Robo Call from Charlie Winburn on 9/30/09 6:40 PM
uh, Chas ? I think you need to re-record your robocall. No police officers have been laid off. Or did you mean to lie and scare citizens into voting for you ?
You might also think about turning down the volume if you re-record, too.
PS - the mayor doesn't really fit the profile of a mass murderer, either.
UPDATE:Winburn on WKRC NooseMakers warning us the mayor might try to poison us. link

College Hill - Where People Go To Die ?
College Hill is the home to at least 2 retirement/nursing home facilities, Llanfair and Twin Towers already. Now, Episcopal Retirement Homes wants to build a facility On North Bend just west of Hamilton Avenue. The College Hill Forum doesn't want the new facility. Dunno what they do want....
But can a neighborhood base itself on such businesses & their clientele ? The proposed facility is for low income seniors but, most seniors kinda are anyway just because they don't work. It is meant for independent living so the folks would be able to go out into the community and they would not be far from the business district. Twin Towers has a large independent living population that might not want to walk to the business district but could certainly drive there or use the bus. Both Twin Towers and Llanfair take their residents out on "field trips" on a regular basis.
Would a concentration of nursing homes in one neighborhood attract businesses like funeral homes, drug stores, prosthetics dealers, bingo halls & physical therapists ? Could College Hill be the place to go for steamed food ? Might Northside hipsters like the nearby location for their aging parents ? Would the city be well served with such a neighborhood that it could develop the infrastructure to cater to the elderly ? Is this a way to build a vibrant neighborhood ?
Or would it just become a ghetto of the elderly ?

Why Vote Early ?
Once again, the local NAACP president hosts a campout at the BOE so "he can cast the first vote". Maybe he is raising some awareness to the ability to vote early at the BOE & not have to worry about juggling work & poll hours, bad weather, traffic, etc., but it also serves another purpose besides self promotion.
Most of the political campaigning doesn't really get started till about now & the vast majority of the campaigning won't occur till the last couple weeks before the election. When you are promoting bad government like Isuues 3, 8 & 9, you probably don't want your voters to be too educated on the issues. If you went on Sillyman's camping trip you would likely miss this informative video that actually animates the city's new logo. It almost animates the city manager, too.

The fact Sillyman also supports every single tax levy on the ballot must thrill his pals at COA T.
Vote No On 9

Fishwrap article here.

Issue 3

I don't gamble. It bores me. I would just as soon give my money to people on the street. I realize a lot of people enjoy it, tho, and that Ohio money is going out of state without the gambling here.
Las Vegas is a fun place to visit. The casinos are a sight to see. The thing is, out there, there are slots everywhere. From the moment you arrive at the airport you hear the sound of coins tinkling everywhere ! (I can imagine Edgar Allan Poe dealing with that!) Small bars might have one slot or video poker machine. Places with no gambling have entertainment out the wazoo. There is a ton of stuff going on in Las Vegas without gambling. It is a unique and immersive experience.
This is what I don't get about Ohio & it's various plans to do gambling. We always want to have just one or two single casinos. Why don't we want to set up something that would compete with Vegas, or for that matter, Branson ? Why can't we just license machines & dealers to establishments that want them ? Why do we have to have an out of state entity run one casino without any competition ? Here in Cincinnati, I imagine someone like Jeff Ruby could do a casino just fine.
I really think the place for a gambling town would be Pomeroy. It has the Ohio River, wooded hillsides, camping. It's a pretty little town with a nice riverfront. I am sure the infusion of cash would be welcomed.
Sandusky, on the lake, would make another good location. The thing is, it should be an immersive and a uniquely Ohio experience. It should not be a single monopolized cookie cutter blob stuck into areas with a lot of voters.
I will oppose all gambling measures in the state that are concocted like Issue 3 and pretty much every other plan for gambling that's been put on the ballot.

Ever Have One of Those Days ?

