Tea

Not sure if Lipton is reading their tea leaves right on this one. They are partnering with Pepsi to market carbonated tea. But not just any tea - sweetend fruity carbonated tea. This article cites declining interest in mainstream soft drinks for the reasoning behind offering these new drinks. I think most people are turning away from the mainstream soft drinks to avoid all the sugar & syrupy artificially flavored crap.
A carbonated, plain, sweetened or unsweetened natural tea might have been a better idea. Or at least another flavor in the line up.

Godzilla, not just a monster - a lifestyle

Ok, a Godzilla themed theater is OK but a Godzilla themed hotel? YOW.
Unfortunately, the hotel doesn't seem to go far enough. Burnt & squahed bodies working as furniture & appliances would be a good touch. Cracked & shattered walls would be cool. An atomic grill in the lounge would be a nice touch. The sounds of screams, crashes & explosions played on the PA? oh HELL Yeah. Heck, you could even have scaly bed spreads in the rooms.
Wonder if they considered tiny ladies for the concierge?
oh well, one more reason to go to Japan

Nerdist article here.

The Cover Up Begins

The overlords, under the influence of mind control rays wielded by subterranean space aliens are clearly on the ropes as the brave & curious use social media to expose their lies and diabolical plots. Now they are saying that they are behind posts meant to dupe the defenders of Earth and seek to mock them and undermine their credulity.
here is their vain attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the pinks.
The Deros are getting old. Their Grays, being over cloned, are breaking down and less able to act effectively. Now the Anunnaki must rely on simple machines and their traitorus human cohorts.
They feel us nipping at their heels. They fear they will not be ready as Nibiru approaches. They fear it will be the humans of Earth who broker a deal with JHVH-1 and not themselves.
The great ascendancy is upon us and we must be vigilant and strong as the reptilians try to break our spirit and pathetically try to humiliate us before our fellow travelers.
BE FIRM! BE BOLD!

∃ ∀ ∈ ⊕

Shiva and the Autonomous Auto

With the advent of the self driving car, people's driving habits as well as car ownership habits are going to change.
This article at NBR discusses how some auto manufacturers will likely not survive the transition. They suggest people will likely cut back on or eliminate car ownership and use 'shared' vehicles - essentially using cabs without drivers. So cabbies are going to take a hit, too.
But with larger fleets of cab like vehicles there will probably be more jobs cleaning the things. People won't be driving so they will likely engage in other activities, like eating, drinking, taking drugs & having sex. There's going to be a lot more cleaning than nowadays with crumbs, popcorn, stains & such.
But will this really mean more low level jobs or will robots take over this sector as well? If the vehicles are designed to be easily cleaned, OK. But it might just be one of those jobs that will require humans. Low level transhumans maybe, transubhumans?

Legend's Stats

There's lies, damned lies, and statistics. Pop singer John Legend got into the numbers game when he received an Oscar for a song he composed for the movieSelma. He stated that the number of black males under the control of the criminal justice system in the US was comparable to the number of black male slaves in 1850.
OK, first of all, since he was talking about racial justice which was the theme of the movie Selma, I think that's AOK. If he had gone off on bullying, transgender stuff, vegetarianism, etc., that would have been off topic, so no problem there here.
But his numbers were kinda weird. The Washington Post went over the numbers and said he was "mostly right". They have the video there, too.
First of all, I was amazed at how many of the slaves were female in 1850. With 3.2M slaves less than 1M were male. You'd think the guys would be happy!
OTOH only about 10% of the black people were free.
While Legend was close on raw numbers, no blacks are officially enslaved in America today and only about 1-2% are incarcerated. I don't have any idea what the incarceration rate was in 1850. Actually I'm not sure of any of my numbers since the sites that cite such numbers are all trying to make some kind of point. The US does have one of the highest incarceration rates in the world with Seychelles and maybe North Korea being higher.
Overall, I would say equating black life in America today with America 165 years ago doesn't add up.

Lady of Csjthe

A Vancouverite made a movie in Russia about Betty Bathory in Transylvania but was actually in Hungary but now Slovakia. Dunno if it will get an American release with English dubs or subtitles.

Location Location Location

This article at Urbanfuk talks about cities that are luring movie makers away from Hollywood. Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh make the list. While largely due to tax incentives, there's a degree of talent in the cities & digital film making has made it a lot easier to pick up & go.
One of the bestest TV shows in the past 1,000 years was Route 66. That show was filmed entirely on location as two young men drove around the United States in a sports car. OK, a couple sports cars and sometimes the locations weren't the stated locations but, still....
The thing is, the series served to document these various locations in the early 60s. You can skip the show & just watch the backgrounds. Wouldn't it be great to do another series that actually went around & shot on location? It could document the country as Route 66 did but in the 21st century.
Dunno if a producer could get tax credits from multiple cities for single episodes, but, hey, a guy can dream.

