The Fishwarp's Editorial Board

Sounds like the Cincinnati Enquirer nowadays...

RIP Brian Griffin

Blogging isn't Cool mourns the loss of Brian Griffin - recently killed in a traffic accident.
More info here

Simpson Spells It Out

The Biz Courier's take

John Cranley - The Mad King

As evidence mounts that John Cranley's obsession with the Cincinnati Streetcar could trigger some disastrous results for the city, the man digs in, like a rabid cornered rat. His lashing out at everybody opposing him as incompetent liars shows a degree of paranoia & vindiveness seen in the likes of Chavez, Stalin, Jim Jones, Hitler, Jong-il, Koresh…
Is Cranley the next name to put on the list?

Moyers Takes On Zombies

yeah, you knew it was coming.

Pants

Who knew that starlet & top model Joanna Angel was also an accomplished dancer & classically trained musician?
Seriously. Who knew?

The Cincinnati Streetcar Controversy

This afternoon John Deatrick, project manager of the Cincinnati streetcar project will lay out the cost of halting the project in it's tracks (sorry).
The problem is, economics isn't the issue. Streetcar opponents haven't had a valid argument in years. This is a political game and a last gasp of an old guard to hang onto power. This is primarily the old 60s Democrats vs. the younger Democrats. Do the old Democrats care if they waste money? Do the establishment Republicans who backed Cranley & some council candidates with fairly clear mental problems?
nope - it's not their money
This is all about power. What did the streetcar supporters argue the streetcar would produce?

• bring new people to Cincinnati
• retain young people in Cincinnati
• re-populate the inner city
• offer opportunity to entrepreneurs
• revitalize the inner city

And what's wrong with that? Shouldn't we be forward looking? Shouldn't we "think about the children"?
Not if you're trying to hang onto power. This kind of talk scares the shit out of some people. These things would all change the political dynamic - the social demographic of the city. These young people and outsiders have no fealty to people like Tim Burke, David Mann or the Luken & Reece dynasties. These 60s Democrats want their welfare state, their minority set asides, affirmative action - Their Great Society. They want their handouts so they can curry favor with voters. They don't want to offer opportunity.
The split in endorsements in factions of the local Democratic party were telling. Party stalwarts, Thomas & Mann were omitted by the Hamilton County Young Democrats in favor of the more progressive Moroski. The younger Democrats don't give a crap about these old guys and the old guys know it. It's easier for them to cater to obstructionist Republicans than to accept the evolution of their own party.
Killing the streetcar isn't about economics or the future of the city - it's about local power and ego.

Cost to stop the streetcar

Can You See Me ?

The Fishwarp asks, Are police visible enough?. The new Cincinnati police chief has decided that officers should wear their hats in crowds & drive their patrol cars with more lights on. If you really want to make these giys more visible, tho, I'm thinking something more like the outfit the lead character in The Electric Horseman wore. We could use LEDs, now, of course, instead of the high voltage mess Redford wore. But getting some height would be a good idea, too. Since horses have been deemed too expensive (although this shouldn't be a problem for Cranley), I'm thinking...
MONSTER TRUCKS
Camels would be cool, too, but to be practical, you pretty much need the power of a monster truck.
But the plain white cap could be done better, too and in keeping with the monster truck theme, I'm thinking full head helmets with skull faces & embedded gas jets so the officers could go for the whole flaming skull thing.
And make no mistake, that helmet could be loaded with all sorts of futuristic Iron Man type crime fighting crap.
I'm also thinking motion sensor triggered laser sighting devices mounted on the monster trucks. Anybody who doesn't freeze in their tracks when a cop drove by would instantly see the dreaded red dot on their body scaring porktowners into being model citizens.
Police visibility is important and Cincinnati can lead the world in this endeavour. It might cost a fortune and be hokey as hell and maybe a little bit mad, but that's what Cincinnati is all about nowadays.

Sometimes Horror Doesn't Sell

Sammy Davis Jr, Christophr Lee, Adam West, Jack Klugman in a TV show about a bungling demon's crazy antics. How could it go wrong?
Unfortunately Poor Devil never made it past a pilot in 1973.

Cranley's Theme

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Ohio River Bridge Alternative #237

Cincinnati ~ Elm Street, 1938Do we really need to spend $300 BILLION on a bridge that goes all the way across the Ohio River? I think not. We can save BILLIONS if we just build two aligning ramps and let modern cars - fast and light as they are nowadays - just leap the rest of the way.
There's no need for the government to employ any expensive space age tech, not that bridges are particularly modern or anything, simple ramps will work fine. We can leave the high tech to the automobile industry & rely on the skills of the American driver to take care of the rest.
If you believe in America, anything is possible.

Tally Ho !

Should The Cincinnati Enquirer change it's name to Tally Ho? Or maybe just The Village Enquirer? Tally Ho was, of course, the name of the paper in the TV show, The Prisoner where Patrick MacGoohan found himself trapped in The Village, a mysterious place where nothing was what it seemed and information was not particularly forthcoming & what was, was never too reliable.
They might as well use the Tally Ho trademark - the trademark on pretty much everything in the Village. it's not like they print anything, anymore, anyway…heck, The Village even kinda looks like Cincinnati…

Cincinnati Needs to Keep an Eye on Columbus

Cincinnati needs to be very concerned about the next Ohio gubernatorial administration because, if we can make it that long, that governor will be picking the commission that oversees Cincinnati in a state of fiscal emergency. There is no doubt that Cranley's shortsightedness and recklessness will lead the Queen City into the abyss and councilmembers like Smitherman, Winburn Mann & Murray will not be the ones to put him in check due to either lack of mental faculties or will. This is going to be a one way ride.