Death to Graphic Designers Who Use Low Contrast Text
I was just looking at the Dollhouse Website. They use a light grey type (AAAAAA) that is very difficult to read. Pisses me off. Low contrast shit is for backgrounds not for body copy.
§ assholes §
On a bright note, however, Summer Glau will be on the show this season, however, I guess Amy Acker will be MIA most of the season. Here's hoping Alan Tudyk returns as Alpha. Man, if somebody wanted to do a sit-com about Jack the Ripper, he'd be the one for the role.

Things To Do


Ain't Nothin' To Do
Way up north outside of Dayton, World War I aviation show at the Wright Pat Air Force Museum -er- the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Friday, Sep 25 7:30AM - 5PM

Abstract Trances: Color, Vision, Sensation at Visionaries & Voices, 3841 Spring Grove Avenue, Sep 25 from 8:30AM - 4PM

StreetScapes Street Painting Festival Saturday Sep 26/27 from 10A - 6P, Telford at Ludlow
Due to rain, the Street Painting Festival is merging with the CCAC Art Sale

Out of the Attic Art Sale on Saturday & Sunday, Sep 26/27 at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, 3711 Clifton Avenue
Info - 961-6762

Early Settlers and Freedom Fighters Tours at Wesleyan Cemetery, 4003 Colerain Avenue Sep 26 @ 1 & 3PM
info - 513-542-2909
In the event of heavy rain, the tours will be moved back to Sunday

Northside Cumminsville Walking Tour sponsored by the Cincinnati Preservation Association. Tours meet at Sidewinder Coffee & Teas so you can get all cranked up & run the tour so the CPA guide can get home. Tour starts Sep 27 at 11AM

Weekend Walkabout at Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Cemetery Sep 27 @ 1PM.

And as usual, Downtown is completely dead, so sad.....

Urbana's Roundabout - Week One

The intersection in the heart of Urbana switched from an ugly traffic light hanging over a monument to a roundabout last weekend. The first reactions are mixed. While traffic congestion is down, some folks believe it is because drivers are hurtling through side streets endangering Urbana youth. Others say it is more efficient & will work better as people learn to use it.
It's gotta look better - even if the statue is splattered in blood and bathed in the light of the burning, wrecked cars.
Here's the directions given to Urnananianites.

Noose Son story here.

Mt Adams NIMBYS Kill 3-C Train
The wealthy and connected Mt Adams NIMBYs with the wealthy and connected Arn Bortz effectively killed the 3-C train system in Cincinnati tonight.
A lady who lived on Eastern Avenue spoke up & said what I was screaming at my TV set, living around trains ain't bad.
I lived about 16 years 2 blocks from a railroad in Springfield. Upon moving to Cincinnati, I lived on the eastern side of the Mill Creek Valley and listened to the squeaks and groans of the train yards as I drifted off to sleep. Now, in Northside, I am farther from trains than I have been since a wee lad. Thankfully I can still hear the horns from the trains along the Mill Creek at night.
But, Mt Adams residents couldn't be disturbed with trains 3 times a day, however & river traffic noise be damned (and the noise the little old lady mentioned that emanated from Mt Adams) and with the aid of a wealthy benefactor sent the Cincinnati terminus of the train out to fucking Lunken Airport out in the middle of goddam nowhere. YES ! Clevelanders will flock to the little airport all socked in with fog! It has long been their dream to do so.
Mt Adams residents don't care that the economy is in the tank and that their precious parks are dead zones that are nothing but a drain on city resources. And they will be forever ruined with the 3 Trains a Day !
Did I mention these passenger trains are not the mile long freight jobs, but only a few cars long ? That they will be state of the art and not as noisy as the ones the little old Eastern Avenue lady was dealing with quite well ?
Near as I can tell, no bus currently goes to Lunken. The nearest one takes about 16 minutes to get downtown (after it shows up at the airport). From there, after a layover, another bus would take about half an hour more to get me home. After a 6 hour train ride, this is just what I would be looking forward to. You wouldn't want to run an express bus because that would just be a royal slap in the face of east siders in Oakley & Madisonville. Shouldn't the train take you to a transportation hub ? This is no better than getting dropped off at CVG.
Still, I have to say, the weirdest complaint was from the restaurant owner who didn't want a train dropping passengers off in front of his establishment.....
Cincinnatians are so fucking weird.