The Divine Horsemen

This movie filmed around 1950 was made by Maya Deren, a dancer who became interested in film. While a book by the same name was published, the film was not finished & released till after she died.
This movie was shot on that stuff called "film" and is really worthwhile to watch on DVD. Also, there is a section on 'Animal Sacrifice' that some people might want to skip which would also be easier to do on DVD.
Overall, a decent & easy intro to Vodou.

Pussy Riot - All American

The Biden Solution

What can be done about Vice President Joe Biden's lecherous groping of women?
The obvious solution, the only solution, is to bind the depraved predator for the rest of his term.
Come to think of it, maybe all federal politicians should be bound & wheeled around by federal marshals...

Keep Hamilton County Safe

When Dr Sammarco ran for the Hamilton County Coroner's position, she campaigned on a platform of modernization, moving the office into the 21st century, making it a profitable regional department by offering services to nearby counties & such. Her opponent specifically campaigned on a platform of "whatever, we can just do it the way we always have".
So it was kind of odd to see HamCoGOP chair say

The current Coronor [sic] has focused so much on doing things the same old way that has refused to consider new and better ways to do her job.

That's not what she has been doing and he was AOK when his cousin campaigned on that same platform.
He further whines about how we should have a regional crime lab when that's exactly what Sammarco is promoting. Triantifilou & Hartmann would prefer using OPM in a big central government statist manner.
Now the coroner, sheriff, auditor, recorder & others are campaigning to move forward with modernizing a crime lab that will serve the region while Republican commissioners & leadership sit on their hands & gamble with our safety, something they describe as a luxury. Check out keephamiltoncountysafe.org.
The HamCoGOP has had it out for the coroner since Day 1 with their frivolous law suits & character assassination. They will, apparently, not stop spouting lies & twisting the truth to put their friends & relatives into power.

Fishwarp article with the chairman's dervish-like palaver here.

Northside Second SaturdayValentines Day Edition

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥Bistro Grace Surf & Turf dinner special, scallops and steak, for $29.95, 4pm-11pm, 4034 Hamilton Avenue, 513.541.9600
Boswell Alley On Valentine's Day, our band is West November. A great group playing all kinds of music. One of our specials is Chicken Marsala, the other is still in the making. Bottles of Lindemann wines on special this night are $10.
C & D Tavern Art exhibit featuring work by Nathan Turner, 7pm; Karaoke at 10pm with Weven Stalls, PLUS free condoms provided by Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio; 1714 Hanfield Street, 513.541.9881
Casablanca Vintage Bring your significant other in for some cupcakes & cocktails, and receive 10% off your Valentine’s purchases, 6pm-10pm, 3944 Spring Grove Avenue,513.541.6999
Chameleon Pick up a free "We love Northside" bumper sticker sponsored by the Northside Business Association, while checking out a special art opening, plus Vinyl Night with Hook & Ladder featuring Margaret Darling of the Seedy Seeds, 8pm, 4114 Hamilton Avenue,513.541.2073
Chicken Lays An Egg Receive 20% off your purchase when you ask for the Lovers’ Special, Noon-6pm; 4178 Hamilton Avenue, 513.834.9268
Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center Parents Night Out, leave the kiddos in good hands while you go out on the town, $30 for one child age 1 year or older for up to 4 hours; $50 for babies under 1 year, $20 each additional sibling, 6pm-10pm, 4244 Hamilton Avenue,513.591.2332
The Comet Shake your booty at Reggae Night with Queen City Imperial Soundsystem while sipping on a draft of Southern Tier Choklat Imperial Stout; 10pm; 4579 Hamilton Avenue,513.541.8900
Django Western Taco Enjoy lunch or dinner with featured drinks & desserts, 11am-12am, 4046 Hamilton Avenue, 513.542.3664
Galaxie Skateshop "Forever Young" Galaxie Prom with dancing and refreshments, plus awards for best dance moves, best dressed, and a king and queen will be crowned; 7pm-11pm, 4202 Hamilton Avenue, 513.542.3400
Happen, Inc. & Happen’s Toy Lab Valentine's Day Dance and Game Party with free food, fun and prizes, 6pm-8pm. Call to make a reservation, 513.751.2345, 4201 Hamilton Avenue
The Kitchen Factory Bring your your romantic partner to buy one pizza slice and get the second slice free when eating together, 5pm-9pm, 1609 Chase Avenue, 513.591.3333
The Listing Loon Wine tasting with chocolate pairings from Chocolats Latour, offering 5 wines/5 chocolates for $20, plus a complimentary charcuterie board from Picnic & Pantry, 6pm-9pm, with music by swing/blues guitarist Eric Evans, 8:30pm, 4124 Hamilton Avenue,513.542.5666
Market Side Mercantile 3rd Anniversary party with drinks & desserts, plus take advantage of a sale on their new assortment of locally made dips and sauces, Noon-10pm 4170 Hamilton Avenue, 513.967.2026
Northside Tavern Musical performance by the Fairmount Girls, plus the FG’s Valentine’s Post Office where you can send an anonymous Valentine to anyone in the room; enjoy a special Valentine cocktail called Tender Trap, 7pm; 4163 Hamilton Avenue, 513.542.3603
NVISION Enjoy a special vintage lingerie exhibit, plus 20% off all jewelry as well as pink & red clothing & accessories, Noon-9pm, 4577 Hamilton Avenue, 513.542.4577
Ruth’s Parkside Cafe Take your sweetie out to dinner for a Filet Mignon, Scallops, Chocolate Raspberry Tort, and Delicious Rose Martini Special, 5pm-10pm, 1550 Blue Rock Street, 513.542.7884
Tantrum Take advantage of 50% off all jewelry, 11am-4pm, 4183 Hamilton Avenue,513.542.4183

