead handrail. A skill with gymnastics can be helpful as one gropes for handholds placed "here and there" and an ability to make onesself paper thin as you squeeze past the kids who congregate around the front of the bus.
It also helps to not be old as the low seats can be murder to get out of, and without that seven foot arm, you won't have any handholds to assist yourself getting out of the seats.
But, other than being a physiological freak, riding the bus is pretty simple. Schedules and a system map are online. There is a poorly done but usable "trip planner" application on the home page and you can just call for routing info at 513-621-4455, too. The bus names and numbers are clearly marked (for normally sighted people). Most of the drivers are courteous and helpful as are most of the adult riders. Zones might be kind of weird but once you know your zone, you are set. The bicycle racks are pretty easy to use. You might need to instruct the driver if your wheelchair has special requirements. The driver will usually tell kids to give you their seat if you are handicapped & the surly kids are just giving you that, under the brow, I've got a block of cement where my brain oughtta be, glare.
Seriously, riding the bus isn't that difficult.

Wittenberg University, in Springfield, Ohio, will be hosting a discussion series titled, "Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel".
They will be discussing Will Eisner's A Contract With God, Art Spiegleman's Maus, A Survivor's Tale, Ben Katchor's Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: Stories, Harvey Pekar's The Quitter and Joann Sfar's The Rabbi's Cat.
Graphic novels are, of course, just comic books that intelligent people can read and remain respectable.
They call it literature.
As far as the actual series goes, I think they missed a couple goodies, Joe Sacco's Palestine and Robert Crumb's Kafka.
Palestine is a detailed account of Sacco's visit to his parents homeland to visit friends and relatives. Sacco, an American has neither a great love for Palestine
nor a seething hatred of Israel. A very insightful book -er- graphic novel.
Crumb's biographical Kafka is glaringly missing, however as Crumb's work in underground (independently published) comics took comics out of the realm of the drug store and opened up the comic book world to the diverse publications that resulted in the format we call graphic novels !
The underground comic product helped give rise to a distribution network of head shops, record stores and ultimately specialty comic book stores. In fact it was through this network that Maus first appeared (in serialized format) in Spiegleman's RAW magazine.
Another important Jewish comic book type of guy (though not having a graphic novel to his name) was publisher Bill Gaines. Though not exactly a paragon of Jewish virtue, his no-nonsense approach to freedom of expression and his respect for the creatives who produced it was crucial to the development of the comics environment that spawned the graphic novel. Gaines defended his publications and the work of his artists and writers in the Hearings Before the Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency in the 50s but still wound up having to cease publishing anything but Mad magazine. The hearings resulted in a censorship board, The Comics Code Authority. Gaines fought hard against the board that saw fit to "censor" things like black characters.
Panel from "Judgement Day" by artist Joe orlando.
Anyway, maybe next time around, they can include Howard Chaykin's American Flagg.

Noose Son story and registration info here.

How to attract wealth in Ohio ?
In this chart on the BizJournals pages, 267 cities are ranked by wealth. The top cities are dominated by cities in California. Ohio cities were all towards the bottom. Indeed, Forbes ranked several Ohio cities as America's fastest Dying.
So I wondered what we were doing differently than California.
Apparently we are not taxing the rich enough and, instead relying too much on user based taxes.
Below is a chart comparing Ohio and California on taxes and prices.

	OH	CA
Costs
Cost of Living Ranking	15	50
Groceries	96.9	119
Housing	79.7	208.7
Utilities	104.7	96.7
Transportation	100.6	111.3
Health Care	96.5	111.7
Misc Goods	97.9	109.8
Gas	3.64	4.09
Taxes
Personal Income	0.618 - 6.24	1 - 9.3
Corporate	5.1 - 8.4	8.84
Ssales Tax	5.5	2 (adjustable)
Gas	.28	.18
Cigarettes	1.25	.87

Ddata from:
Federation of Tax Administrators
Missouri Economic Research and Information Center