El Superbeasto

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto has been in the works for 3 years and now it's here. Now, where's the Suzi-X action figure ?
Go Rob Go
Go Rob Go
Go Rob Go

Northside Political Forum September 21 from 8:00 - 9:30 PM

Northside Community Council will be conducting a political forum for City Council and mayor after its regular meeting on Monday, September 21 at the McKie Recreation Center. The goal is to make the forum educational and engaging.
The candidates will be divided into three groups, and there will be a few minutes break between each group. Each candidate will get to make a 1 minute statement and after all 7 have presented, persons in the audience will be allowed to ask questions. If there is no question for a specific candidate, then a general question will be asked of that candidate. Questions are limited to 30 seconds and responses to 1 minute. After each candidate is asked a question, the process will be repeated for a second question.
Candidates will put literature on the side tables and have signs and other materials available.
All of the 19 City Council candidates and one of the mayoral candidates have accepted our invitation.
The candidates will be speaking in the following order:
8:00 - 8:30 Kevin Flynn, George Zamary, Leslie Ghiz, Roxanne Qualls, Greg Harris, Anitra Brockman, Tony Fischer
8:30 - 9:00 Chris Monzel, Amy Murray, Bernadette Watson, Cecil Thomas, Wendell Young, Jeff Berding; Brad Wenstrup
9:00 - 9:30 Laure Quinlivan, Laketa Cole, Nicholas Hollan, Chris Bortz, LaMarque Ward, Charlie Winburn
Candidates for whom the audience doesn’t have an individual question will be asked the following questions.
1. If you think that Cincinnati should develop an overall plan for what the City should look like in the future, what role do you think the citizens should play in such a "visioning" process?
2. What are some of the services that you think that the City should provide beyond the level of police and fire protection and what role do you think citizens should have in determining what is appropriate?
Questions, call Gwen Marshall at 541-6978 or gmarshal@fuse.net

In a "press release" this weekend, Chris Smitherman, a so called "financial planner", berates the city & SORTA for planning for the long term while reacting to the short term management issues. He derides them for cutting bus service while, at the same time, promoting streetcar development (something SORTA wanted to do years ago). He appears to realize that the economic downturn is not forever but he keeps talking about SORTA/Metro/The City as if it is a business. While a business might ride out a downturn & go into debt with the anticipation of generating profits in the future, government agencies can't do that, especially since they don't make a profit even in the best of times.
He notes, "Transportation is a civil rights issue in the 21st Century."
It kinda was in the 20th century, too, but nevermind. He complains that cutting bus service to the handicapped is bad.....
So why does he oppose the streetcar ? It has superior access for the disabled, the elderly and the parents of small children (who frequently aren't dripping with money), too.
Guess this goes along with his short term financial planning strategies & his mistaken belief that the government should operate like a business but still provide services for free.
He also points out "The Cincinnati NAACP Executive Committee has not been contacted for any input."
Well, Blogging Isn't Cool's Executive Committee wasn't contacted, either, AND HE ACTUALLY RIDES THE BUS.
And, essentially a lie, "Nonetheless, the Mayor and City Council are moving forward with plans to build a $200 million streetcar in downtown with no input from the community."
Government is participatory. The city has had meetings pertaining to the streetcar that were open to the public for the past 3 years. I guess this falls under the idea that the city has to ask the NAACP's Executive Committee for an exclusive audience.
Maybe his rant would make more sense with the physical performance - the Hitleresque hand gestures and facial expressions....
Dunno about that guy, but he and Tom Luken are certainly peas in a pod.