Northside Second Saturdays Facebook Page

The Northside Map of Awesomeness

MILFs v. Zombies

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Legal Pot - WTH ?

While Ohio is facing 2 - 3 competing ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana, Washington & Colorado are having their growing pains with the legal stuff.
Figuring out your federal taxes on something the feds still treat as illegal is only one issue.
The price on the open market is another issue. This statement kinda knocked my socks off.

"In the early days, we were able to get, like, $1,700 to $2,200 a pound, wholesale. Now it's like $700, $800 a pound,” he said. "That's not profitable at all. I've got most of my stuff stashed away for later."

OK, checking for inflation a pound of pot should go for about $800 nowadays. But part of the high price for, remember, a weed, was due to it being contraband and risky to grow, move & sell. Now it's legal, a weed that anybody can grow & this guy needs about $2,000 a pound to be profitable?
Granted, that's about what it costs me to grow a pound of tomatoes, but something ain't right here.

Read all about it at NBR.

Robot Dogs

Will they pack? Chase cars & cyclists? Will they dig in the trash and bark incessantly?
Will they be man's best friend ?

Drivers' Tests

Steven J. Franzen explains Kentucky's byzantine path to driving privileges with their 'graduated licensing' policy.
It doesn't explain the effects of full moons, dark riders or the appearances of crows.
What we need to test drivers for vision wise however, need not be acuity so much as visual comprehension. A one man shooter game forces the player to quickly discern whether a person is friend or foe but what I suggest is a test after a session to see what the testee noticed in his session. Did he notice the "r" was out on the Arby's sign? Did he notice the newsboy on the corner was selling out of date newspapers? Did he notice the patterns on the water runoff grates?
When motorists mow down pedestrians & cyclists, they frequently state their victim "came out of nowhere". They didn't. They were part of the environment the driver blissfully rolled through in a steel & glass bubble.
It's not just about reading street signs and ignoring speed limit signs & directional arrows - it's about paying attention as you navigate a great & deadly box through a community of people.

Should Cincinnati neighborhoods establish their own courts ?

In 13th to 16th & maybe 17th century Germany, it was pretty lawless if you went outside your nobleman's territory. The empire wasn't doing so hot in bringing these rogues to justice so a system of courts using lay judges was established, The Vehmic court or as Thomas Keightley referred to them in his 1837 book, Secret Societies of the Middle Ages, The Secret Tribunals Of Westphalia.
The lay judges would travel around, announce their presence & schedule a trial date and the townsfolk could bring their grievances to the court members who would subpoena the accused, sometimes with a document stuck to their door with a dagger, and hold hearings, then dispense justice. Sometimes it was repayment, sometimes, in lieu of a prison system, it was corporal but it was dispensed immediately. Finding a location with a good stout tree was handy for shade and in dealing with capital offenses.
I'm not suggesting the traveling show system but perhaps an extension of the Cincinnati Community Council system. Neighborhood parks could be used. The punishments would be public and send a clear message. Perhaps incarceration could be done using neighborhood recreation centers or, in more blighted neighborhoods, abandoned buildings.
This system could have two fold benefits. It would speed up the justice process and it would relieve the police & county courts of some of their burden, saving them time and money.
The 21st century affords us the opportunity to go all medieval. Besides bringing communities together, this could also be seen as a connection to our German heritage. It would simply be a win win solution for everybody. Well, almost everybody.

∃ ∀ ∈ ⊕

Horror Sells

I can't really relate but I do remember my niece totally freaking out over the shadows moving around inside the car on a bright sunny day. freakazoid 4yr olds....

Horror Sells

ok, I'm going to put this ad under the heading of horror. Eating disorders have got to be one of the most insidious things in the world. You can always just pass the fast food joints but I can only imagine what it's like going to the grocery.
That being said, I wouldn't endorse Weight Watchers - although some of their frozen entrees are kinda tasty.

The Great White North

The UrbanCincynistas don their plaid & hiking boots & trek into the frontier of Northside with their tour guide James Heller-Jackson.
Listen to the 47th podcast here.

Meanwhile

LIBER TZADDI VEL HAMVS HERMETICUS(1981)

Aleister Crowley's Rites of Eleusis performed by initiates of the Ordo Templi Orientis in California
Happy Imbolc, everybody!!