Mary & Jack

London - 1888Warning - gruesomeness ahead
Jack the Ripper held Whitechapel, in London, in terror in 1888. He left a series of brutal murders of prostitutes, not only killed but mutilated with body parts missing. The murderer, who was never found, also taunted the police, writing letters to them & the press and sending body parts as credentials.

From hell
Mr Lusk
Sor
I send you half the Kidne I took from one women prasarved it for you tother piece
I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a whil longer.
signed
Catch me when you Can Mishter Lusk.

While London was no stranger to murder at the time, the brutality of his crimes and his insane rants on paper and scrawled on walls were incredibly shocking to the citizenry.
Naturally, the press milked it for all it was worth.
Bear in mind that women didn't have the career opportunities then that they have now. Prostitution wasn't that uncommon. Being shut out of most jobs, a woman's best career move was pretty much finding a man who would marry her & provide for her in exchange for sex, maid service & baby creation - not a huge leap from prostitution.
While all the murders attributed to Jack were on the street, the last one attributed to him was in a woman's apartment and the madman, unhurried, took his time…
November 9, 1888 Jack the Ripper murdered & mutilated Mary Kelly.Crime scene photography was also new at the time. All of the fiend's victims were photographed.
Police reports described Kelly's loins as being "flayed to the bone". A number of details that can probably be easily explained caught the public's attention & spread rumours of the supernatural & deviltry. The door of the victim was locked from within & a teapot hanging in the fireplace was partially melted - indicating an unnaturally hot fire.
Serial killers have been around forever. In the United States, today, it's estimated there are 35-50 at any given time. This particular maniac caught the public's eye due to his original use of media, however, and ushered in the kind of "modern age" of an ancient horrible tradition.

False Promise

Back in Old Testament days, if a guy reneged on a promise, he had to pay the promisee some fraction of what the promise was deemed worth. In New Testament land, the welsher was required to admit to his failing and beg forgiveness.
Seems like the old way would be a lot easier & more expedient.
Anyway, whichever route Paul Booth takes, I hope his soul finds peace.

Suck It, Guido

While November 5 tends to take us back to the Catholic terrorist, Guy Fawkes' failed attempt at mass murder 400 some years ago, this set of monuments in Roermont, The Netherlands shows love can trump religious intolerance.
Colenol JWC of Gorkum Was buried in the protestant section of a religiously segregated cemetery. Brick walls separated the Catholic, Protestant & Jewish sections. He was, however, married to a Catholic woman, JCPH of Aefferden. When she died, she had her burial in the Catholic section, on the other side of the wall from her deceased husband and then connected the two monuments with the clasping hands over the wall.
But bonfires are still fun...

We Can't Afford John Cranley

John Cranley intends to take on massive debt & increase spending dramatically but has not explained where the money is coming from.
Borrowing $100 Million to put into the pension fund with no return on the investment and identifying no revenue stream to pay it back (with interest) is reckless. Increasing police spending by $20 Million a year without a source is reckless and will lead to the city cutting services, laying off workers including police and ultimately, to fiscal emergency.
Cranley's disdain for planning and zoning will lead to haphazard development that will make the city & it's neighborhoods unattractive places to live for current residents as well as potential new residents.
Roxanne Qualls has promoted spending on projects that will generate revenue for the city and make it an appealing place to live for generations. The parking lease she has promoted will take the responsibility off the city of expensive maintenance costs and parking rates will be contractually controlled. John Cranley has pledged to raise parking rates but nothing is in place to stop him from raising them through the roof.
Roxanne Qualls work on utility aggregation & buying from renewable sources & her work on recycling will conserve our resources & save money in both the short and long term for not only the city and it's residents but the entire region.
Many people have cited the progress Cincinnati has made & the momentum we have built. We need to keep that going with a pragmatic leader with vision like Roxanne Qualls. John Cranley wants to put the brakes on and, in the case of the streetcar, throw away $70 to $90 Million dollars and, at the same time, embroil the city in expensive litigation that would last for years.
The simple fact is - we can't afford John Cranley as mayor of Cincinnati.

The Blogging isn't Cool Endorsements

It's pretty hard getting worked up over the city council candidates. The mayor's race is easy - Roxane Qualls is great & John Cranley is a dick. If BiC were the Fishwarp this would lead our board to endorse Cranley, of course, but, nevermind. There are some real tunas running for council but nobody who really lights our fire. So this year the BiC board is going with:

• Shawn Butler
• Michelle Dillingham
• Greg Landsman
• Mike Moroski
• Laure Quinlivan
• Chris Seelbach
• Yvette Simpson
• Wendel Young

And if we could make negative votes, they'd go to Chris Smitherman, Michelle Wegman & Charlie Winburn.

Anybody But Smitherman

Some pretty good advice. Heck, the crazy ass HamCoGOP isn't even endorsing the loon. His only real support is some devotees & CO    .

John Cranley's Bad Week - Cincinnati's Bad generation ?

Unpaid loans, ethics conflicts resulting in the loss of hundreds of Cincinnati jobs, the rising costs of canceling the streetcar, civil rights abuse allegations…
The more we learn about Cranley's behavior, the more likely it seems that he would merrily drag the city down with him into myriad legal entanglements that would cost the taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and stymie any forward movement the city might be making.
But does anybody care? From the Biz Courier:

"Since TV news has all but ignored the mayoral race in favor of its usual, steady diet of out-of-context murder, mayhem and teachers having sex with students, it seems to me Qualls will have to buy TV ads pointing out these stories for voter awareness to reach critical mass."

Add to that, the Republican Enquirer's not wanting to rock Cranley's boat and you have a fairly perfect storm brewing in Cincinnati's shadows.