NAACP Press Release.
How come what Sillyman publishes is a "press release" but what I publish is a blog post.
hm

Ukraine's Got Talent

Do they have stuff like this on the US version ? If they have, I sure as heck missed it. All I ever see are sappy pop singers & dance groups.
Thanks to Mx for the link.

AAAAHHHHHRRRRRRRR !!!!!!!

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

So I was thinking about going down to the Cincinnati ~er~ Zinzinnati Oktoberfest this weekend and started thinking about lines, lines, beer tickets, portapotties, potato pancakes, lines, sauerkraut balls, lines, beer, lines, lines and more lines.....
Q, the chick in the picture WILL be there !
pfah, I am old. She would probably call me sir, anyway. I think I might just stay home & have my own Oktoberfest.....
I have Newkirks recipe for sauerkraut balls. It makes about 10 friggin' pounds, so I would have to pare it down. hm Math+beer+deep frying......
oh well, if you wanna go and meet all those nice people standing in lines, it's Saturday, 11 a.m. - midnight & Sunday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. downtown on Fifth Street from Race Street to Broadway.

Throwing the Baby Out With the Bathwater

Given Issue 9's broad language, not only would it affect light and heavy rail, but the City Solicitor believes it could affect the weird little train at the zoo.

""It may sound like a stretch, but it's not an exaggerated argument," said City Solicitor John Curp. "It's a legitimate question.""

Today, on WLW, The Cunning Ham indicated the passage of Issue 9 could be a wet dream for lawyers.
Interestingly enough, one of the arguments the We Demand a Vote Because We are Too Lame to Actually Get Elected crew had against cost-cutting red light cameras was that they would be a boon to divorce lawyers.
Vote NO on Issue 9. Do it for the children.

Fishwrap story here

Springfielders Eye Merits of Regional Rail System
At a presentation Tuesday the economic benefits of having a passenger rail station (again) in Springfield were touted by a Maine developer who claims billions of dollars were generated up there.

"I would hesitate to forecast any specific numbers for Ohio, but I can tell you in Maine, we generated $7.2 billion in additional construction with development stimulated by the train,” Martin said. “The train rail line will add another $2.4 billion of development in the state."

Of course he doesn't seem to breakdown development and the actual installation of the line.
Springfield is currently not in the plans for a first stage 3C corridor system.

Noose Son story here

yes
Jackass
move on

The city is going to hold a series of open houses to explain to people what the streetcar proposal means to them.
With any luck the WDaV crew will bus in out-of-town tea bagging hecklers to yell & holler & turn the meetings into Maury Povich shows.
Times & locations:
5-7 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown.
6-8 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Bond Hill Recreation Center, 1501 Elizabeth Place.
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 28 on Fountain Square, Downtown.
5-7 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, 800 Vine St., Downtown.
6-8 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Oakley Recreation Center, 3882 Paxton Ave. (in Hyde Park Plaza)
6:30-8:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the College Hill Recreation Center, 5545 Belmont Ave.
6-8 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Corryville Recreation Center, 2823 Eden Ave.
6-8 p.m. Nov. 4 at the LeBlond Recreation Center, 2335 Riverside Drive, East End.
5-7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Cincinnati City Hall, Room 115, 801 Plum St., Downtown.
630-8:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Price Hill Recreation Center, 959 Hawthorne Ave.

Fishwrap Story here.

Cincinnatians for Progress has requested submissions for yard signs for the campaign against Issue 9.
You can send your ideas to Cincinnatians for Progress.
Bear in mind most yard signs are appealing to people speeding by in their metal and glass bubbles, so the message should be clear and bold with plenty of contrast. They don't offer any dimensions but my Ron Paul for President sign is 24" x 12".
Commence designin' ! It's fun ! It's easy ! It's cathartic !
here's some of mine

red white and blue with a slogan from somewhere, Simes ?



green, rails, progress.....



my Iomega design



ok, probably not a great design but who decided elections should be held around Halloween anyway ?